Mentorship Program

Welcome to the Rotary Club of Washington Global (RCWG)
Mentors for Young Professionals Community
and International Development Program
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Career options in the public and international service field are changing quickly, but there are still fabulous opportunities to put your passion into action. The RCWG launched the Mentors for Young Professionals in Community and International Development to connect our members who have vast professional experience in community and international development to young professionals interested in careers in this field. Our mentor bios can be found on our website below contact to request one time or possibly multiple career mentoring sessions of between 30-60 minutes.
Some tips:
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Once you have identified someone of interest on our list, please email to ask for a convenient time to talk
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Respect the time the mentor says they have available
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Check out the bios and prepare with questions that you think would be helpful to both discuss
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Let us know if this support was helpful to you and if so, share with others.
We developed a Tip Guide for RCWG Mentoring Young Professionals in Development Program (with huge thanks to Mike McCabe, our current Club President). Check it out and download.
And... connect with our mentors!
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Rose Cardarelli, Ed.D.
Dr. Rose Cardarelli is an author, educator, climate advisor and humanitarian. A former military commander and professor of human security, she currently serves in civil-society partnerships with the United Nations and agencies to include UNHCR, UNESCO, UNICEF and various international councils, university and education boards.
Current Organization: The Education for All Coalition
Email: rosecardarelli@msn.com
LinkedIn profile: Rose Cardarelli, Ed. D. | LinkedIn
Areas of Expertise: Education, Climate Migration, Social Emotional Learning
Summary: Rose is the Rotary International Representative to UNICEF-USA, a Rotary International Representative to NY-UN, and the President of the Rotary Club Washington Global; she also serves on the Board of the Rotary Action Group for Refugees, Forced Displacement and Migration. She is the Founder and CEO of the Education for All Coalition, providing access and education for displaced children around the world. Rose serves as a Council Leader in the U.S.-Japan Council building connections to strengthen U.S.–Japan relationships, as an NGO member to the Department of Global Communication at the United Nations, and as a Social Emotional Learning Representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Rose was instrumental at COP 28 in the United Arab Emirates through her work in climate health and wellbeing and with the introduction of her recent book, Children and the Climate Migration Crisis: A Casebook for Global Climate Action and Policy.
Other languages: English
Availability: 3 hours/month total
Ify Bozimo
Ify Bozimo is a tennis and volleyball enthusiast and lover of travel.
Current Organization: Fluence - A Siemens and AES Company
Email: ifybozimo@yahoo.com
LinkedIn profile: Ify Bozimo | LinkedIn
Areas of Expertise: Law, Renewable Energy, Mentorship
Summary: Ify is a seasoned, international transaction counsel with several years of successfully negotiating and closing deals in the renewable energy industry.
A founding member of the Rotary Club of Washington Global, Ify attended Georgetown University Law Center and graduated top of her class. Her passion for international development grew after she joined IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank, where she was instrumental in closing several project finance deals in renewable energy.
Her volunteer efforts span pro bono criminal defense and several charity organizations across the District of Columbia where she is also Commissioner for African Affairs, appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser since 2018.
Other languages: Igbo, Hausa, French, Yoruba, Pigin
Availability: 2 hours/month total
Larry Cooley
President Emeritus of Management Systems International and
Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Brooking Institution
Current Organization: MSI and Brookings Institution
Email: lcooley@msi-inc.com
LinkedIn profile: Larry Cooley | LinkedIn
Areas of Expertise: International Development
Summary: Founder and President Emeritus of Management Systems International, Larry has more than 40 years' experience in the fields of strategic management, public sector reform, and international development. He currently chairs the board of the Society for International Development and serves as a Trustee and past board chair of World Learning, and on the boards of ELMA Philanthropies and Communities in Schools. He is founder and co-chair of a 3000-member global community of practice on scaling up development outcomes. Before founding MSI in 1981, he worked at the World Bank, UNDP, and as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Other languages: Spanish and Sesotho
Availability: 3 hours/month total
Felix Christian Haas
Entrepreneur | Private and Development Sector Consultant
Current Organization: Progress Asia Consulting (own firm) | Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation
Email: felix.haas.mm@gmail.com
LinkedIn profile: Felix Haas | LinkedIn
Areas of Expertise: Economic and Private Sector Development, Peacebuilding, International Relations in Asia
Summary: Felix Haas is Managing Director of Progress Asia Consulting Co., Ltd., a strategy consulting firm in Myanmar working at the interface of public and private sector in Asia, on political risk and strategic philanthropy. Felix Haas has been working in Myanmar and broader Asia in an independent capacity as a consultant and researcher on business and economic issues since 2013. He has been working with clients from the private and international development sectors – such as the World Bank or organizations of the United Nations system.
Other languages: German, French, Burmese
Availability: 3 hours/month total
Kim Longfield
Founder and Principal
Current Organization: Databoom
LinkedIn profile: Kim Longfield | LinkedIn
Areas of Expertise: International Development, Strategy, Research, Evaluation, Communications
Kim Longfield has more than 30 years of experience in global development. She is the founder of Databoom, a research and communications agency that supports clients to tackle complex development issues through research insights and creativity. Kim’s areas of expertise include strategic advising and communications, stakeholder engagement, translating evidence into practice, research and evaluation design, and capacity building
Prior to founding Databoom, Kim served as Director of Strategic Research and Evaluation at Population Services International (PSI), a global health nonprofit with $600 million in annual revenues and offices in more than 60 countries around the world. She has also worked at Tulane University and on several consultancies for international and domestic organizations. Early in her career, Kim was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Central African Republic.
Kim is highly skilled in design thinking, group facilitation, quantitative and qualitative research, and metrics. She is the author of more than 60 published journal articles, reports, book chapters, and working papers. Kim has a PhD in Sociology and International Health and an MPH in International Health/Health Communication and Education, both from Tulane University.
Other languages: French
Availability: 2-4 hours/month total
Mike McCabe
Founder/CEO
Current Organization: Ignite Collective Leadership LLC
Email: mmccabe963@gmail.com
LinkedIn profile: Michael McCabe| LinkedIn
Areas of Expertise: International Development
Mike is the founder/CEO of Ignite Collective Leadership LLC an executive/career coaching, and consulting company working with international clients on international and youth development issues. Mike is also the Senior Advisor on STEM and Youth for the Mobiles for Education Alliance, and an Industry Advisor/Coach for the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. He is formerly the Regional Director, Inter-America and Pacific Region at Peace Corps. He brings over 30 years of professional experience managing international development programs in over 40 countries. His expertise includes grant making, international development programming, youth development, education technology, program design/ implementation, training design and facilitation, and public - private sector partnerships. Mike previously worked at USAID as the Agency Senior Advisor on Youth working with Missions around the world. Mike was the Senior Associate for Capacity Development at Creative Associates International as well as the Chief of Party for the USAID-funded Panama Youth At Risk Program. He served as Chief of Programming and Training for the Inter-America and Pacific Region covering 21 countries at Peace Corps, as well as Deputy Director for Peace Corps Dominican Republic. As Vice President for Youth Service America. He served as Country Representative at the Inter-American Foundation in Mexico, Venezuela, Panama. He also served as National Programs Officer for UNICEF in the Dominican Republic.
Other languages: Spanish
Availability: 4 hours/month total
Cilia Maria Ruiz-Paz
Legislation and Special Projects Manager/ Reserve Police Officer
Current Organization: Miami Beach Police Department
Email: ciliamaria_26@yahoo.com
LinkedIn profile: Cilia Maria Ruiz-Paz | LinkedIn
Areas of Expertise: Law enforcement, international wildlife trafficking, environmental crime, crime analysis
Legislative and external relations, government, policy and project oversight professional with formal specialization in criminal intelligence management, analysis and intelligence-led operations at the local, federal and international level. Advocate for professional staff in law enforcement.
Former project coordinator of wildlife trafficking and environmental conservation efforts, and strategic cross-border wildlife enforcement initiatives.
Other languages: Spanish, French
Availability: 2-4 hours/month
Patrick Hidalgo McCabe
Program Officer, Bureau for Humanitarian Alliance
Current Organization: USAID
Email: phmccabe33@gmail.com
LinkedIn profile: Patrick Hidalgo McCabe | LinkedIn
Areas of Expertise: Humanitarian Assistance
Summary: Patrick works in the Middle East and Europe Office of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, where he has responded to humanitarian crises in Ukraine and the Levant region. Patrick speaks Arabic and previously worked with the International Organization for Migration in Morocco, the World Expo in the UAE, and American Near East Refugee Aid in Jerusalem. He is passionate about peacebuilding and diplomacy.
Other languages: Spanish, Arabic
Availability: 2-4 hours a month
Anthony Bloome
Executive Director
Current Organization: Mobiles for Education Alliance
LinkedIn profile: Anthony Bloome | LinkedIn
Areas of Expertise: International Development, International Education, Technology for Development
Anthony Bloome is the Founder and Executive Director of the Mobiles for Education (mEducation) Alliance, a non-profit focused on strengthening global collaboration and catalyzing knowledge exchange and evidence-informed investments for strengthening education in developing countries, particularly through innovative uses of technology. He has specialized in the field of international development and technology for over 25 years.
From 2009 to 2020, he was USAID’s Senior Education Technology Specialist. While working at USAID, Tony founded the mEducation Alliance and the All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development, an open innovation competition and partnership with World Vision and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to catalyze tech-based innovations to advance early grade reading.
From 2006-2009, Tony was Peace Corps’ technology for development specialist. From 1995-2006, he served as a distance education specialist for the World Bank in Washington, D.C. and Zimbabwe where he focused on various applications of technology for education, health, and youth and workforce development. Tony serves on multiple advisory boards including, the Rotary International Action Group in Basic Education and Literacy and Benetech. He has a M.A. in Telecommunications from George Mason University and a B.A. in English Literature from UCLA.
Languages: English
Availability: 3 hours/month total
Tinmaung (MAZ) Htoo
Operations Manager
Current Organization: Humanity First USA
Email: tinmaunghtoo@gmail.com
LinkedIn profile: Tinmaung (MAZ) Htoo | LinkedIn
Areas of Expertise: Social Enterprise Development, Operational Management
Tinmaung (MAZ) Htoo’s career exemplifies dedication to empowering individuals and building a better future. MAZ brings a wealth of experience as a serial startup founder, author, consultant, and educator to the Rotary mentorship program.
As a serial entrepreneur, MAZ has a proven track record of launching language academies, translation consultancy, printing services, publication and media companies, and growing businesses in Myanmar and Southeast Asia. This experience equips him with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by aspiring professionals.
MAZ also serves as an adjunct lecturer, sharing knowledge and fostering the potential of the next generation. Additionally, he lends expertise as a social enterprise consultant, guiding organizations towards positive social impact.
MAZ's commitment to social good extends beyond professional pursuits. The prestigious recognition awarded by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prof. Dr. Muhammad Yunus for successful implementation of micro-finance and social enterprise development in Myanmar stands as a testament to his dedication to empowering communities.
Currently, MAZ is serving as an Operations Manager at a leading International nonprofit organization that focuses on disaster relief and human development in the USA, Southeast Asia, and Africa. MAZ's educational background includes BA English, B.Sc. (Hons) Business IT (UK), and Master of Business Information Systems from Australia, and he is presently pursuing a Ph.D. in Global Business Administration.
Languages: English, Burmese (Myanmar)
Availability: 4 hours/month total
Allan J. Alonzo Wind
Senior Advisor; Author; Public Speaker
Current Organization: Foundation for Law and International Affairs
Email: alonzo.wind@gmail.com
LinkedIn profile: Alonzo Wind | LinkedIn
Areas of Expertise: International Development, Humanitarian Assistance; Interfaith Cooperation
Allan J. "Alonzo" Wind is a senior leader with worldwide experience in the international development and humanitarian assistance arenas with the U.S. government and international NGO organizations. He has built partnership alliances between government, private sector and civil society nonprofits, as well as capacity building for NGO networks. He worked in a wide array of environments including kinetic situations and fragile state environments, on long and short-term assignments in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Mr. Wind is currently unsalaried Affiliate Faculty for the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University.
He is a retired Senior Foreign Service Officer from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), having worked for two decades on diplomatic assignments with USAID primarily overseas in Peru, Nicaragua, Angola, Nigeria, Iraq, Afghanistan and South Africa and other southern Africa countries. Most recently he served two years until December 2023 as the International Medical Corps Mission Director in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt), supervising a staff of seven expats of different nationalities and over 75 local Palestinian staff, in Gaza and Bethlehem. He also served on the UN OCHA Humanitarian Country Team and Advisory Board, and the Executive Committee of the Association for International Development Agencies (AIDA).
Mr. Wind previously worked for several different INGOs in Ecuador, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, and the UK, also serving as the Global Programme Coordinator of the International Save the Children Alliance Secretariat.
Mr. Wind is the author of the recent book A JEW IN GAZA: Humanitarian Heartbreak, Hubris and Horrors providing meaningful and thoughtful insights on the conflict between Gaza and the Palestinians and Israel. It was published last summer on Amazon, Barnes & Noble Press and other platforms and formats. He is from a Jewish background and is a longstanding member of the Baha’i Community. Mr. Wind has offered over a dozen podcast interviews and public talks about international development, national security, international risk, management and leadership, following his earlier Amazon bestseller ANDEAN ADVENTURES, An Unexpected Search for Meaning.
Languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese
Availability: 4 hours/month total