BRAC's Mission and Approach to Global Expansion with Donella Rapier

Donella Rapier is the President and CEO of BRAC USA, the North American affiliate of BRAC, one of the largest humanitarian and development organizations in the world. Founded in Bangladesh, BRAC now touches the lives of more than 100 million people throughout Sub Saharan Africa and South Asia. Donella brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in finance, fundraising, and strengthening and scaling nonprofit organizations. Before joining BRAC USA, Donella served as the Chief Development and Administrative Officer at Accion, a pioneer and global leader in microfinance and financial inclusion. Prior to that, she was the Chief Financial Officer at Partners in Health, a global healthcare organization working in remote places where healthcare alternatives are limited or otherwise nonexistent, such as Haiti, Rwanda, and Malawi. Earlier in her career, Donella spent more than a decade in senior leadership roles at Harvard University, including Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development and Chief Financial Officer for Harvard Business School. Donella received her MBA from Harvard Business School and began her career at Price Waterhouse. In this episode, Brigit and Don welcome Donella Rapier, President and CEO of BRAC USA, to highlight BRAC’s impact on Bangladesh, Sub Saharan Africa, and South Asia, what attracted Donella to BRAC USA, their mission and approach to global expansion, innovations pioneered by the organization, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed’s everlasting mark on BRAC, and the outlook for their future.