Consultant - STEM and Education
Dr. Ana M. Ferreras often serves as a speaker, professional developer, consultant, evaluator, researcher, fundraising expert, and advisor for organizational leaders in the private sector, academia, and federal government. She is a Senior Program Officer at National Academy of Science. She is the leading author of “Company Success in Manufacturing Organizations: A Holistic Systems Approach” where she shares with company leaders how to achieve success in manufacturing organizations.
Dr. Ferreras is one of the few industrial engineers in the United States working on STEM policy and STEM diplomacy. She is a Senior Program Officer at the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine where she manages the U.S. National Committees for theoretical and applied mechanics, physics, radio science, crystallography, and mathematics instruction. Dr. Ferreras earned a PhD in industrial engineering and management systems (IEMS) at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and her doctoral research focused in the development of mathematical models to assist organizational leaders making wiser decisions in complex situations.
She also holds an MS in engineering management from the Florida Institute of Technology and a BS in electrical engineering from UCF. During her doctoral research, she assisted the IEMS Department at UCF reengineering the undergraduate curriculum. Prior to getting into STEM policy and STEM diplomacy, Dr. Ferreras was a winter 2008 Christine Mirzayan Policy Graduate Fellow with the Center for Advancement of Scholarship on Engineering Education at the National Academy of Engineering.
Consultant & Faculty - Africa Programs
Sidi Sanneh is a versatile and skilled diplomat, professional economist, and development specialist with leadership qualities and excellent hands-on experience in development finance, governance and post conflict countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Ambassador Sanneh brings over 35 years of experience in International Development and diplomacy. He, a native of Gambia, served as a Minister of Foreign Affairs (2004-05) and Ambassador to Senegal Mali and Burkina Faso. (2005-06). He was a Member of the Executive Boards of Director of the African Development Bank and the African Development Fund where he served for a decade before joining the United Nations Development Program’s Regional Bureau for Africa as Senior Advisor for Resource Mobilization. He also served as Community Development Block Grant Coordinator for The City of Madison, Wisconsin and the County of Dane. Ambassador Sanneh was appointed Project Director, UNAMID program at DynCorp International before being one of the founding members and Senior Partner at Frontier Markets Partners.
Ambassador Sanneh holds a BA degree in Economics and Political Science from Wilberforce University, a M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a a certificate holder from the MIT Executive Program.
Consultant - Nigeria Programs
Consultant - Education and Entrepreneurship
Chandra Upadhyay has been associated with IDI since 2015. He has played a major role in enstablishing women enterpreneurs group in Biratnagar (Nepal) and also initiate youth enterpreneurship program at Poorvanchal University in Nepal. Currently he is also engaged in developing a rogram to address failin schools in eastern Nepal.
Mr. Upadhyay is currently a doctoral student i Sociology at Guwahati University (India) and is a Lecturer of Sociology at Tribhuwan university (Nepal).
Consultant - Security Affairs
Durga B. Kunwar served over 20 years in law Enforcement, special policing and Disaster Management in Nepal. In 2015, he honorably resigned Nepal’s ARmed Police Force as a Deputy Inspector General (DIG). As a very highly decorated officer, Mr. Kunwar also led International Police Trainer(UN) in Kosovo and Sudan, Darfur, UN Company Commander(FPU) in Liberia under UN and FPU Coordinator/MHQ in Darfur, Sudan.
He is a certified Instructor for Use of Force, Non-International Armed Conflict, and Training for Trainers. He is a freelance analyst and has published many articles in wide range on topic on armed conflict, border security and internation security and Peace.
Mr. Kunwar is curently pursuing graduate studies on public policy at George Mason University in Virginia (USA).
Consultant - Business Development
Abina Rotimi has been Program Coordinator of IDI Nigeria since 2013. His areas of expertise include but not limited to the following: Research & Analysis; Organizational Strategy & Strategic Development; Learning & Development; Concept Note Development; CSR Project Initiation & Implementation; Ideas & Innovation; Data Collection; Quantitative & Qualitative Data Analysis Techniques; NGO Management, Project Monitoring and Evaluation; Capacity Building; Training Needs Assessment; Feedback Analysis and Report Writing Skills. Rotimi have also worked on several capacity development programs locally and internationally (Countries experience include; United Arab Emirate, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Gambia, Uganda, Namibia and South Africa) he has worked with a team of research consultants on African Development Bank Projects in Oyo and Taraba States.
Rotimi is trained as an economist and attended University of Ado-Ekiti for his first degree where he graduated with a second-class (upper division) in Economics. He is experienced in the areas of strategic development, research, program/concept note development and training (learning and development) both locally and internationally. Rotimi is also a member of of the Institute Chartered Economists of Nigeria (ICEN), Microfinance Management Institute, Nigeria and also a registered member Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (Intermediate II).
Consultant & Faculty - STEM, Education and Executive Leadership
Kerin Hilker-Balkisson brings twenty years of experience engaging K-12, post-secondary, non-profit, and workforce sectors through innovative systems collaboration; strategic and collective impact partnerships; blended academic, navigational and career pathways design; and holistic, wrap-around supports to move the needle on K-20 and career outcomes for under-resourced populations. The founding director and operational designer of the award-winning Pathway to the Baccalaureate and Elevating Parents in College initiatives, at George Mason University Hilker-Balkissoon designs and implements targeted and systemic K-20 and career pathways to enhance access, equity and inclusion in STEM.
She brings strong expertise in innovative program/project design, management, and evaluation; student success and advising; enrollment strategy; workforce development; grant-writing and management; integration of high impact practices (internships, research, civic engagement and service-learning); fostering student engagement, leadership and social capital. She is bilingual in Portuguese/English with some proficiency in Spanish.. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Master’s of Science in Counseling from The Johns Hopkins University, and is pursuing coursework toward a doctorate in Conflict Analysis and Resolution with a concentration in Collaborative Community Action at George Mason University.