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I am a self-starter with nearly 20 years of professional experience in the field of international development. I work closely with the public sector (governments, international financial institutions, domestic and international NGOs and grassroots groups) and corporate clients on issues of economic development, governance and accountability, political risk, corporate social responsibility, natural resources, energy, public policy and sustainability. I have designed strategies, partnerships, an |
 Contact Eva Thorne
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Area of Expertise: |
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Capacity Building, Training, Advocacy
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Government, Governance, Reforms
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Monitoring, Evaluation, Policy, Research, Analysis
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Private Sector, Social Enterprise, Corporate Social Responsibility
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Social, Education, Gender, Youth, Child
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Professional Experience: |
I have about 20 years of professional and academic experience in the areas of stakeholder relations, sustainable international development, working with civil society, and policy development.
I began my career by working in external affairs and public relations and developed competency in stakeholder management, media relations and issues identification and management. After two years I entered a doctoral program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in political science, where I focused on international development, international political economy and the politics of developing countries. My work required deep engagement with grassroots communities, NGOs/civil society groups and the policies of governments and international institutions. I become directly involved in international campaigns and advocacy as a participant observer. As a result, I am deeply knowledgeable with NGO campaign cycles, their logic, why they succeed and how companies can effectively engage civil society groups in ways that protect and, indeed, enhance their brand. And I have contacts in the NGO world globally.
As an academic, I worked on these issues from a research and consulting perspective and eventually branched out more aggressively into the business world. Relevant experience includes working at the grassroots level on issues of development, sustainable use of community resources and strategies for linking communities to markets. For example, I am currently doing a project with a private equity fund that develops renewable energy projects owned or controlled by rural and indigenous groups in Latin America. This project combines use of natural resources, bottom-of-the-pyramid approaches, identifying investors and stakeholder engagement. And it requires that I identify social and environmental risks and ways to address and mitigate them in order to safeguard investors. I spent significant amounts of time in Honduras working in Garifuna communities that were affected by extractive industries. The work required a variety of skills, including stakeholder identification, engagement and management as well as conflict resolution. It was very challenging, given the rising violence associated with indigenous land claims, but it was superb experience.
I have lived and worked in the Americas, speak the languages (both Spanish and Portuguese), know the culture and am comfortable there. I spent significant time in Central America working on issues of indigenous rights, local conflicts, and land tenure. I engaged local groups that interfaced with banana plantations in Panama. Extractive industries and agro-business are key features of life in the region and I understand the complexity of the issues and how they play out across various communities.
Additional mining-related experience includes carrying out a threat assessment for Norsk, which had a JV in a bauxite mining area inhabited by a cultural minority. There were also environmental issue
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Education: |
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I hold an undergraduate degree in History from Harvard University and a doctorate in Political Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Areas of expertise include: democratization, politics and political development in emerging markets, natural resources (management, governance, revenue collection/management, NOCs), international development.
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Available for: |
- Consulting assignments
- Job opportunities
- Being headhunted – make me an offer
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Years of Experience:
15-20 years |
Highest Qualification:
Doctorate |
Languages:
English, Spanish |
Nationality:
United States
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