Experts &Trainers
Karine Lepillez
Principal, Inclusive Societies
Gender and Social Equity Expert
Gender and Social Equity Expert
Karine Lepillez
Principal, Inclusive Societies
Gender and Social Equity Expert
Gender and Social Equity Expert
Karine Lepillez is the Founder of the Society of Gender Professionals (SGP), a non-profit organization of gender practitioners, academics, and activists dedicated to promoting feminist action and applied research, and raising the profile of gender expertise around the world. A former USAID Gender Advisor in Pakistan, Karine now leads Inclusive Societies, working with the World Bank, USAID, the United Nations, and other organizations to address social inequities in health, nutrition, agriculture, education, livelihoods and climate change, as well as issues of gender-based violence and security. Karine currently teaches gender mainstreaming and integration at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. Karine holds a BA in International Affairs from George Washington University and an MA in International Human Rights from the University of Denver.
Mariana Vazquez del Mercado Castro
Diversity and Inclusion Expert
Mariana Vazquez del Mercado Castro
Diversity and Inclusion Expert
Ms. Vazquez del Mercado Castro is a multi-lingual Diversity and Inclusion Expert with more than thirteen years of experience leading international development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Most recently as Deputy Chief of Party of the USAID Civil Society Activity in Mexico, she led organizational change initiatives to prioritize equity across decision-making structures, policies and procedures, and project activities. Ms. Vazquez del Mercado Castro is co-founder of the Oaxaca Chapter of AUNA, a Mexican initiative to increase women’s participation in public office. A former lawyer, she received the Latin Lawyer Award for leading the legal community’s efforts to respond to the 2017 earthquake in Mexico City and the Georgetown McCourt Scholar Award for advancing the public good in housing and sustainability.
Alvin Dakis
Gender and Health Expert
Alvin Dakis
Gender and Health Expert
Mr. Dakis is a Gender and Health Expert specializing in gender and intersectionality in the health care system. He currently trains health professionals and frontliners on providing gender-responsive health services and advises on policy, programs, and research. Mr. Dakis is also a professional nurse, specializing in sexual and reproductive health.
Laura Groggel
Gender and Food Security Expert
Laura Groggel
Gender and Food Security Expert
Laura Groggel has over 10+ years of experience in gender and social equity development and humanitarian programming. She holds a Master degree in International Political Economy and Development with a concentration in gender and development from Fordham University in New York City. She has lived and worked abroad for the last 15 years and is currently based in Ukraine. Laura has worked with numerous international organizations, including the US Government, to provide strategic and technical leadership for gender integration in multi-sectoral development and humanitarian programming with specific sectoral expertise in food and nutrition security, positive youth development, gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response, and monitoring and evaluation. She specializes specifically in participatory qualitative research, including the design and management of gender analyses and evaluations to inform strategy and theory of change development and evidence-based, cost-efficient activity design. She holds additional certification in participatory gender audits and adult learning.
Dr. Jane Henrici
Gender and Research Methods Expert
Jane Henrici, PhD is a consulting Senior Researcher and Gender Advisor with 20+ years of experience designing, conducting, training, and teaching research on gender and intersectionality; communicating findings and recommendations; and helping to craft and undertake follow-up programming in the Americas, Asia, and North Africa. Her doctorate is in Economic and Social Anthropology from the University of Texas-Austin, her master’s from the University of Chicago, and her honors include being a Fulbright Scholar in Peru. Dr. Henrici’s subject matter and publication expertise includes gender and intersectionality in disasters and development for recovery; health care and coverage; poverty policy, planning, and development inclusion; economic opportunities and social norms; and political participation and institutional norms. She is an experienced study director and researcher specializing in mixed methods, qualitative, and multi-perspectival investigations. Dr. Henrici has directed four COVID-19 projects using online surveys and remotely conducted interviews and is co-directing a mixed methods project with colleagues in Puerto Rico on gender, intersectionality, and cascading disasters. In addition to her professional research and advising work, she is Professorial Lecturer in the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs.
Dr. Jane Henrici
Gender and Research Methods Expert
Lindsey Jones-Renaud
Feminist Trainer and Facilitator
Lindsey Jones-Renaud is a feminist facilitator, trainer, advocate, writer and entrepreneur. She has more than 15 years’ experience working in the non-profit and advocacy sectors globally and locally in Washington DC. Through her consulting and facilitation business, Cynara, Lindsey has led trainings, strategic planning processes, gender analyses and more for organizations including the DC Abortion Fund, The Asia Foundation, Mercy Corps, Save the Children USA, Nathan Associates, Oxfam America, World Learning and the Coffee Quality Institute’s Partnership for Gender Equity. Prior to establishing Cynara, Lindsey built up and managed the gender and development practice at ACDI/VOCA, a US-based and internationally-focused organization, where she oversaw the integration of gender and women’s economic empowerment initiatives into programs funded by donors including USAID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wal-Mart Foundation, and the World Bank. Lindsey is mom to two children and a community advocate with grassroots organizations in Washington DC including Parents Amplifying Voices in Education, the DC Working Families Party, and Decoding Dyslexia DC.
Lindsey Jones-Renaud
Feminist Trainer and Facilitator
Jane Kato-Wallace
Gender and Sexuality Education Expert
Jane Kato-Wallace
Gender and Sexuality Education Expert
Jane Kato-Wallace has a decade of experience as an organizational leader, trainer, researcher, project manager, and educator. She is a global expert on gender equality, masculinities, sexuality education, sexual and reproductive health rights and services, the prevention of violence against women and children, and men’s engagement in women’s economic empowerment and equal care work. Jane has extensive experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating gender-transformative programs, as well as working with a dynamic team in strategic planning, fundraising, staff management, and partnership development.
Michelle Lokot
Gender and Humanitarian Assistance Expert
Michelle Lokot
Gender and Humanitarian Assistance Expert
Dr. Michelle Lokot is a gender specialist and researcher, with experience conducting qualitative research, specifically feminist and participatory research. Her work focuses on gender and forced migration. Michelle’s PhD research explored humanitarian gender narratives on (im)mobility, family relationships and resistance among self-settled Syrian refugees in Jordan. She also has a Masters in International and Community Development and a Bachelors degree in Law. Michelle currently works at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, on a research project focused on governance, participation and gender in the context of mental health services in Lebanon. Michelle has worked in humanitarian organizations, including the International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps and World Vision, focused on gender equality and GBV. Her work as a humanitarian practitioner included longer-term postings in Jordan, Nigeria and Burundi. Michelle has consulting experience for agencies such as Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Asia Foundation, providing technical guidance on gender, conducting gender analyses and leading gender and inclusion self-assessments.
Ndeye Radia Mbengue
Gender-Based Violence Expert
Ndeye Radia Mbengue
Gender-Based Violence Expert
Ms. Mbengue is a Gender-Based Violence Expert with experience in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa. She has most recently worked to analyze gender-based violence across conflict-affected areas of Mali, including in service delivery environments of IDP camps and host families. With the World Bank, Ms. Mbengue helped develop a Regional Gender-Based Violence Action Plan for the Middle East and North Africa region. She holds a MA from Georgetown University in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution.
Oswaldo Montoya
Male Engagement Expert
Oswaldo Montoya
Male Engagement Expert
Oswaldo Montoya (M.A., PMP) is a social justice educator with expertise on engaging men in gender equality work, racial equity and children’s rights. He is accomplished in creating educational curricula, strategies, tools and providing technical assistance for network building and social research in community health. Oswaldo is one of the founders of the Men’s Group Against Violence in Managua, a former Fulbright grantee, and currently manages and advises the MenEngage global network.
Tahina Montoya
Women, Peace and Security Expert
Tahina Montoya
Women, Peace and Security Expert
Maj. Montoya is a multi-lingual Women, Peace and Security Expert working at the tactical, operational and strategic levels. She has led over a dozen humanitarian missions around the world and organized efforts to better integrate women into the armed forces, including through more equitable human resources policies and by working on issues of family planning and emergency convenient care. As an Air Force Reservist, Maj. Montoya serves as Political/Military analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency. She is currently completing a PhD at Georgetown University.
