Father Xavier Alpasa, S.J.

Co-Founder
Rags2Riches

Father Xavier Alpasa is a Jesuit priest, social entrepreneur, and co-founder of the social enterprise Rags2Riches Inc., which creates eco-ethical fashion and home accessories out of cycled scrap cloth, organic materials and indigenous fabrics by working with artisans, mostly women, living in poor communities across the Philippines. Fr. Javy's pioneering work has earned international acclaim, and he has given numerous talks and seminars around the world on social entrepreneurship. He has been recognized as a 2009 TED Global Fellow and 2010 Cordes Fellow. Fr. Javy also serves as a board member of youth and religious foundations, a political activist in agrarian reform, and a faculty member of Ateneo de Manila's Graduate School of Business.

Glen Anderson

Chief of Party, Climate Change Resilient Development (CCRD)
Engility

Glen Anderson is a Senior Climate Change Expert with Engility International Development in Washington, DC. He currently is serving as Chief of Party on the USAID's Climate Change Resilient Development (CCRD) project focused on adaptation to climate change. Over the past 23 years, he has worked in 40 developing countries in climate adaptation, economic development, benefit-cost analysis, environmental and economic policy, water resources management, and environmental finance. He received his BA in Economics from the University of Washington and holds MA and PhD degrees in Agricultural Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Yolando Arban

Country Program Officer for the Philippines
IFAD

Yolando C. Arban joined the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in July 2007 when the IFAD Country Office in the Philippines was established. He is currently IFAD Country Programme Officer in the Philippines. Aside from working in the country, he had been participating in design, supervision and implementation support missions in other countries in IFAD Asia Pacific Division: Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Myanmar, China and Mongolia.

Prior to joining IFAD, he was involved in several non-government and government overseas development assisted programmes and projects in the country, mostly in Mindanao, Philippines. He holds a Master in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management, Philippines.

Riyzal Bahdari

Grants Manager, Asia Regional Office
RTI International

Riyzal Bahdari is a financial and accounting professional with more than a decade of experience working on in-country development projects of various international agencies, United Nations, US Agency for International Development, and The World Bank. His areas of expertise include auditing, budgeting, financial management and compliance, procurement, internal policy development, and grants management. Mr. Bahdari is responsible for subgrant activities in the Asia region as an extension of the International Grants Management Unit. He provides support through training and mentoring of project grants management staff. He also acts as a resource for projects on local organization capacity building initiatives and helps ensure compliance with internal and external requirements and quality of grant documentation.

Andrew Baird

Senior Economic Growth Specialist, International Development
RTI International

Andrew Baird is a senior economic growth specialist with more than 20 years of experience in economic growth initiatives, and particularly with workforce development, microenterprise, livelihood, agriculture, local capacity building, and new business development. Before joining RTI, Mr. Baird was the director of International Programs for Making Cents International, and developed programs and tools to promote economic growth in Nigeria, Jordan, Morocco, Senegal, Armenia, Paraguay, Togo, Sierra Leone, Philippines, and Mongolia.

Amina Rasul-Bernardo

President
Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy

A well-respected figure in the Muslim community, Amina Rasul-Bernardo has extensive experience in dealing with Mindanao/Muslim issues including policy and strategy formulation for growth and development in the area. She is currently a member of the Brookings Institution Task Force on US Foreign Policy Towards the Islamic Countries, and the East-West Center Study Group on Internal Conflicts in Asia. She is also a Research Fellow of the Washington Sycip Policy Center at the Asian Institute of Management, where she directs writing and publication of papers on the Muslim situation in the Southern Philippines and organizes conferences surrounding the issue. Amina was also the editor of the paper "Road to Peace and Reconciliation: Muslim Perspectives on the Mindanao Conflict" (2003). Amina has distinguished herself in the fields of business and finance, and has worked in various capacities for corporations such as the Philippine National Oil Corporation, the Development Bank of the Philippines, and the Local Government Guarantee Corporation.

Dr. Robin Bush

Senior Research Fellow, Asia Research Institute
National University of Singapore

Dr. Robin Bush is a Senior Research Fellow at the Asia Research Institute (ARI), National University of Singapore (NUS). She is co-leading the conceptual design and development of the cluster's Religion and Development in Asia research program. Prior to joining ARI in December of 2011, she served as Country Representative, and prior to that Deputy Country Representative, for The Asia Foundation in Indonesia, where she developed and led a wide range of governance related programming, including projects on rule of law, economic growth, human rights, and electoral reform. Her responsibilities included donor relations, program development, fundraising, and strategic leadership of the Foundation's work in Indonesia. Prior to her management role with the Foundation, she was Director of Islam and Development programs for the Asia Foundation in Indonesia for six years, designing and running poverty alleviation, human rights, and democracy related programs in partnership with Muslim NGOs in Indonesia. She holds a PhD in political science from the University of Washington, and she is the author of Nahdlatul Ulama and the Struggle for Power in Islam and Politics in Indonesia, as well as numerous other publications. In July, she will be joining RTI International as Director of Research and Strategic Collaborations, Asia, and will be based in Jakarta.

Camilo Casals

Business and Organizational Development Specialist
Cardno

Camilo "Milo" Casals is a Business and Organization Development specialist with expertise in capacity building and technical support to community based organizations that are engaged in agribusiness, small and medium scale enterprises, maternal and child health care clinics and risk managing financial services (e.g. micro-insurance, micro-pensions, and catastrophe re-insurance).

Diwata de Castro-Paredes

Communications and Outreach Specialist, (B-LEADERS)
Engility

Diwata de Castro-Paredes has over 10 years of experience coordinating communications, outreach, and public engagement activities across a wide range of media. Her successful work designing and implementing communications for USAID-funded projects, including the Climate Change and Clean Energy Project (CEnergy), the Sustainable Energy Development Program (SEDP) and the Philippine Environmental Governance Project (EcoGov), led to her securing over $3.8 million in funds from public and private stakeholders to support environmental initiatives through the Fuels for Life Movement. She holds a master's degree in communication management and a bachelor's degree in broadcast communication with a journalism minor.

Renee Crossley

Principal
Cardno Emerging Markets, Australia

Renee Crossley is an experienced Development Specialist with extensive expertise in market development approaches, results measurement, and innovative mechanisms to catalyse pro-poor growth. She is a Principal at Cardno and provides advice and technical oversight on the design and implementation of Cardno's portfolio across market systems approaches and private sector development. Renee has a background in economics, and over 10 years' experience in enterprise development, economic diversification and rural development. As Project Director on AusAID's two M4P programmes, the Cambodian Agricultural Value Chain Program and the Market Development Facility, Renee has niche expertise in the management of large 'making markets work for the poor' projects (M4P). Renee established and leads Cardno's global Private Sector Development Group which brings together experts and managers across the company to share lessons and resources, and to stimulate critical thinking to continually improve program design and performance.

Christy Davis

Regional Director, Public Engagement, South Asia & Pacific Region
World Vision International

Christy Davis provides strategic regional leadership and national support engagement with key stakeholders, networks, national government bodies, and political/economic associations such as ASEAN and SAARC. This includes strengthening the use of evidence, sector and field information to demonstrate impact of our vision for every child: life in all its fullness; and impact of our contribution to the humanitarian and development agenda in Asia. She made the jump to full time humanitarian work in March 2011 after years in the corporate sector and business consultancy. She has made her home across four countries in the Asia Pacific region for 25 years.

Gil Dy-Liacco

Development Assistance Specialist
USAID/Philippines

Mr. Dy-Liacco is Acting Office Director of the Office of Program Resources Management of USAID/Philippines and heads its Portfolio Management Unit. He is also USAID/Philippines' Point of Contact for the Global Development Alliance. The Office coordinates Mission-wide strategic planning, budgeting, evidence-based performance management, systematic monitoring and evaluation, and targeted information outreach, with a special focus on Presidential initiatives such as the Partnership for Growth, Global Health Initiative, and Global Climate Change. The Office serves as the staff office of the Mission Director, and provides programmatic guidance and oversight to Development Objective Teams in support of their programs. It acts as the Mission's primary contact for the Philippine Government's official development assistance coordination agencies. It facilitates Mission actions with USAID/Washington and other bilateral and multilateral donors in country. The Office coordinates response to, or implementation of, programmatic cross-cutting issues in the Mission such as participant training, gender, public-private partnerships (Global Development Alliances), civil-military relations with the Department of Defense, and disaster risk reduction and response with USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance. The Office also houses the Mission Disaster Response Officer who coordinates USG response to disaster through the Embassy's Emergency Action Committee led by the Ambassador. Furthermore, it provides these support services to the Pacific Island countries, in addition to managing disaster mitigation and reconstruction assistance for the Pacific region.

Joseph Foltz

Acting Director, Office of Environment, Energy & Climate Change
USAID Philippines

Joseph Foltz is the Acting Director for the Office of Environment, Energy and Climate Change at the U.S. Agency for International Development. Since 2011, he has participated in, or led design, for all of USAID's climate change-related programs in the Philippines. He currently represents his office in all environment- and energy-related work in the conflict-affected areas of Mindanao. Foltz also oversees climate change-related assistance in 12 Pacific Island countries. He previously worked with USAID in Rwanda and, as an avid outdoorsman, traveled frequently to Rwanda's National Parks to discuss the impact of demographic and climatic pressures on flora and fauna with diverse stakeholders. Mr. Foltz was named one of Devex Manila's 40 under 40 International Development Leaders in 2013.

Johann Farnhammer

Head of Development Cooperation
Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines

Hans Farnhammer is the Head of Development Cooperation of the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines and in charge of a portfolio of more than 200 million USD and more than 50 projects. Before joining the EU, Hans worked for the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Government wherein his last posting was as the Head of Programme on Business Development Services in Bangladesh. He also had other postings where he was responsible for contributing to economic development in various countries in Southeast Asia, and has received several official awards from the Vietnamese government for his contributions to the development of Vietnam.

Hans earned his MBA at the University of Munich in Germany and a Post-Graduate Diploma in European Enterprise Management at the Dorset Business School in England. He is fluent in German, English and French and speaks some Vietnamese.

Stephen P. Groff

Vice-President, Operations
Asian Development Bank

Stephen P. Groff is Vice-President (Operations 2) of the Asian Development Bank. He is responsible for the full range of ADB's operations in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific.

Before joining ADB, Stephen was Deputy Director for Development Cooperation at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. He also served as OECD's envoy to the G20 Working Group on Development and was a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council. Prior to this, Stephen was Deputy Vice-President for Operations at the Millennium Challenge Corporation. In addition, Stephen served as deputy director and chief economist on a USAID project designed to encourage private sector development in the southern Philippines; a Program Director for the U.S. Refugee Program; and a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer.

Stephen has worked across Asia, Africa, and Latin America and writes regularly on development issues. He also serves on a number of advisory boards for development-related organizations.

Jeannie E. Javelosa

Co-Founder and Director
ECHOstore Sustainable Lifestyle

Jeannie E. Javelosa is an advocate for culture and sustainability. She is Co-Founder and Director of the pioneering green retail store and social enterprise ECHOstore Sustainable Lifestyle, and President of its non-profit ECHO Sustainable Initiatives Foundation that is focused on development programs for local communities. Jeannie is also Co-Founder and Director of EON Stakeholder Relations Firm, an award-winning, all-Filipino owned communications agency servicing multi-national clients. She was a finalist from the Asia-Pacific to the Cartier Women's Initiative Award and is a member of the World Entrepreneur Forum. As a writer, she has a regular column at the Philippine Star and blogs at the Huffington Post. Jeannie is an international speaker on topics of culture, gender diversity and sustainability. She graduated with a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Pennsylvania.

Lawrence Jeff Johnson

Director, Country Office for the Philippines
International Labour Organization

Lawrence Jeff Johnson is the Director of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines. Jeff is a firm believer of the best path to sustainable poverty alleviation is addressing the constraints to growth through the lens of decent and productive work. Jeff has worked for more than 26 years alongside governments, workers' and employers' representatives to achieve this objective. Jeff, which he prefers to be called among his friends, assumed the responsibilities as Director of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines in July 2010. Prior to his appointment as Director, Jeff held the post as the Chief of the ILO's Employment Trends Department. As the Chief of the Department, one of his major accomplishments was the adoption in 2005 of the goal on full, decent and productive employment within the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals through the United Nations Inter-Agency Expert Group.

Raj Kumar

President and Editor-in-Chief
Devex

Raj Kumar is the founding president and editor-in-chief of Devex, a social enterprise that connects and informs 500,000 aid workers and development professionals on Devex.com. Kumar has been profiled in the Financial Times, Foreign Policy, Forbes and The Washington Post, where Devex was called the "Bloomberg of foreign aid." He has been a part of nine presidential campaigns on four continents as political director of the political strategy firm Penn Schoen Berland and got his start as a member of the national advance team for President Clinton. Kumar speaks Spanish, has worked, studied, and traveled in over 50 countries, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Clinton Global Initiative.

Jojo Lacanilao

Managing Director for External Relations
International Care Ministries

Jojo Lacanilao is the Managing Director for External Relations of International Care Ministries. Previous to ICM, Jojo was a career diplomat of the Philippines from 1986 to 2006 with assignments in Athens, Warsaw, Jeddah and the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York. From 2012-2014, Jojo served at various times as Deputy Head of the Law Enforcement and Security Integration Office and as Acting Head of the National Coast Watch Council in the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES), Office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines. His private sector experience includes Public Affairs, NGO work, and Church Ministry.

Pancho Lara

Country Director, Philippines
International Alert

Dr. Francisco 'Pancho' Lara Jr. is Alert's Philippines Country Director. Pancho has extensive experience working in the voluntary, non-profit, and government sectors. Before joining Alert, he served as Philippines Country Director of Voluntary Service Overseas; worked for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Philippines Office, as Policy Specialist in Agrarian Reform and Rural Development; and served as Chief of Staff of the Cabinet Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform. He has published research on diverse topics including the political economy of conflict, political settlements, economic sociology, agrarian reform, food security, rural politics, and agricultural trade policy. Pancho's latest publication is a co-edited volume on the links between Mindanao's shadow economies, conflict and governance, entitled Out of the Shadows: Violent Conflict and the Real Economy of Mindanao (2013). He holds a BA in sociology from the University of the Philippines, and an MSc and PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Dr. Lincoln Lau

Director of Research
International Care Ministries

Lincoln Lau is the Director of Research for International Care Ministries as well as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Global Health Equity & Innovation, The University of Toronto. Upon completion of his bachelor's degree, Lincoln interned in rural Bangladesh (CIDA-funded), which inspired his pursuit of a PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Hong Kong, participating in community-based randomized control trials funded by the US Centers for Disease Control. Starting in 2011, he volunteered for ICM as a data analyst and currently manages the research activities, annually surveying over 10,000 households. Lincoln also teaches Global Health Research Methods to graduate students at the University of Toronto.

Rafael "Rapa" Lopa

Executive Director, Philippine Business for Social Progress

Rafael "Rapa" Lopa is the Executive Director of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), the country's largest corporate-led social development foundation. The Foundation unites businesses and works with communities to enhance the impact of the business sector's contribution in poverty reduction and environmental sustainability. PBSP aligns its strategies along the country's National Priority Agenda and the Millennium Development Goals. Rapa oversees PBSP's operations nationwide and the implementation of the Foundation's programs in Health, Education, Environment, and Livelihood and Enterprise Development. He has been involved for almost 30 years in non-profit management and serves as Trustee of several social development organizations.

At the same time, he is the President of the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation (formerly known as Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. Foundation), which focuses on legacy promotion of Senator Benigno "Ninoy" S. Aquino and of former President Corazon "Cory" C. Aquino. Rapa also serves as a consultant to several companies and corporate foundations on philanthropy and inclusive business programs.

Dr. Mahar Mangahas

Co-Founder and President
Social Weather Stations

Mahar Mangahas, Ph.D., is the Co-Founder and President of Social Weather Stations, the Philippines' leading institute in quality-of-life monitoring, opinion polling, and social survey archiving. Dr. Mangahas is an expert on rice economics, land reform, poverty, hunger, income inequality, quality-of-life, governance, and public opinion. Some of his past engagements include: Editor of the Philippine Economic Journal; President of the Philippine Economic Society and the Marketing and Opinion Research Society of the Philippines; co-founder of the Philippine Agrarian Reform Foundation and the Foundation for Economic Freedom; Philippine national representative of the World Association for Public Opinion Research; and board member of the International Society for Quality of Life Studies. Dr. Mangahas' column "Social Climate" appears in the Philippine Daily Inquirer every Saturday.

Tony Meloto

Founder and Chairman
Gawad Kalinga

Tony Meloto is the founder of Gawad Kalinga, a movement that builds integrated, holistic and sustainable communities in slum areas with a vision to end poverty for 5 million families by 2024. At a young age, Tony was exposed to the squalid living conditions of the poor, his home being near a shoreline squatter community. After graduating from Ateneo de Manila University with a B.A. in Economics, he worked as Purchasing Manager at Procter & Gamble. In 1995, Tony started working with the poor in the slums of Bagong Silang, Caloocan City, through a youth program that has evolved into GK. GK has been implemented in almost 2,300 communities in the Philippines and other developing countries. GK is now in its next phase of development focused on Countryside Development and Social Entrepreneurship through the GK Enchanted Farm, whose end goal is to raise 500,000 social entrepreneurs to create wealth where no one is left behind.

Richard Bon Moya

Under Secretary and CIO
Department of Budget and Management in the Philippines

Richard Bon Moya is currently the Chief Information Officer of the Transparency and ICT Initiatives Office of the Department of Budget and Management in the Philippines. One of his primary tasks is to work with an inter-agency committee to ensure the effective development and implementation of the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) and the National Payroll System. He is also involved in various activities and reforms to make government data more transparent and accessible. Prior to joining the government last May 2011, he has been holding senior management positions with IT-related industries in the private sector.

Jamie Bay Nishi

Senior Director, Member Services
Devex

Jamie Bay Nishi serves as Senior Director for Member Services at Devex, a social enterprise that operates the world's most popular international development website (www.devex.com). She manages a team that supports more than 1,000 organizations globally and who assist international development practitioners in tracking funding opportunities and identifying skilled professionals to complete projects in the field. Before joining the company in 2008, she completed her master's degree in conflict analysis and resolution at George Mason University. Prior to that, she spent nearly three years as marketing associate and health care consultant for the Advisory Board Company. Jamie also served as an intern in the U.S. State Department's Office of South Central Europe. She holds a bachelor's degree in government from the College of William & Mary. Jamie has lived in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, France, Germany and now resides in the Washington DC area.

Jerry 'Jing' Ermio Pacturan

Former Undersecretary
Philippine Department Of Agrarian Reform

Jerry 'Jing' Ermio Pacturan is a development worker and manager for 26 years in ODA-funded and CSO-implemented community-based/driven agriculture and rural development projects, and for almost four years as a senior official of a national government agency with a mandate on agrarian reform, agriculture and rural development.

Shanaka Jayanath Peiris

Resident Representative – Philippines
International Monetary Fund

Shanaka Jayanath (Jay) Peiris is the International Monetary Fund's Resident Representative to the Philippines. Prior to this he was a Senior Economist in the Asia and Pacific Department, and Monetary and Capital Markets Department of the IMF covering ASEAN and South Asia. During the last 12 years at the IMF, he has also worked in Eastern and Southern Africa, Bhutan, Vietnam and Yemen.

He joined the Economist Program at the IMF in 2001 after completing his PhD in Economics at Oxford University as a British Chevening Scholar and a Light Senior Scholar at St. Catherines' College, Oxford. Earlier on, he interned at Deutsche Bank A.G. and the World Bank. He has published academic journal papers on a wide range of topics including inclusive growth, monetary policy and inflation, bond markets, banking and finance, macroeconomic models for emerging markets and co-authored a book on Post-Stabilization Economics in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Layton Pike

Minister Counsellor
Australian Embassy in the Philippines

Layton Pike took up his appointment as Minister Counsellor for the Australian Embassy in the Philippines in August 2013.

Layton was the Assistant Director General for the Mekong, Philippines and Myanmar Branch in AusAID Canberra from January 2013. He managed Australia's aid program for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines and Vietnam.

Prior to this, he was Assistant Director General for the Governance and Social Development Branch from May 2011. He provided policy advice for the Australian aid program on governance, anti-corruption, human rights, law and justice and social development.

Prior to joining AusAID, from January 2008, Layton was Adviser and Chief of Staff to the Australian Attorney-General.

Layton holds a Bachelor of Laws, a Bachelor of Commerce (Management) and is admitted as a legal practitioner in the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory.

John Polk

Resident Country Director, Philippines
Millennium Challenge Corporation

John Polk is the Resident Country Director in the Philippines for Millennium Challenge Corporation. He joined MCC in 2006 as part of the Infrastructure Division based in Washington, DC, and later was the Deputy Resident Country Director in Honduras before this current Compact in the Philippines.

As a civil engineer with experience in large-scale infrastructure construction, John brings technical expertise and project management skills to Compact implementation. Building upon his valuable experience with MCC Compacts, John has helped the Compact in the Philippines become one of the most successful in the MCC portfolio to date.

As a civil engineer with experience in large-scale infrastructure construction, John brings technical expertise and project management skills to Compact implementation. Building upon his valuable experience with MCC Compacts, John has helped the Compact in the Philippines become one of the most successful in the MCC portfolio to date.

Denise Rollins

Acting Assistant Administrator, Asia Bureau
USAID

Denise Rollins has served as USAID's Acting Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Asia since September 2013. She is responsible for overseeing USAID's Asia portfolio which stretches from the Central Asian Republics through the population-dense countries of South Asia to the diverse political economies of East Asia and the Pacific.

A member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, Denise has more than 25 years of international experience. Prior to her appointment to the Asia Bureau, she was USAID's Mission Director in Bangladesh from 2007 to 2011, during which she led the implementation of a $200 million assistance program designed to improve maternal and child health, combat malnutrition, increase economic growth, foster democratic governance, tackle corruption, respond to disasters, and provide humanitarian assistance. Before her appointment to Bangladesh, Denise served as USAID's Deputy Mission Director in South Africa. She has also served in Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, and Jamaica.

Nassreena "Nash" Sampaco-Baddiri

Country Director -Philippines
Innovations for Poverty Action

Nassreena Sampaco-Baddiri is Country Director for the Philippines at Innovations for Poverty Action-- a non-profit dedicated to discovering what works to help the world's poor. She manages IPA Philippines' diverse portfolio of rigorous impact evaluations and works with partners to advocate evidence based policymaking. Previously, she served as Regional Secretary at the DOT, ARMM and Senior Lecturer at the University of the Philippines. She holds a MA degree in Development Studies from the University of Manchester as well as a Masters in International Studies and BA in Political Science from the University of the Philippines. In 2013, she was named one of DevEx Manila's 40 under 40 International Development Leaders.

Secretary Mary Ann Lucille L. Sering

Vice Chair-person
Climate Change Commission

Secretary Mary Ann Lucille L. Sering is Vice Chairperson of the Philippines Climate Change Commission and an environmental education advocate. While working in academia, Secretary Sering advocated environmental law to be mandatory curriculum in law schools. Upon joining the government in 2007, she developed educational advocacy programs for staff and law students. Through these efforts, she was recognized by the Supreme Court and was appointed to the technical working group that crafted the landmark rules of court for Environmental Laws. As Vice Chairperson of the Climate Change Commission, she was instrumental in passing the Peoples Survival Fund, which funds adaptation and disaster risk management programs for local communities, and introduced the Eco-Town Framework, a concept to build climate resilient communities now being piloted in several communities across the Philippines. Secretary Sering holds a law degree from De La Salle University, a Masters in Social Entrepreneurship from Asian Institute of Management and is one of the youngest ministers in the UNFCCC.

Dr. Orville Solon

Professor of Economics, School of Economics
University of the Philippines

Dr. Orville Solon is a Professor of Economics in the School of Economics at the University of the Philippines. He is also the Chief of Party of USAID's Health Policy and Development Project. This is a multi-year program to support the development of an effective policy and financing environment to sustain advancement in family health. The project is implemented by UPecon Foundation, a non-stock, non-profit private foundation whose primary function is to support the programs and activities of the UP School of Economics. Dr. Solon, through the UPecon Foundation, has close working relationships with government institutions (Department of Health and its all of its regional offices, Department of Social Welfare and Development and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation), universities (UP university system and private universities in Visayas and Mindanao) and NGOs.

David Spiro

Asia Regional Director
RTI International

In his role as RTI Asia regional office director, David Spiro provides overall leadership and management of the corporate operations team, serving a US$300 million portfolio of programs. David represents RTI regionally in all aspects of RTI program development and expansion in the Asia region, and is responsible for working with home office and other internal stakeholders to develop opportunities and lead proposals for RTI Asia. He is an international development career professional who has worked as country director in Indonesia for RTI and in Nepal for Helen Keller International. In these roles, he created and drove country strategies to develop programs in evidenced-based research, government relations, partner development, financial management, and fund-raising.

Bishop Crispin B. Varquez

Bishop
Diocese of Borongan

Most Rev. Crispin B. Varquez, DD, is the bishop of the Diocese of Borongan, which covers the 23 municipalities of Eastern Samar, one of the provinces worst-hit by Typhoon Yolanda. Thirteen of the municipalities of Eastern Samar are inside the 50- kilometer radius of the typhoon path and are located in the coast facing the Pacific Ocean. Bishop Varquez was one of the first church leaders who appealed for help, including on YouTube, for his community after Typhoon Yolanda struck. Bishop Varquez has emphasized that longer term recovery should now take priority over food aid. He has also warned the people in his diocese against adopting an "aid dependency" mentality. Bishop Varquez was ordained a priest on April 14, 1989 and Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Bishop of Borongan on Aug. 4, 2007. He was ordained bishop on October 18, 2007 and installed on Nov. 8, 2007.

David Sutherland

Chairman
ICM Board

David Sutherland is the full-time chair of International Care Ministries. Until last year, he was the Chief Financial Officer of Morgan Stanley Asia, overseeing the financial affairs of a multi-billion dollar business. David came to Asia in 1997 and spent eleven years as a Morgan Stanley Managing Director. Prior to Asia, David represented the US Treasury Department regarding tax issues with Asian countries. David also spent a decade with Wall Street law firms and Arthur Andersen. David is a certified public accountant, a member of the Pennsylvania bar and he was the US national debate champion in 1982.

Pete Troilo

Directory, Global Advisory and Analysis
Devex

A six-year resident of the Philippines, Pete Troilo manages Devex global research, analysis, and consulting operations from the Devex Manila office. Prior to joining Devex, Pete was a political and security risk consultant who advised leading multinational companies, international organizations, and embassies on the complexities of doing business in Asia, particularly the Philippines. He has reported extensively on the Mindanao security, socio-political and development situation and conducted security and human rights assessments and trainings across the region, including the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Zamboanga Peninsula. An experienced emerging markets consultant, Pete was also a member of the Iraq Policy and Operations Group – the US Government's interagency strategic planning, program management, and communications office for Iraq affairs in the aftermath of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pete is a principal author of the implementation guidance tools for the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights – a globally recognized standard for extractive companies operating in developing countries. He holds a Master's degree from Georgetown University and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI).

Paul Weisenfeld

Vice President, Global Programs
RTI International

Paul Weisenfeld is a senior executive with more than 22 years of experience in international development. As vice president for Global Programs at RTI, Paul provides strategic oversight of international development projects, facilitates integration of the various international development program areas, and oversees business strategy and communications. During his career, he has managed large teams and implemented high-profile initiatives in economic policy and economic growth, agriculture and food security, trade and investment promotion, banking and finance, democracy and governance, education, housing and urban development, public health, and humanitarian assistance. Before joining RTI, Paul served as a foreign service officer for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), achieving the highest rank of career minister in the Senior Foreign Service. He received the USAID administrator's Distinguished Career Service Award, the agency's highest award. He served in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.