Economic Empowerment of Women and Girls
The premise that women and girls are an essential element in maximizing inclusive and sustainable growth in developing economies is now widely accepted. The panel will explore the underlying data that supports this premise, and the best practices that are evolving to ensure girls stay in school, join the workforce, are able to manage contributions to the economy with family obligations, and the challenges that remain to ensuring women and girls fulfill their potential to contribute to the economy and society.
Featuring: 
Ms. Lona Stoll serves as a Deputy Vice President for Sector Operations in the Department of Compact Operations at Millenium Challenge Corporation. Prior to MCC, Ms. Stoll served as acting Deputy Executive Director of the U.S. Global Development Lab at USAID as well as Director of the Center for Global Solutions in the Lab. Previously, Ms. Stoll was acting Deputy Coordinator for Development for Feed the Future at USAID; Senior Adviser on global food security for Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack; and Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service. Ms. Stoll also served as a foreign affairs officer at the U.S. Department of State leading interagency teams in Georgia and Haiti. She served in the U.S. Embassy as the planning coordinator in Kosovo and led the civilian strategy in Afghanistan. Ms. Stoll also served on the U.S. Central Command's Assessment Team, was a research associate at the National Defense University, and worked in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Ms. Stoll holds a B.A. in economics and political science from the University of Michigan and a M.A. in international affairs from Columbia University.
Ms. Carol Jenkins is the president of World Learning's global development and exchange programs. Before becoming president, she headed World Learning’s International Development and Exchange and worked on business and program development for World Vision in East Africa. Ms. Jenkins was director of program development for International Medical Corps, where she managed a team of technical business development professionals to improve the quality of field programs and expand the coverage to project recipients. She also previously spent 12 years working for World Vision in humanitarian relief aid, including a period during which she was posted in Southern Africa. Ms. Jenkins has a bachelor's degree in political science from Messiah College in Pennsylvania and was a fellow at the Luskin School of Public Affairs at University of California.
Ms. Charito Kruvant is President and co-founder of Creative Associates International. Prior to Creative, Charito was a designer of the Advisory and Learning Exchange in Washington D.C. bilingual and disabled learning programs. Charito is the chair of the Board of Trustees of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region and serves as on the Board of Directors of Acacia Federal Savings Bank and Calvert Funds, the board of the Summit Fund of Washington, and the grants committee of the Venture Philanthropy Partners. Ms. Kruvant is a member of the Economic Club of Washington D.C. and the Executive Committee of the Federal City Council and a former chair of the Advisory Council of the U.S. Small Business Administration. She founded development centers for bilingual education in several Central and Latin American countries and received the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area’s Perdita Huston Human Rights Award. Ms. Kruvant received an M.A. in early childhood development from the University of Maryland in College Park and a B.A. from Colegio Ward in Argentina.
Mr. Patrick Fine served as the Vice President for Compact Operations at the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), where he helped to shape nontraditional approaches to U.S. bilateral assistance through his oversight of large-scale investment partnerships with 24 countries. He now holds the position of Chief Executive Officer of FHI 360. From 2006 to 2010, he was Senior Vice President of the Global Learning Group at the Academy for Educational Development (AED). As a career member of the Foreign Service at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Mr. Fine served as the Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Africa Bureau and Mission Director in Afghanistan, where he led the rapid expansion of U.S. assistance for reconstruction and development. Mr. Fine began his career in international development as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Swaziland. He currently serves as a member of the Center for Strategic and International Studies Task Force on Women’s and Family Health. He has a M.E.D from the University of Massachusetts and a Bachelor of Science in Social Studies from Missouri State.
Ambassador Robin Raphel is an expert in political, security and economic development issues in South Asia and the Middle East. As a career Foreign Service Officer, she served nearly 40 years in U.S. foreign affairs agencies, including the Department of State, USAID, and DoD. She was the first Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Ambassador to Tunisia, Vice President of the National Defense University, and Deputy Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. She managed the sharp increase of development assistance to Pakistan under the late Ambassador Holbrooke, and deployed to Iraq with the first civilian contingent after the 2003 invasion to help restore the critical food ration system throughout the country. Earlier in her career she served in Pakistan, India, South Africa and the UK, and taught history at Damavand Women’s College in Iran. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and a member of the Board of the Association of Diplomatic Studies and Training. Ambassador Raphel holds a BA degree in history and economics from the University of Washington, and Master's degrees in Economics from the University of Maryland, and Modern European History from Cambridge University in the UK.