Heather Ramsey, Program Director

With nearly 15 years experience in international training and development, Heather has designed and managed several initiatives that have been implemented in more than twenty countries. Heather led the USAID-funded Women in Technology pilot program, which provided training to more than 500 women in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Nepal and Sri Lanka. She conceptualized WIT Yemen, which has now grown to encompass nine countries in the MENA region. Prior to joining IIE, Heather managed outreach programs to Eastern and Central Europe, the former Soviet Union, and MENA regions for US-based English language schools. She also worked in Bucharest, Romania planning and implementing education programs at Casa Deschisa, a shelter for street children. Heather earned a Master’s degree in International Policy Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies with a focus on gender and international development, and a Bachelor’s degree in French and Journalism. Heather has studied, lived and worked in several countries including Cuba, France, Germany, Romania, Switzerland and Egypt.

Mary Karam McKey, Deputy Director

Mary joined IIE’s West Coast Center in July 2007 to work on the WIT and Komen Programs. Mary has extensive experience managing U.S. Department of State funded exchange and assistance programs. Prior to joining IIE’s West Coast Center, Mary was Director of Grant Programs at AYUSA International; headquartered in San Francisco, where she managed the organization’s U.S. Department of State sponsored high school youth exchange programs. Before moving to the Bay Area, Mary spent 10 years in Washington, DC where she worked in IIE’s DC office on the Humphrey Fellowship Program. While in DC, Mary also spent a number of years at AMIDEAST managing private and federally funded scholarship programs in the Middle East and North Africa. Mary started her career at the Arab American Institute as a community organizer. Mary has a B.A. from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, studied abroad at the American University in Cairo and holds an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from University of Texas at Austin.

Nicole Manapol, Program Officer

Nicole joined IIE in June 2006. Prior to working at IIE Nicole served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala, working in partnership with Save the Children on a food security and economic development project for women and children displaced during Guatemala’s 36-year civil war. Since then she has worked on a variety of women’s empowerment initiatives, including conducting micro-credit and small business development workshops for women in Peru, and the Hesperian Foundation’s Creative Education Fund, a grant program designed to benefit women’s community health initiatives worldwide. Besides her overseas experience in Guatemala, Nicole has lived in Australia, studied in Spain, and traveled extensively in Central and Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Europe. She has a B.A. in Islamic Politics and Middle East History from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and speaks fluent Spanish and intermediate French. As WIT Program Officer, Nicole manages the program in Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Oman and UAE providing oversight of in-country program staff and partners, trainings and project implementation.

Heather Murphy, Program Officer

Heather joined the WIT program team in April 2008. Previously she was with Jewish Family and Children’s Services where she managed the citizenship program, assisted refugees and asylum seekers from the former U.S.S.R immigrate to the United States and raised awareness on the needs of the underserved in the Bay Area émigré community. Heather also served in the Republic of Kazakhstan with the United States Peace Corps working on non-profit sustainability, capacity building and community development. There she developed a series of business and community training workshops for regional NGOs and professional development seminars for women in rural villages. Heather holds a B.A in International Affairs from the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and speaks Russian and intermediate German. In addition to her time in Kazakhstan, Heather has worked in Australia and Scotland and traveled extensively throughout Europe, Central and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. Heather. As WIT Program Officer, Heather manages the program in Bahrain, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Yemen providing oversight of in-country program staff and partners, trainings and project implementation.

Shradha Chowdhury, Senior Program Coordinator

Shradha grew up in New Delhi, India and spent 6 years studying and working in Japan before moving to the United States. She topped her class at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan where she completed her bachelors in Asia Pacific Studies. She went on to work at Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. and led the firm’s global PR efforts from its Corporate Communications headquarters in Osaka and Tokyo. She organized press tours to Hungary, Germany, UK and India and revamped the internal newsletter. Shradha then decided to explore the non-profit world, embarking on an educational voyage with Japan-based NGO, Peace Boat. She visited over 20 countries around the world to deepen her understanding of global issues and their local impact, while honing her Japanese/English translating skills. She joined IIE’s Women in Technology team to get an insider’s perspective into the way educational non-profits operate and build global bridges of understanding. Shradha speaks English, Japanese, Hindi and Oriya. She is an active blogger as well as an accomplished Odissi dancer.