The WEConnect International team includes individuals with extensive experience in advocacy, activism, policy, politics and business.
Global Team
Elizabeth A. Vazquez
- Job title: CEO and Co-Founder
- Location: Washington, D.C., USA
CEO and Co-Founder of WEConnect International. She is a world leader in women’s economic empowerment and global supplier diversity and inclusion. She is the co-author of the book, “Buying for Impact: How to Buy from Women and Change Our World.”
Rebecca Pearson
- Job title: President and Chief Marketing Officer
- Location: Washington, DC, USA
Rebecca Pearson joined WEConnect International as President and Chief Marketing Officer after a long career at ExxonMobil Corporation. She joined ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricants in 1995, bringing with her deep expertise in consumer marketing, retail management and information technology.
Saritha Venumbaka
- Job title: Chief Operating Officer
- Location: Washington, DC
Saritha Venumbaka is the Chief Operating Officer for WEConnect International. In this role, Saritha leads the organization in overseeing day-to-day operations while identifying creative services and solutions to enable the expansion of WEConnect International's global footprint and impact. She is a thought leader in implementing strategic systems to ensure operational excellence.
Emily Coccia
- Job title: Vice President of Special Projects
- Location: Washington, DC, USA
Emily Coccia is the Vice President of Special Projects for WEConnect International. In this role, Emily works to ensure the efficient and effective management, growth and impact of the organization. She is a thought leader in engineering strategic giving programs and cause campaigns and leads this and the development of external partnerships for WEConnect International.
Michael Tobolski
- Job title: Vice President of Member Development
- Location: Washington, D.C., USA
As the Vice President of Member Development for WEConnect International, Michael Tobolski's focus is Member Development and Member Engagement.
Angela Walker
- Job title: Vice President of Communications and Marketing
- Location: Washington, DC
Angela Walker is the new Vice President of Communications and Marketing. She joins WEConnect International from the World Bank where she served as a Communications Advisor to the 25-member Board of Executive Directors and the Managing Director CFO. Her first position at the Bank was as Communications Manager for the South Asia Region.
Charmel Bowden
Charmel Bowden is the Executive Assistant to CEO and COO. She joins WEConnect International with a 30-year career as a consultant working with executives and their leadership teams in all aspects of business development, sales, marketing and operations.
Brittany Gonzalez
- Job title: Membership Relationship and Supplier Inclusion Manager
- Location: Washington, DC
Brittany Gonzalez is the Membership Relationship and Supplier Inclusion Manager at WEConnect International. In this role Brittany is responsible for the growth and engagement of global, regional and market members and overall efforts for increasing member buying from women-owned businesses globally. This position is focused on membership recruitment, engagement and retention for large corporations and organizations active in global supply chain development and inclusion.
Alexander Kangas
- Job title: Certification Analyst
- Location: Washington, DC, USA
Alexander Kangas is the Certification Analyst at WEConnect International. In this role, Alex provides support for the teams around the world with regards to certifications, assessments and WEConnect’s eNetwork.
Patricia Langan
- Job title: Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East
- Location: Washington, DC, USA
Patricia serves as WEConnect International’s Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East. Over 20 years, Patricia has started, grown and led international and national NGOs for women and youth empowerment.
Andrea Lizarzaburu
- Job title: Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean
- Location: Washington, DC, USA
Andrea Lizarzaburu is the Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean for WEConnect International. An Ecuadorian native, Andrea has worked supporting entrepreneurs and SMEs owners in Latin American and the Caribbean from different platforms. She has experience working for the private and public sectors, and for international and non-government organizations.
Miles Luginbill
- Job title: Grant and Proposal Manager
- Location: Washington, DC
Miles Luginbill is the Grant and Proposal Manager for WEConnect International. He has experience working in the government, nonprofit, and business sectors.
Melanie Oliver
- Job title: Certification Support Specialist
- Location: United Kingdom
Melanie is WEConnect International's Certification Support Specialist for the WECommunity and certification process. She works from her home office in the UK and supports our global teams.
Nicolas Picard
- Job title: Research and Project Manager
- Location: Washington, DC, USA
Nicolas Picard is the Research and Project Manager for WEConnect International. In this role, he manages research projects in coordination with corporate members and leads initiatives to engage women entrepreneurs in WEConnect International countries of operation.
Nikisha (Nikki) Reid
- Job title: Director of Certification and Training
- Location: Washington, DC
Nikki is WEConnect International's Director of Certification and Training. She brings over 15 years' experience in the concepts of adult learning and development and has achieved an MBA in Technology Management.
Mrinalini Venkatachalam
- Job title: Regional Director for Southeast Asia and Oceania
As Regional Director for Southeast Asia and Oceania, Mrinalini (Minnie) provides support to WEConnect International by enhancing brand visibility and conducting outreach to women entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia.
Jithmi Wickramatillake
- Job title: Contracts and Accounting Manager
- Location: Washington, DC
Jithmi Wickramatillake is the Contracts and Accounting Manager for WEConnect International. She has spent her career working in the not-for-profit sector. Jithmi is highly experienced in revenue recognition, expense tracking, budget analysis and federal grants financials in both 501(C)3 and 501(C)4 not-for-profit sectors.
Maggie Berry
Maggie Berry is the Executive Director for WEConnect International in Europe and joined the team in December 2012 – she has lead responsibility for the management, leadership and development of WEConnect International in Europe. Her role involves developing corporate and public sector support as well as growing and developing the database and network of over 1,000 self-registered and certified women business owners across the UK and Europe – WEConnect International is active in the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands.
Nilay Çelik
- Job title: Country Director
- Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Since January 2013, Nilay Çelik has had lead responsibility for the management, leadership, and development of WEConnect International in Turkey. Her role involves developing corporate support as well as growing and developing the network of women's business enterprises in Turkey.
Jean Chawapiwa
- Job title: Country Director
- Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
The Country Director for WEConnect International in South Africa, Jean Chawapiwa, is a strategic communications expert with over 25 years corporate communications experience, over 10 of those years were spent in the African Mining sector serving as vice president communications and external affairs Africa for Rio Tinto, Barrick Gold and Placer Dome. Prior to this she worked for seven years at senior management level in CSIR.
Stephanie Fontaine
- Job title: Country Director for Canada
- Location: Canada
A well-known leader in the supplier diversity community, Stephanie has spent the last 6 years working closely with entrepreneurs, corporations and not for profit organizations and government to increase procurement opportunities for diverse suppliers. As a business owner herself, Stephanie knows the importance a small gesture can make and she has long been committed to empowering others through sharing of knowledge and connections.
María Angélica Porto
- Job title: WBE and Outreach Manager for Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru
María Angélica Porto provides support to WEConnect International in enhancing brand visibility and outreach to women entrepreneurs in Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru. Her role also involves the engagement of corporate, public sector and other stakeholders that support women business owners in throughout Latin America.
Priscila Mazochi
Priscila Mazochi provides support to WEConnect International in enhancing brand visibility and outreach to businesswomen in Chile, Brazil, and Argentina. Her role also involves events and prospection in these countries in order to create a powerful ecosystem through networking and business scale.
Yeshua Russel
- Job title: Event Manager and Training Specialist
- Location: Nigeria
Yeshua is a Business/Enterprise Development Expert and has acted as Technical Director – Business Development to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) on the Climate Change Adaptation and Agribusiness Support Program (CASP). In that role, he provided strategic advisory services on Component 3 of the project which focused on enhancing the performance and profitability of Women and Youth owned business across 7 value chains and in 7 states of Nigeria.
Setsu Suzuki
- Job title: Project Director for Japan
- Location: Japan
Setsu Suzuki, the Project Director for WEConnect International in Japan, brings a unique combination of entrepreneurial and consulting experience. In this role, she is developing training opportunities for women business owners and is also actively connecting national and multinational corporations to local women suppliers through dialogue and networking events.
Alicia Sierra Morales
- Job title: Program Manager
- Location: Mexico
Alicia Sierra has been Program Manager for WEConnect International in Mexico since 2012. In this role, she has designed strategies to connect Mexican women-owned businesses with multinational corporation buyers strengthening inclusion and diversity in global value chains.
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