Staff
Like the consultants of the GMS project, staff members are health and development professionals with wide-ranging experience and interests, and have roots in a number of countries.
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Catherine Severo, Project Director Ms. Severo is a health economist and planner with more than 25 years of global experience in public health. Catherine has managed grant-making activities and advised governance bodies on their health grants on three continents. She has supported Global Fund activities at the country level since 2002, including development of successful proposals with single and multiple PRs for more than $500 million. A specialist in governance and PR management, Catherine has assisted CCMs and PRs in eight countries. As Project Director of GMS, she manages both technical support teams going to the field and general project activities. Languages: English, French |
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Bruce Gatti, Deputy Director/Administration Mr. Gatti has more than 30 years of experience in financial and administrative management and operations of U.S. foreign assistance programs worldwide. Bruce oversees all finance and administrative systems and activities on the GMS project. Languages: English |
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Patricia Paredes, Deputy Director/Technical Dr. Paredes has more than 20 years working in health and development. Prior to GMS, Patricia served as a Senior Technical Advisor at USAID's Bureau for Global Health, and as the manager for Latin America and the Caribbean on the RPM Plus Project at MSH, where she coordinated and provided technical assistance on pharmaceutical management and policy. Currently, Patricia oversees GMS technical activities, with a particular emphasis in procurement and supply management. Languages: English, Spanish |
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Melinda Ojermark, M&E Specialist Ms. Ojermark is a public health and health systems professional who has spent 12 years resident in Africa working in health management information systems, M&E, logistics, and program management. Most recently, she also served in long-term senior management positions in Vietnam and Laos on Sida-funded health projects and has provided short-term technical assistance in numerous countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Melinda oversees GMS teams providing technical support in monitoring and reporting to CCMs and PRs. Languages: English, French |
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Elena Decima, PR Management Specialist Ms. Decima has more than 20 years of academic, management, and consulting experience in higher education, government, and non-governmental organizations in Latin America and Africa. Her expertise is in project, financial, and human resource management. On the GMS project, Elena provides technical supervision of GMS teams providing technical support to principal recipients on grants and financial management. Languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese |
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Iryna Reshevska, CCM Specialist Ms. Reshevska has over fifteen years of experience in reproductive health, family planning and maternal health, HIV/AIDS and MAT related programs predominantly in Eastern Europe and the Eurasia region. Iryna has a Master's degree in Health Policy & Management. Her areas of expertise include development and implementation, program management, strategic planning, advocacy and leadership, health system strengthening, and governance capacity building. Within the GMS Project, Iryna is responsible for managing and providing technical supervision to the GMS teams working with CCMs. Languages: English, Russian, Ukrainian, Georgian, Polish |
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Dah Ould El Hadj Sidi, PSM Specialist Dr. El Hadj Sidi is a pharmacist and public health specialist by training with experience in the management of essential drugs logistics and supplies. He has expertise in procurement, inventory management, and forecasting in the area of supply chain and program management. Dah has worked with GMS first as a consultant and then full time since 2008 specializing in the areas of procurement and supply management as well as grant signature preparations and grant consolidation. He has served on GMS teams in Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ghana, Mauritania, Morocco, and Senegal and helps to manage GMS teams in Africa. Languages: English, French, Arabic |
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Eduardo Samayoa, Senior Technical Advisor Mr. Samayoa is the inventor and lead developer of the CCM grant dashboard, now adopted by the Global Fund. Mr. Samayoa is a M&E expert, and has worked with MSH in the LMS and GMS projects leading the identification of indicators, developing the platform for the dashboard and its adaptation for the generic version that currently is available to all CCMs. He works as a technical lead in setting up M&E systems for principal recipients to report to the Global Fund and for strengthening the functions of CCMs. He served on GMS teams in Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Mongolia, and Peru. Languages: English and Spanish |
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Elise Yousoufian, Communications Officer Ms. Yousoufian is responsible for editing all GMS technical documents and reports to the countries, and for writing success stories and other communications products. Elise is an experienced writer, editor, and translator with over 20 years of experience in writing and editing, translation, journalism, training, proposal development, and contracts. Languages: English, French, Spanish |
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Nina Pruyn, Senior Program Officer Ms. Pruyn has 15 years of experience in implementing and supporting programs in development, health, education, and social services. For GMS, Nina coordinates knowledge management activities, consultant training, and development of technical resources. Languages: English, Spanish |
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Meredith Behrens, Senior Program Officer Ms. Behrens has more than 15 years of experience in community development, education, and health. She recently served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala as a project coordinator for the Healthy Schools Project. Meredith is responsible for supervising the administrative and logistical support to GMS teams in the field and civil society strengthening subcontractors. Languages: English, Spanish |
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Ara Khachatryan, Senior Contracts Officer Mr. Khachatryan has been a contracts and financial manager for more than 10 years. Prior to the GMS project, he worked for the CARANA Corporation as a contracts specialist and for USAID/Armenia as a financial analyst. On the GMS project, Ara negotiates and manages all contracts with partners and consultants. Languages: English, Russian, Armenian |
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Sahar Shamseldin, Senior Finance Officer Ms. Shamseldin has extensive knowledge in public relations, finance, and administrative management with experience in financial planning and U.S. Government rules and regulations. For GMS, Sahar provides finance and operations support to consultant teams, develops budgets, processes invoices and payments, and analyzes financial reports. Languages: English, Arabic, French |
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Metasebia Hailemichael, Finance & Contracts Associate Prior to GMS, Mr. Hailemichael worked with MSH to support Human Resources in the Center for Pharmaceutical Management; he also works as the Public Relations Manager for the EOTC DC Archdiocese. Meti is responsible for coding and processing vendor invoices and employee expense reports. He works closely with the Program Officer, Contracts Officer, and other project staff, focusing on financial, operational, and contractual record keeping, analysis and data processing. Languages: English, Amharic |
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Melissa Melgar, Program Officer Ms. Melgar worked for the GMS Project for more than a year as an Administrative Coordinator before being promoted to Program Officer. She completed her MPH at Boston University in 2009 where she concentrated in international health and worked as a teaching assistant and program assistant for the Summer Institute in International Health. As Program Officer, Melissa provides management support for GMS activities in operations, knowledge management, and partner communications. Languages: English, Spanish |
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Sara Ray, Program Coordinator, Communications Ms. Ray has worked on USAID-funded projects for some ten years. For GMS, Sara mainly reviews, coordinates, and copyedits consultancy reports in several languages. She also provides translation services related to various GMS documents. Prior to working in development, she worked for 15 years in Paris in various bilingual positions and as a translator for a French advertising company. She has also worked in Belgium, the DRC, Macedonia, Spain and the U.K. Languages: English, French, Spanish |
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Aji Sanneh, Program Coordinator While pursuing her degree in political science, Ms. Sanneh was involved in mentoring at-risk youths in Toronto as well as orphans affected by HIV/AIDS in her native Gambia and in Cote d'Ivoire. For GMS, Aji provides logistical, financial, and other administrative support for Anglophone and Francophone teams traveling to the field and supports GMS technical managers. Languages: English, French, Wolof |
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RJ DeSmedt, Program Coordinator Mr. DeSmedt recently completed his M.A. in Critical and Creative Analysis (Sociology) at Goldsmiths College, the University of London; he has studied in Belgium, the U.S., and England. For GMS, RJ provides logistical, financial, and other administrative support for GMS teams traveling to the field, supports GMS technical managers, and works on English/French translation and copy editing of French products. Languages: English, French |
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Luis Mancilla, Program Coordinator After working as a computer engineer for several years, Mr. Mancilla decided to change career paths, and as a result, completed his Masters of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech in 2009. His work experience has mostly been in the private sector in the U.S. as well as in Peru. For GMS, Luis provides logistical, financial, and other administrative support for GMS teams traveling to the field and supports GMS technical managers. Languages: English, Spanish |
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Malaika Schiller, Program Coordinator Ms. Schiller is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Bénin, where she worked as an english teacher and an HIV & AIDS educator. She completed her MPH in Global Health at Emory University in 2011, where she concentrated in community health and development. As Program Coordinator for GMS, Malaïka provides logistical, financial, and other administrative support for teams traveling to the field and supports GMS technical managers. Languages: English, French |
