Our Board

Martin Alexis is a BNID Board Fellow and a current dual-degree student at The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University receiving a Social Impact MBA and a MA in Sustainable International Development. He has expertise in international development, education, project management, and business development. Martin graduated from the University of Florida in 2018 with a Bachelor’s in Political Science, a Minor in Business Administration, and a Certification in TEFL. He served in the Peace Corps as a Primary Literacy Promoter in Guyana, working with local government officials and the Ministry of Education to design and facilitate literacy workshops for local primary school teachers in the Essequibo Region. Martin has also interned with The Boston Foundation, as a Business Development and Market Study Intern, working alongside The Haiti Development Institute to design and implement an agricultural processing facility in Southern Haiti. Prior to graduate school, Martin worked as an Account Manager at EM Financial Services where he developed strategic business plans for small businesses.

Education: University of Florida (BS), Brandeis University (MBA and MA, expected Aug. 2023)

Expertise: International Development, Education, Project Management, and Business Development

Kathryn Kempton Amaral is a global health professional with more than twenty years of experience in non-profit operations, logistics, project management, and communications. She worked for many years at Partners In Health, where she gained an understanding of the root causes of health inequity and cemented her belief in health as a human right. During her tenure at PIH, she built a global team responsible for equipping the organization’s hospitals around the world. This team was also deeply involved with PIH’s response activities in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

In 2015, Kathryn and her husband moved to the Netherlands, where she worked for IDA Foundation, a non-profit supplier of generic essential medicines. Her broad portfolio at IDA included management of the HIV/AIDS portfolio as well as overseeing the marketing and communications department. Upon returning to Boston in 2019, Kathryn worked at the Harvard Global Health Institute as the Director of Education, Research, and Operations. In early 2021, Kathryn joined the Brown School of Public Health as the Senior Director of Public Health Leadership. She recently completed her master’s degree in Organizational Communication and Leadership from Northeastern University.

Education: Boston University, Northeastern University

Expertise: Program design and implementation, leadership development, management, communications

Jezabel Aponte is a Nicaraguan Civil Engineer graduated from Universidad Centroamericana (UCA). She is a WPI student in the Master in Science and Technology for Innovation in Global Development. Jezabel's volunteering experiences with NGOs, TECHO (Emergency Shelter Construction), World Vision (Disaster Relief), and Raleigh International (Climate Change Resilience) motivated her to pursue a career in Development. She worked as a Consultant for the Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association, an NGO specializing in comprehensive water and sanitation solutions in Nicaragua, and provided logistic support to the Nicaraguan Network of Water and Sanitation. Later she joined the Japan International Cooperation Agency as a Project Assistant for the Revision of Zoning Regulation in Nicaragua, a project to support local government's Direction of Urban Planning and Environment.

Education: Universidad Centroamericana (UCA), Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)

Lynn Arsenault is a professional grant consultant who works with nonprofit clients around the U.S. to strategically develop funding goals; identify prospective funders; provide coaching to improve grant writing; and apply for foundation, corporate, and government grants. She works with clients in a variety of nonprofit sectors, including the arts, education, health, international affairs, tech, and community development. Prior to launching her consulting business, Lynn led the grant writing efforts for 4 years at the United Nations Association of Greater Boston (UNAGB) -- an educational nonprofit whose mission is to build a network of global citizens in the Boston area.

Prior to her work in nonprofit development, Lynn served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu from 2012-2014. Upon her return to the U.S., she devoted several years to teaching before shifting her career toward the nonprofit sector. During this time, she was an English as a Second Language Teacher in Boston and a 4th grade Writing and Social Studies in Houston, Texas. Lynn received her MBA in Nonprofit Leadership from New England College and her BA in Elementary Education and Liberal Studies with a focus in Psychology from Westfield State University.

Education: New England College, Westfield State University

Expertise: Grant Writing, Education, Nonprofit Management

Jacques (Teddy) Chery holds a dual masters degree in Political Science and Public Administration, and has a strong professional background working in state, municipal, and federal government. Through his experience in constituent services, Teddy brings a large network of Boston-based connections such as political leaders, social service providers, philanthropists, and more, that will be an asset to the BNID team.

Education: Suffolk University, Lesley University, USF Muma College of Business

Expertise: Policy Analysis, Community Engagement, Public Policy, International Development, Program Development, Strategic Partnerships

Raina Fox, MA, is currently the Senior Manager of the Executive Office at InterAction where she manages and leads on key communications, strategy, policy, and partnerships on behalf of the Executive Office, including Board management. 

Raina has spent the last 13+ years directing, developing, and growing collaborative, high-impact, globally celebrated programs that elevate marginalized voices and build movements for peace, justice, sustainable development, and social change in the U.S., India, Hong Kong, Jordan, Morocco, Australia, and beyond. Prior to InterAction, she was Executive Director of Boston Network for International Development, and was based at Oxfam coordinating international COVID-19 campaigns and advocacy efforts, collaborating on global feminist research initiatives, human rights, racial and labor justice efforts in the U.S. From 2015-2018 she was Programs Director for Millennium Campus Network where she developed and launched a global SDG fellowship program that now engages 1000+ undergrads in 20+ countries every year in partnership with U.N. Academic Impact. Her other professional experiences have included working on youth innovation programs with UNDP Arab States in Jordan, at a grassroots sustainable livelihoods NGO in Kutch, India as an AJWS World Partners Fellow, at a small cultural nonprofit in Hong Kong, and with a range of nonprofits, museums, and universities across the U.S.

Adam Korn, Esq. co-founded BNID and served as its Director between 2010 and 2017. He helped grow BNID from a word press blog to a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with over 7,000 members and hundreds of organizational partners. He is still active with BNID by serving on its Board of Directors and is always available to answer questions about the local international development community at [email protected]. He graduated with distinction from Boston University with a B.A. in Political Science and holds an M.A. in International Affairs from New York University. He graduated with a J.D., magna cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School.  

Education: Boston University, New York University, Suffolk University Law School

Expertise: International development, nonprofit management, litigation, global affairs

Jacob (Jake) Kuipers, Esq. is a cross-border transactions attorney at the international law firm McDermott Will & Emery. Throughout his professional career, Jake has maintained a significant interest in international development, working across public and private sectors in the US government, international NGOs, and multinational firms. Drawing on his research and international experience, he has written numerous articles for a variety of publications. Among other issues, Jake’s research and writing covers global investment law, strategic mechanisms in bilateral investment treaties, and the rule of law in developing countries. Jake hopes to leverage his broad experience in the development sector at BNID. He has been a board member of BNID since 2017.

Education: The Fletcher School of Law at Tufts University, Boston College Law School, Middlebury College

Expertise: Cross-Border Transactions

Sheena Wood is a public health professional and researcher working towards her psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner degree at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Institute of Health Professions. She currently also works part-time as a Research Assistant with Drs Vikram Patel and John Naslund in the Mental Health For All Lab, in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. In this role, she supported the launch of a cross-university [email protected] initiative, helped develop two new courses taught at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, and currently leads the content development for the EMPOWER project. Prior to working at Harvard Medical School, Sheena was a Fulbright scholar at the mental health nonprofit Sangath in Goa, India, where she conducted a research project exploring the experiences and challenges of community mental health workers across India. She also worked for three years at Partners In Health, growing a program focused on building the movement for the right to health through community organizing and grassroots advocacy. Sheena graduated from Brown University with a degree in Public Health, and studied abroad in Brazil, Vietnam, and South Africa.

Education: Brown University, MGH Institute of Health Professions

Expertise: Public Health, Global Mental Health, Sustainable Development, Nursing

Sarah Zoen is Associate Director, ESG Reporting and Strategy at Corporate Citizenship, which is a global consulting firm, specializing in responsible and sustainable business. She primarily focuses on social impact and human rights due diligence for clients. Prior to that, she spent 15 years with Oxfam America and worked on improving private sector policies and practices to address human rights, worker well-being, and gender justice. In her spare time, she is a member of her town’s Human Rights Commission and volunteers as a Professional in Residence at the Heller School at Brandeis University.

Sarah has an MA in Sustainable International Development from the Heller School and an MA in French Education from Boston University.

Education: Brandeis University, Boston University, American University of Paris, Sorbonne

Expertise: Stakeholder Engagement, Gender Justice, Program Design and Implementation, Project Management, Fundraising, and Monitoring Corporate Policy Implementation

Adriana Ramirez is currently the Manager for External Relations and Communications at MIT’s Office of the Associate Provost for International Activities. Her career in communications started in 2008 when she worked at the Mexican President’s Communication Office as Information Specialist. There she wrote the media analysis the Mexican president read every morning, and issued recommendations for the president’s communication strategy.