Our People
Table of Contents
Office of the CEO
CEO
Elie Hassenfeld | Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (President). Elie sets the strategy and oversees the work of GiveWell, with a particular emphasis on leading GiveWell's research. He previously worked in the hedge fund industry, which he left to co-found GiveWell in 2007. He has a B.A. in religion from Columbia University. He enjoys taking up (and mostly failing at) new athletic pursuits and spending time with his wife and young children.
Chief of Staff
Paige Henchen | Chief of Staff. Paige supports strategic projects for GiveWell's CEO. Before joining GiveWell, Paige worked in management consulting and philanthropy. She holds a B.A. in Economics from Yale University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Outside of work, Paige enjoys spending time with her family and exploring the Bay Area.
Operations
People
Araceli Steger | Head of People. Araceli oversees GiveWell’s HR/People function. Prior to GiveWell, Araceli worked in tech, education, and college sports. She holds a B.A. in international relations and M.A. in Latin American studies from Stanford University, an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business, and an M.A. in education from Stanford Graduate School of Education. In her spare time, she can be found spending time with her family, often on walks outdoors.
Breezy Zins | Operations Specialist. Breezy focuses on HR and administrative functions. She previously worked in program administration and higher education. Breezy holds an M.A. in nonprofit management from Northeastern University and a B.A. in writing, literature, and publishing from Emerson College. In her free time, she enjoys playing board games, hiking with her dog, and taking on new craft and DIY projects.
Caira Ortiz | Operations Assistant. Caira supports facilities, social cohesion engagement, and procurement. Prior to GiveWell, she worked in the Bay Area arts education nonprofit and healthcare startup sectors. They hold a double B.A. in business administration and Japanese from the University of Puget Sound. Outside of work, Caira enjoys hiking local trails and embroidery.
Calum Richards | Talent Acquisition Specialist. Calum manages full-cycle hiring rounds and works on improving GiveWell's recruiting function. Before GiveWell, he taught precalculus at a public charter school in Memphis, Tennessee. Calum holds an M.Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in finance and accounting. In his spare time, he enjoys rock climbing, reading blogs, writing, and making new emojis for the GiveWell Slack.
Maddie Schoonover | Manager, Talent Acquisition. Maddie oversees GiveWell’s talent acquisition and hiring programs. Prior to joining GiveWell, Maddie worked in the tech sector and staffing industry. Maddie holds a B.F.A. in Art, Media, & Design from DePaul University. Outside of work, Maddie is usually oil painting, cooking, gardening, or participating in anything that brings out her competitive side.
Finance
Boston Nyer | Head of Business Operations. Boston co-leads GiveWell’s Operations function. For more than a decade, Boston has built, scaled, and/or co-founded impact-oriented organizations, including BURN (household energy), Juniper Ventures (AI safety venture fund), Momentum (philanthropic fundraising based on AI and behavioral science), and Equalize Health (global health). He holds a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering. In his free time, he can often be found spending time with his three-year-old son, Frankie, playing soccer, or helping high-impact causes.
Daisy Hao | Controller. Daisy coordinates the accounting and financial reporting functions at GiveWell. She holds a bachelor's in business administration and a master's in professional accounting from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to joining GiveWell in 2021, she worked as an audit manager at Ernst & Young. Daisy enjoys Texas barbecue and hiking in the woods with her chihuahua.
Laura Portko | Grants Associate. Laura manages the grantmaking process between approval and disbursement. Prior to GiveWell, she worked in fund development, community health, government, and education in the U.S. and abroad. Laura holds B.A.s in anthropology and professional writing from Michigan State University and an M.Sc in European Union government from the London School of Economics. In her spare time, she can be found climbing, recording slapdash Pixies covers, or trying to grow an even larger tomato.
Nancy Gee | Senior Accountant. Nancy supports the accounting and financial reporting functions at GiveWell. Prior to GiveWell, she worked at various tech companies in the Bay Area. She holds a B.A. in economics and a minor in accounting from the University of California, Irvine. She also holds a CPA license, currently inactive. Nancy enjoys hiking, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Technology
Devin Jacob | Data & Technology Project Manager. Devin manages GiveWell’s website and CRM infrastructure and supports our data needs. He previously has worked in a variety of areas including IT, used-book selling, commercial fishing, freelance web development, and teaching history to college students. He is a certified Salesforce systems administrator and holds a B.A. in history from UC Berkeley and an M.A. in history from NYU, where he spent five years in a Ph.D. program but left without completing a dissertation on banishment and exile in the early British Empire. He spends a lot of time hanging out with his two cats, cooking, and reading.
Kaymin Martin-Burnett | Project Manager. Kaymin coordinates a diverse range of software and technology projects that support GiveWell's operations. His background spans various industries and roles, from design at health-tech startups to data science at an electric vehicle producer. Kaymin has a B.S. from Minerva University in Computer Science and Operations Management. In his spare time, Kaymin loves experimenting with vegan recipes, going on spontaneous travel, and watching How It’s Made.
Kelly Kopish | Data & Technology Project Manager. Kelly supports Givewell's data and technology infrastructure. She is a 4x certified Salesforce Admin and has niche experience in nonprofit technology processes, stemming from previous roles managing data and tech for the Marfan Foundation and the Epilepsy Foundation. She holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. When not working, you can often find her playing with her goats and chickens on her hobby farm in rural Wisconsin.
Nicole Bouchard | Head of Technology. Nicole is responsible for the Technology team at GiveWell. Before joining GiveWell, Nicole spent nine years leading the Technology & Product team at Crozier—a top provider of logistics services to the fine art industry—through a period of significant growth. Prior to that, Nicole built and managed a team of logistics professionals, and directly supported client projects for art museums, dealers, and private collectors. She holds a B.A. from Brandeis University in History of Art and French Literature, and a M.B.A. from NYU Stern School of Business. Outside of work you’ll find her on adventures with her family, cycling, or tending to her native pollinator garden.
Outreach
Philanthropy
Carley Moor | Philanthropy Associate. Carley communicates with donors about GiveWell's mission, research, and giving options. Before joining GiveWell, she worked in higher education with a focus on student success and engagement. Carley earned a B.A. in business administration from Drake University and M.A. and Ed.D. degrees in educational leadership from the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. In her free time, she enjoys reading nonfiction, watching reality television, and spending time with friends and family.
Charlotte Fisken | Philanthropy Associate. Charlotte communicates with donors about GiveWell's mission, research, and giving options. She previously worked in education and sports management. She holds a B.A. in international relations from Pomona College and an M.Ed. in education from Johns Hopkins University. She loves playing sports and games, reading, and exploring with people and dogs.
Erin Wolff | Philanthropy Associate. Erin communicates with donors about GiveWell's mission, research, and giving options. Erin previously worked at an insurance and benefits brokerage. She holds a B.A. in psychology from UC Berkeley. She loves costume parties and is a big fan of Frida Kahlo.
Lauren Imholte | Philanthropy Advisor. Lauren advises donors on how to achieve their philanthropic goals. Prior to GiveWell, Lauren designed programs and strategic plans for local governments. She holds a B.A. from the University of Connecticut and received an M.P.A. focusing on non-profits and regional sustainability from Clemson University. While not working, Lauren can often be found gardening, cooking, and trying to become a better pickleball player.
Lisa McCandless | Head of Philanthropy. Lisa leads our fundraising team. She brings nearly two decades of experience building and leading social impact organizations working in Africa. Before joining GiveWell, she was Executive Director of Living Goods, overseeing fundraising, communications, and advocacy. Under her leadership, Living Goods grew annual revenue tenfold to up to $30 million annually and increased the external affairs team from one person to 20+ people across four countries. Prior to Living Goods, Lisa was a director at Chemonics International, leading strategy and proposal development for large-scale development projects in Africa. She holds a B.A. in International Development from UCLA. Lisa enjoys traveling and getting outdoors.
Maggie Lloydhauser | Philanthropy Advisor. Maggie advises donors on how to achieve their philanthropic goals. Prior to GiveWell, she worked in education and civil rights advocacy. She holds a B.A. in religion from Carleton College. Maggie spends her time outside of work on personal writing projects and connecting with her robust hometown community.
Margaret Ruth Croft | Philanthropy Associate. Margaret communicates with donors about GiveWell's mission, research, and giving options. She previously worked in software, yoga, and education. She holds a B.A. from Hampshire College and an M.A. from New York University. Some of Margaret's favorite things to do outside of work include going to the beach, spending time with friends old and new, and meditating.
Sakina K. Badamasuiy | Philanthropy Advisor. Sakina advises donors on how to achieve their philanthropic goals. Prior to this, she managed complex assets for Harvard University's $50 billion endowment. She holds a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and an M.Sc. in International Political Economy and a B.Sc. in Government and Economics from the London School of Economics. When she’s not working, you can find her writing plays, exploring museums, or auditioning to be a Manchester United fan.
Stephanie Stojanovic | Director of Development. Steph leads GiveWell's outreach team. Prior to GiveWell, she worked in development for arts and education nonprofits. She holds a B.A from the University of Technology Sydney and an LL.B. from the University of Sydney. When she's not working, you can find her at the park with her fairly well-mannered human baby and not-so-well-mannered dog baby.
Development Operations
Debbie Kim | Development Operations Associate. Debbie fields donor inquiries, helps with data entry and donation processing, and corresponds with top charity representatives. Before GiveWell, she worked as a Development Analyst at the Obama Foundation and has a background in curatorial research. She holds B.A. in Art History and Archaeology with a focus on Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University. Outside of work, Debbie enjoys going to museums, practicing yoga, and cooking Korean food.
Jenna Shelby-Glick | Donor Relations Associate. Jenna fields donor inquiries, helps with data entry and donation processing, and corresponds with top charity representatives. Prior to GiveWell, she provided patient health care and education services in a Planned Parenthood clinic in Center City Philadelphia. She holds a B.A. in neuroscience and Hispanic literatures & cultures from Wesleyan University. Outside of work, Jenna enjoys working on puzzles, baking for her family, and meticulously and lovingly caring for her lemon tree.
Maddy Kolin | Donations Specialist. Maddy focuses on donation processing, data entry, and assisting with donor inquiries. Prior to GiveWell, she worked as a sales coordinator for an apparel company. She graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a B.S. in strategic communication with an emphasis in advertising and a minor in sociology. Outside of work, Maddy enjoys exercising, watching reality television, and hanging out with friends and family.
Meg Donelan | Donations Specialist. Meg focuses on donation processing, data entry, donor communications, and anything else she can get her hands on! Prior to GiveWell, Meg worked in the recruiting world as a coordinator for a biotechnology start-up. Meg holds a B.S. in Health Sciences from the University of Massachusetts. Outside of work, Meg enjoys traveling with her partner, trying new restaurants, and reading any good psychological thriller.
Tiffany Adjmul | Donor Relations Associate. Tiffany fields donor inquiries, helps with data entry and donation processing, and corresponds with top charity representatives. Before GiveWell, she worked as a Capital Raise and Investor Relations Associate at Artemis Real Estate Partners. She holds a B.S. in Economics with a focus on Strategic Management and Real Estate from the University of Pennsylvania. Outside of work, Tiffany can be found experimenting with healthy Caribbean recipes in the kitchen, binge watching more reality TV than she'd like to admit, and going for long walks.
Marketing and Communications
Chandler Brotak | Communications Specialist. Chandler works on GiveWell's external communications. Before GiveWell, she worked as the Individual Giving Manager at the Arts & Science Council in Charlotte, North Carolina. She holds a B.A. in Public Relations from the University of South Carolina (Go Gamecocks!). Outside of work, Chandler enjoys dancing, singing a cappella, traveling with her husband, and playing with her pup.
Jeremy Rehwaldt | Communications Specialist. Jeremy works on GiveWell's external communications. Prior to joining GiveWell, Jeremy held positions as a college professor, copy editor, community organizer, and grantwriter. He holds a B.A. from Macalester, M.T.S. from Harvard, and Ph.D. from Vanderbilt. When not working, Jeremy enjoys traveling with his son and his partner.
Tracy Williams | Senior Marketing Analyst. Tracy manages GiveWell's podcast advertising, website experiments, and other marketing projects. He previously worked on donor communications, operations, and hiring at GiveWell. He holds a B.A. in political science from Stanford University. Tracy watches a lot of movies and is also the reigning champion of his fantasy baseball league.
Research
Commons team
Annie Barnett | Research Analyst. Annie works as a Research Analyst on GiveWell's Commons team. Before joining GiveWell, Annie worked in tech and in operations. She holds a B.A. in computer science from Cornell University. Outside of work, Annie enjoys puzzles, poems about animals, and all kinds of fiber arts.
Brendan Phillips | Research Analyst. Brendan conducts thorough reviews of GiveWell’s work. Prior to GiveWell, he worked on U.S. federal pandemic preparedness and disaster response. He holds an M.P.H. in Biostatistics from the George Washington University and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Maryland. To unwind, Brendan enjoys weight lifting, reading economics and philosophy blogs, and eating spicy foods.
Gurmukh Singh | Research Analyst. Gurmukh makes GiveWell's research more transparent and accurate. Prior to GiveWell, he worked at a technology and economics focused consultancy where he supported multiple academic experts with preparing expert reports and testimony for litigation matters. He holds a B.A. in Mathematical Economics (with a focus on International Political Economy) from Pitzer College, working closely with his professors as a research assistant and course mentor. Gurmukh grew up in India, Romania, the Philippines, and Japan. Outside of work, he loves to experience different places and cultures that inform his creative personal projects.
Jack Shangraw | Research Analyst. Jack makes GiveWell's research more transparent and accurate. Prior to GiveWell, he worked for a global democracy and governance nonprofit and as a researcher studying tourism in Nepal. He holds a B.A. in international relations from William & Mary. Jack enjoys hiking, playing the harmonica, and learning useless trivia.
Jordan Hebert | Research Analyst. Jordan makes GiveWell's research more transparent and accurate. Prior to GiveWell, he worked as a research assistant. He received a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Chicago. Outside of work, Jordan enjoys reading, rock climbing, and stressing about his fermentation projects.
Kameron Smith | Commons Coordinator. Kameron focuses on recruiting and training for the Commons team. They have previously worked as a Program Associate and a Content Editor for GiveWell. They hold a B.A. in anthropology from Indiana University and an M.Ed. in counseling and personnel services from the University of Louisville. Outside of work, Kameron plays video games, attends comic conventions, and co-parents a total of 10 kids and pets.
Kartik Sharma | Research Analyst. Kartik makes GiveWell's research more transparent and accurate. Prior to GiveWell, he worked to advance the use of evidence in policy-making and conducted health economics research. Kartik holds a master's in population and public health from the University of British Columbia and a bachelor's of arts and science from McMaster University. He spends his free time cycling, camping, and looking at maps.
Madison Stieg | Research Associate. Madison works on improving the quality of GiveWell's research and cost-effectiveness analyses. Prior to joining GiveWell, Madison worked in the health insurance industry. They hold a B.A. in English from Hamline University. In their free time, Madison enjoys learning new skills, like playing chess and programming video games.
Nicole Zok | Commons Lead. Nicole leads the Commons team. She previously worked as a Research Analyst and Content Editor for GiveWell. She holds a B.A. in English from Whitman College. She's really grateful to have conscious experiences and enjoys boggling at the universe, like looking at very small things under a microscope and standing next to redwoods.
Cross-cutting team
Adam Salisbury | Senior Researcher. Adam reviews the quality of GiveWell research and investigates cross-cutting questions that affect GiveWell’s grants. Before GiveWell, he worked as a research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies and as an ODI Fellow at the Zanzibar Ministry of Education. He holds a M.Sc. in Development Economics and a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, both from Oxford University. He enjoys football, hiking, and exploring new places.
Alex Cohen | Principal Researcher. Alex leads review of the overall quality of GiveWell's research and the investigation of cross-cutting questions that affect GiveWell's grants. Prior to GiveWell, Alex was the Director of Learning and Evaluation at a private foundation based in Indianapolis and a Postdoctoral Associate at the Yale School of Management. He holds a B.A. in economics and mathematics from Indiana University and a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University. In his spare time, he likes to go hiking with his kids.
John Macke | Senior Researcher. John reviews the quality of GiveWell research and investigates cross-cutting questions that affect GiveWell’s grants. He previously built predictive models as a data scientist in the retail space and evaluated anti-poverty interventions as a research assistant at the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities. He holds a B.A. in economics and mathematics from the University of Notre Dame and a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter, and dog, as well as hiking, swimming, watching sports, and playing GeoGuessr.
Katie Skoff | Program Associate. Katie supports task and knowledge management on our cross-cutting team. Before joining GiveWell, Katie interned in animal welfare and fundraising organizations. She received a B.S. in Cognitive Science with a focus on moral psychology from Yale in 2023. When she's left to her own devices, she likes to hike, travel, and play most any sport or board game!
Mark Walsh | Senior Research Associate. Mark reviews the quality of GiveWell research and investigates cross-cutting questions that affect GiveWell’s grants. He holds a B.A. in economics, an M.A. in Public Policy, and a Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University. Between his M.A. and his Ph.D., he worked as a research associate at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. Mark enjoys basketball, hiking, prediction markets, and his two cats.
Rosie Bettle | Senior Researcher. Rosie reviews the quality of GiveWell research and investigates cross-cutting questions that affect GiveWell’s grants. She was previously the Global Health and Development lead at Founders Pledge, where she worked on research and grantmaking. She holds a Ph.D. in Biopsychology (cognitive evolution) from the University of Michigan, a masters in Human Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University, and a B.A. in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford. In her spare time, she likes to climb, ski, and go on runs with her dog.
Malaria team
Alex Bowles | Program Officer. Alex leads GiveWell's grantmaking in malaria vector control. Before joining GiveWell, Alex worked at Open Philanthropy, on its Global Health R&D and Cause Prioritization teams, and before that on vaccines and malaria at the Clinton Health Access Initiative. He holds an M.A. in African Studies from Yale University and a B.A. in History and Politics from the University of Oxford. In his spare time, Alex enjoys running, playing and watching football, and finding new places to eat.
Jenna Amlani | Program Associate. Jenna supports task and knowledge management on our malaria team. Prior to GiveWell, Jenna was a manager at IDinsight in Kenya, and before that worked in health policy analysis for the Ontario government in Canada. She studied at Vassar College for undergrad and earned an M.P.A. from the London School of Economics. Outside of work, Jenna enjoys yoga, hiking, and seeking out the best vegetarian food wherever she goes.
Robin Dey | Research Associate. Robin works on research in malaria control and leads GiveWell's seasonal malaria chemoprevention grantmaking. He holds a B.S. in business administration from the University of Southern California. Robin spends his free time digging for jazz records and eating pie.
Sam Aman | Program Associate. Sam focuses on grantmaking to organizations working in malaria control. Prior to GiveWell, he worked in impact evaluation in Zambia and Senegal for IDinsight. He holds a B.A. in international affairs from George Washington University and an M.A. in international economics and development from Johns Hopkins University. Outside of work, he enjoys cooking, cocktails, and public transit.
Sarah Eustis-Guthrie | Senior Program Associate. Sarah focuses on GiveWell’s grantmaking in the malaria sector. Prior to GiveWell, she co-founded Maternal Health Initiative, a family planning non-profit working in Ghana. She previously worked on health policy in the California civil service and was a research assistant for Dr. Martha Nussbaum. She holds a B.A. in Fundamentals: Issues and Texts from the University of Chicago. In her free time, Sarah enjoys writing, singing, and procrastinating on her operatic adaptation of Elektra.
New areas team
Dan Brown | Program Officer. Dan leads GiveWell's grantmaking in new areas. This is his second term at GiveWell, having previously worked as a Senior Fellow. In between, Dan worked at the Behavioural Insights Team as a Principal Advisor in International Development where he led the design and implementation of randomized controlled trials on health and anti-corruption. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and an M.Sc. in Economics for Development from Oxford University, a B.A. in Economics from Cambridge University, and spent a year studying at Harvard University. Outside of work, Dan spends most of his time playing football, watching Arsenal, or writing his little-read football statistics blog.
Daniel Issing | Senior Research Associate. Daniel researches interventions to expand GiveWell’s footprint in new areas. Before joining GiveWell, he spent several years working as a data scientist and a program manager in two completely unrelated fields. He holds an M.Sc. in mathematical physics from the University of Munich, and generally spends more time trail running and cycling than his doctors believe is healthy.
Dilhan Perera | Senior Research Associate. Dilhan investigates new areas for potential funding. Before GiveWell, he helped to design and implement randomized controlled trials and other evaluations of behavioral science interventions in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Dilhan has a master's in public policy from Harvard University and a double bachelor's in economics and psychology from the University of Sydney. Outside of work, Dilhan enjoys subjecting his small child to his mediocre skills on various musical instruments.
Meika Ball | Senior Research Associate. Meika focuses on researching new interventions for potential funding. Prior to GiveWell, she worked as an analyst at the Reserve Bank of Australia in areas covering the global economy, banknote counterfeiting and international relations. She holds a Bachelor of Economics from Nagoya University. In her spare time, she can be found searching cafes for the perfect hot chocolate.
Rachel Mitchell | Program Associate. Rachel supports task and knowledge management across our research and grantmaking to new areas. Previously she worked in grantmaking at a family foundation in New York City. She holds a B.A. in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from The King's College. Rachel likes to spend her free time wandering museums with her partner and daughter, obsessing over books and yarn, and making valiant attempts at pottery.
Nutrition team
Andrew Martin | Senior Research Associate. Andrew works on research and grantmaking for nutrition programs. Prior to GiveWell, he worked as an English teacher in South Korea and constructed housing for Habitat for Humanity. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 2009 with a B.A. in English and received an M.P.A. from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington in 2015. As a Seattle resident, Andrew is contractually obligated to enjoy hiking.
Catherine Hollander | Senior Program Associate. Catherine focuses on GiveWell's grantmaking in the nutrition sector. Catherine previously worked in journalism, covering economics and health care at National Journal and serving as editorial director for Beacon, an independent funding platform for journalism. She graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in history. In her free time, she loves to read.
Marinella Capriati | Program Officer. Marinella leads GiveWell’s grantmaking in the nutrition space. Prior to GiveWell, she worked as a researcher at the Centre for Effective Altruism and as a Research Director at Founders Pledge. She holds a B.A. in philosophy, politics and economics and a D.Phil. in philosophy from Oxford University. She has re-watched all episodes of The Great British Bake Off more times than she is comfortable to admit publicly.
Stephan Guyenet | Senior Researcher. Stephan leads GiveWell’s research agenda for the nutrition team. His background is in biomedical science, with a focus on neuroscience, obesity research, and science communication. He is the author of The Hungry Brain and director of Red Pen Reviews, a nonprofit organization that publishes expert reviews of popular nutrition books. He received a B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Washington. He enjoys growing food and woodworking.
Zach McLeod | Program Associate. Zach works on research in malaria control. He holds a B.A. in biology from UW-Madison and an M.A. in East Asian regional studies from Columbia. He likes reading, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and eating Korean food.
Research leadership
Julie Faller | Senior Program Officer. Julie is responsible for strategic grantmaking priorities that cut across GiveWell’s portfolios and works closely with three grantmaking teams. Previously, she held multiple roles using applied social science research. Julie holds a Ph.D. in government from Harvard University and a B.A. in international relations from Stanford University. She loves books, birds, and backpacking.
Teryn Mattox | Director of Research. Teryn leads GiveWell’s research team. Prior to GiveWell, Teryn worked at the RAND Corporation as a quantitative analyst, conducting research and evaluations around maternal and child well-being. She holds a B.A. in economics from Pomona College and an M.P.A./I.D. from Harvard Kennedy School.
Research operations
Destiny Clark | Operations Assistant. Destiny supports various projects across the operations and research teams. Before GiveWell, she spent several years as an executive assistant and in office administration. Destiny enjoys spending her free time exploring the outdoors with her kids and husband.
Hannah Bell | Senior Program Associate. Hannah supports the operations of GiveWell’s research team. Prior to joining GiveWell, she worked in medical anthropology research and as an English teacher. She holds a B.A. in anthropology and a B.S. in chemistry from the University of South Florida, and an M.A. in cultural anthropology from Michigan State University. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and staying busy with creative projects.
Matt Wang | Research Operations Analyst. Matt is a member of the research operations team. Prior to GiveWell, he worked as a management consultant. He graduated from Davidson College with a B.S. in computer science. Outside of work, Matt enjoys reading fiction, playing basketball, and taking blurry photos of friends on disposable cameras.
Tiffany Hruby | Program Associate. Tiffany supports task and knowledge management across grantmaking teams. Previously she worked on NIH-funded grants at the RAND Corporation. She holds a B.F.A. in Ballet from the University of the Arts. Tiffany likes to spend her free time doing the Wordle, dancing, reading, and baking breads for her family and friends.
Vaccines team
Isabel Vasquez | Program Associate. Isabel supports task and knowledge management on our vaccines team. Isabel previously worked on human trafficking prevention and prosecution efforts for the state of Texas. She holds a B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University. Outside of work, Isabel can be found knitting, reading, or supposedly training for one of Austin's many half marathons.
Natalie Crispin | Program Officer (Vice President & Treasurer). Natalie leads GiveWell's grantmaking in the vaccines space. Natalie has spent her career to date at GiveWell. She holds a B.A. in economics from Swarthmore College. While she's not working, you can find her instilling a love of board games in her kids.
Sarah Carson | Program Associate. Sarah focuses on GiveWell’s grantmaking in the vaccines sector. Prior to GiveWell, she managed various international research, monitoring, and evaluation projects at Abt Global. Previously, she was based in Nairobi with IDinsight working on impact evaluations, and also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Rwanda. She holds an M.A. in Development Economics from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a B.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University. In her free time, Sarah enjoys watching old seasons of Survivor and cooking overly ambitious vegetarian recipes.
Vicky Yu | Research Associate. Vicky is a member of the research team, focusing on the vaccines space. Prior to GiveWell, she worked as an economic consultant in international trade. She holds B.S. degrees in mathematics and economics from the University of Maryland. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing piano, and weeding out invasive plants from local parks.
Water and livelihoods team
Dave Wilson | Senior Program Associate. Dave focuses on grantmaking for water quality programs. Before GiveWell, he worked in education research, running randomized controlled trials in schools. He has a B.A. in History from Cambridge University. He enjoys cycling, running, cooking, and attempting to force himself to practice the piano.
Erin Crossett | Program Officer. Erin leads GiveWell’s grantmaking in the water and livelihoods sectors. She previously worked in a variety of research-related roles at Arnold Ventures, Mathematica Policy Research, and USAID’s Development Innovation Ventures (DIV). She also worked on randomized controlled trials of sanitation and social safety net programs for Innovations for Poverty Action and Georgetown University. Erin holds a Master's in International Development Policy from Georgetown University and a B.A. in International Relations from University of Rochester. She loves odd animals, Southeast Asian food, good books, and bad television.
Keir Bradwell | Program Associate. Keir supports GiveWell’s grantmaking in our water and livelihoods portfolios. Keir previously worked for a think-tank and for a political consultancy in London. He holds a B.A. in History and Politics and an M.Phil. in Political Thought and Intellectual History, both from the University of Cambridge. His master's thesis looked at the ethics of liberal political economy from Adam Smith to John Rawls, and in his spare time he can still be found reading books he should've read before writing that.
Other contributors
John Birchall | Website Technical Support. John Birchall made his first web page in 1997, for internal use while on the staff of the Oxford English Dictionary. After building his first Drupal website in 2008, he quickly started building and supporting Drupal and Wordpress sites professionally, and took over support of GiveWell's sites in 2012. He studied at King's College London and UCL (Ph.D in ancient Greek, 1996), and is a member of the English Bar.
Board of Directors
Cari Tuna is the President of Good Ventures, a San Francisco-based charitable foundation. She is also the President of Open Philanthropy.
Daniela Amodei is President and co-founder of Anthropic, an AI safety and research public benefit corporation. Before founding Anthropic, she was VP of Safety and Policy and VP of People at OpenAI, and managed risk teams and recruiting at Stripe. Before her career in tech, Daniela worked in politics and international development, and is a long-time GiveWell fan. Outside of work she loves running, hiking, writing, and spending time with her husband and son.
Elie Hassenfeld see bio above.
James McClave graduated from Princeton University in 2005 with a degree in physics. He has since worked at Jane Street, a trading firm based in New York.
Norma Altshuler leads Open Philanthropy's work on global aid policy and advocacy. Her previous work experience includes time at the Hewlett Foundation, USAID, the Global Innovation Fund, GiveDirectly, Innovations for Poverty Action, and Mathematica Policy research. Norma received a B.A. from Bryn Mawr College and a Master of Public Policy from UC Berkeley.
Timothy Ogden (Chair) is Managing Director of the Financial Access Initiative, a research center focused on financial services for low-income households around the world, and an adjunct professor at NYU-Wagner. He is also founder and executive partner of Sona Partners, a thought leadership communications firm, and a senior fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program. Formerly, he was managing director of the US Financial Diaries project, Chief Knowledge Officer of Geneva Global, a philanthropy advisory firm, and a vice president at Gartner.
See a list of former board members here.
Research Council
In May 2023, we launched a Research Council, a small group of experts we can consult on research questions and grant investigations. See this blog post for more information.
Amrita Ahuja is Vice President of the Douglas B. Marshall, Jr. Family Foundation, a funder of international education and research, and is also a senior adviser to CRI Foundation, which funds health programs in Africa and research in development economics. She leads CRI’s collaboration with USAID’s Development Innovation Ventures, which is supported by Open Philanthropy. She is a co-founder and current board member of Evidence Action; prior to this, she led the scale-up of Dispensers for Safe Water and chaired the board of Deworm the World. She also sits on the boards of several organizations, including Maisha Meds, Precision Development, and the Center for Global Development.
James Habyarimana is the Distinguished Professor of Public Policy at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. His research is focused on identifying low-cost strategies to address barriers to better health and education outcomes in Africa. His ongoing projects include research evaluating innovative community-level anti-poverty programs and at-scale school and teacher effectiveness programs in East Africa. He is a board member of Global Innovation Fund and Vice Board Chair of Building Tomorrow. He is a BREAD fellow and is affiliated with J-PAL. He was a founding co-director of Georgetown University’s Initiative on Innovation, Development and Evaluation (gui2de), and is a non-resident fellow at the Center for Global Development.
Seema Jayachandran is a professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University. Her research focuses on environmental conservation, gender equality, and other microeconomic topics in developing countries. She serves on the board of directors of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), where she co-leads J-PAL’s gender sector, and also serves on the board of directors of CARE. She is co-director of the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Development Economics Program and co-editor of American Economic Review: Insights.
Lalit Kumar is the co-CEO of Spark Microgrants, an organization that works with communities to design and implement community improvement projects aimed at material improvements for communities, leading to better outcomes on citizen-government collaboration. He was previously the Africa managing director at the Global Innovation Fund and Africa director at Evidence Action. He has extensive experience working in partnership with governments and development organizations to design and implement large-scale programs.
Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak is the Jerome Kasoff ’54 Professor of Management and Economics at Yale University, with concurrent appointments in the School of Management and the Department of Economics. Mobarak is the founder and faculty director of the Yale Research Initiative on Innovation and Scale (Y-RISE), which GiveWell has supported. He conducts field experiments exploring ways to induce people in low- and middle-income countries to adopt technologies or behaviors that are likely to be welfare-improving, and he examines the complexities of scaling up development interventions that are proven effective in such trials.
Carolyne Nekesa is the founder and director of Vyxer REMIT Kenya, a research consulting firm that designs and implements large-scale research studies in East Africa. She specializes in conducting extensive household and firm surveys in Kenya. Carolyne previously served as the director of Kenya operations at Precision Development and as deputy country director for Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) in Kenya. Her research and academic contributions cover a broad range of areas, including health, education, agriculture, social protection, water and sanitation, and economic development.
James Tibenderana is Chief Executive of Malaria Consortium and previously oversaw Malaria Consortium's technical work. He trained as a medical doctor and is a malaria and public health expert with over 20 years of experience in the fields of epidemiology, infectious and tropical diseases, and health system strengthening. He is a fellow of the Uganda National Academy of Sciences, a member of a Uganda National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group sub-committee on malaria vaccines, an honorary associate professor in the Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases at the the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and a trustee board member of YouBelong.
Gideon Too is the vice president for research and advisory at Busara, an organization focused on development, implementation and evaluation of behavioral, economic, and social interventions in the Global South. He leads a program at Busara that works with civil society practitioners, policy makers, and academics to strengthen democracy and governance through applying behavioral science principles and tools. He was recently a practitioner-in-residence at the MIT GOV/LAB, where he conducted research on the drivers of civic engagement behaviors in East Africa.