Meet the Team

• Julia Kurnia
  Master's degree in International Economics. Developed grant projects in Africa for the US government and worked with Kiva and MyC4 field partner microfinance organizations before founding Zidisha. Enjoys practicing Indonesian martial arts.

Julia Kurnia   |   Director

Sterling, VA, United States          LinkedIn

• Rodrigo Reyes
  Master's degree in Computer Science. Has been programming since he was 12 and has worked for startups all over the world for the last 10 years. He also worked as volunteer coordinator for HdC, an Ecuadorian NGO. Loves reading, movies and Yoga.

Rodrigo Reyes   |   CTO

Guayaquil, Equador

• Ale Cors
  Developed Payments for Ecosystem Services for communities in the tropical rainforest. Led operations team of a P2P transportation marketplace, YAXI. Loves the ocean, scuba diving and her family.

Ale Cors   |   Operations Coordinator

Mexico City, Mexico          LinkedIn

• Alíz
  Master's degrees in Economics & International Relations. Background in banking and a passion for development finance and social responsibility. Spent several years in the Middle East. Enjoys traveling, sports & cooking.

Alíz   |   Anglophone Liaison

Budapest, Hungary

• Abdelkabir Mandili
  Master’s student in Political Economy at the University of Amsterdam. Participated as a Global Citizen fellow in Malaysia. Passionate about international development. Enjoys travelling and sports.

Abdelkabir Mandili   |   Anglophone Country Liaison

Amsterdam, Netherlands

• Lauren Finkenthal
  Undergraduate student at Georgetown University studying Africa, French, and Women's and Gender Studies. Passionate about social justice on a global scale. Enjoys cooking, singing, and debating competitively.

Lauren Finkenthal   |   Anglophone and Francophone Country Liaison

Washington, DC, United States          LinkedIn

• Betsy Ramser Jaime
  Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. Master's Degree in Entrepreneurship. Business Instructor and Mentor. Originally from the Midwest and currently living in Florida. Loves travel, K Pop, and reading.

Betsy Ramser Jaime   |   Entrepreneur Story Writer

Gainesville, Florida, United States          LinkedIn

• Emily Silber
  Born in Connecticut. Bachelor's Degree in International Business, University of Connecticut. Master's Degree in Accountancy, GWU in D.C. Passionate about international relations/finance, travel, music, the beach, photography, and her pets.

Emily Silber   |   Accountant

Arlington, Virginia, United States          LinkedIn

• Siddharth Shankar
  Economics/Law student at UNSW Sydney. Passionate about development economics and entrepreneurship. Cricket nerd who loves traveling, art and photography.

Siddharth Shankar   |   Anglophone Country Liaison

Sydney, Australia

• Jyoti Diwan
  Born and raised in India. Recently moved to the U.S. Master's Degree in Business Administration with specialization in Finance; over 7 years of experience working across domains. She has always wanted to work for a nonprofit.

Jyoti Diwan   |   Anglophone Country Liaison

White Plains, New York, United States          LinkedIn

• Ting
  Bachelor's Degree in International Management, 2016. Currently learning French. Planning to go to graduate school to study Business.

Ting   |   Anglophone Country Liaison

Virginia, United States

• Lauren
  Graduate of Elon University with a degree in International Studies and soon to be law student at Case Western Reserve University. Passionate about international development and women's empowerment. Loves hiking, history museums, and horseback riding.

Lauren   |   Anglophone Country Liaison | Francophone Country Liaison

Texas, United States

• Bethany
  Master's Degree in International Studies and Diplomacy from The School of Oriental and African Studies, London. Specialisms in African Politics and Political Social Media. Enjoys cycling and travelling. Currently based in Western Kenya.

Bethany   |   Anglophone Country Liaison

London, England, United Kingdom

• Reema
  Raised in India, Reema moved to the U.S. recently. Keenly interested in meaningful & impactful contributions and understanding the myriad roles of finance in society. Relishes traveling, reading, and meeting new people.

Reema   |   Anglophone Country Liaison

California, United States

• Christie Young
  Recent graduate in International Affairs, based in Boston and working for a community solar company. Found Zidisha when writing a paper on Microfinance last year!

Christie Young   |   Anglophone Country Liaison

Boston, Massachusetts, United States          LinkedIn

• Yujie
  An Economics student at Bocconi University. Currently spending a gap year travelling around Southeast Asia. Loves eating, travelling, and exploring the unknown. Always looking for meaningful and innovative ways to help others.

Yujie   |   Anglophone Country Liaison

Ipoh, Malaysia

• Camille Smith
  Studying Finance and Spanish at Truman State University, studied abroad in Spain and Costa Rica. Interested in international development and microfinance, passionate about financial empowerment for women. Loves running, cooking, and reading.

Camille Smith   |   Anglophone Country Liaison

Kansas City, Missouri, United States          LinkedIn

• Zack Burt
  Businessperson and technologist who embraces practical solutions for providing community.​ Loves art and learning new things.

Zack Burt   |   Country Expansion Lead

New York, New York, United States          LinkedIn

• Claudia
  Master's Degree in Physics and PhD in Engineering; working as researcher in Italy with short secondments in UK and USA. I teach Italian as a volunteer and manage the website of a non-profit organization. I Love traveling, reading, and movies.

Claudia   |   Anglophone Country Liaison

Milan, Italy

• S​ara
  Graduated from the University of Alabama with majors in Economics and International Studies and a minor in Italian. Pursuing a career in international development and/or microfinance. Avid book reader, traveler, and striving to be a polyglot one day.

S​ara   |   Anglophone Country Liaison | Francophone Country Liaison

Athens, Georgia, United States

• Kavitha Ashwin​​
  Born in India. Previously worked in advertising. Mother of two boys. Enjoys creative and artistic pursuits. Keen to help people help themselves through Zidisha.

Kavitha Ashwin​​   |   Anglophone Country Liaison

Sydney, Australia          LinkedIn

• Mai Nguyen
  Born in Vietnam, educated in the U.S. Currently a CPA working for a healthcare company in Nashville. Passionate about solving problems through economic freedom and equality. Enjoys reading, traveling, cooking.

Mai Nguyen   |   Accountant

Nashville, Tennessee, United States

• Pooja Kumar
  Studying Business Administration and Economics at UC Berkeley. Passionate about microfinance and helping internationally-focused nonprofit organizations.

Pooja Kumar   |   Accountant | Indonesia Liaison

Berkeley, California, United States

• Abdoulaye Tandia
  Young finance professional from Senegal. Moved to Toronto in 2010. Spent most of youth travelling and saw firsthand the disparity of opportunities across the first and third worlds.

Abdoulaye Tandia   |   Francophone Country Liaison

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

• Mary
  A rising senior at George Mason University, majoring in Global Affairs with a concentration in Human Security. Became interested in Zidisha after taking an Environmental Policymaking class focused on developing countries.

Mary   |   Anglophone Country Liaison

Fairfax, Virginia, United States

• Linda
  Masters in Global Studies and International Relations with a concentration in development in Latin America. Lived and worked for a year in Guatemala. Enjoys traveling, painting, and running.

Linda   |   Anglophone Country Liaison

Massachusetts, United States

• Paige
  Master's Degrees in Public Administration and International Development. Interest ed in economic development, global health, and agriculture. Likes reading, listening to music, and playing the balafon.

Paige   |   Francophone Country Liaison

Senegal & East Coast, United States

• Jessica Scazzero
  Studying Economics, Statistics, and Italian at Harvard College. Interested in social entrepreneurship and financial empowerment of women. Loves traveling, hiking, and cooking.

Jessica Scazzero   |   Indonesia Liaison | Anglophone Country Liaison

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

• Abhisek Sahoo
  From California; studying Business Administration and English at the University of California, Berkeley. Interested in poker, basketball, and spending time with friends.

Abhisek Sahoo   |   Anglophone Country Liaison

Berkeley, California, United States

• Laurie
  Bachelor's Degree, SUNY, self-financed w/grants, scholarship & summer work; Cumulative GPA: 3.8/4.0, Rank: #15/814. Passionately helping others! Disciple of Tom Shadyac; recommends his excellent "I AM" film & great book: LIFE'S OPERATING MANUAL! :-)

Laurie   |   Anglophone Country Liaison | Francophone Country Liaison

East Coast, United States

• Alex
  Funds-Management Accounting graduate, with a passion for economic development. Enjoys travelling, running, and an awesome podcast or two.

Alex   |   Anglophone Country Liaison

Sydney, Australia

• Sonia Henriquez
  Graduate of American University with majors in Business Administration and International Relations. Over 10 years’ experience restructuring commercial loans and mitigating risk. Passionate about helping others, reading, traveling, and music.

Sonia Henriquez   |   Accountant

Ashburn, Virginia, United States          LinkedIn

• Rukmini Sarkar
  Originally from India but grew up in Jakarta and Dubai and studied in the U.S. Currently a management consultant working in the Middle East. Passionate about microfinance and empowerment of women.

Rukmini Sarkar   |   Indonesia Liaison

United Arab Emirates &, United States          LinkedIn