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

Ariela Alpert is an Initiative Associate with Innovations for Poverty Action’s Small & Medium Enterprise Program, based in New Haven, CT. She helps manage the Initiative’s Competitive Research Fund on Entrepreneurship and SME Growth and supports the program’s communication and outreach efforts. Prior to joining IPA, Ariela worked for Chemonics International in Washington, DC supporting agriculture and civil society strengthening projects in East Africa. She also previously spent a year at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda where she served as the International Coordinator and taught entrepreneurship and business development courses. She holds a BA in Economics from Brandeis University.

Sarah Craig is an Initiative Coordinator with Innovations for Poverty Action’s Small & Medium Enterprise Initiative, based in Washington, DC. She manages a portfolio of impact evaluations of SME and entrepreneurship development programs and supports the SME Initiative’s project development, fundraising, and policy and communications activities. Prior to IPA, Sarah worked for IFC as part of the Access to Finance Global Programs team. Based in Istanbul, she supported projects aimed at increasing access to financial services, including SME banking, microfinance, and microinsurance. Her previous work experience includes research positions with the Enterprise Initiative at the University of Chicago and with IPA Peru. Sarah received her Master’s in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and a BA in Economics from Carleton College.