Meet our team at WAM NY
2014 Board Members
Praveen Prasad (Chair) is the Strategy & Planning Director at TrustAfrica, a leading Pan-African Foundation that focuses on democracy, governance, and economic development. She is a national of Fiji Islands and Australia and has worked for over 10 years in International economic development and public policy with a background in conflict/post conflict program management, strategy, refugee & migration, and philanthropy. Her field postings and experiences have included working in 17 countries in Africa. Prior to being based in New York, Praveen was based in Sudan, Malawi and in Liberia overseeing multiple large-scale relief and development programs. She previously held positions with the World Health Organization in Geneva. Currently, she is also leading the "Africa for Haiti" initiative. She is a fellow at the Council on Foundations (CoF), Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy Program, is a member of CoF's Committee on Inclusion and Diversity and a Global Ambassador for the GirlRising campaign. She received her MPA from Columbia University and a MA in International Relations. She is passionate about technology, girls education and enjoys sports, photography and exploring history of world cultures.
Daniela Curmei (Membership Committee) is currently a financial analyst with the Financial Strategies Group at NYC Department of education. Prior to this she worked for over two years for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in their NY office. She is originally from Romania and she has spent the last ten years working and studying on the European and North American continent. She has extensive experience in finance and business strategies. Daniela co-founded a small business in Romania, Ipix International and she has also worked in London helping other business in Eastern Europe get access to finance. Daniela studied philosophy for two years in Romania, holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Mercy College, a Master’s Degree from Columbia University in Finance and Economic Policy, and has also been a McNair research scholar focusing on Middle Eastern studies. She lives in Westchester and she enjoys running, yoga and reading.
Lauraliz Morales-Silva (Events Co-Chair) is a publishing professional with several years of experience editing, proofreading and translating print and online publications, marketing materials and catalogs. She is a volunteer civics and citizenship instructor with New York Cares, member of the NY+Acumen Education Committee and an Events Co-Chair for Women Advancing Microfinance New York. Lauraliz is committed to creating a more inclusive world based on dignity and respect. She is strongly passionate about immigration rights, community development and entrepreneurship.
Monica Copeland (Events Committee) is a Senior Program Officer for Financial Services and Asset Building at NYC Department of Consumer Affairs’ Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE) where she manages initiatives focused on increasing access to safe and affordable financial products and creating opportunities to build wealth for low-income New Yorkers. Prior to working at OFE, Monica worked at Baltimore CASH (Creating Assets, Savings and Hope) Campaign, IDA and Asset Building Collaborative of North Carolina, and Center for Community Self-Help. She earned dual bachelor’s degrees from Duke University and a master’s degree from Columbia University.
Rebecca Feinberg (Scholarship Committee) is an Associate Development Manager with Pro Mujer International, and a non-profit professional with 6 years of experience in international economic development, rural development, microfinance and social entrepreneurship. Rebecca has previous experience as an independent consultant on projects including poverty assessment and data analysis in Mexico for FINCA International, small business management, and micro-insurance program development in Central America. She has a Master's of Public Administration from NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, where her focus was in international development and microfinance. During her studies, she worked as a consultant to the United Nations Capital Development Fund and interned at Pro Mujer International and the Financial Access Initiative. She also has a Professional Certificate in Fundraising from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University in international relations and Spanish. Prior to joining the Pro Mujer team, she was a paralegal at Legal Services NYC Bankruptcy Assistance Project assisting low-income New Yorkers file for bankruptcy. Rebecca has four years of private sector experience in retail banking and online advertising. She is also a member of the Microfinance Club of New York (MFCNY).
Danielle LeBlanc (Scholarship Committee) is the Director, Programs and Grants at the microfinance nonprofit, Grameen America. She has previous experience providing capital loans to nonprofit organizations. Prior to that she provided grants for capacity building and capital projects. Her first encounter with microfinance was when she did an analysis of microfinance provision in the Philippines for Catholic Relief Services. She has a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University and a Bachelors degree from Brown University.
Lara Cely (Marketing & Scholarship Committees) is a vice president in the Strats & Modeling Group at Morgan Stanley, where she has been for six years. She also has 15 years of experience with nonprofit work, and consults on fundraising & strategy for nonprofits. Lara's experience includes raising $1M in corporate donations for United Way, marketing a home & garden store for Habitat for Humanity, starting a healthy cooking program for the South Bronx Food Co-op, and creating an online fundraising campaign for Arts to Grow. Lara is an avid reader of sci-fi books and energy efficiency guides.
Mugdha Gangopadhyay (Marketing Committee) is Director of Strategy and Development at Grameen America, Inc in New York City. Prior to joining Grameen America, Mugdha worked in the Finance, Pharmaceutical and Information Technology sectors as an Organizational Development professional. She holds a Master's degree in Organizational Behavior from Delhi University, India and a Certificate in Leadership and Human Capital Management from NYU, New York. Mugdha is also trained in Microfinance and Social Business from Grameen Bank, Dhaka.
Rosa Franco (Treasurer) has extensive experience in microfinance services. She works as Director of Lending for Neighborhood Trust Federal Credit Union in New York City, where she oversees loan portfolio strategy, including design, planning and implementation of lending products and development of lending practices. She is also involved with community outreach and coordination with partner organizations. Previously, she worked with organizations such as Credit Where Credit is Due, SEEP, USAID, and the Inter-American Development Bank on business and employment development and capacity building in the US and throughout Latin America. She holds an MPA from City University of New York-Baruch College.
Laura Giadorou Koch (Scholarship Committee) is the co-owner and director of DOLIUM Wines, a small high-end Argentine winery. She practiced corporate law at Fox & Horan, in the areas of cross-border transactions for Latin American clients. Laura has published articles for the UN, Wall Street Journal and Argentine newspapers. She is licensed to practice law in New York and Argentina, and is a certified yoga instructor. A member of the Economic Club of New York. Laura has been actively organizing High School Microfinance Clubs during the past few years and teaches microfinance seminars for school programs. She attended the 2012 Strategic Leadership for Microfinance Program at Harvard. She holds a Masters in Law from University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and a J.D. from University of Buenos Aires.
Tania Santiago (Marketing Committee) has worked with Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in an Executive Assistant capacity, handling all business related matters for the CFO and event planning for the Finance team. Previously, she worked for GMR Marketing; now a division of Omnicom Group; traveling to trade shows compiling analytical and Market data on behalf of clients such as Mercedes Benz and Stryker Corporation. She first began her career with Tiffany & Company as a Project Manager for the Product Development department, specializing in the ideation to creation of custom jewelry, trophies and awards. This is her first step into the world of Microfinance and since discovering that money and heart can harmoniously co-exist, has her sights on bringing that knowledge to the masses. Her volunteer experience has encompassed working with organizations such as WITNESS and most recently, FitnessforAfrica, acting as an ambassador and documentary production crew member for its founder Heather Parisi’s Ugandan primary school, Pearl of Hope.
Noor Shams (Marketing Committee) As Director of Development & Communications, Ms. Noor Shams focuses on raising awareness of Grameen PrimaCare programs to build partnerships and leverage support. She has over six years of experience working with Grameen in Bangladesh and New York, and has held various research and communications positions at the UN Population Fund, World Food Programme and UN Capital Development Fund. She received her undergraduate degree in business management from Moscow University Touro in Moscow, Russia and a masters in international affairs from Columbia University. Originally from Bangladesh, Ms. Shams grew up internationally living in six countries and speaks fluent Bengali, Hindi and has basic Russian and Arabic.
Ines Marino (Events Committee) is currently working for the Product Development team at Women's World Banking, where she also held positions at the Isis Fund and the Member Relationship Management area. Prior to that, Ines worked as a volunteer for ProMujer, both in Peru and in the NYC office. Right after completing her MBA at London Business School, she worked at Lehman Brothers London, equity sales division, and she also started and managed her own business based in Madrid, offering marketing solutions to small businesses.
Daniela Curmei (Membership Committee) is currently a financial analyst with the Financial Strategies Group at NYC Department of education. Prior to this she worked for over two years for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in their NY office. She is originally from Romania and she has spent the last ten years working and studying on the European and North American continent. She has extensive experience in finance and business strategies. Daniela co-founded a small business in Romania, Ipix International and she has also worked in London helping other business in Eastern Europe get access to finance. Daniela studied philosophy for two years in Romania, holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Mercy College, a Master’s Degree from Columbia University in Finance and Economic Policy, and has also been a McNair research scholar focusing on Middle Eastern studies. She lives in Westchester and she enjoys running, yoga and reading.
Lauraliz Morales-Silva (Events Co-Chair) is a publishing professional with several years of experience editing, proofreading and translating print and online publications, marketing materials and catalogs. She is a volunteer civics and citizenship instructor with New York Cares, member of the NY+Acumen Education Committee and an Events Co-Chair for Women Advancing Microfinance New York. Lauraliz is committed to creating a more inclusive world based on dignity and respect. She is strongly passionate about immigration rights, community development and entrepreneurship.
Monica Copeland (Events Committee) is a Senior Program Officer for Financial Services and Asset Building at NYC Department of Consumer Affairs’ Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE) where she manages initiatives focused on increasing access to safe and affordable financial products and creating opportunities to build wealth for low-income New Yorkers. Prior to working at OFE, Monica worked at Baltimore CASH (Creating Assets, Savings and Hope) Campaign, IDA and Asset Building Collaborative of North Carolina, and Center for Community Self-Help. She earned dual bachelor’s degrees from Duke University and a master’s degree from Columbia University.
Rebecca Feinberg (Scholarship Committee) is an Associate Development Manager with Pro Mujer International, and a non-profit professional with 6 years of experience in international economic development, rural development, microfinance and social entrepreneurship. Rebecca has previous experience as an independent consultant on projects including poverty assessment and data analysis in Mexico for FINCA International, small business management, and micro-insurance program development in Central America. She has a Master's of Public Administration from NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, where her focus was in international development and microfinance. During her studies, she worked as a consultant to the United Nations Capital Development Fund and interned at Pro Mujer International and the Financial Access Initiative. She also has a Professional Certificate in Fundraising from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University in international relations and Spanish. Prior to joining the Pro Mujer team, she was a paralegal at Legal Services NYC Bankruptcy Assistance Project assisting low-income New Yorkers file for bankruptcy. Rebecca has four years of private sector experience in retail banking and online advertising. She is also a member of the Microfinance Club of New York (MFCNY).
Danielle LeBlanc (Scholarship Committee) is the Director, Programs and Grants at the microfinance nonprofit, Grameen America. She has previous experience providing capital loans to nonprofit organizations. Prior to that she provided grants for capacity building and capital projects. Her first encounter with microfinance was when she did an analysis of microfinance provision in the Philippines for Catholic Relief Services. She has a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University and a Bachelors degree from Brown University.
Lara Cely (Marketing & Scholarship Committees) is a vice president in the Strats & Modeling Group at Morgan Stanley, where she has been for six years. She also has 15 years of experience with nonprofit work, and consults on fundraising & strategy for nonprofits. Lara's experience includes raising $1M in corporate donations for United Way, marketing a home & garden store for Habitat for Humanity, starting a healthy cooking program for the South Bronx Food Co-op, and creating an online fundraising campaign for Arts to Grow. Lara is an avid reader of sci-fi books and energy efficiency guides.
Mugdha Gangopadhyay (Marketing Committee) is Director of Strategy and Development at Grameen America, Inc in New York City. Prior to joining Grameen America, Mugdha worked in the Finance, Pharmaceutical and Information Technology sectors as an Organizational Development professional. She holds a Master's degree in Organizational Behavior from Delhi University, India and a Certificate in Leadership and Human Capital Management from NYU, New York. Mugdha is also trained in Microfinance and Social Business from Grameen Bank, Dhaka.
Rosa Franco (Treasurer) has extensive experience in microfinance services. She works as Director of Lending for Neighborhood Trust Federal Credit Union in New York City, where she oversees loan portfolio strategy, including design, planning and implementation of lending products and development of lending practices. She is also involved with community outreach and coordination with partner organizations. Previously, she worked with organizations such as Credit Where Credit is Due, SEEP, USAID, and the Inter-American Development Bank on business and employment development and capacity building in the US and throughout Latin America. She holds an MPA from City University of New York-Baruch College.
Laura Giadorou Koch (Scholarship Committee) is the co-owner and director of DOLIUM Wines, a small high-end Argentine winery. She practiced corporate law at Fox & Horan, in the areas of cross-border transactions for Latin American clients. Laura has published articles for the UN, Wall Street Journal and Argentine newspapers. She is licensed to practice law in New York and Argentina, and is a certified yoga instructor. A member of the Economic Club of New York. Laura has been actively organizing High School Microfinance Clubs during the past few years and teaches microfinance seminars for school programs. She attended the 2012 Strategic Leadership for Microfinance Program at Harvard. She holds a Masters in Law from University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and a J.D. from University of Buenos Aires.
Tania Santiago (Marketing Committee) has worked with Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in an Executive Assistant capacity, handling all business related matters for the CFO and event planning for the Finance team. Previously, she worked for GMR Marketing; now a division of Omnicom Group; traveling to trade shows compiling analytical and Market data on behalf of clients such as Mercedes Benz and Stryker Corporation. She first began her career with Tiffany & Company as a Project Manager for the Product Development department, specializing in the ideation to creation of custom jewelry, trophies and awards. This is her first step into the world of Microfinance and since discovering that money and heart can harmoniously co-exist, has her sights on bringing that knowledge to the masses. Her volunteer experience has encompassed working with organizations such as WITNESS and most recently, FitnessforAfrica, acting as an ambassador and documentary production crew member for its founder Heather Parisi’s Ugandan primary school, Pearl of Hope.
Noor Shams (Marketing Committee) As Director of Development & Communications, Ms. Noor Shams focuses on raising awareness of Grameen PrimaCare programs to build partnerships and leverage support. She has over six years of experience working with Grameen in Bangladesh and New York, and has held various research and communications positions at the UN Population Fund, World Food Programme and UN Capital Development Fund. She received her undergraduate degree in business management from Moscow University Touro in Moscow, Russia and a masters in international affairs from Columbia University. Originally from Bangladesh, Ms. Shams grew up internationally living in six countries and speaks fluent Bengali, Hindi and has basic Russian and Arabic.
Ines Marino (Events Committee) is currently working for the Product Development team at Women's World Banking, where she also held positions at the Isis Fund and the Member Relationship Management area. Prior to that, Ines worked as a volunteer for ProMujer, both in Peru and in the NYC office. Right after completing her MBA at London Business School, she worked at Lehman Brothers London, equity sales division, and she also started and managed her own business based in Madrid, offering marketing solutions to small businesses.