Mercy Corps Welcomes Five New Board Directors

PORTLAND, OR — The global organization Mercy Corps is pleased to welcome five new board members to help oversee and guide the global organization’s strategic direction and overall activities. The five new directors bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and global vision to Mercy Corps’ Boards of Directors. Together Mercy Corps’ Global, Europe and Netherlands Boards ensure the nonprofit organization adheres to its charitable purposes and mission, guide major strategic decisions and policies, and provide accountability and proper management. 

Mercy Corps Global Board of Directors

Cecily Joseph serves as Chair of the Net Impact Board of Directors and Advisor, Initiative for Equity & Social Justice at the Presidio Graduate School. Cecily is the former Vice President of Corporate Responsibility at Symantec Corporation where she oversaw all environment, social and governance programs, and also led the Symantec Foundation. Cecily holds a J.D. from Tulane University Law School and received her B.A. from the University of Miami.

Kofi Taha is an equity-minded facilitator, community organizer, program administrator and fundraiser with over 20 years of professional experience. He served as the Associate Director of MIT D-Lab, has co-facilitated village-level technology design workshops in Uganda and Haiti, helped new enterprises commercialize social impact products in Ghana and Tanzania, provided support to local innovation centers in Brazil, Colombia, and India, and helped lead the International Development Innovation Network. He is currently a doctoral candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Mercy Corps Europe Board of Directors

Alexandra Mousavizadeh is a Partner at Tortoise Media, has 20 years’ experience in the ratings and index business and has worked extensively across the Middle East and Africa. Previously, she directed the expansion of the Legatum Institute’s flagship publication, The Prosperity Index. Prior roles include CEO of ARC Ratings, a global emerging markets based ratings agency, Sovereign Analyst for Moody’s covering Africa, and head of Country Risk Management, EMEA, Morgan Stanley. Alexandra holds a MA in Economics from the University of Copenhagen.

Mercy Corps Netherlands Board of Directors

Kito de Boer is a Dutch consultant, former senior McKinsey director and former diplomat, having served as Head of Mission of the Office of the Quartet from January 2015 to June 2017. The Quartet is a foursome of nations, international and supranational entities that mediates between Israelis and Palestinians. He joined McKinsey in London in 1985 before moving to New Delhi in 1993, and then Dubai in 1999. During his time with McKinsey, Kito led the Public Sector and Social Sector practices in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He was a leading member of the McKinsey Centre for Government.

Carin Beumer has over 30 years of professional experience, first as a banker and subsequently as a builder of businesses in the fields of consumer health, biotech and agtech, with a focus on developing novel solutions for significant global problems. She is an impact investor and board member of various Zaluvida Ventures investee companies as well as international aid organizations.