Ann Koontz
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Ann Koontz has three decades of experience working with NGO’s and the private sector both in the United States and abroad. She has worked in more than 40 countries.
Ann began her overseas development work in the health and education sectors while living in Paraguay and the Philippines. After working on land tenure issues with indigenous people, Ann came to specialize in environmentally responsible business development, designed to reduce poverty and improve overall sector sustainability and efficiency.
She has worked in the development field in a wide range of sectors including agriculture, forestry, light industry, handicrafts and furniture, tree crops, personal care, energy, water, and ecosystem services products. She has worked with producers and businesses in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Her extensive experience in organizational strengthening and training for local organizations and producer groups encompasses a broad range of areas including enterprise-based biodiversity conservation, market analysis, and negotiation between the public and private sectors, as well as certification, monitoring and evaluation.
Ann has a BA from Stanford University in International Relations and an MBA from George Washington University.
Martin Clemmey
Chief Financial Officer
Martin joined Relief International as Chief Financial Officer in August 2020. He has worked in the not-for-profit
Andy Pugh
Senior Vice President for International Programs; Interim Regional Director, Asia
Andy Pugh joined Relief International as Senior Vice President for International Programs in April 2017. Andy brings
Jamie Jones
Vice President, Program Development
Jamie Jones leads Relief International’s Program Development Department, working with global and country-based
Lanre Amao
Vice President, Risk Management and Assurance
Lanre joined Relief International in August 2018. As Vice President for Risk Management and Assurance, he brings to
Joan Coyle
Interim HR Director
Joan is currently interim HR Director for Relief International. She joined RI in January 2019 as Global HR Director,
Courtney Lobel
Senior Director, Development and Communications
Courtney joins Relief International after 4+ years as Director of Private Sector Initiatives at the International
Kay Ali
Interim Deputy Director, Development and Communications
Kay joined Relief International in 2020 as Interim Deputy Director for Development and Communications based in the
Valerie Rowles
Regional Director, Middle East
Valerie became Relief International’s Regional Director for the Middle East in October 2020 after serving in
Azadeh Hassani
Interim Regional Director, Africa
Azadeh Hassani is is Interim Regional Director for Africa, based in France. Prior to assuming this role, she served
Lara Kalwinski
General Counsel
Lara Kalwinski joined Relief International in October 2019 as General Counsel. She brings more than a decade of
Matthew Cruse
Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Director
Matthew is Relief International’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (ME&L) Technical Director, joining RI in
Veronique Ringot
Education & Gender Global Director
Veronique joined Relief International in July 2019 to oversee the organization’s education portfolio. With a strong
Melanie Kempster
Global Health and Nutrition Director
Melanie Kempster is Relief International’s Global Health and Nutrition Director. With over 15 years of experience
Jill Lauren Hass
Water and Sanitation (WASH) Technical Director
Jill Lauren Hass, P.Eng., M.Eng., LEED AP® joined Relief International in March 2019 as Water & Sanitation