Board of Directors
Marty Dewees is Associate Professor Emerita at the University of Vermont Department of Social Work. Marty received a master’s degree in counseling in 1974 and completed a master’s degree in social work in 1985 from Adelphi University’s Vermont-based program. She became a staff social worker at Vermont State Hospital in 1985 and stayed until 1988 when she became clinical supervisor for Spectrum, Inc., a youth agency in Burlington, VT. Beginning her doctoral studies at SUNY Albany in 1990, she returned to the State Hospital to be Chief of Social Work Services for the following five years. When she completed her PhD she joined the University of Vermont faculty in the Department of Social Work. Her scholarly interests remain closely related to mental health, disability practice, global human rights, contemporary theory, and the interface of the mental health system and the domestic and sexual violence system. At UVM she taught generalist practice, mental health, assessment, and interdisciplinary practice. She is author of varied book reviews, book chapters, juried journal articles, and Contemporary Social Work Practice, published in 2006, a textbook designed for senior undergraduate and first-year graduate students in clinical practice. She continues to work at UVM with social work students on a part-time basis in the Interdisciplinary Leadership Education for Health Professionals (VT-ILEHP), a program designed to build systems capacity for those working with children who have or are at risk for neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families.She lives in North Ferrisburgh, Vermont with her husband and frequently receives her four children, their spouses, and her five grandchildren. Marty is currently serving as Secretary of the Board of Directors.
Johanna B. Fine, JD, MIA, is an associate in the Energy, Infrastructure and Project Finance practice at White & Case LLP. Johanna has worked extensively in the field of maternal, sexual and reproductive health and rights. During graduate school, she focused her studies on human rights, specifically sexual and reproductive rights. Additionally, she held various internships and consultancies that addressed sexual and reproductive health and rights issues faced by women in diverse regions of the world. Furthermore, Johanna has forged a prolific pro bono relationship with the Center for Reproductive Rights and collaborates with this organization on many projects related to reproductive rights throughout Europe and Africa. For example, Johanna was the primary researcher and writer of a report that examined human rights violations experienced by women in Kenyan health facilities. She subsequently presented the findings of this report at the 2008 International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. She has a B.A. from Emory University where she studied French and International Affairs and spent one year studying political science in France.
Sabrina Hermosilla, MIA, MPH, MS, is currently pursuing her PhD in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University focusing on research methodologies in complex emergency situations. Her international experience began during elementary school when she studied abroad in Germany. During her studies at Colgate University in International Relations she had the opportunity to live and study in China, Russia, and Nepal. After completing her BA studies she went on to serve with AmeriCorps in the South Bronx, New York as a high school English as a Second Language Program Coordinator and Teacher, successfully creating and ensuring the sustainability of the entire English as a Second Language program for immigrant students in the school. In 2003, Sabrina returned to Chile to complete the requirements for her dual citizenship and gain more formal international program evaluation experience working with physically and mentally challenged children homes. Her most recent studies at Columbia University (MIA, MPH) have cemented her dedication to working with underserved populations around the world, work that she continued through her research interests and programmatic work as Assistant Director of the Columbia University International Family AIDS Program.
Suneeta Kaimal is Deputy Director of the Revenue Watch Institute, a non-profit policy organization promoting transparent, accountable and effective management of natural resources for public benefit. Prior to joining Revenue Watch, Suneeta was founder of the New York office of the Brussels-based International Association for Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research (HPCR International), the operational arm of a research program based at Harvard University. At HPCRI, Suneeta led the development of peace-building initiatives in partnership with the UN Peacebuilding Commission, directed research, and conducted policy assessment missions to countries like Sierra Leone, Burundi, and Nepal. Suneeta formerly worked at Human Rights Watch in the Legal and Policy Office and has held various consultancies with the UN, research institutions such as the National Human Rights Institute in Bangalore, and supporting civil society organizations. She has a B.A. from Duke University (where she was a Hart Fellow), and an M.A. in International Affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. Suneeta is currently serving as President of the Board of Directors.
Matt Magenheim is a Partner at Development Capital Partners, a New York-based investment manager focusing on frontier and emerging markets. He spent several years living and investing in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia, including more than two years in Cambodia where he managed the William J. Clinton Foundation’s HIV/AIDS Initiative’s operations in Cambodia and Lao PDR and made private equity investments. Prior to joining DCP, Matt focused on investments in sub-Saharan Africa at Allan Gray, a South African asset manager. He also worked in the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley. Matt received his A.B. summa cum laude from Bowdoin College and his M.B.A. with honors and distinction from Columbia Business School. He currently sits on the boards of several foundations focusing on healthcare in developing countries.
Mae Podesta is currently an Associate with McKinsey & Company’s Mid Atlantic Office where she has worked primarily in the areas of strategy development, organization, and change management for large healthcare companies and non-profit organizations. Prior to joining McKinsey, Mae spent 5 years in Africa, working for the Clinton Foundation Health Initiative (CHAI), generating extensive experience designing and implementing global health programs. While at CHAI, Mae served as the West and Central Africa Regional Director, responsible for management of CHAI’s offices in 10 countries, including overseeing strategy design as well as programmatic, financial and human resources management. She also launched CHAI’s offices in Liberia, Ethiopia and Lesotho, where she fostered partnerships with each government and designed country-specific programs to facilitate the expansion of quality HIV treatment. Mae received a B.A. in economics and international relations from Wellesley College and her M.B.A. from Columbia Business School. Mae is currently serving as Vice President of the Board of Directors.
Stefanie K. Schmidt, JD, is an associate in the Business, Finance and Restructuring practice at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. At Weil, Stefanie is involved with several pro bono matters involving women and children who are in need of volunteer legal assistance. She participates in the VOLS Incarcerated Mothers Law Project counseling incarcerated mothers on Rikers Island with respect to their parental rights and child welfare issues, and works with the non-profit organization Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) to represent unaccompanied immigrant children in the U.S. in understanding and protecting their rights in the context of their respective immigration proceedings. In law school, Stefanie was a member of the New York International Law Review and studied International Human Rights and children’s rights. She also spent a semester working at the United Nations in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations where she drafted the UN protocol for reporting incidents of sexual abuse and exploitation of women and children by UN Peacekeepers. Stefanie has a B.A, cum laude, from Middlebury College in French and Political Science, with a minor in German, and spent time studying abroad at L’Université de Paris, La Sorbonne, in Paris and the Freie Universität in Berlin. She received her law degree from St. John’s University School of Law. Stefanie is currently serving as Treasurer of the Board of Directors.
Ashley Wolfington is a Reproductive Health Specialist at the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian response organization at work in over 40 crisis-affected countries. In that role Ashley secures funding for new RH programs, provides technical support to IRC RH field staff, monitors and evaluates program data, and generates tools to improve quality and increase uptake of RH services in challenging settings like Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan, and Liberia. Most recently Ashley coordinated the proposal development and launch of an IRC effort to reduce unintended pregnancies in acute emergencies and in countries affected by crises. Prior to joining the IRC, Ashley spent seven years in public health communications, translating scientific research into news stories for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Ashley has an MPH from Columbia University and B.A. in Political Science from Duke University. While pursing her MPH, Ashley completed a practicum in rural Uganda comparing community outreach strategies and HIV-related service uptake at the Rakai Health Sciences Program. She also examined maternal and newborn health trends in New York City as part of the NYC Department of Health Research Training Program. Ashley speaks French but can barely order coffee in any other language.