Team
Yifat Susskind, Executive Director, works to make human rights a reality for all people. For more than 20 years, she has partnered with women’s human rights activists from Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and Africa to create programs in their communities that combine grassroots partnerships and international advocacy to meet urgent needs and create lasting solutions.
She has led successful initiatives to secure women’s rights, both in policy and in practice. For instance, under her leadership, MADRE sustains women’s shelters in warzones while countering policies that lead to war, and runs projects that bring clean water to drought-afflicted communities while demanding a space for women’s voices in climate policy. Read more.
Muadi Mukenge works at MADRE as the Senior Director of External Affairs. Previously, Muadi worked at Ipas, a global reproductive rights organization operating in 16 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Americas, where, from 2018 to January 2023, she served as their Chief of Development and External Relations overseeing a team that raised funds from governments, foundations, and individuals. Originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mukenge has partnered extensively with women’s rights and social justice organizations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Read More.
Lisa Davis, Esq., Senior Legal Advisor, is MADRE’s Senior Legal Advisor, Chair of the Legal Strategies Advisory Committee. Lisa has written and reported extensively on human rights and gender issues, including on women’s rights and LGBTIQ rights, with a focus on peace building and security issues in conflict and disaster settings. Lisa has testified before U.S. Congress, U.K. Parliament, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and various international human rights bodies. In 2016, Davis was elected by their peers to deliver the civil society statement for the U.N. Security Council’s open debate on the use of sexual violence in conflict situations. Read more.
Lauren Dasse, Esq., Senior Director of Advocacy and Policy, prior to joining MADRE, was the Executive Director of the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project, providing free legal and social services to detained immigrant children and adults. For nearly a decade, she led the organization through immense growth, strategically responding to challenges by increasing resources and programming to expand impact, advocacy, and services. Lauren has worked on gender justice, immigrants’ rights, and social justice issues for over twenty years, focusing on the U.S. Mexico border region, Southern Mexico, and Latin America.
Diana Duarte is the Director of Policy and Strategic Engagement at MADRE, leading the organization's policy and public education work, and designing and implementing initiatives to advance women's human rights worldwide. She directs MADRE's Feminist Policy Jumpstart initiative, partnering with grassroots women worldwide to bring their perspectives and analysis to shape progressive US policymaking.
JM Kirby, Esq., Human Rights Advocacy Director, provides strategic advocacy services and support for grassroots women’s organizations in Latin America and the Middle East. Before joining MADRE as staff, Kirby dedicated her time to human rights advocacy in support of communities fighting for social and economic justice in the U.S., and consulted for domestic and international organizations focused on gender justice. Read more.
Lucie Canal, Director of International Justice, contributes to the development and implementation of human rights advocacy strategies in support of MADRE’s grassroot partners in Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Prior to joining MADRE, her work primarily focused on the documentation and strategic litigation of conflict and atrocity-related sexual and gender-based cases in Nepal and The Gambia, and on the provision of support to grassroot activists working with transitional justice processes and international human rights mechanisms. Lucie holds a M.A. in Human Rights Studies from Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and is currently based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Cassandra Atlas, Director of Grants Compliance and Regulatory Affairs, received her M.A. in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from the American University's School of International Service. She plays a key role in coordinating MADRE's human rights advocacy initiatives. Cassandra is a former Research Assistant for the United States Institute of Peace's Colombia Program.
Brittney Bartlett, Associate Director of Individual Giving, fosters meaningful relationships with current and potential MADRE individual supporters to raise funds to sustain and advance MADRE’s work with our grassroots partners worldwide. Prior to MADRE, Brittney worked in development at Human Rights First and Amnesty International USA, helping to build and grow their individual giving programs. Brittney holds a MA in International Administration from the University of Miami and a B.S. in Criminology from Barry University.
Cait Mackaman, Associate Director of Communications & Marketing, provides strategy and leads the implementation of MADRE’s communications, marketing, and information systems.
Igdalia Rojas, Program Officer, Capacity Bridging, works in close collaboration with sister organizations in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. She leads the coordination and implementation of programs with grassroots partners in addition to providing technical assistance on leadership and capacity building. Igdalia has over ten years of experience working with grassroots organizations focused on racial, education, and immigration justice. Originally from Mexico, she received her M.A. in International Education from New York University.
Danny Bradley, Global Campaigns Officer, supports MADRE's advocacy initiatives that advance the rights of women, LGBTIQ persons, and marginalized groups at the domestic and international level. His work at MADRE focuses primarily on domestic violence, accountability for gender persecution, and documentation of gender-based crimes, and includes drafting reports and UN submissions, implementing advocacy strategies, and coordinating with local partners. He holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).
Kate Alexander, Policy and Campaigns Officer, supports MADRE's advocacy programs to develop U.S. foreign policies that advance the rights of women, LGBTIQ persons, and marginalized groups. Her work at MADRE focuses on feminist peace and climate justice as part of the Feminist Policy Jumpstart initiative, partnering with grassroots women worldwide to bring their perspectives and analysis to shape U.S. policymaking. Kate has worked on transitional justice abroad in Uganda and Bosnia and previously worked on foreign policy campaigns with Freedom Forward, the International Peace Bureau, Peace Action New York State, and MoveOn. She holds an MPA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and a B.A. from Brandeis University.
Lisa-Marie Rudi, International Justice Officer, contributes to the development and implementation of advocacy strategies in support of MADRE’s grassroot partners in Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Prior to joining MADRE, her work primarily focused on the documentation, investigation and strategic litigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity as well as on reparations for conflict-related sexual violence and the support of grassroots organisations working on transitional justice. Lisa holds a LL.M. with a specialisation in International law from UC Berkeley law school and is currently based in Germany.
Laura Baron-Mendoza, Human Rights Officer, supports MADRE's advocacy strategies for grassroots women’s organizations in Latin America. Her work at MADRE focuses primarily on accountability for gender and racial persecution, and documentation of gender-based crimes. Prior to MADRE, Laura worked with governmental institutions and international cooperation in Colombia focusing on peacebuilding, conflict resolution and the implementation of the gender perspective of the Colombian Peace Agreement with the FARC-EP after its signing in 2016. She is a lawyer and holds a Master in International Humanitarian Law and Human rights from the Geneva Academy. Currently, she is a PhD candidate at McGill University.
Ahmed Hanoon, Grants Compliance Manager, works as a part of learning and evaluation team with our partners in Iraq to implement activities including programs evaluation, reporting on progress, drafting internal research, and conducting research and analysis on humanitarian and human rights issues in Iraq. Ahmed is a former Program Officer in International Medical Corps (IMC) and the International Commission on the Missing Persons (ICMP).
Victoria Calderon, Program and Development Manager, received her M.P.H. in Global Health from The George Washington University and a B.S. in Journalism from Ohio University. She collaborates with the program and development teams to deepen and grow vital institutional funds for MADRE and its partners, who protect and provide for communities facing war and disaster. Victoria formerly worked as a research coordinator at Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo Ohio.
DeLisha Tapscott, Senior Director of People and Culture, hails from the Washington, DC, area, and currently resides in Upper Marlboro, MD, where she lives with her husband, mother, and two children. When she is not working, she is wrapping up her doctoral program focused on Organizational Leadership with a participatory action research lens. Her academic focus has been on the non-profit and education sectors, as she has dedicated her research to bringing the stories of marginalized communities to the forefront to help change environments into spaces of support that honor and cherish intersectional identities.
Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn is the Senior Director of Grantmaking and Partnerships and leads the Grantmaking and Partnership strategies at MADRE. Before she joined MADRE, she established and led global portfolios at the Open Society Foundations centered on racial/intersectional justice, expanding the constituency for human rights, and LGBTIQ+ and faith community outreach. Prior to that, she worked in a number of senior roles at Freedom House including leading its Global Emergency Assistance Fund and founding the International Religious Freedom and Southeast Asia Programs. She also served as Amnesty International USA’s Death Penalty Abolition Program Director for eight years, instituting discrete initiatives on racial justice and outreach to faith communities. In this role, she spearheaded the campaign to Stop Child Executions!, which culminated in the US Supreme Court’s decision to bar the execution of juveniles. Born in Sri Lanka and raised as a Third Culture kid in London, Dubai, and Toronto, she began her activism as a student. She continues this activism in her beloved adopted Washington DC community where she is actively engaged in grassroots advocacy efforts for the equitable allocation of city resources for unhoused and undocumented neighbors and to advance racial justice and curb police/state violence. Sue holds a Ph.D. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin with a focus on ethno-religious nationalism/self- determination movements in Asia.
Brittany Reid, Marketing Supervising Manager, contributes to strategic planning aimed at expanding Madre's visibility. A veteran of creating and managing marketing campaigns to build communities for organizations and individuals using an omni-channel approach with an emphasis on digital channels, she is obsessed with innovating new ways of leveraging digital spaces to amplify and engage.
Marlow Murphy, Content Supervising Manager, develops written and digital content and messaging for MADRE. Marlow has more than a decade of experience in policy and advocacy communications. Prior to MADRE, she worked for the United Federation of Teachers, the Empire State Pride Agenda, and Transportation Alternatives. Her work has appeared in ‘IrishCentral’, and her essay ‘Daughter of the Irish’ was included in the 2021 anthology The Writing Irish of New York. Marlow has twice won recognition from the Metro New York Labor Communications Council for her reporting for the ‘New York Teacher,’ a newspaper covering education and labor issues.
Malika Giddens, Digital Content Strategist, works to highlight MADRE’s work through social media, content creation, site development and broader communication support. Inspired by her participation in many non-profit organizations as a student, she began her growing career within the non-profit industry. Formerly employed with Color Of Change, Malika dedicates herself to uplifting the voices of vulnerable communities as well as the projects that center them. She holds a B.A. in English Language & Literature from Ithaca College.
Divya Sooryakumar is MADRE’s Associate Director, VIVA Girls. She manages MADRE’s portfolio focused on intergenerational leadership and adolescent girls. Divya brings eight years of experience working with girls through grassroots feminist organizations including the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA Bharat) and smaller initiatives like Chhoti Si Asha. She brings expertise in education, gender, and strategic communications. She received her M.Ed in International Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University.
Yeiri Robert, Grants Coordinator, supports the Partnership Team's work with grassroots women led organizations from around the world. She also oversees the Helping Hands Campaign, which collects medical and other donations from private and corporate donors to provide much needed aid to our partner organizations. Yeiri is originally from the Dominican Republic but grew up in New York City. She has many years of experience working with at risk populations in New York and Massachusetts to address homelessness, domestic violence and unemployment. Yeiri has an MA in Sustainable International Development with a concentration in Conflict Resolution and Coexistence from Brandeis University's Heller School for Social Policy and Management.
Laura Martinez, Program Coordinator, VIVA Girls, supports the Program Officer for Partnerships and Grantmaking with MADRE's portfolio focused on intergenerational leadership and adolescent girls. Laura brings four years of experience in project management, communications, research, and planning. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Yale University.
Emily Sours, Individual Giving Coordinator, supports the strategy and growth of MADRE's overall individual giving program. Starting as an intern, she has grown into her role, bringing her interest in development to advance women's rights on a global scale. Emily holds a B.A. in Arts Administration and Art History from Simmons College. She is currently completing a master's degree at Rutger's University in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Kari Smith, Program and Development Coordinator, is a lead grant writer for MADRE, helping to secure vital institutional funds for the organization and our partners. She also stewards institutional relationships through strong reporting on our programming. Kari received her Master's Degree in Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University and completed her undergraduate work in global policy at Chatham University.
Francesca Green, Program & Development Associate, prior to joining MADRE, worked primarily in nonprofits in the international children’s rights space in New York. She attended Skidmore College for her Bachelor’s degree and Columbia University where she received an MSW in international social policy. When she isn’t working, Francesca enjoys making pottery, knitting, and spending time outside where she lives in upstate New York. Francesca is most passionate about intersectional gender equity, particularly reproductive rights and climate justice.
Adrianna Maher, Individual Giving Associate, provides support to the Individual Giving program by assisting with all donor-related and database activities, and working collaboratively across all MADRE teams to achieve the Individual Giving team’s goals. Prior to MADRE, Adrianna fundraised for various organizations through differing methods and outreach styles. Adrianna holds a B.A. in Global Studies from Castleton University -- she concentrated her studies on Human Rights and Governance.
Aminatu, Grants Associate, is a Mbororo-Fulani Indigenous Woman from Cameroon. Prior to MADRE, She has long been involved in promoting and strengthening the active participation and advocacy of Indigenous Women in key decision-making spaces, from the national to the global levels. She has a bachelor’s degree in Common Law and a master’s degree in International Law. Aminatu is an alumna of the OHCHR Indigenous Fellowship Program in Geneva Switzerland, the Tribal Link Foundation’s Project Access training in New York, and Columbia University’s Human Rights Advocacy program (HRAP). Aminatu has a passion to learn and discover new places, different cultures and landscapes.
Nadine El-Nabli (she/her), Program Coordinator, Capacity Bridging, works with MADRE partners to elevate and amplify their expertise, leadership, and knowledge within and across movements, and supports them in strengthening their organizations as they work towards their visions for their communities. Nadine is an experienced feminist advocate, educator and trainer from Egypt who continuously works to promote the integration of perspectives around power, intersectionality, and identity in her work, particularly within global programming and partnerships. She holds an M.A. in Gender and Sexuality from the School of Oriental and African Studies.
BOARD
Anne Hess is co-chair of MADRE's Board and as a founding board member since 1983 she has helped shape MADRE's vision and projects. Anne has spent the past 40 years working with a variety of non- profit organizations, whose mission for social justice she shares. Anne serves on the board of Community Resource Exchange and The Bauman Foundation Advisory Board. She is the Ex Officio representative for Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer on the American Museum of Natural History board and is on the Mayor's Commission on Gender Equity.
Blaine Bookey is co-chair of the Board of MADRE. She is a Legal Director and Adjunct Professor at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, University of California Hastings College of the Law. At the Center, Blaine's work focuses on advancing protection for women, children and LGBT individuals fleeing persecution. Prior to joining the Center, Blaine served as a federal appellate judicial law clerk and a fellow at the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti/Bureau des Avocats Internationaux where she first began collaborating with MADRE to support grassroots organizations and Haitian lawyers fighting to end sexual and gender-based violence. She is a graduate of Hastings and also holds an undergraduate degree in Social Policy and Gender Studies from Northwestern University.
Nadia Allaudin is a Senior Vice President and Wealth Management Advisor with Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management in Century City. She earned the Certified Investment Management Analyst® designation. As of January 2019, The Allaudin/Brahos Group is entrusted with over $450 million in assets and liabilities. In November 2018, InvestmentNews recognized Nadia as a 2018 Women to Watch Honoree. As one of the 20 prestigious winners, Nadia was chosen from more than several hundred nominations for her leadership, contributions and impact in the financial advice industry.
With more than 20 years of in-depth experience in the financial services industry, Nadia and her partner, Bill focus on empowering women and the LBGTQI community to better understand their wealth management needs. They enjoy exploring their clients relationship to money and assisting them with their financial concerns.
Having founded the annual Women, Wealth & Wisdom Conference in Los Angeles that brings together hundreds of professional women, Nadia works to foster deeper relationships and participate in discussions with renowned speakers on health/wellness, leadership and spiritual best practices. In appreciation of her efforts, she was awarded the prestigious Bank of America Diversity & Inclusion Recognition award.
Nadia plays an active role in the community through her involvement as a Board Member of Marymount High School and MADRE. She completed her yoga teacher training program at Yogaworks and is a certified yoga instructor.
Nadia earned her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Administration with a dual emphasis in Finance and Business Communication from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.
Elz Cuya Jones is the Deputy Director of Resources and Strategy at North Star Fund, New York City's community foundation supporting grassroots leaders and lasting social change. She has built and led award-winning communications teams, having won the American Business Award for Best Annual Report in Print, four years running. Prior to working in the nonprofit sector, she spent a decade in radio, where she cultivated her appreciation for the transformative power of storytelling. Born to immigrant Filipino parents in the San Francisco Bay Area, Elz earned her bachelor's degree in Mass Communications at the University of California, Berkeley. She currently lives in Manhattan with her husband and son.
Anna Kennedy is a longtime MADRE supporter and human rights activist.
Anika Rahman serves as the principal contact for the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Board of Trustees and advises on key external relationships and special projects for NRDC’s president. Before joining NRDC in 2018, Rahman—a lifelong champion of human rights, women’s and children’s rights, reproductive rights, global economic development, and social and environmental justice—held leadership positions at the Center for Reproductive Rights, Friends of the United Nations Population Fund, the Ms. Foundation for Women, and the Rainforest Alliance. She also practiced law at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton.
A lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Rahman has received the Women’s eNews 21 Leaders for the 21st Century Award and Columbia Law School’s Lawrence A. Wien Prize for Social Responsibility. She was also recognized recently as “21 Desi Women Who Are Game Changers.”
Rahman has written for the New York Times, Crain’s New York Business, Rewire, CNN.com, Huffington Post, and the Dhaka Tribune. She is also the author of Female Genital Mutilation: A Guide to Laws and Policies Worldwide. Anika earned her bachelor’s degree from The Princeton School for Public and International Affairs and her J.D. from Columbia Law School.
Rhonda Diaz Caldewey is an Executive Vice President at JLL’s Food and Beverage and Hospitality Retail practice. She has lead teams contributing to the retail vibrancy of high-profile mixed use, retail and entertainment projects. She has been recognized as one of San Francisco’s Most Influential Women three years in a row and was inducted into the Forever Influential Women Hall in 2017. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Cal State East Bay, and her MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. A native San Franciscan, her parents migrated to California from the farmlands of Wyoming and the sugar cane fields of Puerto Rico. She currently lives in the Bay Area with her husband and cat Coco.
Carla Christofferson is the Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer at DXC Technology. She leads DXC Technology's risk and security efforts. Ms. Christofferson is focused on risk management, including the ethics and compliance function, cybersecurity preparedness, resiliency and security, brand protection initiatives and asset protection.
Prior to joining DXC she was at AECOM, a leading infrastructure firm, where she served as executive vice president and chief legal officer.
Ms. Christofferson led AECOM's risk management, IT security, physical security and safety, and health and environment departments. She also oversaw the company’s legal organization globally, including litigation, government affairs, ethics and compliance, SEC reporting, and transaction-related legal activities.
Ms. Christofferson is active in Los Angeles community affairs and has served on the boards of the Los Angeles Library Foundation and the Metropolitan YMCA. She received a law degree from Yale University and a BA in communications from the University of North Dakota.
Dr. Ramatu Bangura is leading the design and inception of the Children’s Rights Innovation Fund (CRIF). Prior to CRIF, Ramatu previously served as a Program Officer for the NoVo Foundation’s Advancing Adolescent Girls’ Rights initiative where she co-led strategy development and grant making to advance philanthropy’s largest portfolio working to advance the rights, leadership and well-being of adolescent girls in the United States and in the Global South. Ramatu has spent the last 25 years working with and on behalf of adolescent girls in New York City, Washington DC, and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica. She has engaged in organizing, advocacy and research on a host of issues impacting transnational girls, including early and forced marriage, sexual violence, trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation, and educational access for English Language Learners. Ramatu earned both a Masters of Education (EdM) and Doctorate of Education (EdD) in International & Transcultural Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her dissertation, In Pursuit of Success: The Educational Identities and Decision-making of African Girls with Limited Formal Schooling, utilized African feminism to examine how immigrant girls with limited formal schooling navigate American schools, and make decisions about college and marriage. Ramatu is committed to decolonizing philanthropic practices to ensure that those most impacted by structural violence and oppression are afforded the tools to create a world where all are safe, seen and celebrated.
Christopher Price is a seasoned nonprofit leader with extensive experience working with social justice and participatory community development programs across the globe. He has significant skills in the areas of organizational development, program management, budgeting, and fundraising. Chris has worked in partnership with community activists, nongovernmental and community-based organizations, as well as public sector agencies. He has a MA in International Affairs, a BA in Political Science, and is fluent in Spanish. Chris is completely his final year of service on the Board of Vivent Health, a national HIV/AIDS nonprofit where he is a member of the PR/Development and Quality of Care subcommittees.
Chris and his husband Renato Bustinza moved from Lima, Peru in 2014 to Denver, Colorado where they currently reside.
Eunique Jones Gibson is a cultural architect, brand builder and storyteller whose revolutionary campaigns have created global movements. In 2013, she launched Because of Them, We Can® (BOTWC), an award-winning campaign to empower the next generation. It has evolved into a global megaphone for Black Excellence that is prominent worldwide on its digital platforms. With her experience as a leading marketer and communications expert, Eunique started and serves as CEO of Culture Brands, an innovative agency that creates culturally relevant and affirming campaigns and content for some of the world’s leading brands. She is also the creator of the hit game #CultureTags®, which encapsulates the joy and nostalgia of the Black experience while showing reverence to Black culture.
A proud graduate of Bowie State University and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Eunique has received awards and recognition for her work such as the White House Champion for Change, AdColor Rockstar, and Ebony Power100. Eunique resides in Maryland with her husband, Chris and their three children, Chase, Amari and Sage.
