June 12, 2017 (WASHINGTON) – This statement is delivered on behalf of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) by Co-Chairs George Ingram and Connie Veillette.
The MFAN co-chairs are delighted to welcome Dr. Tessie San Martin to MFAN’s leadership circle. Tessie has led Plan International USA as President and CEO since 2010. Tessie brings a wealth of knowledge from her decades of experience, including stints in the private sector and multilateral institutions. She has held senior positions at Abt Associates, the World Bank, and IBM Consulting.
Plan joined MFAN in 2013, and Tessie has been an active and valued member of the Executive Committee. Under her leadership, Plan has become a leader in foreign assistance reform. Tessie was a founding co-chair of MFAN’s working group on country ownership and was instrumental in the drafting of MFAN’s metrics for measuring ownership. She also pioneered Plan’s efforts to publish its data to the International Aid Transparency Index (IATI) and has written extensively on aid transparency.
“We are thrilled to welcome Tessie as our third MFAN co-chair,” said George Ingram, MFAN co-chair and Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution. “Tessie will bring a dedication to reform along with field expertise and an important implementer perspective to MFAN leadership.”
“Plan has absolutely been a strong contributor since joining MFAN four years ago, and we are excited to work with Tessie more closely on aid reform,” said Connie Veillette, MFAN co-chair and Senior Fellow with The Lugar Center. “Tessie’s depth of experience in different aspects of development make her well-suited for leading our coalition.”
