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Our team

EZIO CASTELLI

AVSI-USA director

Ezio Castelli has served as President of AVSI-USA since its founding in New York in 2000.  In this capacity, he has directed the day-to-day operations and strategic orientation of AVSI-USA which serves a unique role as a liaison for the AVSI Foundation based in Milan, Italy, vis-à-vis the United Nations, the US Government and US-based Donors & Universities. 

Trained as a civil engineer, Ezio has served AVSI’s mission of bringing support to the most vulnerable people first in Democratic Republic of Congo, where he served for 12 years in the 1970s as one of AVSI’s first international volunteers, and later in Milan. In addition to his total 33 years of service to AVSI, Ezio has also worked as a consultant to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and FAO.

Jackie Aldrette

Deputy Secretary General for US Government, AVSI Foundation and Managing Director, AVSI-USA

Jackie Aldrette is the Managing Director for AVSI-USA, the liaison office for AVSI Foundation in the United States. Jackie also serves as the Focal Point for USG Relations for the entire AVSI network, including local partners present in 30 countries around the world.

Jackie has served as New Business Program Manager for AVSI-USA for the past 10 years, supporting AVSI’s efforts to diversify funding sources and build a foundation of strategic partnerships with USG donor agencies, international financial institutions, foundations, individuals and universities.

BARBARA GAGLIOTTI

FOUNDATIONS RELATIONS

Barbara Gagliotti has been involved in the non-profit sector for over 20 years. As an educator, she has held various teaching and administrative positions in independent schools in the Washington, DC area and she has worked in organizations that serve youth, migrants and refugees along with other vulnerable populations.

Barbara is returning to AVSI in her current capacity as Foundation Relations Manager where she works to connect discerning foundations with authentic human development solutions in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.  

She is a native of New York where she received an undergraduate degree from Pace University in Economics and a Masters degree in Non-Profit Administration from New York University.  She also volunteers as Associate Director of Crossroads Cultural Center in Washington, DC which offers opportunities for education in all fields of human interest making it possible to look at the world with openness, curiosity and critical awareness.

marie l'hermine

PARTNERSHIP AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

Marie L’Hermine provides support to the New Business Program Manager on all aspects of project life cycles with a specific focus on US Government opportunities.  She fosters the relationships with partners including institutional donors, international and local NGOs.  

Marie provides support to the francophone countries within AVSI’s network, with the implementation of projects, translation and new funds. She analyzes the changing and evolving trends of US International Development goals and objectives and the potential opportunities in line with AVSI’s mission and goals.

Marie has a dual degree from The Catholic University of America in World Politics and French and Francophone Studies.

SEGEN MOGES

project officer, Middle East and Africa

Segen is a development professional with more than eight years of combined work experience in international development. She has worked on projects funded by multilateral and bilateral donors in key areas of health, early childhood development, agriculture, and social safety net programs in Africa and Asia region.   

Previous to joining AVSI, Segen worked for the Global Financing Facility (GFF) of the World Bank Group as an analyst where she supported their FY19 annual report. At AECOM, she supported the Mali Livestock for Growth funded by USAID’s Feed the Future where she managed the overall operation of the program, monitored the progress of activities and provided overall support to the field staff. In 2018, she traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan as a Start-up Specialist to provide support for USAID funded watershed program in establishing operational procedures and human resource manuals including hiring key personnel for the project. In addition to Mali and Afghanistan, Segen has country experience in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nepal and Tanzania for business development and other research. 

colin Murphy

project officer, latin america

Colin works to increase AVSI’s impact in Latin America by providing technical and donor relations support to projects in the region, mainly focusing on responding to the Venezuelan migration crisis. Colin also collaborates with AVSI’s Latin America Regional Network to identify and pursue project funding opportunities for AVSI’s branch offices and partner organizations throughout Latin America. 

Prior to joining AVSI, Colin spent two years working in communications for the American Beverage Association. He also spent time living in Lima, Peru, where he volunteered for community development non-profit Solidaridad en Marcha. Colin has research or fieldwork experience in Peru, Ecuador, Brazil and Argentina. He earned a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University in 2017.

CECILIA TRESOLDI

office Manager

Cecilia Tresoldi provides support with AVSI USA’s office management and accounting. She keeps financial record of donations and oversees communication with individual donors.

Cecilia graduated with her Masters’ degree in Foreign Languages for International Cooperation from the Catholic University of Milan. She also studied in Moscow and Novosibirsk, where she mastered her Russian skills. She did an internship with AVSI USA in 2018 where she supported the office work with translations, fundraising activities, and development of project proposals.

ANGIE KILNER

Strategic Communications and Outreach

Angie Kilner leads the communication and outreach efforts for the AVSI-USA office, developing and executing the organization’s digital, marketing, and press relations strategies. She also supports the Managing Director, Regional and Program Officers, and Donor and Foundations Relations Managers in their communication objectives, as well as coordinates with our national and international partners and stakeholders. 

Angie has a B.A in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland and an MPA from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. Before joining the team, Angie worked in communication and policy roles in the public, private, and small business sectors.

Alberto De Simoni

Program Manager, Restorative Freedom Initiative

Alberto De Simoni serves as the project manager of the Restorative Freedom Initiative, the first AVSI project in the US. In this capacity, he is developing a partnership with Jim Blum, founder of My Father’s House in Denver, Colorado, and supporting the advocacy campaign started with the documentary Unguarded on the Association for the Protection and Assistance of the Convicted (APAC), also an AVSI partner in Brazil. Alberto is building a network of individuals and organizations interested in the APAC methodology in the US.

 

Alberto received his Ph.D. in Classics from the University of Florida, where he studied the experience of incarceration in antiquity. In the past five years, he has been involved in prison ministry on Florida death row and has served as a volunteer in various re-entry associations in Florida.

 

Alberto is a longtime educator, with professional experience in high schools and colleges both in Italy and in the US.

Camilla Redmond

Partnership and Business Development Intern

Camilla Redmond Costa supports the New Business Program Manager by identifying and assessing US Government funding opportunities, mainly in East Africa and the Caribbean. She assists throughout the entire proposal process, from capture planning to proposal writing. 

Camilla graduated with a Bachelor of Law from the Dickson Poon School of Law at King’s College London and received her master’s in Human Rights from University College Dublin. Her main research interests are women’s rights, particularly the protection of women and young girls from SGBV in conflict-affected areas, as well as migrant and refugee rights in the Middle East.

Our board members

  • PRESIDENT

    EZIO CASTELLI

  • SECRETARY

    JOSEPH WIENER

  • TREASURER

    MAURIZIO MANISCALCO

  • MEMBERS

    JOHN ZUCCHI, SIMONETTA WIENER, RENZO CANETTA AND THEODORE G. OBERMAN