NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Betsy is currently a contributor to Mercy Corps’ Global Envision blog and a researcher for Portland State University studying the effectiveness of social programs and innovations in social work. She has her BA in Community Development and Spanish Language from PSU, and has been traveling abroad since she was 8 years old. More recently, she worked with the Instituto de Accion Comunitaria in the Dominican Republic, and last worked abroad in Nicaragua, where she did community development projects with older adults and Portland State students. Her next big adventure is graduate school, where she hopes to continue studying global aging and development and help community-based groups accomplish their goals through data-driven program evaluation. When not working on such lofty ideals, Betsy spends her time exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest, usually accompanied by enormous speakers, friends, and her dancing feet.