IDinsight elects three new partners

September 11, 2019 — Today, IDinsight announces the election of three new partners, Christopher Chibwana, Rebecca Gong Sharp, and Daniel Stein who will help steward the organization into its next strategic phase. Chris, Becca, and Dan will join Founding Partners Neil Buddy Shah, Esther Wang, Paul Wang, Ronald Abraham, and Andrew Fraker to form IDinsight’s partner group.

As the Director of Southern Africa, Chris Chibwana has led IDinsight’s expansion on the continent, supporting government officials, philanthropies, non-profits, and social enterprises to maximize their social impact. He has led key learning partnerships with the governments of Ghana, Malawi, and Zambia, demonstrating the value of data and evidence to strengthen their services and maximize their impact. As a member of the partner group, Chris will continue to facilitate these long-term engagements that further embed data-driven systems within implementing organizations. He will also support the organization’s Africa leadership team, working with leading philanthropies on the continent, and will also share IDinsight’s learning more broadly to influence development leaders. Prior to joining IDinsight, Chris served as a program manager at USAID missions in Malawi, Myanmar and Bangladesh. He also worked as a researcher at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). Chris holds a B.S. in agribusiness management with distinction from the University of Malawi and a M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University.

“I joined IDinsight to contribute to development effectiveness by supporting implementing organizations’ use of data and evidence in decision-making,” Chris Chibwana, Director of Southern Africa said. “I have particularly enjoyed partnering with governments on the African continent to enhance their capacity to use data and evidence. It has been gratifying to see gradual shifts in our partners’ perception of the value of data and evidence. I’m looking forward to expanding and deepening these partnerships on the continent, and to contributing to IDinsight’s global vision to improve millions of lives by changing how the social sector innovates, learns, and improves.”

“We are so happy for Chris to join IDinsight’s partner group,” said Paul Wang, Founding Partner. “His track record speaks for itself, and his strategic insight and leadership will be invaluable as IDinsight pursues new frontiers.”

Rebecca Gong Sharp was recently appointed Chief Operating Officer, and now as a partner, Becca will work in lock-step with the CEO to execute IDinsight’s high-level strategy and ensure maximum organizational efficacy. Her role will include direct oversight of the Operations, Communications, and Legal teams, as well as support to other functional and regional leads to drive operational and cost effectiveness. Becca’s approach to data-driven operations will help the organization maintain its impact and culture as it grows. Prior to joining IDinsight, Becca worked as a strategy consultant for Rockefeller Foundation and other large philanthropies. She has extensive experience in international development throughout Central Asia and East Africa, including the Aga Khan Foundation and the Peace Corps. She holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in Social Studies from Harvard University, an MBA from the Yale School of Management, and an MPA in international development from the Princeton Woodrow Wilson School.

“Working at IDinsight has been the most rewarding professional experience of my career,” said Becca Sharp, Chief Operating Officer. “It is inspiring to see the global development sector demand more accessible data tools to improve its impact. This demand has resulted in a period of exciting organizational growth for IDinsight. Our next phase challenges us to be not only trusted impact advisors, but also rapid innovators prototyping new data-driven services, and effective disseminators of learnings that could benefit the sector. I am excited to join this committed partner group as we work to drive forward an ambitious impact mission.”

“I am delighted to welcome Becca Sharp into the partner group,” said Esther Wang, Founding Partner. “In my years working with Becca, I have benefited greatly from her sharp operational acumen, commitment to results and impact, and strong ability to collaborate across the organization at all levels. Her vision for IDinsight will be an invaluable addition to the partner team.”

Daniel Stein, currently IDinsight’s Chief Economist has propelled the organization forward during a key period of growth, leading high impact projects that provide both rigorous insight to clients, as well as contributing to academic literature and discourse. For example, Dan has contributed to two projects studying the effects of unconditional cash transfers with GiveDirectly, the effect of chicken production on nutrition for Acumen and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and nearly every agriculture project the organization has engaged in during his tenure. As a member of the partner group, Dan will look to grow IDinsight’s portfolio of high-impact projects, ensure its services are of the highest technical quality, and share its learning through academic articles, speaking engagements, and other channels. Prior to IDinsight, Dan was an Economist at the World Bank, where he specialized in agriculture and forestry impact evaluations. Dan holds a PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics, where he researched agricultural micro-insurance.

“It has been an exhilarating four years with IDinsight, watching us grow from a scrappy upstart to a respected global organization,” said Dan, Chief Economist. “I’ve taken great joy in helping build a terrific team of economists at IDinsight, who are contributing technical inputs and ensuring rigor across our portfolio. I’m honored to be welcomed as a partner, and look forward to expanding IDinsight’s work with new services and across sectors and geographies. The best is yet to come!

“I am excited to have Dan join the team,” Andrew Fraker, Founding Partner, said. “The partner group has, to date, been a collection of generalists. As we continue to grow and mature as an organization we are assessing ways to create broader and deeper impact. It is critical we build our expertise in key development sectors and in the complex problems we are trying to solve. Dan has already demonstrated the benefits of his deep sectoral knowledge and we are looking forward to seeing what new heights he can take us to.”