
The Strategic Team

Liliana Jiménez Alcocer (she/her)
Mexico
Liliana has more than 15 years of experience in international cooperation and strategic alliances across Latin America, North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. She holds advanced degrees in International Development Cooperation and Public Administration and has led initiatives across diverse sectors, including education, sustainability, and cybersecurity. Liliana's expertise lies in bridging interests across public, private, and non-governmental organizations and creating solutions that resonate across cultural and regulatory contexts.. Her work includes negotiating international agreements, managing cross-sector collaborations, and aligning projects with global priorities such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Mame Yacine Bakhoum Diop (she/her)
Senegal
Yacine has helped move millions of dollars to multi-year and multi-sector projects that improve the lives of people in West and Central Africa. For more than ten years, she worked in fundraising and project management with international relief organizations such as Oxfam, Millennium Promise Alliance and the Norwegian Refugee Council, serving as principal contact to grantmaking program officers. Bilingual in French and English, Yacine has a masters' degree in Business Administration, a passion for social justice and women’s rights, and is serves on the board of directors for Justice and Dignity for the Women of Sahel.

Khaled Farrag (he/him)
United States and Palestine
Born in Palestine, Khaled is co-founder and former director of Grassroots Al-Quds and co-founder and current lead of the Public Narrative Committee for the Urfod movement, which helps Druze youth who refuse to serve in the army against their values. Based in NYC, Khaled consults on management, strategy and resource development, and serves as board treasurer of Eyewitness Palestine. Over the past decade Khaled has worked with dozens of organizations and movements in the MENA region, with a focus on the Arab World. He is part of global professional and activism networks that work to advance justice and human rights, and has cultivated deep connections with movements, organizations, academic institutes, foundations, activist organizers and professionals in over 40 countries.

EJ Jacobs (he/him)
Canada
EJ has worked for more than 15 years to expand the definition and reach of philanthropic resources. He has been a leading voice for gender equity, human rights, and the effort to eradicate violence against children globally. He was the Program Director of the Nduna Foundation, where he oversaw the foundation’s philanthropic giving and partnerships, with a focus on human rights in conflict and post-conflict regions, predominantly in Africa. He is the founder and host of the resource center and podcast series Virtual Philanthropy, the author of The Conversation: Candid Perspectives and Advice on Fundraising Shared By Donors and Nonprofits, and the co-creator of donor funding networks responsible for coalescing tens of millions of dollars.

Fernanda Ordaz (she/her)
Türkiye
Fernanda Ordaz is a global communications and PR strategist with a decade of experience shaping narratives across art, architecture, politics, and cultural projects. She specializes in brand positioning, strategic communications, and content strategy, leading international teams to craft compelling stories that resonate. She has collaborated with renowned curators, scholars, and institutions on award-winning publications and exhibitions. She combines critical thinking, cultural analysis, storytelling and creative direction with expertise in digital strategy and editorial leadership to ensure brands and thought leaders make a lasting impact worldwide.

Kathryn Pauso (she/her)
Philippines
Kathryn Pauso is an accomplished USAID Grants Specialist with more than a decade of experience in international development spanning Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the US. She specializes in blended finance, fostering private sector collaborations to drive resource mobilization and project sustainability. An Edward S. Mason Fellow, she earned her Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School.

Kelsea-Marie Pym (she/her)
United States
Kelsea-Marie has over a decade of experience in US-based advocacy campaigns dedicated to strategic communications, partnerships, development, and project management. Kelsea-Marie’s issue focused work specializes in the intersection of economic advocacy and democratic reform to drive forward progressive change. Her general work focuses on scaling campaigns and non profits to increase ROI and to streamline processes. Kelsea-Marie is an alumnus of Boston University and sits on the Board of Yellow Arrow Publishing.

Emily Velazquez (she/her)
United States
Emily has a decade of professional experience dedicated to development, fundraising, and grant writing for nonprofits across the United States and in Latin America. Our team specialist in foundation fundraising, Emily is bilingual in Spanish and has advised NGOs with budgets ranging from $1 million to $50 million. Her experience includes securing foundation support for issues such as advocacy, public policy, immigration reform and climate change.