Development Gateway, An IREX Venture announces a new board chair & six new board members

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Nov 16, 2021, 10:30 ET

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Development Gateway, An IREX Venture is pleased to announce the appointment of a new chair of its Board of Directors, Aleksander Dardeli, and six new members of the Board: Dr. Jennifer Bangoura, Worku Gachou, George Kogolla, Dalen Todd, Dr. Hasan Tuluy, and Dr. Zainab Usman. The new chair and directors will provide strategic direction and guidance to Development Gateway's work supporting decision-makers around the world to better collect, visualize, and use data to inform planning, policy, and programming; furthering transparency and accountability.

Top row (right to left): Aleksander Dardeli, Dr. Jennifer Bangoura, Worku Gachou; Bottom row (right to left): George Kogolla, Dalen Todd, Dr. Hasan Tuluy, and Dr. Zainab Usman

"Data is becoming ever more essential to solving major problems our time and to effectively seizing opportunities. As we work to restore trust in public institutions, improve the performance of schools, or support youth in their quest for fulfilling pathways ahead of them, we are increasingly turning to healthy and ethical data for insights and innovative solutions. I am excited to chair Development Gateway's board of directors – all outstanding leaders and professionals – to put data where it must be: center stage."

– Aleksander Dardeli, Chair of the Board of Directors

Introducing the New Board Members

Aleksander Dardeli is executive vice president at IREX. He is responsible for ensuring that IREX effectively navigates market and geopolitical trends and successfully seizes business opportunities. He is also responsible for creating long-term value for IREX through innovation and partnerships, maximizing impact through learning, and effectively communicating the impact of IREX's work to beneficiaries and strategic stakeholders.

Dr. Jennifer Bangoura is the director of Career Innovation for Nexford University and a consultant for the Future of Learning Fund, an early-stage investment fund to invest in new and improved models of learning that prepare Africans for the future of work.

Worku Gachou is the vice president of Inclusive Impact & Sustainability at Visa, where he leads the company's efforts to drive inclusive and equitable economic growth in North America.

George Kogolla is the IREX representative in Kenya and East Africa, where he supports global new business efforts by expanding IREX's current portfolio of collaborative partnerships and programs designed and carried out with the support of non-US government donors.

Dalen Todd is senior director of Business Development at IREX. In this role, he oversees public and private fundraising efforts at IREX and is a member of the senior management team.

Dr. Hasan Tuluy is an economist with nearly four decades of experience in Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and Latin America. He is currently with the Centennial Group where he advises multilateral and bilateral development institutions, and countries on development strategy and on organizational design issues.

Dr. Zainab Usman is a senior fellow and director of the Africa Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. Her fields of expertise include institutions, economic policy, energy policy, and emerging economies in Africa.

The Board changes are part of Development Gateway and IREX's new strategic partnership.

Complete bios for the new board members can be found on Development Gateway's blog here and a complete list of Board Members can be found on the Development Gateway website here.