Originally from Lithuania, Aiste has a passion for human rights, international affairs and media. Prior to joining the Global Fund for Women, Aiste worked as Communication Affairs advisor to Lithuania’s Education Minister, where she played an active role in shaping the higher education and science sector reform and introducing it to the public. During her time as deputy editor at The Moscow Times daily, she shaped business coverage and led a team of reporters during the period of Russia’s record economic growth. Aiste also kept close watch on Eastern European politics and economy as an analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit in London. She is the author of a report on human rights and media in Lithuania for the Media Diversity Institute in the UK and worked as a researcher for the European Center for Minority Issues in Germany. Aiste pursued graduate studies at Cambridge University and the London School of Economics. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Vilnius University and also spent a year studying at Uppsala University. Aiste is fluent in Lithuanian, English and Russian and speaks basic German. She is an avid hiker and will never say “no” to contemporary jazz and good wine.

Sangeeta has over 20 years of experience in business and international development in the areas of economic and environmental justice. Her most recent work has focused on supporting community solutions to improving access to water and sanitation for those living in poverty. Most recently, at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation she led a 30-city study focused on bringing sanitation services to underserved urban populations across Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. At the Acumen Fund, Sangeeta headed a large Gates Foundation initiative that piloted solutions to improve access to safe drinking water across India and Kenya. During her time as Executive Director of League of Artisans, she worked to support livelihoods and traditions of local artisanal crafters in India and prior to that, helped CARE India launch an institution focused on developing the livelihoods and microfinance sectors in India. At the American India Foundation in New York, Sangeeta was involved in grant portfolio assessment and strategy development for their livelihoods grant-making. Sangeeta transitioned to the non-profit sector after spending several years in Silicon Valley's dynamic semiconductor industry. She holds a Master in Public Administration (Program in Economic Policy Management) from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. She also has a Masters in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University and in Physics from Northeastern University.

Dianne earned her BA in English and American Literature and Spanish Language and Literature from Brandeis University. She spent six months living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, studying at local universities in conjunction with Butler University's Cooperating Programs in the Americas. Her professional background includes experience as an English teacher at Colegio Publico Federico Garica Lorca in Alcala de Henares, Spain, and as a teacher at Nature Nurture Adventure in San Francisco. Dianne also served as Workshop Coordinator and Facilitator at Leah's Pantry, Inc., a San Francisco non-profit organization. There, she facilitated bilingual nutrition and cooking workshops for children, teens, adults and senior citizens in San Francisco, and coordinated program logistics for over 70 nutrition education workshops serving over 700 low-income individuals throughout California. Before joining the Global Fund, Dianne assisted IDEX's Latin America Program with the translation of reports from grantee partners. She is fluent in Spanish.

Erika Guevara-Rosas is a feminist lawyer and human rights activist with over fifteen years of international experience in the fields of human rights and social justice philanthropy. She currently serves as the Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Global Fund for Women, where she has secured and mobilized more than $13 million in support to women’s rights groups and networks across the region over the past six years. Before joining Global Fund, Erika served as Legal/Protection Officer for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), managing complex operations in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Panama and Venezuela, mainly in border areas with war-affected populations. At UNHCR, she was actively involved in the formulation of policy and legal frameworks to ensure respect for human rights. Erika also has extensive experience working for non-governmental organizations in Mexico and Canada, including Sin Fronteras- a leading migration advocacy organization.

Erika has advised diverse philanthropic institutions on how to implement a more gender-focused and social justice approach to their international programming. She chairs and participates in numerous funders/donors networks and work-groups to influence and leverage more resources for human rights issues. Erika serves on the board of directors of the International Museum of Women and the Central American Women’s Fund and is a member of the Advisory Council of the Women’s Human Rights Education Institute in Canada. She has written several articles on forced migration, gender and women’s rights issues.

Erika has a Master in Women's Studies, and post-graduate degree on Migration and Refugee Studies from York University in Canada. She received her LL.B from Universidad de Londres in Mexico City. Erika is fluent in Spanish and English, and conversational in Portuguese.

Caroline likes asking questions and particularly enjoys asking questions of young women, feminist activists, entrepreneurs and people interested in gender and sexuality. She recently worked with Innovations for Poverty Action, where she managed field research projects on entrepreneurship in urban Ghana. She has also worked as an admission counselor at Knox College and has assisted several organizations in growth planning. Having grown up in the U.S. and several African countries, Caroline is of Ivorian and American heritage and identifies as Pan-African in identity and experiences. Caroline holds a B.A. in economics from Occidental College and she has two master’s degrees, in public administration and international relations from Syracuse University. She is passionate about food, girls’ education, entrepreneurship, sexuality studies and LGBTQI issues internationally; areas that she continues to explore and support through research and volunteer work. Caroline speaks French and would like to learn Portuguese.

Violeta joined the Global Fund for Women in September 2010 bringing more than 15 years of experience as a human rights advocate, gender-based violence counselor, non-profit management trainer, and video producer. She was born in Macedonia, grew up in Kosovo and Serbia, and has worked throughout Central and Eastern Europe and in the U.S. At the beginning of ’90s, Violeta worked as a gender-based violence counselor in the former Yugoslavia where she also organized outreach and humanitarian support services for women violence survivors and refugees, as well as campaigns to strengthen civil initiatives against nationalism and war. In the U.S., Violeta has conducted research and advocacy on the impact of U.S. foreign policy on women's human rights globally. Prior to the Global Fund, Violeta worked at WITNESS, an international advocacy organization which empowers human rights defenders to use video as a tool for justice. Violeta oversaw WITNESS’ program activities in Europe and the former Soviet Union, including partnerships with locally based human rights organizations and trainings through regional and thematic networks. Videos she has produced have been screened at the US Congress, the State Department, the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and at advocacy events worldwide. Violeta holds an MA from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and a BA in Psychology (Phi Beta Kapha), also from Columbia. Her native language is Serbian; she is fluent in Croatian and Bosnian, and proficient in Russian, Spanish, and Macedonian. Violeta is a certified yoga teacher who enjoys crocheting (on subways in New York) and sailing (in San Francisco Bay). Watch or read an interview with Violeta Krasnic »

Muadi brings a background of women's health, African politics and economic development in Africa and frequently advises donors on their Africa programs. She presents often, including at international conferences and media outlets such as NPR and Pacifica Radio Affiliates. She has contributed to several articles on women's rights and African development and regularly writes opinions pieces. Since joining the Global Fund in 2004, Mukenge has increased support in the areas of conflict-prevention, economic policy advocacy, empowerment of rural women, and expansion of grants to French-speaking countries. She has stewarded the deepening of support to the women's movement in the Great Lakes Region (DRC, Burundi, CAR), and facilitated GFW grantee convenings in DRC on ending sexual violence and advancing women's rights. Prior to joining the Global Fund in 2004, she served as Program Officer for Africa at the Pacific Institute for Women's Health, where she managed training and evaluation projects, and managed the Pacific Institute's grant-making program and communications initiative. At Coro Southern California, a leadership training institute, she produced communications materials and managed alumni fundraising campaigns. From 1993-1997, Mukenge worked at the African Studies Center at UCLA, where she assisted research initiatives, organized international conferences and the teacher training program, and produced research publications on political transition in Africa. Mukenge holds a Master's Degree in African Studies from UCLA. She is fluent in French and is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mukenge is active in volunteer organizations focused on African immigrant rights, foreign policy toward Africa, and promotion of human rights in the Congo. Mukenge is on the Boards of Priority Africa Network, New Field Foundation, and the African Studies Association.

Huong brings over fifteen years experience in international public health and community development to Global Fund. During her recent tenure with the Population and Reproductive Health Program at the Packard Foundation, she held a variety of positions, including Global Technical Adviser, Consultant, and Research Adviser. Huong coordinated working relationships between Foundation headquarters and country offices in India, Pakistan, and the Philippines.

Before joining the Packard Foundation, Huong was the Deputy Director/Director of Economic Development for the Vietnamese American Initiative for Development. She also held a number of professional consultancies with both NGOs and grant making organizations in the fields of public health and community development. Huong holds a Master of Science in Development Management and a Master of Public Health in addition to a Bachelor of Science from Tulane University with a double major in Psychology and Sociology.

Prior to joining Global Fund, Jane Sloane was Vice President of Development with Women’s World Banking in New York. She also worked as Executive Director of International Women’s Development Agency, supporting women’s rights organizations across the Asia Pacific. Jane has held executive positions with social sector organizations including World Vision, Marie Stopes International, Austrade, and the Social Entrepreneurs Network where she was the founding CEO. Jane holds a Master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Sydney and a B.A. (Hons History) from the University of Adelaide. She is a recipient of a Global Ambassadors Award from the Advance Foundation, a Woman of Distinction Award from the Asia Pacific Women’s Business Council, a Churchill Fellowship, an Endeavour Fellowship from the Australian Government, a HumanRights Medal from the Vietnam Women’s Union, a Future Summit scholarship from the Australian Davos Connection, and a Vincent Fairfax Ethics in LeadershipFellowship. She serves on the Board of the International Women’s Funding Network and is a Patron of Marie Stopes International. Her blog is janeintheworld.com.

Over the past decade, Caitlin has worked to advance the human rights of women and girls' at the Global Fund for Women. Currently she serves as the Global Fund's Sr. Program Officer for Learning, Monitoring and Evaluation. Previously, she served as interim Director, Major Gifts and Sr. Officer for Philanthropic Partnerships and has traveled on behalf of the Global Fund in Ethiopia, Kenya and Mozambique. Caitlin is the Chair of the Board of Directors of IDEX, a nonprofit promoting sustainable solutions to poverty in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and has also served on the Boards of the Palo Alto Area Mills College Alumni Association, Mid-Peninsula Parents of Multiples, and as an Advisor to Akili Dada, a Kenya/US initiative for girls' education and leadership. Previously, she worked with the Mills College CARES Center on community service and service-learning programs, and as a volunteer for the East Bay Institute for Urban Arts and in the Oakland Public Schools. She has studied in Okinawa, Japan and Cape Town, South Africa and holds a BA in dramatic arts from Mills College where her thesis focused on women playwrights in the South African Freedom Movement.

Siri holds a B.A. in Sociology, Anthropology, and Studio Art from St. Olaf College. As part of her studies, Siri spent a semester in Tanzania where her research on cross-gender interactions allowed her to explore the perceived inequalities between men and women and the social constructs that help create them. After she graduated, Siri focused on promoting equal opportunity for oppressed populations, with a specific emphasis on education. She comes to the Global Fund for Women most recently from the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center and Up on Top, a tuition-free education-focused after school program in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. Siri also volunteers weekly with Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly.

A native of the East Bay, Margaret is passionate about generating positive change in the world at both the community and international level. Prior to joining Global Fund for Women, she served as the Program Manager for the Africa and Asia region at Opportunity International, a non-profit organization supporting microfinance institutions in over 20 countries around the world. During her time in Chicago, she was an active member of the Chicago Chapter of Women Advancing Microfinance since its founding in 2008. Margaret earned her master's in public policy from the University of Chicago and B.A. in global studies from UC Santa Barbara. She speaks French, a skill improved during her junior year while studying in Toulouse, France. Margaret eagerly seeks out opportunities to travel, even in the form of long walks around the neighborhood or swimming laps around the local pool.