Staff

Jennifer Potter | President & CEO

Kristen Dailey | Chief Operating Officer & Vice President, Corporate Outreach
Jeri Jensen | Vice President
Katherine Switz | Vice President

Emily Caldwell | Development Coordinator
Matthew Harman | Director, Communications
Emmas Lindsay | Executive Assistant & Office Manager
Josie Luu | Corporate Outreach Coordinator
Helen Mant | Director
David Reynolds | Director, Finance and Human Resources
Jaren Schwartz | Senior Manager
Allison Spector | Manager
Jenna Swalin | Communications Coordinator

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Jennifer Potter | President & CEO

Jennifer Potter has provided executive leadership of the Initiative for Global Development (IGD) since its incorporation in 2007. IGD is an influential network of business leaders sharing a common vision of ending global poverty through sustainable economic growth.

Jennifer is a principal in the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) and a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy. She has represented IGD at the Clinton Global Initiative and the Brookings Blum Roundtable and contributed to U.S. in the World: Talking Global Issues with Americans, a communications guide published by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Aspen Institute.

Prior to leading IGD, Jennifer served as Executive Director of Global Partnerships, an organization that pioneered microfinance work in Central America. Her early career included service in the Peace Corps in Thailand and ownership of urban planning and development companies. Jennifer chaired the board of the award-winning Seattle Housing Authority for eight years, serves on the advisory board of Global Washington, and is a director of Harbor Properties and Chatham University.

Download Jennifer Potter's complete bio

Megan Bowman | Vice President

Megan oversees IGD’s efforts to leverage the voice of business in advocating for more effective U.S. global development policies. Megan has worked with IGD since 2002 when she served as a consultant during the formation of the organization. She joined IGD’s staff full-time in the fall of 2005 to lead its public policy and advocacy work.

Megan has over 20 years experience in international public policy and government relations and has worked in business, government and the nonprofit sector. She began her career in Washington D.C. working in the Congress on foreign affairs and trade issues. After returning to Seattle, she spent several years at Microsoft helping build their government affairs effort. Following her tenure at Microsoft, Megan joined APCO Worldwide, the global public affairs firm, as a vice president overseeing accounts for nonprofit clients with international interests, particularly in the field of global health. Megan graduated from Yale University and has an MA in international affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Emily Caldwell | Development Coordinator

Emily assists with resource development and data management to expand the scope of IGD’s programs. Emily has worked in resource development and program coordination for several nonprofits and government agencies focusing on international relations, trade, conservation, and investment programs. She has an MSc in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in the same from the University of Puget Sound.

Shamra Clark | Vice President, Resource Development

Shamra leads resource development for IGD and ensures the organization’s capacity to advance private and public investments to reduce poverty. She has ten years of experience working with individuals, corporations and foundations to raise support for sustainable causes. Before joining IGD in 2011, Shamra served as Vice President of Development at Cascade Land Conservancy, an organization that pioneers market-based conservation and community building solutions in the Pacific Northwest. Prior to that, she worked in communications and fundraising at the National Audubon Society. Shamra has a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Western Washington University.

Kristen Dailey | Chief Operating Officer & Vice President, Corporate Outreach

Kristen joined IGD in 2001 and helped the organization develop into a strong network of business leaders. She oversees all operations, strategic planning, recruitment and outreach.

Kristen has been involved with international development issues for more than 15 years. Her professional background includes fundraising at the United Nations Foundation in Washington D.C., working with low-income refugee and immigrant families in Seattle, and heading a regional advocacy coalition of international relief and development organizations in the state of Washington.

She has lived in the Dominican Republic and traveled to Vietnam, Thailand, India, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador to research microcredit and health programs. She has an MPA from the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington.

Matthew Harman | Director, Communications

Matthew leads global communications for IGD, where he brings more than a decade of experience raising awareness for innovative nonprofits and businesses. Prior to IGD, Matthew directed marketing and communications for Washington C.A.S.H., a microenterprise development organization. He has also led creative marketing for the international microfinance accelerator Unitus, served as Director of Outreach for Teach for America-Bay Area, directed marketing and creative production for a tech startup, and developed campaigns, branding/identity materials, and case statements for multiple public sector and cause-related clients as a senior associate at Reingold, Inc. in Washington D.C. Matthew has an MA from the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University, where he was a teaching fellow, and a BA from the Honors English program at Indiana University.

Jeri Jensen | Vice President

Jeri leads IGD’s efforts to engage business in helping shape global development policies to increase economic growth in developing countries. She has more than twenty years of experience working on global development and trade issues in Washington, DC.

Most recently, Jeri was Managing Director for Private Sector Initiatives at the Millennium Challenge Corporation, where she was responsible for helping MCC countries leverage grant funding with the private sector and attract investment to MCC projects. During almost two decades at the U.S. Department of Commerce as well as positions with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the National Security Council and the U.S. Export-Import Bank, she worked on global trade policy and finance issues including capacity building for developing countries, negotiating and implementing trade promotion agreements, coordinating U.S. trade, development and finance programs and fostering engagement between U.S. businesses and the federal government. Jeri earned an MS in foreign service from Georgetown University and a BA in political science from Northwestern University.

Emmas Lindsay | Executive Assistant & Office Manager

Emmas assists President & CEO Jennifer Potter and manages the IGD office. She has lived and studied in Japan, Hong Kong, Canada, England and the United States. After volunteering with the Red Cross in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, she continues to believe that many small individual efforts can make a huge difference to the lives of others. Emmas is committed to helping make a positive change in our world.

Josie Luu | Corporate Outreach Coordinator

Josie works closely with the IGD leadership to cultivate and recruit U.S. companies for membership. She is responsible for the research of target corporations, coordinating relationship management, and assisting in strategic recruitment strategies. Prior to joining IGD, she was the Executive Assistant and Office Manager at the private equity firm H.I.G Capital. Josie holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of San Francisco in international economics and African studies.

Helen Mant | Director

As Director, Helen is responsible for developing relationships with IGD network members, building discrete knowledge and managing partnerships with collaborating organizations. Helen has over 10 years international experience working with business to tackle global poverty. An accountant and lawyer by training, she has worked in the corporate, consultancy and nonprofit sectors across multiple industries including consumer goods, agriculture, energy and extractives. Helen graduated with honors from Cardiff University with an LL.P and holds a postgraduate certificate in cross sector partnerships from Cambridge University.

David Reynolds | Director, Finance and Human Resources

David is responsible for all treasury, finance, and human resource functions for IGD. He holds a CPA certificate and has an MBA from the University of Tulsa. He held several accounting and financial management positions for manufacturing and healthcare organizations before founding his own company in 1992. David came to IGD after selling his company to a venture capital group in 2006.

Allison works across IGD on recruitment, events and communications and manages ICT and North Africa projects.  She has experience in sustainable economic development and microfinance, having worked with both public and private organizations in the U.S. and China.  Most recently, she led business development and strategy as the new business manager of Development Solutions, a sustainable development consultancy in Beijing.  Prior to this, Allison managed donor-funded microfinance projects for PlaNet Finance China and co-founded a China-focused non-profit microfinance intermediary.  She currently serves on the international advisory board of PlaNet Finance’s Microfinance Plus initiative.  Allison graduated summa cum laude with a BA from Emory University, and holds a dual MSc in sustainable development and rural development from SOAS, University of London.

Katherine Switz | Vice President

Katherine leads IGD’s efforts to catalyze business participation in poverty reduction. Katherine has extensive experience in the commercial, nonprofit and public sectors engaging business to reduce poverty. Most recently, Katherine was a vice president at Unitus, where she was charged with Africa expansion, global network management and strategy.

Prior to that, Katherine worked for GE Capital, developing a comprehensive strategy for a startup business providing financial services to energy companies globally. Katherine was also a consultant at McKinsey & Company, where she advised clients in a range of industries on strategy, organization and operations. Katherine served as a project manager at the International Finance Corporation in Russia. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Dartmouth College.