Kelly Vaena

Kelly Vaena has extensive work experience in various roles within the international development and consulting sectors. Kelly most recently served as a Senior Grants Administrator and Partnership Specialist at Planet Aid, Inc, where they oversaw monitoring and compliance for USAID and USDA projects in Mozambique, DRC, and China. Prior to that, they were the Director of Projects at Kanava International, LLC, responsible for managing international capacity building projects in West Africa, Cambodia, and the US. Kelly has also worked as a Program Director at the American Bar Association's Rule of Law Initiative, leading efforts to combat trafficking in persons in the Solomon Islands. Additionally, Kelly has worked as an independent consultant, providing economic development expertise to various organizations and projects in the Solomon Islands and Mozambique. Kelly has also held key finance and operations positions with Chemonics International, supporting USAID programs in Mozambique. Earlier in their career, they worked as a European Training and Recruitment Manager at Millward Brown Europe. Overall, Kelly Vaena's experience spans program management, partnership development, financial oversight, capacity building, and training and recruitment.

Kelly Vaena attended Shaker Heights High School from 1992 to 1996, where they did not pursue a specific degree or field of study. Following their high school education, Kelly enrolled at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School from 1996 to 2000. During this period, they earned a degree in Business and focused on International Business and European History. Later, from 2002 to 2004, Kelly pursued their Masters at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Their degree, which covered International Development, International Economics, and Latin America, was split between the Bologna campus in Italy and the Washington DC campus.