Michael Matarasso

Michael Matarasso has extensive experience in monitoring, evaluation, and learning in various organizations. michael is currently the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Director at the World Cocoa Foundation. Prior to that, they held the position of Director - Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Systems at Heifer International. michael has also served as the Program Performance and Quality Director (Temporary) at Mercy Corps and as a Senior Specialist in FSL Monitoring and Evaluation (Temporary) at Save the Children US. Additionally, they have worked as a Consultant at Zerion, where they focused on strategizing for impact solutions. Michael Matarasso has also held multiple roles at Catholic Relief Services, including Senior Advisor for Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) / ICT, as well as Regional Technical Advisor for East Africa, and Technical Advisor for the Great Lakes Cassava Initiative. michael started their career at Conservation International as a Senior Manager - Strategy & Impact, and also worked at World Wildlife Fund as a Community Conservation Manager and a Program Coordinator. Prior to that, they worked as an Agroforestry / Horticulture Technical Advisor at the Malawi Agroforestry Extension Project.

Michael Matarasso pursued their education in a variety of fields. From 1990 to 1994, they attended Norwich University, where they obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with a focus on International Affairs and Biology. Following this, they enrolled at the University of Connecticut in 1994 and completed a Master of Arts degree in International Affairs, specializing in Conservation and Economics in 1995.

In 2004, Michael sought further education at the Prague Film School, where they earned a Diploma in Cinematography and Film/Video Production. Subsequently, in 2010 and 2011, they attended UCLA Extension, earning a Certificate in Design Communication Arts. Finally, in 2012 and 2013, they pursued and completed a Professional Certificate in GIS at Penn State University.