Board

Dave Conner serves as the Board Chair of Groundswell International and is Senior Director of Talent Development for Duke University’s Office of Alumni Engagement and Development. In this role, he is responsible for developing, championing, and executing training and professional development strategies, processes, and activities on behalf of Duke’s university-wide alumni and development community. A native of Pittsburgh, Dave completed both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Wheaton College … [Read more...] about Dave Conner

Jessica Brown serves as the Vice Chair of Groundswell International’s board and co-chairs its governance committee. She is Executive Director of the New England Biolabs Foundation, a private foundation whose mission is to foster stewardship of landscapes and seascapes and the biocultural diversity found in these places. Jessica has extensive experience with community-based conservation globally, having worked in countries of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Mesoamerica, Andean South America, … [Read more...] about Jessica Brown

Andrea Bohn is the Treasurer of Groundswell International and the project manager for the USAID funded Feed the Future Innovation Lab on Livestock Systems implemented by the University of Florida. With fifteen years of experience implementing agricultural development projects, Andrea designs responsive projects and manages the long-term and daily requirements that ensure these projects thrive. Through her ability to coordinate activities and connect actors, research for development initiatives … [Read more...] about Andrea Bohn

Samuel Ledermann is the Secretary of Groundswell International. He joined the Elliott School in Fall 2017 as an Assistant Professor in the International Development Studies program at the George Washington University (GWU). Since 2022, he also serves as the Director of the Elliott School’s Global Capstone program and is an affiliate faculty member. He is an economic geographer with an extensive background in sustainable and agricultural development in Africa. He received his Ph.D. in Geography … [Read more...] about Samuel Thomas Ledermann

Fatou Batta serves as Groundswell International’s Board Liaison for West Africa. Fatou is one of Groundswell’s co-founders and also the founder of Association Nourrir Sans Détruire (ANSD), Groundswell’s local partner in Burkina Faso. Until 2009, Fatou worked for over 15 years as the World Neighbors’ Area Representative for West Africa, overseeing all aspects of strategy, programs and management for the region. Prior to joining World Neighbors, she held several positions with the government of … [Read more...] about Fatou Batta

Karen Ansara and her husband Jim make grants (especially in Haiti) to address global health systems and the deep poverty that leads families to surrender their children. To inspire more international philanthropy, in 2008 Karen launched what is now the Network of Engaged International Donors (NEID Global), a learning and grantmaking community of 180+ philanthropists, foundations and impact investors. After the 2010 earthquake, Karen cofounded the Haiti Fund at the Boston Foundation, now the … [Read more...] about Karen Ansara