Consultants
Consultants
Ana M. Ferreras
Consultant And Faculty- Stem And Education
Ana M. Ferreras
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.
Kerin Hilker-Balkisson
Consultant And Faculty- Stem, Education And Executive Leadership
Kerin Hilker-Balkisson
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.
Sidi Sanneh
Faculty- Fintech
Sidi Sanneh
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.
John E. Heather
Consultant- Tourism And Hospitality
John E. Heather
Over the last decade John’s USAID / UN assignments in destination management, private-sector engagement and workforce development have taken him to Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Iraq and Afghanistan. He spent 14 years on Guam, America’s Gateway to Asia
Durga B. Kunwar
Consultant – Security Affairs
Durga B. Kunwar
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
Chandra Upadhyay
Consultant- Governance and Democracy
Chandra Upadhyay
Chandra Upadhyay has been associated with IDI since 2015. He is currently an Associate Professor of Sociology at Tribhuvan University. He has worked on a number of projects in strengthening local governments, observing elections, advising all working with local and provincial governments,
Aliyu Buhari
Consultant – Nigeria Programs
Aliyu Buhari
Consultant - Nigeria Programs
Pankaj Pradhananga
Consultant: Hospitality And Tourism
Pankaj Pradhananga
Pankaj Pradhananga comes with an experience in Tourism industry over 2 decades. He is a seasoned corporate trainer. He holds an MBA from Kathmandu University School of Management (KUSOM) with a specialization in CRM.
ANA M. FERRERAS
CONSULTANT AND FACULTY- 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.
KERIN HILKER-BALKISSON
CONSULTANT AND 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.
SIDI SANNEH
FACULTY- FINTECH
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.
JOHN E. HEATHER
CONSULTANT- TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY
Over the last decade John’s USAID / UN assignments in destination management, private-sector engagement and workforce development have taken him to Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Iraq and Afghanistan. He spent 14 years on Guam, America’s Gateway to Asia, expanding the DFS duty-free retail empire, managing the Guam Visitors Bureau market research department, and chairing the International Tourism Department at the University of Guam. John consulted throughout the Pacific-Asia region and took a lead role in the PATA Young Tourism Professionals program. John also taught international tourism at Arizona State University where he worked closely with Native American communities to collectively program and market their cultural and natural attractions. High on the the Mogollon Rim, John owned and operated a luxury fly-in vacation estate. John specializes in aligning local community and investor challenges with international best practices. He is currently a faculty member of international hospitality and tourism management at Saint Leo University in Florida and member of the Pasco County Tourism Development Council.
DURGA B. KUNWAR
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).
CHANDRA UPADHYAY
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).
ALIYU BUHARI
CONSULTANT – NIGERIA PROGRAMS
PANKAJ PRADHANANGA
CONSULTANT: HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM
Pankaj Pradhananga comes with an experience in Tourism industry over 2 decades. He is a seasoned corporate trainer. He holds an MBA from Kathmandu University School of Management (KUSOM) with a specialization in CRM.
He is a charter President of Tourism Toastmasters Club and also a faculty member at ACE Institute of Management in Kathmandu. He has enjoyed training & speaking assignments in Nepal, Europe and the USA. His areas of expertise include delighting the customers, and motivational storytelling. He was recently featured on the cover page of Toastmasters Int’l magazine’s global issue.
Nigeria
Suite C3, Broadway Mall, Behind Kaura Market, Kaura District, Abuja, Nigeria nigeria@idiworldwide.net