UC San Diego

Oxford Brookes University

Humanitarian Advisor  -  Public & Private Sector Consultant  -  Senior Programme Manager

Collaboratively develop the information architecture in the organization's SharePoint to facilitate effective and efficient knowledge sharing with the aim of improving the quality of program delivery. 

Though based in Kyiv, I work directly with the MENA/Europe Regional and Global Teams.

Mercy Corps

Information Architecture Design Advisor

Making space for important but not (yet) urgent issues in emergency response programming. 

Identifying, prioritizing, and supporting program quality needs for rapid response, cash, agriculture, and resilience programming in Ukraine, Poland, and Moldova. Leading teams in designing information architecture, process improvement, program management standards, and data protection.

Program Management Senior Advisor

Career Break

Health and well-being

Developed Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) and Community Accountability Reporting Mechanisms (CARM)  for USAID's 11 partner consortium focused on addressing key conflict drivers.

The consortium addresses conflict drivers in Eastern Congo through peace building, community resilience, and private sector strengthening. Partners are local, international, private and public, natural resource management groups and mining companies, government and citizen driven community based organizations.

As the consortium PaQ Manager, my team and I ensure social inclusion (improved gender equity and youth engagement) throughout the program, develop and maintain the Community Accountability Response Mechanisms to ensure the safety of all those involved with the program, manage grants, and facilitate internal and external communication. I reinforce and support internal program performance management and ensuring cross-cutting adherence to quality standards for consortium partners.

Program Performance and Quality Manager, P-DEC Consortium

Four-month paternity cover; responsible for providing overall leadership and management of the Consortium and engaged with the Steering Committee and a broad base of donors including BHA, FCDO, ECHO, coordination forum and partners including NGOs and the UN. Provide strong leadership and ensure proper coordination to operate effectively and deliver on the projects’ intended impact.

Mercy Corps is the lead agency for the SAFER Consortium (Strategic Assistance for Emergency Response). The Consortium, funded by FCDO and ECHO, is composed by ACTED, Concern Worldwide, Mercy Corps, NRC and Solidarités International. SAFER has the overall goal of allowing population affected by conflict and shocks to cover their basic needs. The program supports the specific outcome of delivering a coordinated humanitarian response that enables vulnerable households affected by conflict and shocks to have safe and equitable access to multi-sectoral emergency assistance and basic WASH services to reduce reliance on negative coping mechanisms. This is achieved through the provision of multi-sectoral market based (CVA) or in-kind assistance and complementary to specific Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) to meet basic needs of shock affected populations. With an annual budget (in 2020) of more than €28 million, SAFER has assisted 950.000 people through both CVA and WaSH interventions, in 7 provinces of DRC.

Interim SAFER Consortium Director

Supported smooth transition of projects, assisted in copy writing and editing reports, oversaw aspects of operational close-out for Ebola program in Beni and Butembo offices. Designed and conducted a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the C-GBV program to suggest data-backed ways to finish the last half of the project well.

Corus International

Consultant - SGBV & Ebola Programs

Three-month contract focused on ensuring systems for delivering humanitarian assistance are accountable to the most vulnerable aid recipients. Technical level advising to triangulate data points from M&E, quality assurance, and supply chains so they work together in concert to create a more accountable operational environment. Organisational structure analysis led to an increased scope resulting in a reorganisation of 400+ staff to facilitate more smooth operations and clearer communication channels.

Medair

Program Quality & Accountability Advisor

Project management and UX researcher, working closely with clients to ensure they love the seamlessness of our products. We are always finding the people, organizations, and companies who want a user-focused data-driven application built.

Working with people who want great apps built for better work. We love AI, medical devices, blockchain technologies and humanitarian focused innovations. 

Most often engaging with venture backed companies under tight deadlines, headed into a tailspin or in the startup stage, we work intimately with the chief officers to align the team vision with the market. Together, we design software to solve their customer's deepest problems, then integrate a formulaic improvement process into the existing structure to assure team responsibility for continual success.

BLOCKDROP.

Project Manager & UX Researcher 

HQ based desk officer for Tanzania, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Myanmar, and Nepal. 
Turn strategic plans into operational reality amid acute and protracted crises, managing a 5 million USD portfolio of institutional and private donors.

Manage HQ and country based managers ensuring strategic operational alignment of MTI's new humanitarian focused strategy. Built internal and external alliances to ensure smooth working relationships. Led needs analysis, oversee proposal development and data gathering, ensure transparent financial management, improve systems, and increase MTI's visibility and reputation in US and abroad. 

Relevant donors: BPRM, UNHCR, WHO, GIZ, Foundations, Private Donors

Medical Teams International

Senior Program Manager

Data driven market research consultancy for new direction in product development.

ViewCue

Consultancy Team Lead

Researching, writing and compiling content for clients intent on improving the human experience - be it through charity or for-profit organizations.

For NGOs, in collaboration with organization communications office, I help to pull together gathered info and edit it towards a specific audience. I also select photos, refine presentations, conduct interviews and pitch stories.

Experienced in (and equal parts intimidated and excited by) public speaking on humanitarian issues for audiences ranging from kindergarten kids to college courses and from roomfuls of Silicon Valley executives to middle school writing classes.

Freelance/Consultant

Program Development, Strategy & Communications

Head of office, security manager and focal point. Oversaw team of 60+ staff. Led successful ECHO submission for 5 million USD multi-sector grant.

Acting Programme Coordinator

Established new field office in the Bekaa Valley and designed support systems that could fluctuate with funding that ranged from 1 to 8 million USD of programming and coordinated our diverse programming. Designed and managed implementation rapid growth of projects, focused specifically on staff structures and ensuring support levels remained balanced with project needs.

We worked with Syrian refugees in health, nutrition, shelter, infrastructure, WASH, fire safety, NFI and GIS mapping projects. I worked with each of these to ensure resources were available and shared appropriately between project priorities and deadlines. 

I collaborated closely with senior management to design and implement strategic directions of field work, wrote and managed budgets, contributed to writing and coordination of project proposals.  

Traveled to the 2014 World Economic Forum in Davos to speak with participants about the Syrian refugee crisis, spoke with several media outlets and continue to maintain those relationships.

Supported Project Coordinator in security related events including updating the security plan, consulting in times of crisis and continuously working to maintain acceptance as a security measure though relationships with the host and refugee community alike. 

Covered for Program Coordinator (head of office) for more than 8 months, working closely with stakeholders ranging from the UN to local community leaders. 

Relevant donors: UNHCR, ECHO, Swiss Solidaire, Chaîne du Bonheur and Foundations

Program Support Manager

Building and managing a new multi-agency remote field base, I was required to do everything from fix the generator when it was hit by lightening, negotiate humanitarian space with non-state armed actors, ensure both internal and external coordination was done efficiently, install the HF radio or host high-level UN visitors for meetings and field visits.

I coordinated all area aid agencies in the absence of OCHA or other organizational bodies, as well as liaised with local authorities and military actors.

Head of security, focal point for all agencies, advocated for MONUSCO presence which arrived, developed security plan for area, frequent stakeholder meetings with formal and informal local groups, responded to and managed major security events.

As base manager, I coordinated priorities between projects and with scarce resources available in such a remote location, managed security for 40+ staff in a complex insecure context that required careful risk management and mitigation. I also did a full analysis of the context before writing the area's first NGO security plan, which applied to all agencies on base.

I directly hired, trained and managed support team of 20 staff for our new base, as well as set up all needed systems to ensure functionality and accountability in programs. My logistics team and I procured and coordinated supplies for health, WASH and infrastructure projects. I oversaw the base budget, finances, HR and was frequently liaising with country level and HQ management.

All work, meetings, proposals, etc. conducted in French.
Relevant donors: ECHO, OFDA, Pooled Fund, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

Medair D.R. Congo

Project Support Manager

Coordinated for quick response in times of natural disasters between the field, incoming donations, existing resources and fundraising. Worked closely with each department, ensured an expedited aid shipment could be delivered. Remotely negotiated fluid conditions on the field and at borders to ensure aid made it to those in need. 

Grant and funding research and correspondence for standard aid shipments. Coordinated closely with Hong Kong companies' CSR groups and liaised with recipients of aid to be sure the stories of each were shared, bringing together very different worlds to connect on a human level. 

Arranged international logistics related to large freight movement from port to port to complicated ground travel in destination locations. Ran coordination meetings between departments and organized beneficiary feedback to report to donors for accountability purposes. Supervised the office intern.

Crossroads Foundation

Disaster Response Coordinator / Director's Assistant 

• Increased operational capacity to facilitate 175 member growth to over 300 members
• Interface with  the members at distribution stops and help manage the growth by updating management and distribution systems
• Through introducing programs such as excel, bento and quickbooks the growth manageable

Garden of Eden Organics, CSA

Operations Coordinator

• Represent World Vision to partners and perspective donors throughout US
• Onsite management of national World Vision AIDS awareness campaign 
• Implement an integrated learning environment using multimedia design
• Lead and delegate projects to dozens of volunteers with consideration of individual ability
• Conduct HIV/AIDS educational trainings
• Media relations
• Work with diverse partners, universities, community organizations and corporations

World Vision

AIDS Experience Tour Coordinator/Operations Manager

• Network international grassroots organizations and generate further connectivity
• Coordinate volunteers and cultivate relationships between those in need and those willing to give

Courtney Brandt