Karin Lissakers is President of the Revenue Watch Institute. She has held senior posts in the U.S. government, academia and several think tanks. Lissakers was United States Executive Director on the Board of the International Monetary Fund from 1993 to 2001, representing the Fund’s largest shareholder during a period of turmoil in international markets and a U.S.-led campaign to redesign the international financial architecture and reform the IMF, including opening its policies and practices to public scrutiny.

Lissakers served as deputy director of the Policy Planning Staff of the U.S. Department of State and was staff director of the foreign economic policy subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, the first woman to hold such a post.

She taught at Columbia University for many years, lecturing on international financial markets, regulation and public policy and heading the international business and banking studies program at the graduate School of International and Public Affairs. Her research and writing have focused on the interplay of international business and U.S. foreign policy. She has been a Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a researcher for Nobel economist Gunnar Myrdal.

Lissakers is a frequent public speaker and participant in public policy, business and academic conferences. She is the author of Banks, Borrowers and the Establishment (Basic Books 1991) about the 1980’s international debt crisis. Her articles have appeared in Foreign Policy, the Journal of International Affairs, The New York Times, The Washington Post and other publications. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is married with two children.

Antoine Heuty
Deputy Director

Antoine has served as a public finance economist at the United Nations Development Program and as an economist for water projects in Armenia and Azerbaijan. He is the co-author of Fiscal Space – Policy Options for Financing Human Development and various articles on public investment, fiscal policy and economic development.

As deputy director of Revenue Watch, Antoine shares responsibility for strategic planning, programs policy development, oversight, monitoring and evaluation. He manages Revenue Watch Institute’s research, capacity building and technical assistance work and oversees the budget. He previously led all RWI technical assistance and economic policy research.

Antoine studied at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques, Paris, Oxford University and Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

Suneeta Kaimal
Deputy Director

Suneeta founded the New York office of the International Association for Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research (HPCR), where she led the development of the peacebuilding initiative, directed research on security management, and served as the New York representative. Suneeta worked at Human Rights Watch and has held various consultancies with the UN, international and local civil society organizations, working with populations of resettled refugees and survivors of human trafficking.

Suneeta shares responsibility for strategic planning and institutional growth and development. She ensures activities of the regional Africa, Asia-Pacific, Central Asia and Caucasus, Latin America, and Middle East and North Africa programs further the organization’s strategic objectives. Suneeta also oversees the grant-making, communications and advocacy portfolios, including work with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and with Publish What You Pay.

Suneeta holds a Masters in International Affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Duke University, where she was a Hart Leadership Fellow. Though born in Louisiana, after nearly ten years of braving the city, she may soon be approaching New Yorker status.

Morgan Mandeville
Director of Finance and Administration

Prior to joining Revenue Watch Morgan worked for the Open Society Institute, where she assisted with strategy and operations for Soros Foundations in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Mongolia. Morgan has held internships with the Russian government’s Department for Foreign Economic and International Relations and with New York State’s Department for Economic Development.

She has been a member of the core Revenue Watch Team since 2004, most recently as a Program Officer managing grant operations and legal compliance, supporting strategic planning and policy development, and assisting with budget planning and oversight. She has also served as Regional Advisor to RWI on the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Morgan graduated from Skidmore College with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Economics. She occasionally attempts to speak Russian, but very few people reportedly understand what she is saying.

Raghda Allouche
MENA Regional Associate

Raghda Allouche worked for over three years with increasing responsibilities at the Lebanese Transparency Association, Transparency International's national chapter. There, she was in charge of the Democratization and Public Accountability and the Youth against Corruption Programs. She designed, implemented and evaluated several projects including "Measuring Anti-Corruption Efforts and Building Demand for Effective National Integrity Systems in Egypt and the Arab World," and "Youth Partnership for the Improvement of Governance in Municipalities."

Raghda joined RWI in October 2011 as Middle East and North Africa Regional Associate. She provides programmatic support for MENA operations from the regional office in Beirut, Lebanon.

Raghda holds a Bachelor's degree in political science and international affairs, with a minor in economics, and is currently pursuing her Master's degree in political studies at the American University of Beirut.

Roslita Arsyad
Asia-Pacific Regional Associate

Roslita's involvement with extractive issues began when she joined the World Bank Group Extractive Industries Review project in 2002. Her prior work concentrated on urban open space, natural tourism and ecotourism planning. She has been involved in joint projects between Bogor Agricultural University's Research Institute and major cities in Indonesia.

Roslita joined RWI in September 2007, supporting the Southeast Asia Regional Coordinator in establishing Publish What You Pay Indonesia. Since 2008, she has supported the Regional Coordinator in monitoring grants and project oversight, as well as managing and coordinating the regional office.

Roslita has Master's degrees in Landscape Architecture from Bogor Agricultural University-Indonesia and Leisure Tourism and Environment from Wageningen University-the Netherlands. She has recently become the mother of twin boys.

Andrew Bauer
Economic Analyst

Andrew is an economic analyst at the Revenue Watch Institute. Prior to joining, he served on Canada's G7/8 and G-20 teams as an international economist at the Department of Finance, where he provided economic policy advice and participated in the planning and execution of the G8 and G-20 Summits as well as the preparatory ministerial meetings during Canada's host year.

Recently, his work and research have focused on governance and accountability mechanisms, the role of the international financial institutions, and macroeconomic management in developing countries. He has held positions in government, nonprofits and the private sector, having worked for Debt Relief International, UNICEF-Canada, Transparency International-Kenya, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ-Ghana), among others.

At Revenue Watch, Andrew focuses on economic technical assistance and research, including advising governments and civil society on the economic implications of various extractive sector policy options and helping policymakers improve their natural resource revenue management.

Born and raised in Montreal, Canada, Andrew holds an M.Sc. in Economics for Development from Oxford University, where he won a thesis distinction for his work on the monetary transmission mechanism in Tanzania. He also received a B.A. in Economics and International Development Studies from McGill University. A big fan of Nataraja, the Hindu cosmic dancer, Andrew tries his best to expect the unexpected.

Felipe Bedoya
Latin America Regional Associate

Felipe is a Political Science BA from the Peruvian Catholic University of Peru (PUCP). He started to work for RWI in September 2009, handling the development and dissemination of regional daily news and biweekly analysis. Beginning in 2010, he also supports the Regional Coordinator in project oversight and regional office administrative matters. Prior to joining RWI he worked in the Social Science PUCP Faculty in political and electoral issues as a research assistant.

Carolyn Bielfeldt
Communications Coordinator

Carolyn has previously worked at Vanity Fair, where she assisted the magazine's venerable writers, editors, and photographers on research and story development, contributed interviews with such high-profile subjects as Norman Mailer and Ted Kennedy, and helped with the launch of VanityFair.com. She also had the honor and strange pleasure of working with and befriending Hunter S. Thompson, with whom she collaborated on his final book. Carolyn arrives at Revenue Watch after serving as Senior Editor at The Week, a newsweekly founded in Great Britain.

As Communications Coordinator, Carolyn works closely with the Head of Communications and RWI's regional offices to develop and carry out publications, media outreach and advocacy campaigns as well as generate content for the web site.

Brigitte Buahin
Ghana Office Manager

Prior to joining RWI Brigitte worked with Kasapa Telecom and Societe General–Social Security Bank Ghana Ltd., where she was a paralegal, providing administrative support to the bank's legal team.

Brigitte joined RWI in September 2010 as the Africa Regional Office Manager in Accra Ghana and assisted in setting up the regional office. She also oversees day-to-day human resources issues and provides general administrative support to the regional and deputy regional coordinators and other regional staff.

Brigitte graduated from the University of Ghana, Legon, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Sociology. She is a part holder and student member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA UK) Professional Qualification in Accountancy.

She speaks and writes basic French in addition to fluent English. Her hobbies are reading, traveling and scrabbling.

Galib Efendiev
Eurasia Regional Coordinator

Before joining RWI, Galib worked at the Open Society Institute - Assistance, as director of the Transparency of Oil Revenues and Public Finance (TORPF) program and as head of the grants department. He joined OSI in Azerbaijan at its founding in 1996, helping to manage OSI's first programs in Azerbaijan and serving as Deputy Director for several years. The TORPF program continues to collaborate with RWI as a leader facilitating civil society involvement with the EITI implementation in Azerbaijan, NGO efforts for budget and expenditure transparency, and monitoring of oil industry and IFI activities, among other projects.

As RWI's Central Asia/Caucasus Regional Coordinator, Galib provides guidance to consolidate local monitoring activities and helps to manage local research, monitoring, advocacy and technical assistance. Priority countries include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia, with smaller-scale activities in Georgia, Kyrgyz Republic and Ukraine.

He holds a BS from Rutgers University, with majors on Finance and Management and Eastern European Studies, and speaks Russian and Turkish. Galib is married and has three sons.

Dauda Garuba
Nigeria Program Coordinator

Dauda has extensive experience working on the question of oil and the Niger Delta and is currently completing a doctoral thesis on the subject. Prior to joining Revenue Watch, he served as Senior Programme Officer in Governance, Security and Development at the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD). He represented CDD on the Steering Committee of Publish What You Pay Nigeria and was also National Civil Society representative on the Monitoring and Evaluation Team focusing on Millennium Development Goals' project in Nigeria.

At Revenue Watch, he has spearheaded the implementation of the Bayelsa Expenditure and Income Transparency Initiative (BEITI), a state-led effort developed with RWI to open up the books of oil-rich Bayelsa State to the highest levels of scrutiny and help establish the state as Nigeria’s most transparent sub-national government. He also works to ensure regular outreach to civil society on the evolution of BEITI and broader RWI efforts in Niger Delta.

Dauda is co-author of two books: Democracy, Oil and Politics in the Niger Delta: Linking Citizens' Perception with Policy Reform (2007) and Governance and Institution Building in Nigeria: A Case of the Independent National Electoral Commission - INEC (2008 & 2010). He is a Harry Frank Guggenheim/African Association of Political Science Young Scholar and Graduate Institute of International Studies (Geneva) Young Scholar.

Matthew Genasci
Head of Legal/Economics

Matthew Genasci is an attorney and Head of Legal/Economics at the Revenue Watch Institute. He has a background in tax policy, having served as international tax counsel on the staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance during a notable reform of U.S. corporate and international tax rules. Matthew has also worked as an associate in a Washington, D.C. law firm specializing in transactional tax planning and as a consultant at the International Energy Agency in Paris, where he focused on the intersection of international trade law and climate change policies.

At the Revenue Watch Institute, Matthew has focused primarily on fiscal policy in the extractive industries. He has worked with government officials on the development of mineral laws and policies and served as an advisor in the review and negotiation of several mining contracts. Matthew also supports Revenue Watch’s efforts to build oversight capacity in resource dependent countries.

Matthew has a J.D. from Stanford Law School and a Masters degree in international relations from the Johns Hopkins University, SAIS, where he focused on international energy economics and policy.

Alexandra Gillies
Head of Governance

Alexandra Gillies holds a PhD in Politics and International Studies from the University of Cambridge, where she recently completed her dissertation entitled Stunted Reform: the Political Economy of Oil Sector Governance in Nigeria. She spent 2008 in Nigeria as a Fulbright Fellow at the Centre for Democracy and Development in Abuja, Nigeria. Alexandra has consulted for Revenue Watch, the World Bank, DFID – Nigeria, and the DAI/USAID Reforms Project on natural resource governance projects, and she previously served as Assistant Director for the Program of African Studies at Northwestern University. Her publications include "Reputational Agendas and the Emergence of Oil Sector Transparency as an International Norm," which appeared in the March 2010 issue of International Studies Quarterly; "Obasanjo, the Donor Community and Reform Implementation in Nigeria," in a 2007 issue of The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs; and she co-edited with Richard Joseph the volume Smart Aid for African Development (2009: Lynne Reiner).

As a Head of Governance, Alexandra leads Revenue Watch research projects on the direct distribution of natural resource revenues and on the impact of transparency, and contributes to program activities in Nigeria and in several other thematic areas.

Alexandra holds a Master of Arts in International Affairs from the University of Ghana and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Emory University.

Laury Haytayan
MENA Senior Regional Associate

For the past two years, Laury had been executive director of the Beirut-based Arab Region Parliamentarians Against Corruption (ARPAC), where she worked with parliamentarians and civil society groups to strengthen legislators' oversight and legislative capacities. Recently, Laury was invited by the Carter Center to help monitor the first Tunisian elections after the fall of Ben Ali. Prior to working with ARPAC, she was in charge of regional grass root projects in Bahrain, Yemen and Saudi Arabia focused on promoting the role of women in development and policy making. She also worked as grant manager, advocacy specialist and trainer for several international NGOs, including International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), ACDI/VOCA and Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA), focusing mainly on civil society democracy campaigns in Lebanon and Iraq.

As RWI's MENA Senior Regional Associate based in Beirut, Lebanon, Laury will assist with strategic planning, project management and capacity building and lead both regional parliamentary projects and the development of a MENA extractive industries knowledge hub.

Laury holds a Masters in Middle East Politics from the University of Exeter in the UK and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the Lebanese American University. She speaks Arabic, French, English and Armenian.

Patrick Heller
Senior Legal Advisor

Patrick has worked on governance and anti-corruption initiatives in the developing world for more than ten years, for organizations including USAID, the U.S. State Department, the Asian Development Bank, Creative Associates International, and the International Center for Transitional Justice. He is a Research Affiliate with the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development at Stanford University, where he focuses on the political economy of National Oil Companies, with special attention to Angola and Nigeria.

At Revenue Watch, Patrick focuses on governance and oversight of oil sectors, legislative and contract reform, transparency, and the promotion of government-citizen dialogue. He is working closely with partners from the African Center for Economic Transformation and the Norwegian government’s Oil for Development program to develop a technical assistance program based in Accra that will help African governments manage their extractive resources more effectively.

He holds a law degree from Stanford University and a master’s in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Vanessa Herringshaw
Director of Advocacy/Europe

A key theme in Vanessa’s work has been strengthening accountability and governance, in areas like health services, children’s rights and poverty reduction. For the last 10 years, she has focused on economic justice and corporate transparency, especially the impact of oil, gas and mining in less developed countries. She spent four years living and working in South Asia, designing and managing projects, working with communities, advising on strategic planning and supporting governments in the development of policy. Prior to joining Revenue Watch, Vanessa worked with Save the Children UK – she wrote the organisational strategy, coordinated the organisation’s advocacy activities and finally headed the Economic Policy Unit.

With RWI, Vanessa is head of the European office. She leads RWI's international advocacy program, which focuses on strengthening the oversight abilities of civil society, media and legislators. She also spearheads the initiative on accounting standards reform in the extractive sector for the international Publish What You Pay coalition.

She holds a Master's degree from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, a Bachelors degree from Cambridge and was a Frank Knox Scholar to Harvard University and the Kennedy School of Government. She is passionate about dancing and hiking and is happiest on top of a mountain or next to the sea.

Haidar Issa
Iraq Project Coordinator

Prior to joining RWI, Haidar worked for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) as information management officer, researching and mapping factors influencing emergencies. Prior to OCHA, Haidar worked for IRD/USAID as a senior contract officer, assisting with the formulation and implementation of contracts and auditing requirements.

Haidar joined RWI in March 2011 and has been working with our Iraqi civil society and media partners to promote oil sector transparency and accountability and to ensure sustainable transfer of knowledge and skills to civil society. He is responsible for facilitating the organization, planning and coordination of Iraq civil society EITI-related activities and ensuring coordination and communication between RWI and other international actors providing support to the IEITI, including the World Bank, the EITI international secretariat, international oil companies and others.

Haidar has a Bachelor's Degree in software engineering from al-Rafidain University College in Baghdad and an accounting diploma from Al-Rusafa Administration Institute in Baghdad. He is currently applying for a Masters Degree on Oil and Gas Management. He loves Arabic poetry and Manchester United.

Kathryn Joyce
Web Editor

Kathryn previously worked at Newsweek.com as a web producer and as managing editor of The Revealer, the website of New York University's Center for Religion and Media. She is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in numerous publications and is author of Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement (Beacon, 2009).

As Web Editor, Kathryn coordinates, writes and edits original articles and analysis of transparency and extractive industry issues for Revenue Watch's website. She received her B.A. from Hampshire College and her M.A. from NYU.

Patricia Karam
Middle East and North Africa Regional Coordinator

Patricia Karam was most recently Deputy Director of the Policymakers and Civil Society Unit at the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), where she designed, implemented and managed capacity building initiatives, including ICTJ's flagship fellowship program. Prior to joining ICTJ, she served as Senior Grants Officer at the US Institute of Peace (USIP), managing a portfolio of projects to promote conflict prevention and peace-building in Iraq and Colombia. Previously, she was Programs and Development Officer at the Iraq Foundation in Washington, D.C., and a consultant on social justice activism for the Environmental Background Information Center in New York City.

As Middle East and North Africa Coordinator at RWI, Patricia leads on local research, advocacy and capacity-building. She conducts and facilitates technical assistance, training and networking for civil society members, media and parliamentarians in the MENA region.

Patricia holds an MSFS degree and a certificate in Arab studies from Georgetown University. Her PhD research at New York University has revolved around identity politics and indigenous people’s rights in the Western Sahara.

Ruya Koman
Grants Coordinator

From 2006 to 2009, Ruya served as Program Associate for the Baltic-American Partnership Fund, established by the Open Society Institute and USAID to ensure the continued development of democratic institutions and market economies in the Baltic States. Working with the executive director, Ruya oversaw all grants contracts and payments, evaluated grantee reports and created the annual report and ongoing communications until the closing of the program in 2009. Ruya previously served as project assistant to two winning projects of the European Commission in Ankara, and held internships with the International Commission of Jurists in Geneva, the Deutsche Welle Radio and TV Network in Cologne, Germany, UNHCR in Turkey and the Turkish Ministry of Finance. She holds an LLM in International Human Rights Law from the University of Essex and a BA in International Relations and Political Science from Ankara University. Ruya speaks German and Turkish, as well as some beginner Farsi, and enjoys yoga, singing and dancing.

Katarina Kuai
Training and Capacity Development Program Officer

Before Revenue Watch, Katarina worked at the United Nations in New York as well as on field missions in Afghanistan and Indonesia. While at the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights she worked on an inter-agency initiative to promote rights-based approaches in the U.N.'s approach to development, peace and security. She has also worked for UNDP, conducting policy research and managing projects in various areas including South-South cooperation, civil society partnerships and indigenous peoples' issues.

As program officer, Katarina's focus is on training and capacity development in downstream phases of the extractive sector value chain including revenue management and economic diversification. She is leading RWI's work in Afghanistan and has a special interest in conflict-resource linkages, China-Africa relations and Chinese NOC engagement in extractive sector governance. In addition, Katarina oversees the development of RWI training modules and the management of fellowships.

She holds a Masters in International Relations with a certificate in International Security Studies from Yale University and a BA from New School University in political philosophy. A native of Beijing and New York City, she currently resides in Brooklyn with an octogenarian Jack Russell Terrier.

Emmanuel Kuyole
Africa Regional Coordinator

Emmanuel previously worked as Programme Officer with Structural Adjustment Participatory Review Initiative (SAPRI), a global tripartite initiative launched in 1997 involving the World Bank, selected governments and civil society to review the impact of structural adjustment lending and policy advice in selected countries. The exercise was also aimed at ascertaining how the participation of local, broad-based civil society can improve economic policy-making.

He was also head of programmes (2005-2008) for the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), a regional research and advocacy organization based in Ghana. Emmanuel is an active member of several campaigns including Ghana Publish What You Pay (PWYP) and he served on the Ghana EITI Multi-Stakeholder Committee from 2004-2008. His major advocacy interest and focus is in promoting accountability and equity in the use of public resources, including those of extractive sector. Emmanuel holds a Masters Degree in governance and leadership and has over 10 years' experience working with civil society as a passionate advocate for equality and social justice.

Emmanuel joined RWI in February 2008 and is currently responsible for strategic leadership, management and coordination with respect to the Africa portfolio and the Ghana regional office. RWI is currently supporting projects in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Liberia, Mozambique, Niger, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire, with several others under consideration.

Marie Lintzer
Governance Policy Analyst

Marie contributes to the research and production of the Revenue Watch Index, which measures government oil, gas and mining disclosures across resource-dependent countries. She also helps to develop dissemination and advocacy strategies for the Index.

Prior to joining RWI she worked for two years as a consultant in London, focusing on the natural resources sector, advising donors and mining companies on issues related to conflict minerals, artisanal mining and compliance with mining regulations, among other subjects. She has published articles related to these topics and has traveled extensively in Central Africa. Marie holds a law degree from the University of Paris II and Oxford as well as an MSc. in Public Management and Governance from the London School of Economics. Her hobbies include acting and capoiera.

George W. Lugalambi
Media Capacity Development Program Officer

George W. Lugalambi is RWI's Media Capacity Development Program Officer, based in Accra, Ghana. Before joining Revenue Watch in June 2011, George was chair of the Department of Journalism and Communication at Makerere University in Uganda, where he spent his academic career.

In addition to his academic and research interests, George worked as a newspaper journalist, editor and columnist and as a consultant on media and communication. His research and published work has focused on Africa with attention to democratization and public deliberation, media systems, press freedom, media literacy, peace building and conflict resolution, formative and ongoing professional journalism training and the social dimension of Information and Communication Technologies. He is engaged with the Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change in Austria and has been on its faculty. He has completed various media and communication projects for the Commonwealth Secretariat, UNESCO, DANIDA, UNICEF, UNDP, WHO, USAID, SIDA and the government of Uganda.

George holds a PhD in mass communications from Pennsylvania State University, where he studied as a Fulbright scholar. He previously graduated from the University of Leicester in England under the UK Commonwealth Scholarship program and from Makerere University in Uganda. George is a regular commentator in the media on public affairs. He is also active in networks advocating for media development, journalism training and freedom of expression.

Jed Miller
Internet Director

Jed was previously director of Internet programs for the American Civil Liberties Union, where he oversaw strategy and publishing for ACLU.org, and helped to plan online communications, fundraising and advocacy. He worked at NYTimes.com from 1996 to 2001 managing all reader discussions, including forums for the Pulitzer-winning 2000 series on race in America.

As Internet Director, Jed leads the strategy and editorial planning for RWI's web site, including the investigation of new online tools for improved extractive sector transparency. He served as Revenue Watch communications coordinator from 2008 to 2010, managing RWI's publications and media outreach, and the creation of RWI's inaugural annual report.

Jed has written or consulted for the General Services Administration, Personal Democracy Forum and The New York Times Company Foundation, among others. He grew up in New York City and graduated from Amherst College, where people born in the city do not notice that passing fire engines are unusual.

Carlos Monge
Latin America Regional Coordinator

From 2002 to 2005, Carlos was Head of Citizen Monitoring and Promotion of Participation and then Head of Communications for Grupo Propuesta Ciudadana (GPC), an institution dedicated to promoting decentralization as a participative process. He is the author of several publications on issues related to rural development, social movements, decentralization, citizen participation and conflicts generated by extractive industries.

In addition to serving as RWI Regional Coordinator for Latin America, he is also a Senior Researcher for the Peru's Center for the Study and Promotion of Development, DESCO. He works on extractive sector transparency issues with numerous civil society organizations and has been a member of the international board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

Carlos holds a degree in Anthropology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and Ph.D. in History from the University of Miami.

Rebecca Morse
Advocacy Officer

Rebecca is the point person for RWI’s U.S. policy and programs, and helps advance the organization's global advocacy portfolio. Her work is focused on supporting legislative and regulatory reform efforts within government and at the international level, in partnership with RWI’s civil society networks. In addition, Rebecca oversees development of RWI’s online Resource Center.

Prior to joining Revenue Watch in 2009, Rebecca was an Editorial Intern at Harper's Magazine. She graduated from Wesleyan University with a BA in European History, and has also studied EU politics and institutions at the Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies in Geneva.

Angela Mugore
Senior Capacity Development Program Officer

Angela has worked in NGO Training, Capacity Development and Organisation Development Practice for 13 years, starting her career as regional projects coordinator with Evard with sector responsibilities in disaster management, policy analysis and advocacy. From there, Angela worked as an Organization Development (OD) Practitioner with Concern Universal, executing OD and change management interventions for NGOs in the region with funding from DfID and technical support from INTRAC.

Angela moved to the United Kingdom in 2001, to work with Freedom Centre International as project manager/process consultant to help establish their educational arm. In 2006, she became a Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Capacity Building/Technical Advisor with Tearfund, with responsibility for building the capacity of NGO partners in India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Malawi.

Angela joined RWI's Training and Capacity Development Team in 2008, with an Anglophone Africa geographical focus. She also leads the strategy and implementation of the Regional Hub capacity building mechanism.

Angela holds a Bsc in Industrial Psychology and Organization Development from the University of Malawi, and an MBA from the University of Leicester with Finance and Management majors. She has 2 children who keep her on toes. She loves to socialize and entertain friends whenever she has the chance.

Emmanuel Niina
Ghana Office Accountant

Niina joined RWI in October 2010 as accountant for the Africa regional office in Accra, Ghana. Niina previously worked for the Integrated Social Development Center (ISODEC) as a national service person; as the finance and administrative officer for Northern Sector Action on Awareness Sector (NORSAAC); then as the regional accountant for the Carter Center in Ghana. As accountant, Niina is in charge all financial issues of the Accra office.

Niina holds a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accounting from Tamale Polytechnic, and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Cape Coast-Ghana. Niina is easy-going with an interest in doing many calculations of figures and in seeing new environments.

Silas Olan'g
Africa Senior Regional Associate

Prior to joining RWI in 2009, Silas spent three years leading Oxfam International's advocacy and knowledge sharing initiative in Tanzania. He has also served as capacity building advisor with the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), head of the planning department for the Ngara District Council in northwest Tanzania, and manager of the European Development Fund-Micro Project Program in the Lake Victoria region.

Silas holds an Advanced Diploma in Economic Planning from Institute of Development Management Mzumbe in Tanzania, where he has lectured on economic planning, and an MSc. in Agricultural Development and Rural Finance from the Development and Project Planning Centre, University of Bradford (UK).

"I am married to sweet Marty and father to four teenagers. Being the last born of a former gold mine worker, working for RWI takes me back home, not only to my birth place, but to the chance to promote mining for national development, prosperity and global economic justice!"

Emil Omarov
Eurasia Regional Associate

Prior to joining RWI, Emil was coordinator of the National Budget Group Coalition (NBG) and head of the "Access to Public Information" project at the Open Society Institute in Azerbaijan. As coordinator of NBG from 2008-2010, Emil's main responsibilities included advocacy, public relations and fundraising. He also prepared several reports on information accessibility in Azerbaijan and other countries in the region working on the "Access to Public Information" project during the same time.

As Regional Associate at RWI, Emil supports the regional coordinator of Central Asia and the Caucasus in managing regional projects, assisting with the development of regional priorities and strategies, supportting the design and implementation of grant and program monitoring and evaluation, and compiling and synthesizing news and information on extractive activities in the region.

Emil holds a BA from Azerbaijan University in International Relations. Emil speaks Russian, German and Turkish, as well as some Arabic.

Fernando Patzy
Latin America Senior Regional Associate

As Senior Regional Associate, Fernando supports the regional coordinator of Latin America in managing regional projects, assisting with the development of regional priorities and strategies, supporting the design and implementation of grants and program monitoring and evaluation.

Fernando joins RWI from the International Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance in Bolivia, where he was the Project Coordinator for Energy Resources, Democracy and Development, coordinating trainings and roundtables and providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Autonomy and to subnational governments. In prior roles, he managed the Securities Department at the Servicio de Impuestos Nacionales in Bolivia, and was a financial analyst for Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaría BBVA, in Spain, among other positions.

Fernando holds an MBA from INCAE in Costa Rica, with a concentration in Natural Resources Administration, a Masters in Economic Development in Latin America from Universidad Internacional de Andalucía in Spain and Bachelors of Science in Economics from the Universidad San Francisco Xavier in Bolivia. He enjoy sports such as mountain biking, trekking and swimming.

Matteo Pellegrini
Head of Capacity Development

Matteo leads our work to develop capacity to manage and oversee the best use of resources. He manages the team responsible for key development programs in producing countries—those focused on the needs of the media and parliaments, the development of a network of regional training hubs, our fellowships program and our work on governance at the sub-national level. He is based at the RWI London office.

Prior to joining RWI, Matteo was the Regional Africa Coordinator of the Publish What You Pay coalition, based in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Previously he worked in Washington D.C. as a consultant for the World Bank in the field of corporate governance.

He holds Master's Degree from the School of Advanced International Studies of the Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor's degree in European Studies from the Royal Holloway University.

Matteo grew up near Rome, Italy and lived in several countries thereafter, including the U.K., France, Belgium, Germany, the U.S., Tanzania and Cameroon. He is fluent in French and Italian and conversant in German and Spanish.

Munyaradzi Josephine Pendeke
Program Administrative Assistant

Munya joins RWI with extensive administrative experience spanning fifteen years with international organizations such as Alcatel Italia and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO). At WHO, she served in various capacities, including human resource management and administrative assistant for health technical programs. Most recently she worked as the administrative assistant in the office of the coordinator for WHO Inter-country Support Team for East and Southern Africa, where she provided support in covering teams of international and local staff in 19 countries.

At RWI, Munya will assist in setting up and eventually running the new London office, providing administrative support to the capacity development and advocacy teams based in Londons.

Munya holds Administrative qualifications from Pitman, Institute of Administration and Commerce of South Africa and is currently pursuing a BA in Business Administration from the University of South Africa. She speaks and writes basic French and was recognized an Administrative Assistant of the Year 2010 in WHO/ESA. Always smiling, Munya fits in well with different cultures and backgrounds.

Juan Carlos Quiroz
Senior Policy Analyst

Before joining Revenue Watch in January 2007, Juan Carlos worked analyzing energy policies in Latin America and helping to implement the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) at the World Bank. Juan Carlos has published articles about the oil sector in Mexico and his professional experience includes some time as speechwriter at the Policy Planning Staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico.

Currently, Juan Carlos is leading the research, development and publication of Revenue Watch's new Revenue Transparency Index. Juan Carlos studied at El Colegio de Mexico and Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.

Chitra Retna
Asia-Pacific Senior Regional Associate

Chitra joins Revenue Watch with a very strong background in research and subnational transparency and accountability. A founder of RWI partner the Pattiro Institute, and the organization's former Deputy Director, Chitra oversaw research programs on various themes, including social development, public finance and extractive industries governance. She worked closely with Revenue Watch on the subnational projects in Indonesia's Blora and Bojonegoro districts and brings strong technical expertise, research and capacity building experience.

As Asia-Pacific Senior Regional Associate, Chitra supports the Asia-Pacific team and works with RWI partners on Indonesia's EITI report, enhancing EITI implementation in Asia-Pacific countries and endorsing EITI governance in ASEAN. She coordinates with the RWI Asia-Pacific Regional Coordinator to manage ongoing monitoring, advocacy, research and technical assistance projects, while building a strong RWI portfolio to strategically promote better extractive industry governance.

Chitra holds a degree in Environmental Engineering from the Bandung Institute of Technology and a Magister of Economic Planning and Public Policy, from the University of Indonesia. She loves outdoor activities such as mountain climbing and hiking.

Robert Ruby
Head of Communications

Robert worked as a newspaper correspondent in Europe and the Middle East, reporting from more than 30 countries, before becoming foreign editor of The Baltimore Sun. He later served as a senior editor at the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C. and as director of communications for the International Center for Transitional Justice in New York.

As head of communications for Revenue Watch, he oversees strategic communication issues, media outreach and publications.

Robert has degrees from the Johns Hopkins University and Northwestern University. He is the author of the non-fiction books Unknown Shore: The Lost History of England's Arctic Colonly and Jericho: Dreams, Ruins, Phantoms.

Julia Sobol
Legal and Compliance Coordinator

Julia previously worked for the Whitney Museum of American Art, where she was responsible for managing the museum's Access and Community programs, ensuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. While at the Whitney, Julia also worked with the general counsel to review contracts, consult on and research issues of non-profit governance, tax law, copyright, trademark and general corporate law.

As RWI Legal and Compliance Coordinator, Julia drafts, reviews and negotiates contracts, liaises with outside counsel and oversees organizational lobbying activities as well as general compliance issues.

She received her B.A. in the History of Art from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. There's nothing Julia enjoys more than a Saturday morning spent running in Brooklyn's Prospect Park followed by shopping at the Farmers' Market.

Emma Tarrant Tayou
Africa Regional Associate

As the Africa Regional Associate, Emma is based in the Ghana office. Fluent in English and French, she covers both Anglophone and Francophone African countries, supporting the regional and deputy regional coordinators with communication, research, project and grant management.

Prior to joining Revenue Watch, Emma worked in Senegal for four years, with three years spent in the Oxfam GB West Africa Regional Office, where she coordinated the women's economic empowerment and market access projects. Most recently she worked on economic justice issues as part of the regional campaigns team in Dakar.

Emma graduated from the University of Nottingham with a BA (Honours) degree in History. As a result of a childhood spent in Africa and a love for languages, she learns new words wherever she goes and can say hello in over 10 languages.

Evelyne Tsague
Francophone Africa Coordinator

Prior to coming to Revenue Watch Institute, Evelyne worked at Catholic Relief Services – Cameroon Program as Human Rights/Extractives Industries Projects Manager, with a focus on EI transparency, anti- trafficking and legal assistance in Cameroonian prisons. She also oversaw the implementation of grants and financial management for CRS/Chad. Previously, Evelyne worked as human rights Legal Advisor and Trainer at Justice and Peace Commission of Yaoundé. She has also worked with IPIS, a research unit of the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaoundé, as Research Assistant.

As Deputy Regional Coordinator for Africa, Evelyne is responsible for the development and support of Revenue Watch regional activities, with an emphasis on Francophone countries. Her work includes strengthening monitoring activities and initiating new research, grant-making, advocacy and technical assistance projects. She is also responsible for identifying research, capacity-building and technical assistance needs at the local, national and regional levels, and collaborating with RWI staff and outside experts to address these issues.

Evelyne holds a High Diploma in human rights and humanitarian action from the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and a Diplome inter universitaire de 3e cycle en Droits fondamentaux from Nantes University, France.

Varsha Venugopal
Subnational Capacity Development Program Officer

For the last eight years, Varsha has focused on strengthening accountability, especially by developing the capacity of local governments and civil society. Most recently, she worked with the World Bank for four years on governance projects in Africa and Asia. In her last project she worked with national and local governments in Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya to build local government capacity in public financial management systems.

Before the World Bank, Varsha was an Associate for ASDC, a consulting firm specializing in evaluation and capacity building in the United States. She has also worked for the UK Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell, the UN World Food Programme in Rome, Zambia and Madagascar, and an Indian NGO on disaster management projects.

Varsha leads RWI's subnational capacity development portfolio. In this role she supports development of policy and practice tools and documentation of RWI's subnational projects. She is based in RWI's London office.

Varsha holds a Masters in Development Management from the London School of Economics, a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning with a minor in Gender Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning from the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi, India.

Claudia Viale
Latin America Research Assistant 

Claudia holds a BA in Economics from the Peruvian Catholic University (PUCP). Her work for RWI has included research on the impact of mineral and oil price volatility on revenues for subnational governments in Peru and the relationship between energy demand and hydrocarbon extraction from the Peruvian Amazon. Prior to joining RWI she worked in the PUCP Business Center carrying out research related to International Economics and as a teaching assistant in Public Economics.

Erica Westenberg
EITI Policy Officer

Prior to joining RWI, Erica practiced as an attorney for over five years in the Energy and Infrastructure Projects group at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom LLP, where she managed numerous complex transactions in the areas of energy and natural resources, infrastructure and public-private partnerships. Her pro bono projects included work on parliamentary oversight of extractive industry contracts, as well as engagement through the International Senior Lawyers Project on governance reforms in Africa.

As EITI Policy Officer, Erica leads RWI's multifaceted engagement with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, which includes supporting the RWI representative to the EITI International Board, providing technical assistance to EITI processes globally and conducting research on EITI-related issues.

Erica received a B.A. in government and a certificate in African studies from Harvard College and a M.Sc. in Development Management from the London School of Economics. She holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she received a Chayes International Public Service Fellowship to work on legal and judicial reform in Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank.