Development Consulting Staff and Technical Experts

Barry Checkoway is Professor of Social Work and Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Michigan, where his professional work focuses on community organization, social planning, and neighborhood development, often with emphasis on youth civic engagement. Some of his projects include "Youth Dialogues on Race and Ethnicity in Metropolitan Detroit" (Skillman Foundation); "Young People Creating Community Change in the Mississippi Delta" (Highfield Foundation); "Youth Participation in Public Policy at the Municipal Level" (Michigan Municipal League); "Youth Empowerment Solutions for Peaceful Communities" (Centers for Disease Control); "Involving Young People in Community Change" (Ford and Kellogg Foundations); "Community Initiatives to Promote Health of Older People in Latin America" (HelpAge International); "Leadership and Management of Community Health in Africa" (World Health Organization); and "Community Participation in Heath Planning" (National Academy of Sciences).

He is founding director of the Edward Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning, and of the Michigan Neighborhood AmeriCorps Program involving graduate students and community-based organizations in Detroit neighborhoods. He was a visiting scholar at the London School of Economics and Political Science and Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Brent Chrite is currently the Gemelli faculty, associate dean an MBA programs director at the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona.   Prior to this, Brent was the managing director of the William Davison Institute at the University of Michigan Business School (now Ross) and the executive director of the university’s South Africa initiatives office.  Brent has provided technical assistance, conducted research and has taught in numerous countries around the world including multiple countries in sub Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Central and Eastern Europe.  Brent’s focus is on institutional capacity building (primarily in higher education environments), private sector development, enabling environment creation and on strengthening the linkages between public and private sector entities.  He has consulted extensively with the World Bank, led economic development projects for the US Department of State, the Eurasia Foundation and the US Agency for International Development.   Brent receive his AB from Michigan State University, MS from the University of Missouri – Columbia and PhD from the University of Michigan. 

Thomas Devlin is currently the Director of the Career Center at University of California Berkeley and formerly the Director at Cornell University. He has more than thirty years of experience in higher education administration and career services. He has visited over 50 countries serving as a consultant in Australia, Algeria and Rwanda.  In 2004, he was selected to the prestigious Academy of Fellows at the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

David Harvey specializes in business analysis and evaluation, report writing and proposal preparation including communication with employees, consultants, partner institutions, NGOs and businesses at all levels, as required. David has extensive experience in international business development, project management, commercial RFP and governmental grant writing.

Previously, David worked for Unisys Corporation in program management with experience in applying technology and functional practices to solve business needs for both corporations and government entities. He has extensive international field experience. David was responsible for presales analysis, business case preparation, proposal preparation, contract negotiation, IT specification, training and implementation for BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) opportunities. David also held management positions in financial analysis and accounting at the plant, group and corporate staff levels.

David has a BS from Purdue University and an MBA in Finance and International Business from Indiana University (Kelley School of Business).

Peter Krahenbuhl is currently the Vice President and co-founder of Sustainable Travel International (STI), where he manages STI’s globally recognized climate mitigation and carbon offset program and has helped to develop several multi-industry firsts related to climate impact reduction and carbon offset activities.  He has extensive experience in working with international adventure and eco travel companies, including business and tour development, sales, marketing, operations and guiding. He has taught and consulted related to environmental management and sustainable development, and has leadership experience in international multi-stakeholder/national negotiations, as well as community tourism development.

Mark Milstein is Director of the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise and Lecturer of Strategy, Innovation and Sustainable Global Enterprise at the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. He oversees the Center’s work on sustainable innovation and low income – or base of the pyramid –enterprise development. He is currently serving as a faculty advisor to the Cornell Center for a Sustainable Future as well as a member of Cornell’s Ad Hoc Committee on Sustainable Endowment Practices. Dr. Milstein has taught strategy, innovation, and sustainable enterprise to undergraduates, MBAs, and executives in the US, Latin America and Asia. He is a frequent speaker on the topics of strategy, organizational change and innovation related to business and sustainability. Dr. Milstein consults with a number of multi-national firms, small and medium sized enterprises, and NGOs, including Caterpillar, Suncor Energy, the US Army, and Schering-Plough. Dr. Milstein earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics and Japanese from the University of Michigan. He later earned both an M.B.A. in general management and an M.S. in natural resource policy from the University of Michigan as well as a PhD in strategic management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Alyona Penchukova lives in Almaty, Kazakstan, where she founded the Marketing Studio, a firm specializing in strategic marketing projects and executive training. She also serves as the Executive Director of Kazakstani Association of Advertising Agencies. Before earning her MBA from HEC Paris, she had worked for Ferrero Central Asia as Marketing Manager  and later for Nestle Kazakstan as Marketing Manager  and  Business Development Manager. She was also involved in a USAID project on small scale privatization while working as a business consultant for Carana Corporation. For four years she has been an Associate Marketing Professor at the International Academy of Business (IAB) in Almaty, teaching MBA students and participating in executive training programs. Currently, Alyona manages the Marketing Education & Research Center at IAB, funded by USAID under the auspices of the Higher Education for Development office (HED). She is an author of a number of articles for business magazines.

Lewis Reade is results-oriented management consultant with broad operating statement experience in private business, government and non-profit organizations.  He has extensive background in international trade, economic and business development matters, including M&A and long-range planning, with years of overseas living and working in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Caribbean. He has specialized expertise in public-private partnership creation and leadership training with emphasis on SME development. He has considerable monitoring and evaluation background.  He has taught at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics of the University of New Hampshire.