Celebrating its 20th anniversary, The Emerging Markets Development Advisers Program (EMDAP), formerly known as the "Free Market Development Advisers Program (FMDAP)" began, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, to assist businesses and business serving association in Eastern Europe. USAID recognized the need to maximize expertise in emerging markets to broaden the scope of the world economy. To date, 244 Advisers have participated in the program, providing assistance to over 200+ businesses and organizations in 48 USAID-assisted countries. EMDAP continues to assist organizations around the world as a USAID implementing partner.
EMDAP Alumnus – Russell Brott
Assignment: Ethiopia
Year: 2005-2006
Russell Brott, a graduate of Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute, Russell holds a Master’s in Public Policy, International Policy and Development .
Russell served as an economic advisor within Ethiopia's Ministry of Trade and Industry. In this capacity he worked with a wide range of policy issues affecting the country's near and long term growth and advised on the country's accession to the World Trade Organization. He produced reports on the economic ramifications of trade policy reforms resulting from WTO accession. This included a review of the country's five-year national Agricultural Development Led Industrialization growth plan, analysis of service sector liberalization options and investigation of the country’s ban on the export of key agricultural commodities. Russell was responsible for the project’s public relations strategy and implementation plan and was a member of the Donor Assistance Group responsible for coordinating programs across bilateral and multilateral donors. During his time as an EMDAP fellow, Russell was fortunate to help train Ethiopian legislators and promising students on key principals of international trade and economic development.
Russell is currently Director of Food Analytics at Fintrac.
EMDAP Alumnus - Ana Luisa Pinto
Assignment: Mexico
Year: 2006-2007
Ana Luisa Pinto, a graduate of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, provided technical assistance as a Marketing Adviser for a local Microfinance Institution, Alternativa Solidaria Chiapas (AlSol) in Chiapas, Mexico.
During her assignment, Ms. Pinto improved the institutional capacity of AlSol by creating a permanent Marketing Department, implementing market research initiatives to make informed decisions and improve client relationships and retention. To ensure sustainability she also trained a Marketing Manager to lead the department and continue the initiatives she started.
In the past, Ms. Pinto has worked as a Marketing Advisor with the Peace Corps in Guatemala and as a consultant with Catholic Relief Services, FINCA International, and the Grameen Foundation USA. Currently, Ms. Pinto works for QED Group, LLC, serving as the Regional Portfolio Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean in USAID’s EGAT Bureau’s Office of Development Credit. She monitors the utilization, risk exposure, and any implementation issues of credit guarantees with partner banks and MFIs in the region.
EMDAP Alumnus - Greg Swarin
Assignment: Jordan
Year: 2006-2007
Greg Swarin, a graduate of George Washington University’s Elliot School of International Affairs and a former Peace Corps volunteer in the Kingdom of Tonga, served as a Program Officer for the Business Development Center (BDC) in Jordan. Specifically, he worked with the TATWEER Business & Export Development Project for Jordanian Enterprises.
In this role, he served as a liaison between Jordanian enterprises and US companies, institutions and universities. He spearheaded the implementation of a partnership between the Thunderbird School of Global Management and the BDC. The partnership, “Friends of Success”, allowed Thunderbird MBA students to conduct short-term consultancies with local small and medium enterprises in Jordan. The program has since grown to provide opportunities for Jordanian MBA students to study in the USA. He also managed a regional business development conference which resulted in a $25,000 profit for the BDC.
Mr. Swarin is currently a USAID Program and Project Development Officer in the Regional Development Mission for Asia in Bangkok, Thailand. He is also member of the second class of USAID’s Development Leadership Initiative (DLI).
EMDAP Alumnus - James Lykos
Assignment: Armenia
Year: 2008-2009
James Lykos, a former Peace Corps volunteer in Georgia, served as a Senior Adviser to the American Chamber of Commerce in Armenia. As the Senior Adviser, Mr. Lykos improved the overall sustainability of the organization by spearheading the recruitment of an Executive Director and transforming the organizational newsletter into a widely distributed revenue generating magazine. Along with the Executive Director, he played a key role in: lobbying the Armenian government and Tax and Customs Officials to form a more equitable customs regime; creating CSR initiatives by linking Armenian companies with international development organizations; and organizing franchising and CSR conferences. Most importantly, his support led to higher member retention and membership increase.
Mr. Lykos previously worked for an Export Consortium researching the international landscape in fuel cell development as well as for PSI as a Sales Team Trainer in Kigali, Rwanda.
Mr. Lykos is now a USAID Private Enterprise Development Officer and will be deployed shortly to Mali. He is also a member of the fifth class of USAID’s Development Leadership Initiative (DLI).