Ms. Arakelian has over a decade of experience in international development, with a particular focus on health and nutrition. She brings skills in program development, research and analysis, and the creation of robust deliverables for clients. At Vital Wave, she has been leading community management activities for the Digital Solutions for Malaria Elimination Community of Practice. She has also contributed to in-depth research on Zimbabwe’s health information system (HIS), with particular focus on EHRs, as well as on data tools to support entomological surveillance. Previous to Vital Wave, she managed a digital health project targeting malnutrition in Timor-Leste. She was a Fulbright Public Policy Fellow in Timor-Leste where she supported the Ministry of Health’s implementation of DHIS2. Her work has included policy analysis, stakeholder mapping, and assessments of monitoring and evaluation processes for the World Food Programme.

Pierre Dane is a health technologist with a background in software development and database engineering. He began his IT career working in data warehousing at one of South Africa’s largest hospital groups, and spent ten years working in London across a number of sectors, including insurance, digital music, social networking and online advertising. His time at MySpace as Software Team Lead and at Struq as Director of Data Science gave him experience in working at massive scale, building low-latency systems dealing with billions of transactions a day. Upon returning to South Africa, Mr. Dane found his way to Jembi Health Systems, where he developed a keen interest in public health and health information systems. As Software Development Manager and Director of Technology at Jembi, Mr. Dane worked across many functions, encompassing software and database engineering, solutions architecture and program and grant management. He is also deeply involved in the DHIS2 Experts community and OpenHIE, and is currently completing his MPH in Epidemiology at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Leah Gatt brings years of experience in research, analysis, and on-the-ground implementation, particularly in digital financial services. At Vital Wave, Ms. Gatt supports the development of policies and best practices across projects; provides stakeholder management with MNOs, technology providers, the private sector, NGOs and donors; and, supports partners in developing the appropriate technical, operational, and financial internal policies in response to organizational change.

She has served in research, analysis, and on-the-ground management capacities for projects in Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda, and Kenya. For example, she has played a critical role in the “Better Than Cash” program in Uganda. Throughout this engagement, Ms. Gatt managed the Uganda country team, vetted local project participants, worked directly with aggregators and mobile network operators on processes and pricing, created useful tools for stakeholders, and documented practices. Her efforts facilitated the transition to digital payments and provided greater transparency and efficiency. Prior to joining Vital Wave, she worked with the European Commission’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Ms. Gatt also conducted research with Lagos State Government with high-level state officials and taxpayers, where she advised the government on issues of taxation and legislation.

Ms. Gatt holds a Master’s in African Studies from the University of Oxford, and a Master’s in International Relations and Economic Diplomacy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.  She has an undergraduate degree from the University of Malta, and speaks Maltese and French.

Joshua Greene comes to Vital Wave with extensive experience in Information Technology Consulting, working with the US Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service, and an international cyber security vendor. As a federal consultant, Joshua directed testing phases for software deployments and database management for deployments at DOL and conducted solutions architecture reviews for the IRS and conducted procurement analysis for IRS. While working with one of largest commercial providers of cyber security products in the world, Joshua directed sprint planning and deployments for new organizational IT infrastructure. At Vital Wave, Joshua is providing technical expertise to lead initiatives for the development and use of ICT in low-resource settings. He brings extensive experience in business and data analytics to provide key insights that drive innovation and lead to informed decisions across multiple areas of need. Joshua has performed key client duties for nearly a decade, providing insight, analysis, expertise, and guidance to answer stakeholder needs. Joshua received his BA from North Carolina Central University and his MBA from William & Mary. In addition to his degrees, Joshua has achieved the CompTIA Security+ certification as well as the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification.

Ms. Grubin’s work has focused on the appropriate application and use of technology across low- and middle-income countries, with an emphasis on sustainable impact. She regularly leads clients and key stakeholders through the strategy and design process, which has led to the creation of new programs and initiatives, such as catalytic funding mechanisms, or the design and implementation of specific digital solutions. Her projects have spanned industries such as health and financial services as well as topics including data use, interoperability, and artificial intelligence. Her portfolio includes Latin America, West, East and Southern Africa, and Asia.

Ms. Grubin brings a keen eye for detail and talent for combining tactical and strategic management throughout each engagement. Her proactive approach ensures that day-to-day activities consistently align with the overall project vision and goals. In addition, her programmatic background and technology neutral perspective results in practical and actionable solutions for partners, national governments, and private-sector clients. Most importantly, Ms. Grubin’s work is focused on incorporating a variety of inputs while building consensus across multi-stakeholder engagements.

Prior to Vital Wave, Ms. Grubin served as project manager for international development NGOs (Impact Carbon) and management consulting firms (ICF International). She holds a Master’s in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University.

Kathy Johnson joined Vital Wave in 2008 as the Business Operations Manager. She is responsible for the development and execution of all business operational functions including finance and accounting, human resources, contracts, operational processes, and IT systems and equipment.

Ms. Johnson brings to Vital Wave extensive experience in business operations and program management. In 13 years at Intel Corporation, she developed and managed a robust set of business indicators for North and Latin America, enabling management to view day-to-day operations, analyze business trends, allocate resources, and identify potential problems. In addition, she served as the operations manager for workshops that introduced new platforms to select customers throughout the Americas. These experiences fostered in Ms. Johnson excellent organization skills and a thorough, detail-oriented approach that benefits all Vital Wave clients and employees.

Ms. Johnson graduated from the University of Phoenix in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

Radhika Kapur brings more than 20 years of experience in financial management, audits, HR management, and other vital operations-related functions.  In her career, she has worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers as an auditor and as Controller and Head of Finance for a variety of start-ups, professional services firms, and most recently a venture capital company. Ms. Kapur has a BBA in Accounting from Pace University.

Amy Paul brings over a decade of experience in global health and development. Her expertise spans emerging technologies, global health, interdisciplinary research, systems thinking, and applied bioethics. At Vital Wave she employs a unique perspective that combines technical and analytic skills with programmatic knowledge, the practicalities of on-the-ground implementation, and experience in donor investments. This enables her to build productive relationships and drive client projects across strategy and implementation in a successful and sustainable manner.

Ms. Paul joins Vital Wave from USAID where she worked in several roles, most recently as an Emerging Technology Advisor in the Innovation, Technology, and Research Hub. In this role, she advised on the implications, application, and responsible use of emerging technology in development. With a focus on technologies including machine learning, artificial intelligence, and digital identity systems, she engaged in research to understand the social, economic, political, and ethical aspects of how people interact with technology. Working collaboratively with colleagues both inside and outside the Agency, she developed tools and resources to support responsible engagement with these technologies in the development community. Ms. Paul also supported the roll out and implementation of USAID’s Digital Strategy. Prior to that, at the USAID Global Health Bureau, Ms. Paul worked at the Office of HIV/AIDS where she partnered across offices and field teams to develop and implement strategies to strengthen local health system capacity and the role of local partners in USAID’s work.

Ms. Paul holds a Ph.D. Health Policy and Management from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, as well as an M.P.H. in Public Health Genetics and B.S. in Biology from the University of Washington.

A founder and key contributor to all aspects of Vital Wave’s business, Julie Pohlig brings creativity and experience to project conceptualization, analysis, and presentation. Ms. Pohlig applies a diverse set of methodologies, resources, and story-telling tools to help clients solve problems. Julie often codifies company methodologies and supports project teams with the creation of model deliverables, data synthesis, and the articulation of actionable strategies. Ms. Pohlig also supports corporate strategy and is responsible for elevating Vital Wave’s profile to diverse audiences. Earlier, in the roles of lead analyst and project architect, she designed project engagements and conducted novel, insightful market analyses, sizing and segmentation studies, business systems analyses, primary research, and business cases.

Ms. Pohlig is also a primary force behind Vital Wave’s position as a thought leader in topics such as mServices business models, cross-sector technology applications, and the use of mobile devices by women in emerging markets. She has played a key role in the production of many of the company’s high-profile reports, including “Sustainable Financing for mHealth” and “Women and Mobile: A Global Opportunity.”

Ms. Pohlig holds a Master’s degree in Pacific International Affairs from the University of California, San Diego and undergraduate degrees in Journalism and East Asian Studies from the University of Missouri. She is based in Costa Rica and has lived and worked in Japan and throughout Central America.

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Will Radecki is a founding member of the company. He brings to Vital Wave over fifteen years of field and academic experience in a diverse range of emerging-market countries and market segments.

First-hand experience gives Mr. Radecki a solid working knowledge of the non-profit and public sectors, particularly in education. As part of the Estonian Ministry of Education, he evaluated and delivered large-scale foreign aid projects that facilitated the post-Soviet transition to a market economy. Mr. Radecki has also delivered IT training in Dubai , and managed successful development projects in Botswana and Madagascar . Living and working in developing countries lends Mr. Radecki essential and unique insight to his research and writing on emerging markets. As part of Hewlett-Packard’s Emerging Market Solutions organization, Mr. Radecki documented technology development initiatives through white papers, case studies, solution descriptions, press releases, articles and websites.

Mr. Radecki holds a Master’s degree in TESOL and a Certificate in Language Program Administration from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. His undergraduate degree in English was awarded by the University of California , Santa Barbara.

Linnea Stanhope brings a unique combination of corporate, public health, and international development expertise. Her experience encompasses project management, market analytics, business systems, and entrepreneurship. This includes synthesizing multiple country business processes and systems into a single shared-resource environment. This is supported by her ability to build key relationships at varying levels across different geographies. For instance, she shaped Oracle’s global support contract management process and implementation across 97 Oracle subsidiaries. Her international development and global public health experience has focused on women’s access to healthcare. Most recently at Vital Wave, she led a multi-country study on market analytics to better understand the role of the private sector in digital health.

Derek Treatman is an engineer and recognized leader in the digital development field with a particular focus on digital health. His work in complex, resource-poor settings has focused on applying readily available technologies to meet local needs and strengthening national systems. Mr. Treatman brings extensive experience leading multi-partner, multi-country digital initiatives that have resulted in dozens of implementations across the globe. He regularly supports governments and development partners through research and strategy creation, software design and development, and implementation. Most importantly, he ensures that user needs are met through novel, appropriate technologies in a realistic and sustainable manner.

Mr. Treatman’s recent work has focused on the design, development, and implementation of digital solutions for health system management, disease surveillance, and healthcare service delivery. He actively manages the entire solution lifecycle and productization process. This includes establishing transparency and active communication across programmatic and technology-specific partners, resulting in a clear understanding of the value, benefits, and limitations of a solution. Mr. Treatman is an active member of the digital development community as an OpenHIE board member and manager of the Digital Solutions for Malaria Elimination Community of Practice. This contributes to his ability to continually identify synergistic opportunities between partners and countries.

Prior to Vital Wave, as field director for Dimagi in India, Mr. Treatman implemented over a dozen mobile service pilots to support community health workers, pioneering a process for rapid localization of health information technology. He holds a Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech and a Mastère Professionnel in Electrical Engineering from l’Ecole Supérieure d’Electricité in Metz, France.

Ms. Watson is a South African-based analyst with a passion for using service design thinking to find solutions to complex problems. Ms. Watson uses this approach to create and develop digital health services for governments, NGOs and social impact organizations. She bring years of experience in designing digital solutions to improve information sharing and access to data, including national scale maternal health messaging platforms in South Africa, Uganda, and Nigeria. Ms. Watson applies her training to ensure user needs are well represented in the design process, and that interventions meet the needs, as well as capabilities, of end users. She has extensive experience in stakeholder management, as well as successful collaboration with cross-functional teams. Most recently, Ms. Watson managed a digital health project focused on the centralization and use of patient data, as well as contributed to the design, testing, and implementation of a Common Data Dictionary for global malaria surveillance and elimination programs. She has also worked on the translation of artificial intelligence and machine learning into low-resource environments and mapped TB and HIV patient journeys to inform how digital tools can be designed to support a streamlined process.