The AIMS Core Team
John R. Mathiason, Managing Director
Dr. Mathiason has over forty years experience in improving the workings of the international public sector. Drawing on a 30-year career with the U.N. including as Deputy Director of the Division for the Advancement of Women where he had a major role in planning the Fourth World Conference on Women he has worked extensively in program and project planning and evaluation both within international organizations and through technical assistance. He has taught strategic planning and evaluation at the graduate level as Professor of International Relations at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University and as Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at the Wagner Graduate School of Public Administration at New York University. He works in English, Spanish and French, and has a Ph.D. in political science from M.I.T.
Frederick Williams, Principal Associate
Dr. Williams was director of evaluation services at a number of U.N. organizations and US federal agencies. His experience includes being in charge of the IAEA evaluation program, directing the planning and evaluation activities of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and heading the evaluation office at the Peace Corps. He has worked extensively in project and program management at the US Department of State, the Agency for International Development, and various federal departments. His areas of focus are result-based management and programme management and evaluation. He has been involved with staff training and human resource development during most of his career, and has consulted extensively since leaving the UN with numerous international clients, including the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). He has a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Illinois and as adjunct professor has taught Political Science at the University of Virginia and evaluation of international policy and programmes at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS).
Punit Arora, Principal Associate
Dr. Arora is a strategy and financial economics professional. He has over 15 years of experience in strategic positions with governmental, business and international organizations. Most recently, he has advised the Swedish International Development Agency, United Nations and its specialized agencies, and several other international organizations like the African Economic Research Consortium, Academy of Sciences for the Developing World and New Economic Partnership for Africa’s Development on results-based strategic planning and outcome evaluation. He has also conducted a number of strategic evaluations for the United Nations including the independent external evaluation of ILO’s evaluation function, of UNODC’s global programme against money laundering, and of UNDG’s resident coordinator and firewall system. For his innovative work with the Indian government, he was recognized as a “government innovator” by Harvard University and invited to be a member of its Global Network of Government Innovators. He has a PhD in Strategic Management from Syracuse University, and is both a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Certified Fraud Examiner.
Ann Sutherland, Principal Associate
Ms. Sutherland has extensive management experience in the non-profit sector in Canada, the U.S. and internationally. During her career she has led strategic planning, fund development, organizational capacity building, community development, participatory research and evaluation processes. Primary areas of focus include gender issues and at-risk youth. She has been the AIMS team leader in the design and implementation of an RBM-based monitoring and evaluation system for Architecture for Humanity in Haiti. A national of Canada, she has a Master in Environmental Studies (International Development) from York University, Toronto and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Non-Profit Management from the Maxwell School, Syracuse University.
Dorota Giercyz, Principal Associate
Dr. Gierycz worked for the United Nations for over 25 years, as a Secretariat staff member in the Division for the Advancement of Women and in peacekeeping missions in Bosnia-Herzogovina, Georgia and Liberia. She is currently Professor, International Public Law, Graduate Programme, Webster University, Vienna; and Human Rights and Peace-building, European Peace University (EPU), Schlaining, Austria. She was a major participant in the AIMS evaluation of the management and accountability system of the UN Development Group. In addition to English, she is fluent in Russian. She has a Ph.D. in political science (international relations) from the University of Warsaw.
Mark Meisner, Senior Associate
Dr. Meisner teaches in the Department of Environmental Studies at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and is the Executive Director of the International Environmental Communication Association. He has extensive experience as an editor, an information technology consultant, a media analyst, and an administrator of cultural programmes in the Canadian government. His areas of expertise include communication and information, media, climate change / global warming, sustainability, environmental ethics, and environmental issues generally. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours from Queen's University at Kingston, as well as Master's and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Studies from York University in Toronto.
Djibrilla Madougou, Senior Associate
Mr. Madougou has over 25 years experience in the management of development programmes and projects at the field level for international organizations like the World Bank, bilateral donors like USAID and local and International non-governmental organizations, as well as at the government level. He has worked on monitoring and evaluation, as well as RBM training in different places. A national of Niger, he is completing a Ph.D. in Forests and Natural Resources Management at the Université Laval of Quebec City, Canada and has a Master of Arts in Public Administration from the Maxwell School, Syracuse University. He works in French and English.
Other associates participate in specific projects.
