Catherine Connor is director for public policy and advocacy for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, a nonprofit that seeks to eliminate pediatric AIDS through research, advocacy, and prevention and treatment programs. Before joining the foundation in 2007, Connor worked as a lawyer and lobbyist specializing in U.S. health care law and public policy.

Cathleen Jeanty is a global goals ambassador for SDG 16: peace, justice, and strong institutions at the United Nations Association. A former fellow at the UN Refugee Agency, she is the 2024 winner of the Women’s Foreign Policy Group’s international essay contest on women in diplomacy.

Cathy Russell has served as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues since 2013. As ambassador, she leads the state department’s efforts to advance gender equality, with a focus on addressing gender-based violence, promoting women’s full participation in society and investing in adolescent girls.

Cauam Ferreira Cardoso is a consultant, a Ph.D. student in and an instructor of international development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since the start of his career as a development practitioner in 2002, he has lived on six different continents, and worked professionally on five, implementing projects in areas such as sanitation, solid waste management and food security. His current research focuses on the challenges of successful implementation of development policies and programs.

C.D. Glin is the associate director for African region at The Rockefeller Foundation. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Glin supports and leads the development and execution of several initiatives. He serves as the regional champion for the foundations initiatives in strengthening food security, agribusiness and the building of resilience to the devastating effects of climate change to enable real, sustainable and equitable economic growth.

Cecil Laguardia is communications manager and for World Vision in Cebu, Philippines. A former journalist in conflict-ridden Mindanao, Laguardia has also been capacity-building specialist and has been deployed by World Vision to several disasters, including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, East Timor in 2006 and the Horn of Africa in 2011.

Cécile Vernant is head of EU advocacy for Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung, an international development and advocacy organization focused on achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Representing DSW in Brussels, Cécile focuses on global health, SRHR, and youth and women empowerment. Prior to joining DSW, she worked in EU public affairs as well as corporate marketing and crisis communication in her native France and the United States.

Cecilia Akintomide is a distinguished leader in development finance, corporate governance, and strategy, currently serving as chairperson of the United Nations’ Sanitation and Hygiene Fund. With extensive experience across global organizations, she sits on the boards of prominent companies in finance, engineering, and innovation, and has held senior roles at the African Development Bank and Ecobank Transnational. A passionate advocate for women’s economic empowerment and sustainable development in Africa, Cecilia has been recognized with prestigious honors, including Nigeria's national award of Officer of the Order of the Niger, or OON.

Cecilia Butini is a multilingual, multiplatform journalist and documentary producer working on stories at the intersection of health, environmental, and social issues. She is a recent grantee of Journalism Fund Europe, Arena Climate Network, and the International Center for Journalists. Previously, she covered the European pharmaceutical industry, health care, and various business topics for the Wall Street Journal and its newswires section, Dow Jones Newswires. A native Italian, she received her journalism education from Columbia University while on a Fulbright scholarship.

Cecilia Caio is a senior analyst at Development Initiatives, where she leads research and engagement on the role of aid in private sector development and public-private financing, including blended finance. She also works on broader issues related to aid targeting and allocation, with a particular focus on analysis aimed at safeguarding and strengthening the role of aid within the wider financing landscape.