Our Team

Laura McKechnie

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Principal Consultant

Laura has had 20 years of experience in management and strategy as well as program management and engagement with civil society, funders and key stakeholders. She also has proven experience in partnership building, strategic initiatives, and capacity building. Laura’s regional focus has been in Latin America and Asia, where she lived for ten years in Ecuador, Vietnam and Paraguay.

Kellie Burk

Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Partnerships Director

Kellie brings over two decades of international development experience focused on the management of programs and research and the development of policies and strategies. Kellie is a technical expert in the areas of advancing good governance, civil society, and human rights, with a regional focus on sub-Saharan Africa, where she first worked in international banking.

Our Impact

Eileen Lawless

Chief of Programs and Engagement (CPE)

Eileen is a senior international and community development leader who has spent more than 20 years advancing democracy, human rights, and governance across the Middle East and North Africa, Southern Africa, East Timor, and Azerbaijan. She is also a skilled facilitator and coalition builder who has developed and led global networks and communities of practice.

“I am 100,000 % likely to recommend this workshop to a colleague or peer organization"

~American University, April 2026

Erin McCarthy

Chief Technical Officer (CTO)

Erin is a senior U.S. Government expert with 16+ years of experience in strategic leadership, democratic development and policy development. Erin is a trusted advisor on democratic and civil society development, known for designing and managing multilateral, high impact initiatives as well as mobilizing private foundations and congressional support in the Europe and Eurasia region.