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

Lauren Whitehead joined the BRAC USA team in June of 2015. As a Program Manager, she provides technical assistance and support for existing and emerging clients implementing the Targeting Ultra Poor Programme (TUP), and contributes to proposal development and management of workstreams for programs throughout Africa and Asia. Prior to joining BRAC USA, she was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to design program evaluations, baseline research, and additional programming related to livelihoods, social and economic empowerment, and financial inclusion targeting the ultra-poor with the the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Ecuador. She has worked with a number of for-profit and non-profit organizations in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa, including Accion International, Mercy Corps, the Inter-American Development Bank’s Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC), d.light design, InterAction’s Alliance for International Youth Development (AIYD), HelpAge International, Tomorrow’s Youth Organization, and others. Her skill-set includes evaluative research, program design, and fundraising with a focus on livelihoods, financial inclusion, and related programs designed for vulnerable and marginalized populations such as women, youth, and refugees. Lauren holds a Masters in Global Human Development with certificates in Refugees & Humanitarian Emergencies and Global Social Enterprise & Development from Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and a Bachelors degree in Spanish & Portuguese with minors in Latin American Studies, Near Eastern Studies, and Theater & Dance from Princeton University.