Authors

Multicultural, multilingual, and multidisciplinary to the core—global in outlook and approach—our authors are steeped in the challenges of delivering development solutions in the field. They are committed to sharing our innovation and experience to inform international development practices around the world.

Addie Ryan Tadavarthy

Addie Ryan Tadavarthy is a Senior Strategic Projects Manager with DAI’s Center for Digital Acceleration. A member of the Partnerships & Insights team, she supports the acquisition and management of digitally focused and strategic projects, providing design, research, and implementation support to project teams in the field and home office. During her ten-year tenure with DAI, she has also supported a diverse portfolio of donor-funded cybersecurity, governance and economic growth projects in Europe, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, including four years in Jakarta as Program and Operations Manager for the regional ASEAN-U.S. Partnership for Good Governance, Equitable, and Sustainable Development and Security (PROGRESS) project. Addie earned a bachelor’s degree in international management and French from Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota and then launched her career in international development through a Fulbright Scholarship to examine the impact of microlending on women’s economic empowerment in Morocco. She is proficient in French and conversational in Indonesian, Moroccan Arabic, and Spanish.

As the Senior Director of DAI’s Center for Digital Acceleration, Anand Varghese works with clients to develop digital strategies, design and implement digital-focused activities, train staff on the use of digital platforms for development, and identify local partners. Prior to joining DAI, he served as Senior Manager at the PeaceTech Lab at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Anand played an integral role in creating and launching the Lab, the Institute’s first nonprofit spin-off in its 30-year history. He hails from Bangalore, India. He has a master’s degree in democracy and governance from Georgetown University, a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Arizona State University, and a bachelor’s degree in media studies, English literature, and psychology from Christ College, Bangalore University.

As a Digital Specialist with DAI’s Center for Digital Acceleration, Araba Sapara-Grant brings technical experience in agriculture, climate change, and private sector engagement to her work supporting research and business development for digital and ICT-focused projects. Previously, as a consultant for TechnoServe, Araba developed a climate change strategy for the organization’s West Africa division, including an analysis of digital innovations used to increase the adoption of adaptation and conservation practices in the agriculture sector. In addition, Araba has developed a government engagement strategy for myAgro, a mobile layaway platform for smallholder farmers. Araba has a master’s degree in global human development from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where she specialized in agriculture and food security and completed a certificate in International Business Diplomacy. She speaks French and has field experience in Cameroon, Kenya, Senegal, and Tanzania.

Since 2014, Chloe Carrington (née Messenger) has worked for DAI in Europe, both in business development and project management for clients including the European Union, the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth & Department Office, and the Australian Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade. As Senior Consultant, Chloe works across business units and donors to help integrate new technologies into development work. Chloe has hands-on experience in research into digital technologies and innovation in Malawi, South Sudan, and the Western Balkans. She has provided training on digital for development and human-centered design to donor clients in the United Kingdom and Ghana, as well as to in-house DAI staff. Chloe has a master’s degree in politics, security, and integration from University College London.

Connor MacKenzie is an Associate Digital Specialist at DAI’s Center for Digital Acceleration, where he provides digital advisory services across DAI’s international development portfolio. Prior to joining DAI, he provided project support to different USG funded initiatives, including multiple USAID programs focused on strengthening public administration and State Department projects on public diplomacy. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Fiji, where he led digital trainings for high school students and local community members. He has a master’s degree in international development and economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Wake Forest University.

Erica Behrens joined the Center for Digital Acceleration in December 2019, providing support for research and implementation projects as well as new business efforts. Prior to DAI, Erica worked in nonprofit management consulting, working with teams to analyze and improve client operations. Before her consulting work, Erica gained development experience interning with AMAR U.S., an international nonprofit providing skills training and basic services to refugees and internally displaced people in Iraq and in Jordan with a local development consulting firm. Erica graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in international relations with a concentration in the Middle East.

Inta Plostins brings five years of experience in the international development sector, including nearly two years at the intersection of digital tools and development. Inta serves as a Senior Digital Specialist at DAI’s Center for Digital Acceleration, where she provides digital advisory services across DAI’s international portfolio of development projects. Previously, at GeoPoll, she worked with partner organizations ranging from donor implementing partners and foundations to African think tanks and agricultural research institutions on integrating mobile into their technical solutions and program designs. Inta has a master’s degree in international affairs from American University and a bachelor’s degree with honors in history from McGill University. She speaks English, Latvian, and French and has American, Canadian, and Latvian (European Union) citizenship.

Miriam Stankovich has rich research experience in leading complex projects in data protection and governance, intellectual property and technology law, regulatory impact assessment of emerging technologies (AI, Blockchain, IoT, Virtual/Augmented Reality, and 3D Printing), and technology transfer. She has also served as a senior legal and policy advisor for major international organizations such as the International Telecommunication Union, the World Bank, World Intellectual Property Organization, the International Finance Corporation, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute, United Nations Development Programme, the Inter-American Development Bank, the African Development Bank, African Union, and the European Union.

Priya Sethi brings more than 12 years of experience in international development and program management, leading cross-functional, innovative teams to create impactful solutions. She currently serves as a Senior Program Manager in DAI where she manages a portfolio focused on digital financial services and women’s economic empowerment. Prior to joining DAI, she managed international capacity building programs at the U.S. Department of State to advance disaster relief and global health security in the Middle East and South Asia. She also led the development of a data analytics hub, supporting multiple bureaus integrate advanced analytics tools to make informed, data-driven decisions. Priya has experience supporting multiple U.S. government agencies and international organizations, including overseas in South Korea and Colombia. She has a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University and a bachelor of science degree in foreign service from Georgetown University.

Rachel Chang is a Digital Specialist with DAI’s Center for Digital Acceleration, specializing in cybersecurity and digital policy. Rachel has worked on international digital development projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of State, and the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Prior to joining DAI, Rachel led projects at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems focusing on digital media literacy training in the Mekong region, cybersecurity support for elections institutions, and promoting the political participation of persons with disabilities to advocate for disability-inclusive policies and accessible technologies throughout Southeast Asia. Rachel is a trained user experience designer and has worked with clients including Safe Place International to transform an offline learning curriculum supporting LGBTQI+ refugees into a responsive online web application. She has a master’s degree in international peace and conflict resolution from American University and a bachelor’s degree in political science and global affairs from the City University of New York, Baruch College.

As Director of the DAI Maker Lab, Rob Ryan-Silva builds hardware and capacities around building hardware in support of DAI’s projects worldwide. Previously, as Project Director for the RESPOND project, Rob worked with government ministries, academia, multilateral organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and donors in Africa and Southeast Asia to create new opportunities to build the capacity to prevent and respond to outbreaks of emerging infectious disease. He has led DAI’s Governance practice, worked on redevelopment in Iraq and Afghanistan, and managed efforts to contain avian influenza. He attributes his success in these disparate areas to an approach that emphasizes understanding the perspectives and incentives of partners and using that understanding to create space for collaborative work toward common objectives.

He has experience working with projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development in Afghanistan, Egypt, El Salvador, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, and Pakistan. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Susannah Horton is a Senior Manager at DAI. Prior to joining DAI she worked at the World Bank on a cleantech entrepreneurship program, focusing on building a sustainable monitoring and evaluation digital platform. Susannah’s interest in both international development and digital development started when she was a teacher in rural China, where she used MP3 players to increase learning outcomes. She has since broadened her interest beyond the education sector and gained experiences doing work at the intersection of research, data, and program implementation at the Brookings Institution and the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Susannah has spent time working in India and conducting research in the Philippines while earning her master’s degree in international development and economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. She has a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College in international relations.

Throughout her career, Talia Dweck has focused on the power of innovation and ICT to transform health outcomes, specifically in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Talia has more than five years of experience working in global health for a variety of institutions including the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of HIV/AIDS, the Liberia Ministry of Health, the advocacy wing of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and Grassroot Soccer. Talia has a master’s degree in global human development from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where she specialized in global health and private sector engagement. She has field experience in Liberia, Kenya, and South Africa, where she piloted a project that uses soccer to educate young girls about HIV prevention, gender-based violence, and female empowerment.

Temi Olatunji is a Data Analyst at DAI’s Center for Digital Acceleration. Temi brings technical experience in community and public health advocacy. Previously, Temi worked as a Supervisor of the Central Region for Optimal Health Care, where she started as a Coordinator for Community Services. Temi has led diverse research efforts on housing and employment opportunities for houseless and marginalized communities. Temi graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a bachelor of science degree in community health. She also has a professional certificate in data science. At DAI, Temi integrates best practices into data collection efforts and identifies areas of improvement for DAI’s dashboard management toolkit for global projects.