STAFF

Elaine Zuckerman, President and Founder

Gender Action represents Elaine Zuckerman's life, work and passion to ensure social justice, and equal rights and opportunities for women. Elaine joined the World Bank when she heard that China was becoming a borrowing member in 1980 and worked there as an economist on China. This preceded the advent of structural adjustment loans (SALs) and protests against the Bank. Witnessing the unfolding of structural adjustment, in 1987 she created the Bank's first program to globally mitigate SALs' harmful impacts on the poor, especially on women. Later she worked in the World Bank's gender unit where she had an opportunity to analyze Bank investments around the world across sectors. She was struck by the paucity of Bank operations that try to empower women despite Bank rhetoric and studies expressing the urgency to do so in order to reduce poverty. In the 1990s at the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), Elaine designed a strategy for the Amazon that prohibited future investments in roads and ranching that damaged indigenous groups and the environment, and instead promoted health, water, education and renewable resources. She was also Coordinator of the IADB's Social Agenda Policy Group which promoted equitable education and health financing for all men and women, girls and boys.

While working in the International Financial Institutions (IFIs), Elaine realized that citizen groups, that began proliferating worldwide during the 1980s, were designing the most dynamic, responsive solutions to development problems. This inspired her, in 2002, to launch Gender Action, a non-profit advocacy campaign to hold the IFIs accountable on their promises to empower women and leverage the IFIs' power to redress the unacceptable feminization of poverty. Gender Action’s exposure of how over a trillion dollars in IFI “assistance” has largely neglected and often harmed poor women is pushing the IFIs to start keeping their promises to empower women.

While at Gender Action, the IFIs, and consulting for bilateral aid agencies and civil society organizations such as the International Center for Research on Women and Oxfam, Elaine has worked extensively on China, Latin America, Africa and Southeastern Europe on gender issues, poverty, poverty reduction strategies, the social impact of macroeconomic policies and structural adjustment reforms, social investment funds, education and health financing, rural development, infrastructure, and environment projects. While serving on the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) Board of Directors during the 1980s, she designed and chaired the first AWID Forum workshop that examined the negative impacts of structural adjustment on women, featuring presenters from Africa, Asia and Latin America who told their stories firsthand.

Elaine studied in China for over three years during the Cultural Revolution on Canadian and Chinese government scholarships. During this time, she experienced Chinese life by living with Chinese and working on communes and in factories. She completed her studies in political economy at McGill University, the University of Toronto and Beijing University and in business administration at Georgetown University. She speaks and reads Chinese, French and Spanish. Currently Elaine Chairs the National Council of Women’s Organizations’ Global Task Force, and serves on the Jubilee USA Network Council -- which works to cancel the illegitimate debt of poor countries, the Real Wealth of Nations Public Policy Initiative Advisory Council, the UK-based Chronic Poverty Research Centre Advisory Council, and in numerous coalitions fighting for social and gender justice.

Nicole has a strong passion for gender equality and began working with Gender Action in Fall 2009. She holds an MA (Hons) in Modern History and Italian from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland as well as an MSc in Gender, Development and Globalisation from the London School of Economics. After finishing her master’s program, Nicole taught English in Shanghai for a year and a half. Nicole has experience both living and working in developing countries, including Chad, Albania, Egypt and most recently China. In her spare time, she enjoys swimming, traveling, reading and the company of family and friends.

Joel assists Gender Action in a variety of strategic, policy and communications areas. A longtime public affairs professional, Joel's work has often focused upon gender, human rights, international affairs, international financial institutions, and HIV/AIDS policies. Joel handled IFI policy issues during his seven years of service on Capitol Hill, including as a senior legislative aide to a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Banking Committee. Joel has also crafted public affairs strategies for major clients at the prominent Washington firm Podesta Associates, subsequently co-owned a boutique consulting firm, and served as Director of Media Relations for Planned Parenthood. Joel has developed public affairs strategies for a broad array of entities across the public and private sectors, including United Airlines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, America Online, American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR), American Association of University Women, People for the American Way, and many others.

Prior to joining Gender Action in 2010, Lisa worked for Freedom House on their Middle East North Africa and Exchanges programs. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Arizona, and has studied and lived in countries including Australia, Honduras, and Jordan. She has a strong interest in promoting gender equality and combating gender based violence. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, scuba, reading, and watching old movies from the silver screen.

Esther joined Gender Action as an Associate upon graduation with an LLM in International Legal Studies, and a Human Rights Certificate, from the Georgetown University Law Centre; thanks to the Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa fellowship program. Prior to Georgetown Law School, Esther was a prosecutor for five years and then a judge for six years in her native Cameroon. Esther is also founder and president of Cameroon Young Jurists Legal Resource Center, known by its acronym as CYJULERC, a women and children’s human rights non-profit. The organization promotes gender justice and fights to end gender-based violence and discriminatory practices against women. It also promotes legal education and the rule of law; and advocates for laws that guarantee women and children’s human rights. Esther also proposed, drafted, and lobbied for a law to criminalize female genital mutilation (FGM); that law has now been included into the draft amended penal code pending adoption. Esther believes accountability, gender equality and economic empowerment of women are priority areas to focus on to end the abuses perpetuated on African woman.

ASSOCIATES

Ashley Garrett (2003-2005), Eritrea IPRSP Analysis and Fieldwork around Engendering the PRSP and Food Security Strategy; Mozambique PRSP gender analysis; Co-author of Do Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers Address Gender Issues? A Gender Audit of 2002 PRSPs.

Marcia Greenberg (2004-2007), Co-author of Gender Action's Gender Dimensions of Post-Conflict Reconstruction Paper Series.

CURRENT VOLUNTEERS AND CONSULTANTS

Gender Action carries out its work by relying on a corps of superb volunteers and consultants listed below.

Funders