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Ernest Fletcher is an international development professional with 15 years’ experience in the planning, implementation, and management of education and public health programs. He has a special interest in program design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation and capacity building. He has worked in Ghana and Mozambique and provided remote vector control program implementation support to countries including Senegal, Madagascar, Burkina Faso, and Sierra Leone. He has worked closely with Ministry of Education (Ghana) and Ministry of Health staff in several countries.

Leisa Gibson, the Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) senior advisor and practice lead for Abt in Britain, has more than 20 years of international experience working for governments, the United Nations, and civil society organisations. Her expertise includes strategic and operational planning, program formulation and delivery, change management, coordination and partnerships, quality assurance, and targeted interventions. She works on such issues as disability, development, inclusive leadership, gender and gender-based violence (GBV) in humanitarian action, child marriage, women’s economic empowerment, and organisational capacity development.

Dr. Rebecca Devitt is an international specialist in gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI). Dr. Devitt brings 15-plus years of experience in policy development, corporate strategy, and program design and implementation of large-scale, technically complex development programs across Southeast Asia and the Pacific. She has achieved development outcomes by engaging with governments, civil society, research, multilateral, and donor partners. Her expertise extends to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander equality, inclusive governance, and civil society-led reform.

Diu Nguyen joined Abt Global in 2015 and has significantly contributed to the oversight and implementation of three successive health financing projects in Vietnam. She has over 18 years’ experience delivering technical assistance in public health and development in Vietnam in the following areas: health systems strengthening and health financing, social health insurance (SHI), HIV/AIDS, drug dependency treatment and harm reduction, reproductive health for migrant workers, and poverty reduction for ethnic minority groups. Nguyen is an energetic and proactive leader who has collaborated with and strengthened the capacity of stakeholders across the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Vietnam Social Security (VSS).

Sandra Wilson is an internationally known expert in research synthesis and meta-analysis. She has conducted systematic reviews of educational programs, most notably on school-based violence prevention and high school dropout programs.Prior to joining Abt, Wilson was the associate director of the Peabody Research Institute and a research assistant professor at Vanderbilt University. Wilson led and supported research projects at the Center for Evaluation Research and Methodology at Vanderbilt.

Brooke Abrams is a trained political scientist and health equity expert with seven years of experience leading and contributing to equitable and anti-racist research, evaluation, and technical assistance projects. Her work innovates the fields of housing, criminal justice reform, and health equity across BIPOC populations. Abrams has worked closely with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, American Civil Liberties Union, and the Casey Family Foundation to advance health and well-being across marginalized populations. Her technical assistance expertise focuses on meaningfully and equitably engaging persons with lived expertise to investigate pervasive inequities in communities’ coordinated entry housing systems. Brooke’s research has advanced prison reform in New Mexico, housing systems transformation in Minneapolis, and Abt’s Racial Equity Standardization.

Researcher and policy analyst Karin Martinson has extensive knowledge of workforce development and income security policies affecting low-income populations.  With more than 30 years of experience, her research focuses on identifying effective strategies to assist disadvantaged groups seeking to gain a foothold in the labor market. The groups include low-skilled adults, cash-assistance recipients, the long-term unemployed, and those with disabilities or substance use disorders. She oversees Abt’s large portfolio of work at the U.S. Department of Labor and has worked with a wide range of federal and state agencies and philanthropic organizations.  She has led numerous research and evaluation projects, primarily in workforce and income support arena, as a project director, principal investigator, task leader, and content expert. She co-authored more than 50 research reports and briefs and contributed to published volumes on workforce policy. 

Dr. Janet Gordon has over 20 years of experience in designing, directing, and conducting research, evaluation, and technical assistance projects aimed at improving the health and well-being of adults and young people especially for Indigenous and culturally-diverse peoples. She has partnered with federal and state agencies such as the National Science Foundation, Department of Education, State Education Agencies, colleges/universities, and private foundations. Her work is focused on culturally-responsive, equity-centered approaches to methodology, data collection, analysis, presentation, and dissemination of evaluation results. Dr. Gordon is skilled in innovative database solutions to create new insightful knowledge for federal, state, tribal, and local agencies for evidence of effectiveness to inform policy and best practices.

Andrew Clarkwest has more than 18 years of experience in workforce policy and evaluation design. He has held lead management and technical roles in many quantitative and mixed-methods studies, including multi-site random assignment evaluations, quasi-experimental impact evaluations, and descriptive studies. He develops evidence to meet the practical needs of program and policy audiences and makes complex research accessible. He has translated research insights through systematic evidence reviews, technical assistance, and easy-to-consume dissemination products.

David Kaz, a principal associate in Abt’s Social and Economic Policy Division, has nearly 20 years of experience providing technical assistance, training, research, and policy analysis. He has worked on a wide range of programs and policies that affect low-income populations. He has directed, designed, and conducted both large- and small-scale, multi-faceted technical assistance projects for federal and state agencies and other clients and stakeholders. Clients have included the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, Washington State’s Department of Social and Health Services, King County, and the City of Seattle. He has worked on workforce legislation with members of Congress.