Headquarters Staff

Caroline is responsible for managing NEF Belgium’s portfolio, focusing on program oversight, proposal development, partnership management and accountability for program performance. She maintains effective working relationships with European and multilateral donors, philanthropic foundations, and other partner institutions. Caroline joined NEF with fifteen years of field and head office experience as WASH program manager and as field and mission coordinator at humanitarian international non-governmental organizations, of which five were spent managing programs in the occupied Palestinian territory and in Jordan and Turkey on the Syria response.  She also lived and worked in Malawi. She holds a master’s degree in development aid and humanitarian action from Universite Stendhal/Grenoble – France, and further graduated from the Bioforce Institute (Lyon, France) as WASH Programme Manager, specializing in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of WASH programs in complex humanitarian emergencies.

Imran leads the efforts to identify, track, and respond to institutional funding opportunities. He works closely with the HQ program team and fundraising team in Syracuse and London and with country leadership to build and manage a robust pipeline of funding opportunities, maintain business development systems, track business development performance, and contribute to refining NEF’s systems and practice. Imran also prepares BD-related communication materials, builds strategic partnerships, and represents NEF to donors and partners. He has 20+ years of international development experience in the Middle East and Asia designing and managing large-scale, multi-million-dollar projects funded by USAID, FCDO, EU, ADB, SDC, and the US State Department. Imran holds an MS/MPhil degree in management sciences, an MSc in Agriculture, a diploma in human resource management, and a certificate in results-based management, monitoring, and evaluation. 

Jami develops the major donor and annual giving strategies at the Near East Foundation. She leads NEF's philanthropy team as they establish relationships with all levels of donors to steward their philanthropy toward fueling organizational impact, innovation and growth. Jami brings a decade of experience in successfully developing fundraising programs focused on impact and transparency. She holds a B.A. in public affairs with a specialization track in nonprofit management and a minor in women’s, gender and sexuality studies at The Ohio State University. 

Jen works closely with NEF’s global program and business development teams to support program growth, while also furthering NEF’s technical leadership and ensuring the alignment of new programs. She provides strategic and technical leadership in strategy development, program design, partnership building, resource mobilization, learning, and project implementation support across NEF’s global programs. She has supported the growth of NEF programs on climate resilience, adaptation finance, sustainable agriculture and natural resources management, and support for the green economy, including in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Prior to joining NEF in 2014, Jen practiced environmental law, working with US- and internationally-based private sector and local government clients, and also worked as an ecologist.  She holds a JD from Vermont Law School, an MS in resource ecology and management from the University of Michigan, and a BS in environmental policy and planning from the University of Michigan.

Jonathan coordinates program support and development across Caucuses, Middle East and the Sahel. Working closely with institutional donors and field teams, he supports the design and implementation of private sector, civil society, and stabilization programs, and has led the design and roll-out of project management tools and guidance across country operations. Prior to joining NEF UK, Jonathan managed policy research and innovation initiatives at UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States, working closely with private sector, government, and UN agencies in response to the Syria crisis. He also previously managed governance and economic growth programming across the Middle East for Global Partners Governance and FHI 360. Jonathan holds a BA in Politics and Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, a MSc in Development Studies from London School of Economics, and was a 2015 CBRL Arabic Scholar.

Justin oversees the accounting functions of the organization by monitoring and assessing the internal controls of NEF. In his role, he implements effective accounting systems and processes facilitates policy formulation to enhance financial integrity for the organization at the global level. Prior to joining Near East Foundation, Justin worked as a senior auditor at Dannible & McKee and as an audit associate at Fust Charles Chambers. He holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and an MBA from SUNY Oswego School of Business. Justin is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and of the New York State Society of Public Accountants.

Laurie works collaboratively with NEF co-presidents and headquarters staff to support the day-to-day administrative and operational functions of the organization. She also provides support to NEF's board of directors in the US, UK and Belgium, as well as several board committees. Laurie has more than twenty years of experience organizing, managing and adjusting to the ever-changing complexities of an administrative office. Prior to joining NEF, Laurie spent over 13 years as the assistant to the president at SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

Louise works with field teams in Morocco, Iraq, Sudan and South Sudan to provide coordination and backstopping support for Near East Foundation programs. Prior to joining NEF, Louise worked for Think Equal, a global initiative that seeks to mitigate discrimination and violence through systems change in education, including in refugee contexts. Louise is bi-lingual (English/French) and holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from King’s College London and a master’s degree in religion in global politics from SOAS University.

Rachel works closely with NEF field teams to provide program backstopping support and coordination for diverse sectoral programs in Armenia, Lebanon and Sudan. She joined NEF as an intern in 2014 and became a permanent staff member in 2016, bringing more than 10 years of experience in administration and coordination, staff training and development, and process improvement to the position. In 2015, Rachel received the U.S. State Department’s Critical Language Scholarship to study Arabic in the Sultanate of Oman, and the following summer she studied intensive Arabic at the University of Jordan in Amman. Rachel holds a B.A. in international relations from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University with concentrations in international political economy and human geography, and a minor in modern standard Arabic.

Susmita supports and maintains NEF's cloud-based platforms, which enable NEF to deliver services and manage internal operations. As a member of the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning team (MEL), she also supports data visualization and analysis, and she facilitates the implementation of various MEL activities. Prior to joining the team, Susmita worked in development and the nonprofit sector for eight years for organizations such as The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Child Watabaran Center Nepal (a European Union project), and Governance Facility. Susmita is from Nepal and has a degree in data science from the University of Gloucestershire, UK, and a degree in development studies from Kathmandu University, Nepal.