The Leadership Team
Tianwang Liu – President
Tianwang Liu is an economist and nonprofit leader whose work bridges scholarship, practice, and global community-building. She is currently a Data Scientist at Airbnb. She earned her Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University and graduated B.A. magna cum laude from Cornell University, where she was recognized as a Merrill Presidential Scholar and received the Tapan Mitra Economics Prize. Previously, she was an Applied Scientist at Uber. Her research has been published in leading journals, and she also serves as a referee for peer-reviewed publications. She is a NACD-certified Board Director and an active member of prestigious organizations such as the American Economic Association, the Econometric Society, and Economists for Peace and Security.
Beyond her professional career, Tianwang leads as Board President of Harvard W3D (Women in Defense, Diplomacy, and Development) and was previously Director of Strategic Partnerships at Harvard Alumni of Global Development. She has organized and moderated conversations with Nobel laureates, diplomats, and global executives, fostering dialogue across academia, industry, and policy.
Courtney Walsh – Vice President
Courtney Walsh is a Manager in the People Advisory Services practice of Ernst & Young LLP. She was previously Manager of Corporate and Strategic Partnerships at Polaris, where she advised companies on anti-human trafficking initiatives to integrate into their overall operations and supply chains. Ms. Walsh has also served as a management consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton and, before that, a Research Associate and Fellow for Catalyst’s Research Center for Equity in Business Leadership. She began her career in the Dominican Republic, where she taught English and focused on women and youth development at a community development organization. Ms. Walsh holds a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a B.A. in Psychology from Colgate University (High Honors, Phi Beta Kappa). Outside of work, she is an Adjunct Professor in American University’s Kogod School of Business MBA program.
Masoomeh Khandan – Secretary
Masoomeh Khandan is a visionary leader and Founder/CEO of Mx3P who fearlessly tackles unique and complex problems with innovative solutions on a global scale. Her impressive experience in research, innovation, and leadership has made significant contributions to the development sector and the future of the labor market and businesses in the US and world. Masoomeh is actively involved in helping governments in the growth of entrepreneurship, small businesses, and employment, while also working on tax systems at the DC Government and World Bank.
She is a triple graduate degree holder from prestigious institutions such as Harvard Kennedy School, Georgetown University, and Sharif University of Technology.
Aside from her professional achievements, Masoomeh is an avid sports enthusiast, having played professionally in various sports.
Jenny Jao - Treasurer
Jenny Jao is a corporate finance leader with experience spanning high growth venture-backed startups to public technology companies. Her previous positions include Director of Finance at BlackLine Inc. (Nasdaq:BL) where she led go-to-market finance supporting sales, marketing, and customer success and Head of Finance & Operations at Sprig Technologies where she oversaw finance, accounting, people operations, and recruiting. Her career began in investment banking at Morgan Stanley.
Jenny holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in Business Administration (magna cum laude) from USC. Active in her community, she also serves on the board of Deuce Community, a non-profit supporting system-impacted individuals, and volunteers as a dog foster with local rescue organizations. An outdoor enthusiast, Jenny enjoys trail running, skiing, surfing and cycling.
Fundraising Chair position is now open.
Judith Ravin - Communications Chair
Following a twenty-year career in diplomacy for the U.S. Department of State, Judith shifted to the development sector and is currently an international volunteer focusing on innovative education at Fundación I. Patiño, Bolivia. Prior, as a two-year Fellow with DREAM Project (Dominican Republic), she served vulnerable populations in the Dominican Republic through human rights and documentation, advancing the fundamental human right to a legal identitym and at-risk youth development and leadership. Judith is the Strategic Partnerships Advisor for Mausum Mahool Protection Foundation, a Pakistani civil-society organization focused on climate adaptation. Within the mosaic of an unconventional career path toward strategic communications, her beginnings draw from many years in publishing, translation, and journalism in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
Judith holds a MA in Romance Languages and Literatures (Harvard University) and BA in Spanish (Brandeis University) plus study in Spain and France. She is fluent in Spanish and French. Her most recent published works are Peru After Chamba and Ballet in the Cane Fields.
Amelia E. Thompson - Partnerships Chair
Amelia E. Thompson is a social impact strategist. For more than 15 years, Amelia has provided strategy, fundraising, policy development, program design, project management, and leadership development support to governmental leaders, social entrepreneurs, and faith-based leaders, among others. She completed studies at Vassar College and graduate studies at St. John’s University and Harvard University. She co-founded a social impact organization and has consulted independently for Google, UNESCO, and Harvard University. Additionally, she has convened conversations at the United Nations and Harvard University to raise awareness and mobilize action toward advancing equity for women and girls globally. She is currently a Senior Technical Advisor at Catholic Relief Services, an international development organization working in more than 100 countries around the world.
Fer Ghanaa Ansari - Membership C0-Chair (Database)
Fer Ghanaa Ansari is a lawyer with more than six years of experience in international law and human rights advocacy. She is currently the Senior Officer for International Advocacy at Musawah, the global movement for equality in family laws and practices, where she leads engagement with UN mechanisms, coordinates submissions to UN human rights mechanisms for countries in Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Asia, and represents Musawah at various global forums. She has previously worked with international law think tanks and non-profit organizations in collaboration with UN agencies and the Pakistan government in research, advocacy, policy and project implementation in areas including criminal justice, technology and human rights, women's rights, law of armed conflict, countering the financing of terrorism. She holds an LL.M. from Harvard Law School, where she studied as a Fulbright scholar.
Lisa Parvin – Membership Co-Chair (Member Engagement)
Lisa Parvin is a global health professional who is working tirelessly to create equitable access to quality healthcare for vulnerable populations. Her work focuses on leveraging diverse partnerships and community engagements to improve healthcare access for the immigrants, refugee and migrant populations. She has worked in academia, government, and non-profit organizations. She was a Global Scholar at the Harvard Medical School Center for Global Health Delivery–Dubai in 2018. She graduated from Harvard Medical School in 2019 with a Master in Medical Sciences in Global Health Delivery.
Ms. Parvin is an advocate for women’s empowerment and health equity for women and children. She is the founder of Mothers for Global Health－a global network of mothers and their allies working in global health. In addition to being the Co-Fundraising Chair of Harvard Women in Defense, Diplomacy, and Development (Harvard W3D), she also serves as the Vancouver and Los Angeles Co-Chapter Lead. In her free time, she likes to sing songs, dance and explore new places with her daughter..
Nana Karikari - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Chair
Nana Karikari is a journalist with more than ten years of experience shaping narratives in the cable news industry. Her impactful storytelling has earned her multiple accolades, including Emmy nominations for her contributions to CNN's coverage of the 2013 War in Syria and the 2013 Israel-Gaza conflict. As a Peabody Award recipient, Karikari was recognized for her work on CNN's reporting of the Arab Spring (2011), the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (2010), and the 2008 U.S. Presidential Primary Campaigns and Debates.
Nana holds a B.A. in Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Mass Media from Temple University, and has completed a leadership certification program at Harvard University.
Kelly Rappuchi - Research Chair
Kelly Rappuchi is a global leadership development specialist. She specializes in designing innovative learning experiences to expand the human skills required for the future. Kelly has implemented programs in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East.
Her career began in human rights where she helped distribute the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to 15 countries in their native languages. In 2014, she co-founded CIRCLE, a women’s leadership initiative focused on empowering women in Pakistan. She researches and facilitates sessions on the DNA of women’s leadership.
Kelly received an Ed.M. from Harvard where she was an editor for two of Harvard’s presidents and for Leadership On the Line by Heifetz and Linsky. She was also a teaching fellow at two of the graduate schools.
The Leadership Team
Tianwang Liu – President
Tianwang Liu is an economist and nonprofit leader whose work bridges scholarship, practice, and global community-building. She is currently a Data Scientist at Airbnb. She earned her Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University and graduated B.A. magna cum laude from Cornell University, where she was recognized as a Merrill Presidential Scholar and received the Tapan Mitra Economics Prize. Previously, she was an Applied Scientist at Uber. Her research has been published in leading journals, and she also serves as a referee for peer-reviewed publications. She is a NACD-certified Board Director and an active member of prestigious organizations such as the American Economic Association, the Econometric Society, and Economists for Peace and Security.
Beyond her professional career, Tianwang leads as Board President of Harvard W3D (Women in Defense, Diplomacy, and Development) and was previously Director of Strategic Partnerships at Harvard Alumni of Global Development. She has organized and moderated conversations with Nobel laureates, diplomats, and global executives, fostering dialogue across academia, industry, and policy.
Courtney Walsh – Vice President
Courtney Walsh is a Manager in the People Advisory Services practice of Ernst & Young LLP. She was previously Manager of Corporate and Strategic Partnerships at Polaris, where she advised companies on anti-human trafficking initiatives to integrate into their overall operations and supply chains. Ms. Walsh has also served as a management consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton and, before that, a Research Associate and Fellow for Catalyst’s Research Center for Equity in Business Leadership. She began her career in the Dominican Republic, where she taught English and focused on women and youth development at a community development organization. Ms. Walsh holds a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a B.A. in Psychology from Colgate University (High Honors, Phi Beta Kappa). Outside of work, she is an Adjunct Professor in American University’s Kogod School of Business MBA program.
Masoomeh Khandan – Secretary
Masoomeh Khandan is a visionary leader and Founder/CEO of Mx3P who fearlessly tackles unique and complex problems with innovative solutions on a global scale. Her impressive experience in research, innovation, and leadership has made significant contributions to the development sector and the future of the labor market and businesses in the US and world. Masoomeh is actively involved in helping governments in the growth of entrepreneurship, small businesses, and employment, while also working on tax systems at the DC Government and World Bank.
She is a triple graduate degree holder from prestigious institutions such as Harvard Kennedy School, Georgetown University, and Sharif University of Technology.
Aside from her professional achievements, Masoomeh is an avid sports enthusiast, having played professionally in various sports.
Jenny Jao - Treasurer
Jenny Jao is a corporate finance leader with experience spanning high growth venture-backed startups to public technology companies. Her previous positions include Director of Finance at BlackLine Inc. (Nasdaq:BL) where she led go-to-market finance supporting sales, marketing, and customer success and Head of Finance & Operations at Sprig Technologies where she oversaw finance, accounting, people operations, and recruiting. Her career began in investment banking at Morgan Stanley.
Jenny holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in Business Administration (magna cum laude) from USC. Active in her community, she also serves on the board of Deuce Community, a non-profit supporting system-impacted individuals, and volunteers as a dog foster with local rescue organizations. An outdoor enthusiast, Jenny enjoys trail running, skiing, surfing and cycling.
Fundraising Chair position is now open.
Judith Ravin - Communications Chair
Following a twenty-year career in diplomacy for the U.S. Department of State, Judith shifted to the development sector and is currently an international volunteer focusing on innovative education at Fundación I. Patiño, Bolivia. Prior, as a two-year Fellow with DREAM Project (Dominican Republic), she served vulnerable populations in the Dominican Republic through human rights and documentation, advancing the fundamental human right to a legal identitym and at-risk youth development and leadership. Judith is the Strategic Partnerships Advisor for Mausum Mahool Protection Foundation, a Pakistani civil-society organization focused on climate adaptation. Within the mosaic of an unconventional career path toward strategic communications, her beginnings draw from many years in publishing, translation, and journalism in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
Judith holds a MA in Romance Languages and Literatures (Harvard University) and BA in Spanish (Brandeis University) plus study in Spain and France. She is fluent in Spanish and French. Her most recent published works are Peru After Chamba and Ballet in the Cane Fields.
Amelia E. Thompson - Partnerships Chair
Amelia E. Thompson is a social impact strategist. For more than 15 years, Amelia has provided strategy, fundraising, policy development, program design, project management, and leadership development support to governmental leaders, social entrepreneurs, and faith-based leaders, among others. She completed studies at Vassar College and graduate studies at St. John’s University and Harvard University. She co-founded a social impact organization and has consulted independently for Google, UNESCO, and Harvard University. Additionally, she has convened conversations at the United Nations and Harvard University to raise awareness and mobilize action toward advancing equity for women and girls globally. She is currently a Senior Technical Advisor at Catholic Relief Services, an international development organization working in more than 100 countries around the world.
Fer Ghanaa Ansari - Membership C0-Chair (Database)
Fer Ghanaa Ansari is a lawyer with more than six years of experience in international law and human rights advocacy. She is currently the Senior Officer for International Advocacy at Musawah, the global movement for equality in family laws and practices, where she leads engagement with UN mechanisms, coordinates submissions to UN human rights mechanisms for countries in Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Asia, and represents Musawah at various global forums. She has previously worked with international law think tanks and non-profit organizations in collaboration with UN agencies and the Pakistan government in research, advocacy, policy and project implementation in areas including criminal justice, technology and human rights, women's rights, law of armed conflict, countering the financing of terrorism. She holds an LL.M. from Harvard Law School, where she studied as a Fulbright scholar.
Lisa Parvin – Membership Co-Chair (Membership Engagement)
Lisa Parvin is a global health professional who is working tirelessly to create equitable access to quality healthcare for vulnerable populations. Her work focuses on leveraging diverse partnerships and community engagements to improve healthcare access for the immigrants, refugee and migrant populations. She has worked in academia, government, and non-profit organizations. She was a Global Scholar at the Harvard Medical School Center for Global Health Delivery–Dubai in 2018. She graduated from Harvard Medical School in 2019 with a Master in Medical Sciences in Global Health Delivery.
Ms. Parvin is an advocate for women’s empowerment and health equity for women and children. She is the founder of Mothers for Global Health－a global network of mothers and their allies working in global health. In addition to being the Co-Fundraising Chair of Harvard Women in Defense, Diplomacy, and Development (Harvard W3D), she also serves as the Vancouver and Los Angeles Co-Chapter Lead. In her free time, she likes to sing songs, dance and explore new places with her daughter.
Nana Karikari - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Chair
Nana Karikari is a journalist with more than ten years of experience shaping narratives in the cable news industry. Her impactful storytelling has earned her multiple accolades, including Emmy nominations for her contributions to CNN's coverage of the 2013 War in Syria and the 2013 Israel-Gaza conflict. As a Peabody Award recipient, Karikari was recognized for her work on CNN's reporting of the Arab Spring (2011), the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (2010), and the 2008 U.S. Presidential Primary Campaigns and Debates.
Nana holds a B.A. in Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Mass Media from Temple University, and has completed a leadership certification program at Harvard University.
Kelly Rappuchi - Research Chair
Kelly Rappuchi is a global leadership development specialist. She specializes in designing innovative learning experiences to expand the human skills required for the future. Kelly has implemented programs in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East.
Her career began in human rights where she helped distribute the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to 15 countries in their native languages. In 2014, she co-founded CIRCLE, a women’s leadership initiative focused on empowering women in Pakistan. She researches and facilitates sessions on the DNA of women’s leadership.
Kelly received an Ed.M. from Harvard where she was an editor for two of Harvard’s presidents and for Leadership On the Line by Heifetz and Linsky. She was also a teaching fellow at two of the graduate schools.