Maha Abusamra is a consultant/trainer with over 20 years of experience in gender and programme management. She applied the Positive Deviance approach in the areas of gender equality in the Middle East and is one of the founders of the Palestine UN Gender Innovation Lab. She worked with UNDP, UNRWA and Catholic Relief Services on Gender, Governance, Social Development programmes, as well as in the private sector.
Djibril Cissé: Consultant, Program Manager
Dr. Cissé holds a PhD in Food and Nutrition, and brings over 15-years of professional experience in coordinating and managing health and nutrition programs. He was responsible for the conception and implementation of nutrition activities including support to the Food, Nutrition and Child Survival Division (DANSE) of the Ministry of Health in Senegal and played a key role in promoting the PD/hearth model approach in Senegal.
Lucia Dura: Academic and Consultant
Lucia Dura is an academic and consultant with areas of expertise in qualitative methods and evaluation with the positive deviance approach. She has prior experience implementing positive deviance in the areas of vulnerable populations, education, healthcare, and most recently, correctional prison populations. She has worked in many countries, including the United States, Uganda, and Indonesia.
Masamine Jimba: Academic, University of Tokyo
Siaka Konate: Consultant
Siaka Konate is an independent consultant on the use of the Positive Deviance approach in West Africa. Born and raised in Mali, Siaka has worked for Save the Children US and trained numerous organizations on the use of the approach to combat childhood malnutrition and scaled his approach to over 387 communities around Africa.
F. James Levinson: Professor, Tufts University
Debora Niyeha: Nutritionist
Debora Niyeha is a Resident Advisor working with Institute for International Programs at Johns Hopkins University coordinating National Evaluation Platform in Tanzania with over 12 years of experience in PDH programming. She played a key role in establishing PDH programing at World Vision and Aga Khan Foundation both in Tanzania and Uganda. She continues to be PDH champion and provide support to other institutions across East Africa Region.
Dr. Patricia A Omidian: Director, Focusing Initiatives International
Dr. Patricia A Omidian has over 20 years of experience using the Positive Deviance approach in psychosocial support, community wellness, and disaster/post-conflict. She has worked in West Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East for organizations such as Focusing Initiatives, Aga Khan University, UNICEF, WHO, Save The Children, and The IRC.
Koichiro Watanabe: Consultant
Randa Wilkinson: Consultant and Academic, Tufts University
Randa Wilkinson has worked with the Positive Deviance Initiative in many capacities and has used her experties in facilitating the Positive Deviance approach in diverse organizations and sectors. Randa has over fifteen years of experience in PD in nutrition, healthcare, education and emergency relief. She has worked in the United States, Western and Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.