Who We Are

Who We Are

All in for Development(All In), a woman-owned small business, is a values-driven organization, passionately committed to working with our clients to achieve their development objectives. We employ inclusive and collaborative approaches to advance positive change for better governed, more peaceful and just societies.

Dr. Margaret Harritt is an accomplished senior performance management specialist, with recognized subject matter and regional expertise. During her two-decade career with USAID, Dr. Harritt served with distinction in Washington and in the field, including in Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Since her retirement from USAID, Dr. Harritt has assisted USAID and other partners to improve the efficacy and accountability of development efforts by systematically linking data, analysis, results, and learning throughout the program cycle. She has particular expertise in M&E for conflict-affected and fragile environments, and the use of complexity-aware tools from strategy to project design and procurement and throughout implementation. Dr. Harritt is skilled in adapting traditional USG results frameworks to complex contexts, in order to simultaneously provide sufficient information for program performance measurement and adaptation, as well as accountability for donor funding.  She values systems approaches to problem-solving, using her natural ability to engage and train others; promote innovative critical thinking; and provide gap and pattern analysis. Dr. Harritt holds a PhD. in Forest Genetics from North Carolina State University, and serves as All in for Development’s President.

Nerea Aparicio, is a co-founder of All In and serves as a Principal as well as the Director, Rights & Governance. An attorney with over 20 years of professional experience in strengthening the rule of law and human rights including at the United Nations (in Switzerland, Guatemala and Colombia) and at the Organization of American States´ Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), one of the main organs of the regional human rights protection system for the Americas. Previously, Nerea also served the Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at an international development organization where she was responsible for designing and managing programs and initiatives focused on strengthening justice sector and legal and judicial education, as well as citizen-centered governance and anticorruption efforts. In addition to chairing All In’s board, Ms. Aparicio serves on the board of directors of a number of other organizations, including BeJust, Inc. a non-profit organization that focuses on advancing justice and human rights. She holds a Masters’ Degree in International Legal Studies (LL.M.) from the American University, Washington College of Law, (Washington D.C.) and earned her law degree from the University of Deusto School of Law (Bilbao, Spain).  Ms. Aparicio is a member of the Madrid Bar.

  Jack McCarthy has over 25 years of international development experience with subject matter expertise in conflict mitigation and management and peacebuilding. During a decade working for USAID, Jack headed key programs supporting war-to-peace transitions in Mozambique and Guatemala. In the 15 years since, he played a leading role in designing, implementing and managing over 30 major projects in Africa, Asia, Latin America where he has focused on improving governance, strengthening accountability and the rule of law, fostering successful transitions in fragile states and increasing resiliency among vulnerable groups and among war affected populations. Jack has taught graduate level courses on the interplay between conflict, security and development and has served as a member of the board for a leading international development firm. He holds a master’s degree from Columbia University, where he studied economic and political development as well as comparative law. Jack is a co-founder of All In and serves as Vice-President.

William Owens has 15 years’ experience in international policy and development, focusing on democracy promotion, inter-communal conflict prevention, and media sector development in fragile and conflict-affected states. He has used iterative, adaptive approaches to manage international programs focused on advancing local governance, civil-society strengthening, improving citizen-to-government interactions, developing organizational capacities, mitigating conflicts, countering violent extremism, preventing inter-communal conflicts, improving stability, and reintegrating former combatants. William also has experience in applied research and conducting assessments in statebuilding, independent media programming, United Nations reform, and disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration. He has most recently served as a program manager in Myanmar, working on conflict prevention, independent media, and elections support, and has previous field experience in Asia and Latin America. William has a master’s degree in International Politics from American University in Washington, DC., and he currently serves as a Program Director for All In.  

Clifford (Cliff) Brown has over 40 years’ international development experience, including at USAID as a Mission Director, Deputy Mission Director, Country Representative, and Regional Legal Officer. He was the Mission Director for Guinea-Sierra Leone; the Country Representative for Kyrgyzstan; and the Deputy Mission Director for Colombia. Cliff also served as Chief of Office of Democratic Initiatives in Nicaragua, managing a $45 million portfolio of activities to strengthen civil society there. Prior to that role, he held a series of postings as USAID’s regional legal advisor: for the Guatemala and Central American Programs, and for the Regional Office for East and Southern Africa (REDSO) in Nairobi, Kenya. Cliff has a J.D. from UCLA School of Law, and serves as Senior Counselor for All In. 

Amy Saxton has over 30 years of international development experience, directing and overseeing all aspects of finance, administration and human resources.  Amy has led and implemented the administrative and financial systems needed to support a variety of international and domestic programs including relief and reconstruction, economic growth, health, natural resource management, renewable energy and agribusiness in Asia, Africa and Latin America.  Before joining All In, Amy held senior management positions at Wellpass, Voxiva, Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA) and Marketing Resources and Development, Inc, Philippines. Amy holds a master’s degree in International Administration from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont.

Karina Arango is All In’s Lima-based Regional Program Manager, is a development professional with a background in supporting provision of legal aid services and human rights legal research and performance monitoring.  She has experience designing and managing research projects, as well as administrative and data management systems for research and development programming.  Ms. Arango has experience in project management and communications, including providing technical, operational support, research assistance and communications involving official reporting to donors, outreach to, and engagement of, stakeholders and managing communications systems. She also has experience in technical writing and in developing and drafting evidence-based analysis from primary research efforts.  Ms. Arango is a native English speaker and fluent in Spanish. She holds a dual Bachelor of Arts degree from George Mason University in International Development and Political Theory & Law and is currently working on her Master’s degree.

Rodrigo Velarde is an accomplished development professional, with a background in biology, communications, and sustainable development. He has over 18 years of experience working with a broad range of key actors at the nexus of pubic-, private-, and academic sectors to advance sustainable development while mitigating adverse socio-economic and environmental impacts on fragile ecosystems in the Andean-Amazonian region. Mr. Velarde has worked with indigenous people’s organizations, communities and other key actors from the Government and Corporate sector in the region to improve natural resource management, monitor socio-environmental impacts associated with investments, and mitigate adverse impacts associated with these.  Rodrigo also has considerable experience working with the private sector including on corporate social responsibility (CSR), multi-stakeholder engagement, strategic communications and negotiations, as well as for assessing socio-environmental impacts. Mr. Velarde has a graduate degree in Biology, is a native Spanish speaker, is a fluent English speaker and is proficient in Portuguese. 

Shannon Pettit, Corporate and Project Accountant: Provides independent financial accounting and institutional development services.  Ms. Pettit has expertise in Mark-to-Market accounting issues and accounting for derivatives and over the past decades has served in multiple roles for large private sector institutions as an Auditor, and as Director of Financial Reporting, including institutions such as PG&E Energy, Banner Aerospace, and Arthur Andersen (now Accenture).   Ms. Pettit has performed numerous internal control reviews, and has managed both internal and externally-led audit functions. Ms. Pettit holds a BA in Accounting from the University of Virginia.

Syed Peeran, Data Engineering and Business Management Systems: Expert in blockchain development, data analytics, software engineering, and business management systems. Mr. Peeran works with institutions, governments, and other organizations to develop innovative systems and models utilizing emerging technologies to identify and address organizational inefficiencies. He is a systems-thinker that helps to link information technology and business processes management strategies to troubleshoot problems and increase productivity; often in the context of seeking improved accountability relationships between institutions and constituencies.  Mr. Peeran also has expertise in blockchain systems, including the assessment and evaluation of existing systems and products, and the design and development of improved or new blockchain solutions. Mr. Peeran holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Western Michigan University, and in addition to English, is fluent in over 12 programming languages. 

Adriana Torres has more than 15 years of experience in performance monitoring, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), research, systematization and use of M&E tools, and capacity development in M&E. She has experience working with multiple donors and partners, primarily with USAID and focused on guidelines for M&E, learning, and knowledge management. Throughout her professional experience she has also work in Government of Peru entities, NGOs, and private companies, participated in multidisciplinary groups, and developed competencies such as: teamwork, active listening, personal initiative, organization of activities and human teams. High intellectual, analytical, organizational and planning capacity. She holds diplomas in Business administration and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of development projects by the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and is fluent in Spanish and highly proficient in written and spoken English.

Our Network

All In  maintains an extensive network of trust-based partners, regionally based development professionals, and highly regarded subject matter experts. We are intimately familiar with local and regional contexts and cultures; possess direct experience working with the full range of key stakeholders, from the ministerial level to the grassroots; and have an extensive track record of successfully engaging government, civil society, and private sector actors.

Geographic Focus

All In focuses its services on the regions—Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East & North Africa (MENA), sub-Saharan Africa, and South and Southeast Asia—where the company’s founders have lived and worked over the past several decades to improve governance, address fragility, and promote better interaction between states and citizens.

Laurie Pierce has over 27 years’ experience in strategic planning, program design, project management and implementation, and institutional capacity development in fragile and crisis-affected countries around the world. With experience in 26 countries across Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean, Laurie has designed and managed peacebuilding and governance programs, and has conducted political economy analyses in a range of complex operating environments.  In addition, Laurie has led and managed long-term programs in crisis and conflict-affected Indonesia and Sri Lanka, demonstrating robust analysis, strong leadership and exceptional team-building skills. During her career, she has worked effectively with public, private and non-governmental sectors, supporting organizations through participatory assessments, change management, mentoring, and training.  Laurie has also designed and facilitated program strategy review sessions at every phase of the project cycle – from design to evaluation – for the U.S. Government  and other donor clients.  She has a Master of Science degree in Organizational Behavior from the University of London and is a member of All In’s Advisory Group. 

Jim Della-Giacoma is an analyst and strategic program adviser focused on evidence based policy reform and program design in fragile and conflict affected states. He has worked with a diverse group of donor, academic, and development institutions including the UN, International Crisis Group, National Democratic Institute, New York University, Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum at the Social Science Research Council, and Australian National University. With ICG, Jim led the organization’s analytical work in Asia, with a focus on Southeast Asia. As a senior advisor with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, he worked on citizen participation and elections across the globe. He was NDI’s Timor-Leste country director; served with the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor; and was a political affairs officer in the Department of Political Affairs of the United Nations in New York. Jim holds a Master of Arts degree in Asian Studies from the University of New South Wales. Jim is a member of All In’s Advisory Group, and concurrently serves as a Conflict Analysis and Research Adviser. 

Julie Werbel is a leading expert on security and justice sector reform and countering violent extremism (CVE). She possesses recognized expertise developing U.S. government policies and strategies; designing and implementing development and defense programs; and engaging with donors and other international partners.  Her perspective is informed by extensive field experience in fragile and conflict-affected states in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.  Julie currently serves as a Senior CVE Advisor for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).  For more than a decade, she served as the Agency’s Senior Security Sector Reform (SSR) Advisor.  Previously, she was a Principal at DFI Government Services, a Washington, DC-based defense consulting firm.  She also served as the Program Manager and Director of Participant and External Affairs for the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS), a Department of Defense regional center that she helped to establish.  Her career includes service with the Peace Corps and the U.S. Department of State and business research for the New York-based Conference Board.  Julie earned an M.A. in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, and and is a member of All In’s Advisory Group.

Brian Treacy is an experienced manager with several decades of international development and rule of law experience in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. A lawyer by training, Mr. Treacy has a proven record in justice system reform, public security, alternative dispute resolution, challenges facing indigenous populations, human and institutional development, and civil society strengthening. He has worked effectively in high-risk environments such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Colombia, Haiti, and in post-conflict Guatemala. He has worked with several United Nations Organizations as well as with USAID financed projects. Mr. Treacy speaks fluent Spanish and French, and is a citizen of both the US and the Republic of Ireland. 

Erika Kirwen has 17 years’ experience in governance, peacebuilding, statebuilding, and security and justice sector development in fragile and conflict-affected areas around the world. She has designed and managed programs focused on enhancing accountability between citizens and government; fostering ethnic and religious reconciliation; addressing the needs of returning internally displaced persons; supporting the reintegration of ex-combatants; and addressing social, political, and economic drivers of conflict. She has worked extensively with international donors, governments, and civil society organizations to promote demand-led governance, to address lack of empowerment and voice, and to promote cooperation between citizens and police. She has a master’s degree in International Public Policy from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC, and was previously a Fulbright scholar in Cote D’Ivoire. 

Edward Rackley, PhD, serves as All In’s Senior Regional Advisor (Africa) and has nearly 30 years’ experience living and working in fragile states and responding to conflict-related emergencies on behalf of leading international institutions. He has extensive experience in in on sub-Saharan Africa, including the Horn, Great Lakes, Sahel and West Africa and possesses deep technical skill in conflict and political economy analysis, program development and evaluation, public sector reform and accountability, disaster response, humanitarian relief and emergency management, combatant demobilization and community reintegration, security sector reform and local governance, & civilian security. Dr. Rackley holds doctoral and master’s degrees in political philosophy from the New School for Social Research, New York. He speaks English, French, Kikongo and Lingala, with former fluency in German and Spanish.

James (Jim) Coppola has over 30 years’ experience developing public and private partnerships that contribute to the economic, social and financial well-being of people around the world.  Mr. Copolla is a former Director of CFA Institute, where he served as the Head of Institutional Investor Sales and Relationship Management in the Americas. He worked with many of the world’s largest and most sophisticated Asset Managers, Pension Funds, Institutional Investors and other Financial Institutions and advised these partners on solutions to some of their most complex challenges, including: improving investment processes, managing risk, developing strategies surrounding Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) operations, Sustainable and Impact Investing; as well as, building a diverse and inclusive workforce. Prior to his tenure with CFA Institute, Mr. Copolla spent 20 years in Capital Markets and Banking sector building new businesses and product solutions globally, especially in the Asia-Pacific region for more than 12 years, where he also advised government regulators on a wide range of market infrastructure development. Jim earned his master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where he concentrated on Economic and Political Development.

Armando Valdés Velásquez, PhD is an expert in environmental sciences and conservation with over 20 years of experience in the design and management of basic and applied research projects in Biological Conservation, Capacity Development, Strategic Planning and Monitoring, and Evaluation & Learning. Dr. Valdés has considerable experience designing and implementing capacity building for conservation; university courses and academic programs; and facilitating conservation planning, monitoring, and evaluation processes at multiple levels (organizational, multi-institutional, national, regional).  He is also recognized for developing situational analysis and correspondingly robust theories of change in close coordination with a wide range of key actors including NGOs, government agencies, donor agencies and implementing partners based in Latin America and beyond.  Dr. Valdés is an Associate Professor at the School of Sciences and Philosophy at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH), where he also serves in the Laboratory for Biodiversity Studies (LEB) and at the Integrated Development, Environment and Health Unit (DIAS) within the School of Public Health and Management.  Dr. Valdés earned in BSc and Master’s degrees in Biology, and completed doctorate studies in Zoology and Geography at Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität in Bonn, Germany. In addition to native Spanish, Dr. Valdés has high proficiency in both written and spoken English and German, and in (spoken) Portuguese.