Professional Experience:
I am a bilingual communications professional with a strong interest in the core area of sustainable development and a passion towards strategic communications. I have over 15 years of a well-balanced career in the United Nations system, which is, not only analytical, advocacy-oriented and technical by nature, but also helped UNDP and other UN agencies’ work in national capacity building. My area of focus and interest varies from writing/editing of a publishable quality to formulating and implementing communications strategies to a wide range of intended audiences and project management.
A former Dag Hammarskjöld Scholar of the United Nations Correspondents' Association, graduate of Columbia University’s School of Journalism and School of International and Public Affairs, I have many years of professional experience working for the UN Department of Public Information, UNICEF, UNDP and UNAIDS. I speak fluent English and French and have written and published numerous press releases, news articles and feature stories in the international news media.
Prior to the UN, I worked for the Population Council as the Communications Specialist of the Africa Operations Research and Technical Assistance (Africa OR/TA) Project, a USAID-funded research project in population, family planning and reproductive health. During this time, I gained solid insights in embracing new ideas to improve processes in the quality of health care and service delivery. My work experience at the Population Council and later at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) led me to fully understand how important it is to have great team dynamics with development partners, collaborating agencies, and NGOs.
I believe that my work experience in writing/editing, international media and communications, background in journalism and international affairs, fluency in French, interpersonal and bilingual skills, and ability to operate in a multi-cultural working environment, would be a great asset in the effective management of international development program me.