Country Program Leads

Nuria Arias holds an undergraduate degree in Education, Masters in Counseling and International Education. Her professional experience has brought her to work in the areas of education and development in the United States and Latin America. Nuria has had the opportunity to work with international education entities in El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.

Marianne Birat Karam joins DOT from World Vision where she held several program management posistions. She has extensive experience in NGO management, development project implementation and refugee issues. Throughout her tenure at World Vision, Marianne built an impressive network of Lebanese and international decision makers. Marianne holds a BE in Agricultural Engineering from the American University of Beirut, a Masters in Food Science from McGill University in Canada and is currently pursuing her MBA from Saint Joseph University/Paris Dauphine.

Gillian Brewin has served as a program officer with Oxfam Canada, CIDA and USAID. She has extensive program management and administration experience and program design and oversights in the fields of humanitarian assistance, food security , capacity building and youth livelihoods. She pursued Chinese Language and Oriental Studies at the University of Victoria and has earned financial, management and cross cultural certification from institutions in China, the Netherlands, Namibia and Ethiopia.

Theophilus E. Mlaki  is one of the leaders in Africa in the field of information and communications technology for development. A Tanzanian, he has held executive positions in the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH). He has represented his country and COSTECH in international arena including organizations such as UNESCO, International Telecommunication Union, CABI International, IDRC of Canada, Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and Economic Commission of Africa. Theo Mlaki holds a Masters degree in Library and Information Science from Loughborough University in UK.

Evans brings to DOT 14 years experience in the design, implementation and management of youth programs. His experience encompasses DOT's key strengths of youth entrepreneurship, workforce readiness and 21st century skills. Evans is a Certified Public Accountant with a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Nairobi. He is also a graduate of the Executive Development Program at the respected Wharton School within the University of Pennsylvania and he started his career with management advisory positions at PriceWaterhouseCoopers. He joins DOT with a passion to help young people realize their potential both socially and economically and he is committed to strengthening DOT Kenya's position as a leader in youth empowerment.

Frank Shi has extensive international experience and is an expert on the local Sichuan market. He has served the Canadian government as a trade representative in Western China and he has represented Canadian companies in the mining and natural resources sector. Overseas, he has worked on many engineering projects in Africa that were financed by the World Bank and other multilateral funding agencies. He has held positions in the Sichuan government and served as the Chief Representative in Singapore, promoting trade and developing foreign direct investments for Sichuan.

Martha Alicia Ramos has spent her career working in education. She has played several roles: from teacher to educational consultant and now as Program Director for DOT Mexico's TeachUp! Program. She has over 15 years experience in project management and has worked to integrate ICTs in education in Mexico. She has also played an integral part in the implementation of educational technology programs in Honduras and the Dominican Republic. She holds an undergraduate degree in Education and a Masters in Educational Management.

Violette Uwamutara is a dual citizen of Rwanda and Canada. She returned in 2007 to contribute to her homeland and participate in its development. She holds an undergraduate degree from Trent University with a double major in Economics and Comparative Development and an MPA in International Development from Carleton University in Ottawa. Prior to joining DOT, she served for seven years in the Embassy of Rwanda in Washington DC where she rose to the position of First Secretary. Upon return to Rwanda, she has been consulting in social development project design and monitoring and evaluation.

Sherry Youssef has over 17 years as a project manager in international development. Her areas of focus include ICT strategic planning, pubic private partnerships, and institutional capacity building. She has extensive experience working with multilateral agencies and international donors as well as relevant government entities. Sherry has worked and studied in the US, Europe and the Middle East.