Katherine Wall joins the Creative Center for Stabilization and Development as a Technical Manager.

Before Creative, she served as a Proposal Manager in Business Development for ArmorGroup North America, based in McLean where she developed and delivered proposals, sought new business opportunities with the U.S. Government and industry partners, and responded to requests for information from the U.S. Congress. Katherine also worked as a Defense Analyst for the Iraq Project and Contracting Office as part of BCP International, Ltd. in Washington, D.C., where she produced the Iraq Reconstruction Weekly Update and PCO Weekly Activities Report, managed and deployed individuals to Iraq and organized U.S. Institute of Peace conferences on Women’s Economic Empowerment in Iraq. She has also interned for Sen. Richard G. Lugar and the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Office of Reconstruction and Stabilization at the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the Embassy of Ecuador in Washington, D.C. Katherine received a master’s degree in International Security from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and a bachelor of arts degree in History with a Certificate in Latin American Studies from Princeton University in Princeton, NJ. She is proficient in Spanish and speaks basic French.

Jill Meeks joins the Building Education Support Systems for Teachers (BESST) project as a Teacher Education Advisor based in Afghanistan.

She brings 15 years of education experience, with a particular focus on program and training design and gender and education, serving culturally diverse populations both in the United States and internationally. Before joining Creative, Jill served as a Senior Education Advisor for USAID’s Safe Schools Program, where she was in charge of pre- and in-service teacher training curricula, including drafting curricula and working with local staff to adapt them to in-country use. Before that, she was a Peace Corps representative at the Office for Global Relief for Tanzania and Uganda, where she provided technical support in the area of HIV/AIDS and worked with countries on strategic planning and drafting of the Country Operational Plans. Jill has three years total of administrative and programs support for the Peace Corps, which also includes a Teacher Trainer position in Guinea Bissau in West Africa. She received a master’s degree in International Training and Education from American University in Washington, D.C., and a bachelor of science degree in Education from the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga.

Christopher McCall joins Creative as a Program Associate following a six-month consultancy.

His time will be equally divided between Creative’s Education, Mobilization and Communication division and the Creative Center for Stabilization and Development. Since joining Creative, he has been involved in research and development and supporting the efforts of Creative Learning, the firm’s non-profit sister organization, in the development of several proposals focusing on anti-trafficking in persons. Before Creative, Chris spent four and a half years with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP., where he worked on projects in the areas of data analysis, database management, project management, software development, and information systems for clients including Freddie Mac, BellSouth, Delta, America Online, and the Bank of New York, among others. He also developed and was involved in numerous presentations for internal staff and external clients. Chris received a bachelor of science degree in Management Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va. He is a native of Falls Church, Va.

Terence Giles joins Creative as a Chief of Party for the Central Asian Republics (CAR) Quality Learning Project based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

A 17-year veteran of development initiatives, Terry has managed and implemented regional and country programs with an emphasis on education involving representation and negotiation with governments, donors and international agencies as well as supporting and liaising with NGOs. Between 2003 and 2007, Terry was Chief of Party for the Participation, Education and Knowledge Strengthening Project (PEAKS) in Tajikistan, a $14 million basic education project, funded by USAID. The position involved managing a consortium of five partner organizations to implement an integrated program including teacher training, curriculum development, community mobilization, policy (including education financing reform) and infrastructure inputs. PEAKS is the predecessor project to the CAR Quality Learning Project. He received a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering from the Cranfield Institute of Technology in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, U.K. He also speaks Russian, French and Spanish.

Prasanna Vernenkar joins the Business Development unit as a Proposal Coordinator. He has five years of technical and international proposal experience and contracting experience with the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Defense.

Before joining Creative, Prasanna worked as a Technical Writer and Proposals Manager for Desbuild Incorporated and was responsible for all company bid activities related to federal government contracts. There, he edited and wrote successful technical proposals for various Task Order and IDIQ contracts in Argentina, India, Belgium, Mexico, and Jamaica for the U.S. Department of State and served as the primary point of contact with the government on RFPs, RFIs, and contract terms. Before that, Prasanna was a Technical Assistant and Project Manager for Thermal Processes based in Mumbai, India, where he developed an RFP for the production of environmental engineering equipment in India. Prasanna received a master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the American Graduate School of International Relations and Diplomacy in Paris, France, and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut. He is conversant in Dutch, French, German, Konkani, and Spanish.

Roseline Fodouop Tekeu joins the Education, Mobilization and Communication division as a Program Associate.

Before joining Creative, Roseline was a Program Assistant for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Africa Program, where she edited papers on Sudan’s peace agreement, Angola’s development and reconstruction and a post-election analysis of Nigeria. During her time at the Wilson Center, she also planned, prepared and executed a series of conferences on Africa-related issues, and provided logistical and technical support to the Wilson Center’s Democratic Republic of Congo project. Roseline also co-founded ExcelAfrica, a website – www.excelafrica.org – which provides information on African education issues, specifically concerning education issues for countries in crisis. In previous incarnations, Roseline worked in the financial services sector for the Société Générale Investment Banking in Paris, France, among other financial institutions. Roseline received a master’s degree in International Education Policy from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in Business and Finance from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, France. She is fluent in French and Bamileke, a language spoken in the grasslands of western Cameroon.

Lauren Di Silvio joins the Communities in Transition division as a Program Specialist. Lauren’s international development experience includes an internship position with the U.S. Department of State, where she independently prepared the 2006 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices on Malta, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Denmark.

Before Creative, she also interned at the Health, Environment and Development Consortium in Jaipur, India, where she interviewed sandstone mineworkers and documented cases on occupational lung disease for a comprehensive report. Her experience there also includes evaluating initiatives implemented by NGOs relating to water and food security and women’s empowerment in the Thar Desert. In New York City, she interned for the American Academy in Rome, where she assisted in developing and editing grant proposals to the government and the private sector. Prior to that, she researched reports on international issues for Congressman Peter T. King.   Lauren received a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs with a concentration on Conflict and Security and International Development studies from The George Washington University, Elliot School of International Affairs. She is proficient in French.