Who We Are
Team
Christabel E. Dadzie
Africa Regional Manager
Accra, Ghana
Christabel Dadzie is the Africa Regional Manager (ARM) for the Microfinance Transparency’s enabling Africa to Price Responsibly & Educate on Interest Rates (enabling APR & EIR) Program. As ARM, Christabel supervises the APR & EIR program’s data collection, product pricing, and education activities.
Christabel comes to MFT with six years experience in education policy, gender and human rights, as well as project management and implementation. She has experience working in Africa and in the United States with public policy and development organizations including United Nations Development Program and the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA). Her main expertise includes monitoring and evaluation, performance measurement, and capacity building. She also has direct experience working with clients at the government and business level. Christabel earned her bachelors degree at the College of Wooster, Ohio and Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University.
Jordan Filko
Development & Communications Associate
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
As MFTransparency’s Development & Communications Associate, Jordan manages the creation and dissemination of marketing and communications materials, relationships with partner organizations and the development and maintenance of website content. Jordan also contributes to MFTransparency’s global data collection efforts, in particular the Transparent Pricing Initiative in Kenya.
Jordan holds a BA in Economics and Sustainable Development from Columbia University. She has worked for the International Association of Microfinance Investors (IAMFI) building website content, contributing to industry research, coordinating events and managing member relationships. At Columbia, Jordan was an active participant in the Microfinance Working Group and contributed to the founding of Consilience: The Journal of Sustainable Development. She spent a semester studying Business and African Studies at Ashesi University in Accra, Ghana. Jordan also has experience in foreign currency exchange, having worked for Forex Capital Markets in both San Francisco and New York.
Alexandra Fiorillo
Vice President, Operations
New York, NY, USA
As Vice President of MicroFinance Transparency, Alexandra oversees international operations and global data collection on product pricing. She comes to MFT with over eight years of experience in the microfinance industry and with experience in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Most recently, she worked at ACCION International on the Marketing and Product Development and Global Investments teams.
Prior to ACCION, Alexandra worked as a microfinance consultant to numerous organizations including Microfund for Women in Jordan, DFID's Financial Sector Deepening Project of Uganda, Agora Partnerships in Nicaragua, and Development Alternatives, Inc./USAID. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Ecuador and conducted research on rural and indigenous microfinance in the Amazon jungle. Alexandra holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Latin American Studies from Connecticut College where she wrote her Honors Thesis on Banco Solidario in Ecuador.
Deepak Goswami
Research Analyst
New Delhi, India
As MFTransparency’s India Research Analyst, Deepak works closely with MFIs on data collection and the analysis of product pricing for the Transparent Pricing Initiative in India. He comes to MFTransparency with over three years of professional experience. Prior to MFTransparency he worked at SKS Microfinance as Area Manager, contributing to the launch of operations in Tamil Nadu, India. He was responsible for maintaining portfolio quality, productivity and profitability, risk mitigation, reporting, monitoring and internal audit compliance, customer satisfaction, personnel management and external communications and relations. Deepak is a management graduate from the Indian Institute of Forest Management Bhopal, specialized in Development Management with a minor in Environmental Management. He also holds a B.Sc. in Mathematics and Computer Applications from Science College, Jabalpur, India.
Jessica Haeussler
Latin America Regional Associate
Quito, Ecuador
As MFTransparency’s Latin America Regional Associate, Jessica manages the Transparent Pricing Initiatives in Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Argentina.
Jessica holds a BA in European Business from Dublin City University and a German Diplom in International Management from ESB Business School Reutlingen. She completed two practical semesters in Singapore and Mexico, and wrote her final thesis on pricing transparency in the microfinance industry, conducting field research in different regions across Mexico.
Prior to MFT, Jessica worked as microfinance advisor for a social enterprise in Mexico, collaborating with women’s shelters, preparing the establishment of a microfinance unit within the organization and working towards the financial self-sufficiency of the institution. Jessica also received a Social Entrepreneurship Award from The Resolution Project for founding a social enterprise focusing on women’s empowerment through an integrated model of microfinance.
Anjum Khalidi
Program Manager, India
New York, NY, USA
Anjum currently serves as the Program Manager for the Transparent Pricing Initiative in India, overseeing the data collection and analysis of microloan products in India as well as coordinating other Initiative activities including trainings and the development of educational materials. Prior to joining MFTransparency, Anjum worked with the United Nations Development Program in India in its knowledge management initiative, UN Solution Exchange, managing a network of over 1,000 microfinance practitioners and stakeholders in India. She has also worked with CARE India in its microfinance program (now ACCESS Development Services), managing the Microfinance India Platform which holds an Annual Microfinance India Conference and publishes the first-ever annual sector-wide report on microfinance in India. Anjum recently earned her Masters in Public Administration from Columbia University, during which she served as Research Assistant to Dr. Arvind Panagariya, Professor of Economics. Anjum also holds a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Syracuse University. During her time as an undergraduate she conducted internships with Project Enterprise and the Microcredit Summit Campaign and spent a semester in Rajasthan, India working with a local microfinance institution.
Tim Langeman
Website Manager
Pennsylvania, USA
Tim is a graduate of the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, where he studied a wide variety of subjects, including Computer Science and Russian, while obtaining a B.A in History.
Tim designed and implemented multiple computer projects in his 7 years working for TCW Computer Systems, including:
- a nurse application database that identified qualified nurses from a national database, determined which nurses were will willing to relocate to an area, and calculated the travel distance of the local nurses by comparing the coordinates of the nurse's zip code with those of the hospital,
- a dashboard for an non profit that tracked which billings had been rejected by the state and displayed this information to the employee responsible for maintaining the proper billing codes. Employees received a different motivational picture of their organization's mascot, based on the accuracy of their billing submissions.
- a web-based system which allowed home buyers to select from thousands of personalized home options. The builder was able to track the home through each step of the building process, monitoring defects, cost overruns, and customer satisfaction.
In 2008, before starting with MicroFinance Transparency, Tim had been working on a database of US federal government spending in his spare time. Tim lives in Akron, PA (USA) and enjoys bicycling, photography, volleyball, and singing.
Daniel Miller
Web Developer
Pennsylvania, USA
Daniel graduated from LeTourneau University of Texas with a B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering. After attending LeTourneau he returned to his home state of Pennsylvania where he developed business and web applications for several local businesses. Daniel comes to MFTransparency with over seven years of software development experience, specializing in web development, systems integration and user-interface design. In his spare time Daniel enjoys working on open source software, and has contributed to several established projects in the Python software community including SQLAlchemy, Trac and Kid. Daniel lives in Lancaster, PA (USA) and enjoys bicycling, reading and theology.
Ruchita Sharma
Research Analyst
New Delhi, India
Ruchita is currently working as a Research Analyst on MFTransparency’s Transparent Pricing Initiative in India. Prior to this she was working with ACCESS Development Services as Program Coordinator, Trust Microfin Network as Project Executive and BASIX as Business Development Executive. Through these positions she has worked on capacity building for small MFIs, microfinance operations, cash management, process analysis, institutional ratings, livelihood training and relationship management. Some of her major accomplishments include developing a culture for microfinance in unexplored areas, providing institutional development services to MFIs, building tailor-made systems for start-up MFIs, administering the ICAT (Credit Rating tool developed by ACCESS Development Services) and managing the Livelihood and Microfinance Promotion (LAMP) Fund. Ruchita earned her bachelor’s degree at Christ Church College, Kanpur and PGDRM (Post-Graduate Degree in Rural Development & Rural Marketing) from the Indian Institute of Rural Management, Jaipur in 2007.
Chuck Waterfield
CEO & President
Pennsylvania, USA
Chuck Waterfield has 25 years experience in microfinance, with a mixture of practical field experience (six years starting MFIs in both Haiti and Bolivia) and experience leading network strategy development (serving as microenterprise director for both MEDA and for CARE International). He developed Microfin, the most popular financial planning software in the microfinance industry and teaches business planning courses around the world, with more than 3,000 microfinance professionals having been trained in his courses. His current work as an independent consultant includes clients across the industry.
Currently on faculty of Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, he was formerly on the faculty of the Boulder Microfinance Training Program for ten years and Southern New Hampshire University’s Microenterprise Development Institute for eight years. In addition to Microfin, he has a broad range of products and publications including the SEEP FRAME Tool, the CARE Credit and Savings Sourcebook, and CGAP Handbook on Management Information Systems. In 2008, he founded MicroFinance Transparency and works part-time in the institution as he continues his other responsibilities.
Board of Directors
Howard Brady
Washington, USA
Howard, a CPA and auditor, is President and CEO of MFI Resources, a Microfinance investment fund. He became involved with Microfinance in 1994 after six years in public accounting, in which he focused on helping organizations become more efficient and effective. Howard has transferred this experience to his work in the Microfinance sector where he’s an expert in identifying efficiencies in MFIs, including benchmarking performance, internal audit and financial projections. He has worked for Global Partnerships and for Unitus, including work on their due diligence team.
María Sara Jijón C.
Quito, Ecuador
Maria Sara is the President of the Ecuador Chapter of Women Advancing Microfinance, a network of professional women that work on gender, microfinance, and economic empowerment. She is founding member of Red Mujeres por el Ecuador, a network of professional and businesswomen, which mission is to advance the opportunities of women in Ecuador. She is the Director of the School of Government, at IDE (Ecuador). She holds an LLB ’93 from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE), and an ITP/LLM ‘95 from Harvard University (HLS). With more than ten years experience in the design, development and execution of rule of law and good governance programs and projects, her areas of interest are banking and finance, economic development and social entrepreneurship, with a special focus on financial sector regulation; project finance/PPPs; alternative finance & microfinance; and consumer protection within the financial industry. Maria Sara worked as Legal Counsel and Program Manager (1999-2004) for the International Development Law Organization –IDLO, Rome-Italy; as In-House Counsel (1996-1999) of ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Ecuador Branch; as Legal Advisor (1995) to the Vice-minister of Finance of Ecuador, within a World Bank Program for the Modernization of the State (MOSTA); and as Tax and Legal Consultant (1990-1994) for Price Waterhouse & Co., in Quito. Her native language is Spanish. She is fluent in English & Italian. French conversational.
Murray Gardiner
Toronto, Canada / Cape Town, South Africa
Murray Gardiner is the Manager of Microfinance and Community Banking at Temenos. Temenos is a multi-national banking technology company with 700 commercial and 140 commercial microfinance bank clients in over 100 countries that are using the Temenos core banking software.
Murray holds a Masters Degree from York University (Toronto Canada) in Cooperative Studies and Business. He has more than 25 years of experience with microfinance and community banking technology services as an entrepreneur, senior executive and manager. He also has direct operational and management experience in microfinance and community banking both advanced and emerging financial markets.
Murray is a business and core banking technology expert in microfinance and community banking in emerging markets. He has recent business experience in more than 55 countries in Europe, North America and the emerging markets of Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Nejira Nalić
Tuzla, Bosnia
Nejira Nalić is the Director of MI-BOSPO Tuzla, an independent microfinance organization in Bosnia. Under Nejira’s leadership of twelve years, MI-BOSPO’s all-female client base rose from 2,831 to 31,000. Prior to joining MI-BOSPO, Nejira worked for the Danish organization Save the Children – Red Barnet and then managed Humanitarian Organization Bosnian Relief Alliance, BOSPO Tuzla. At Humanitarian Organization Bosnian Relief Alliance, she was promoted from Project Manager to the position of Director.
At this organization, Nejira’s primary achievements included creating and developing the micro-credit program for low-income entrepreneur women (a project supported by the World Bank) and also the center of informative legal assistance (a project supported by USAID OTI and UNHCR). This project eventually transformed into the NGO “Your Rights”. Nejira has participated in many relevant courses and trainings offered by Women’s World Banking, USAID, World Bank, DRC, UNHCR, ILO, the Micro-finance Center, and other organizations. In addition, she received formal education from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Tuzla.
Tony Sheldon
New York, USA
Tony Sheldon is Executive Director of the Program on Social Enterprise and Lecturer in Economic Development at the Yale School of Management. Tony also works as an independent consultant; since 1990 he has worked with microfinance institutions in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe, primarily in the areas of financial management and business planning. He has also worked with several networks and funders, including the SEEP Network, the Ford Foundation, the World Bank, CGAP, ShoreBank International, and Women's World Banking. He was on the faculty of the Boulder Microfinance Training Program from 1997 to 2006 and of Southern New Hampshire University’s Microenterprise Development Institute from 1999 to 2004. He is the author of several publications, including the CGAP “Handbook on Business Planning and Financial Modeling for MFIs” (with Chuck Waterfield), WWB’s “Principles and Practices of Financial Management,” and SEEP’s “Financial Ratio Analysis of MFIs” (with the SEEP Financial Services Working Group).
Narasimhan Srinivasan
Maharashtra, India
Narasimhan Srinivasan has a Masters degree in Economics, professional certification in banking, and a certificate in training and development. He is deeply interested in development economics and development finance, especially rural finance, microfinance and livelihoods.
Mr. Srinivasan has more than 30 years of involvement in financial sector in India, of which five years with the Central Bank (RBI) and 24 years with Apex rural development bank (NABARD). He left NABARD from a senior position to take up consulting, which he did over the last two years in India and Vietnam providing services to World Bank, CGAP, IFAD, UNDP, UNOPS, ADB, GTZ, Microsave, Sir Ratan Tata Trust and Government of India.
Mr. Srinivasan is involved in many significant initiatives in rural finance, institution development and strengthening, product development, training and capacity building, design, implementation and supervision of rural development projects of a wide variety and financing of rural infrastructure. He authored the State of the Sector Report on Microfinance in India (2008) sponsored by Access Development Services and published by Sage and is currently engaged in authoring the report for 2009. In addition, Mr. Srinivasan has contributed chapters to edited volumes for three other books on microfinance and authored articles on rural development and rural finance for journals, newspapers and magazines. He presently serves on the governing boards of three development organisations, a company and advisory boards of two knowledge organisations.
2009-2010 Interns
Andres Hammer
Andres is a native Venezuelan currently living in Washington, DC after graduating from Washington University in St. Louis with a Bachelors degree in Economics. He is very interested in issues of economic development. During college, he studied abroad in China! In 2008, he participated in the intern program at the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. He also has several experiences working with marketing and finance companies in Venezuela. Andres was very active at Wash-U and participated as a member of the Association of Latin American Students and as a Peer Advisor for transfer students. He has just begun a new intern job at TechnoServe in Washington DC and will be supporting MFT part-time with market research in Latin America and other short-term projects.
Dicken Chaplin
Dicken is originally from England and is entering his junior year at Williams College, Massachusetts, where he is majoring in Economics with a French concentration. He has been awarded an Alumni Sponsored Internship grant from Williams for his internship with MFTransparency as recognition by the college for the outstanding work that MFTransparency does. In the fall of 2010 Dicken is going to study in Paris on a junior semester abroad to develop his proficiency in French. At Williams, Dicken is on the varsity men’s tennis team, making it to the NCAA championships for Division III both years he has been there. Dicken took a year off after high school to work as Systems Engineer for a Connecticut-based charity called “Surviving Bullies Charity, Inc” aimed at helping the victims of bullying. He is very excited to work for MFTransparency this summer and beyond!
Fatima Kourouma
Originally from the Ivory Coast in West Africa, Fatimata’s passion is community empowerment and development. She co-founded the United Sisters, a community-based organization fighting HIV/AIDS and providing financial support to its members. At United Sisters, she created a loan pool for its members which helped in funding their various entrepreneurial projects. That experience showed her the power of access to credit for local communities. When she moved to the US, she started teaching in an early learning center while volunteering in organizations such as Ten Thousand Villages. Fatimata is also interested in art and culture. She designs, creates and sells framed African artworks. Fatimata is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University with a Bachelor in Business Global Leadership.
Greg Mulligan
Originally from Connecticut, Greg graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans with a Bachelors of Physics in 2006 and a Master of Finance in 2008. After graduation, Greg moved to New York City to work in commodities trading at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Along with joining MFTransparency, he works as an analyst for ALM, a media company in Downtown Manhattan. Greg’s interest in international travel and economic development has led him learn about Microfinance and work with MFTransparency. In his free time he plays the classical guitar and teaches a science course for adults studying for the GED exam.
Noah Simpson
Noah is a junior at Seattle Pacific University (SPU) majoring in Global Development Studies. Last year he worked with two other students to draft a business plan for a microfinance institution in Ethiopia, and their plan was a runner-up in SPU's annual Social Venture Plan Competition. He has traveled on several youth mission trips to do hurricane relief, first in the Bahamas and then in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. His third trip was to Ensenada, Mexico working with orphans from all over the Baja region. Recently, Noah visited Senegal where he spent two weeks in the country with a close family friend who does development work. He is passionate about social justice issues and is excited to be a part of the work MFT is doing! Noah also enjoys exploring the numerous coffee shops of Seattle and a good game of ultimate Frisbee.
Michael Tucci
Michael holds a Masters degree in Quantitative Methods from Columbia University and a B.A. in Psychology and Economics from Harvard University. In 2008, Michael worked in Morocco with the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab to conduct a randomized impact evaluation of microcredit in rural areas with the MFI Al Amana. He has previously been involved in research at Harvard Medical School as well as Harvard's Cognitive Evolution Laboratory, conducting field work in Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico. Michael is also an avid runner, having completed the Boston Marathon twice in order to raise money for various charities. He looks forward to further exploring his interest in social entrepreneurship while working with MFTransparency.
Past Interns
Martin do Nascimento
Martin is a 2009 American University graduate. Having studied Economics and Latin American Studies, he is very interested in issues of economic development and intends to continue his education along said lines after taking a break to gain work experience. Last spring Martin planned and led a trip of AU students to Mexico where they spent 8 days learning about microfinance and conditional cash transfer programs as poverty alleviation mechanisms active in Mexico. Of particular interest to Martin are the potential of microfinance for promoting greater education among recipient households and the social and cultural ramifications of its expanding usage. Martin is also an avid Western film lover and an amateur motorcycle enthusiast.
Michael Meehan
Michael graduated from Fairfield University in 2008 with a B.S. in Economics where he was active in student government. He recently returned from a Fulbright year in Berlin, Germany, where he completed microfinance research with Dr. Alexander Kritikos of the German Institute for Economic Research. Mike produced original data directly from borrowers to complement an analysis of repayment behavior. Prior to his Fulbright, Mike was a Research Intern at Evaluation Associates where he developed the firm’s Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) capability. He plans to continue his education and career in development policy. Mike plays the trumpet, and enjoys jazz and blues. He plays rugby.