Professional Experience:
I am a gender and development specialist, with a focus on promoting gender justice for improving women’s wellbeing. I have over 15 years of international professional and applied research experience in social development programs; program implementation, monitoring and evaluation; and research. Most of this experience has been in Ghana, but some of it has been in the United States. I am committed to the effective delivery of development service, with excellent creative and collaborative skills, and the ability to interact effectively with team members.
Currently, I am pursuing a PhD degree in Social Work and Anthropology after graduating with a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree in 2010. During my graduate studies, I have engaged in many research opportunities including a qualitative study to assess postings and retention of doctors and nurses into rural, remote areas in Ghana and a quantitative analysis of a longitudinal data on the effectiveness of savings as an incentive for college entry. I have provided team effectiveness and leadership development as a program assistant for undergraduate study abroad programs in Ghana, run by the Department of African American and African Studies (DAAS) and the Center for Intercultural and Global Studies (CGIS) in the University of Michigan from the summer of 2011 to 2013. In addition, I am knowledgeable in program evaluation, evaluating the effectiveness of the introduction of Africentric methods in teaching MSW classes.
As a requirement for my MSW degree, I worked as a social work intern for the Center for Empowerment and Economic Development (CEED) and the Community Action Network (CAN) for two years. I interacted with CEED clients and CAN participants to build a successful working relationship to promote loan repayment schedules as well as set up an online market place where small business owners meet to brainstorm improved practices for their business. I am highly skilled in grant writing, recruitment and hiring procedures, and used my exceptional writing and communication skills to apply for VISTA grants to recruit volunteers for CEED outreach programs.
To gain high-performing strategic-thinking experience in service delivery, I worked with a target-oriented organization after my undergraduate education called Coconut Sector Development Project (CSDP). CSDP was a joint funded, five-year project of the Ghana and French governments. The mandate of the project was to rehabilitate coconut plantations devastated by the Cape Saint Paul Wilts Disease in Ghana. I worked with the project management and research teams, sensitizing women, and offering them capacity-building programs. With expertise in establishing rapport and building trust, I created a network of coconut planters and oil producers that led to a strong producer-processor chain. At the end of each year, I conducted an impact assessment survey of the program, analyzed by the research team for the annual project reports.