Erin Ntalo

A graduate of the Master of Development Practice program at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, I am passionate about the intersection between development and innovative business models. This passion comes from years spent in urban neighborhoods in Chicago and rural farming communities in Uganda. The experience of living and working alongside people trying to find sustainable livelihoods in difficult circumstances has led me to want to have an impact in creating economic opportunities. Of particular interest to me are: (1) creative solutions to agricultural challenges, since most of the world's poor are farmers or pastoralists; and (2) program evaluation, because effective and efficient programming are rarely possible without rigorous evaluation. My professional experience includes directing the retail operations of a specialty coffee company, directing the annual conference of a national community development association, teaching statistics labs to graduate students, conducting interviews of social enterprise founders, and conducting field research in Guatemala and Belize. I have traveled to more than 10 countries, spending significant time in many of those. I love exploring new places, reading (history, sociology, novels, business), cooking, fashion and coffee.