Chema Gargouri, Country Director
Ms. Chema Gargouri is the manager and major shareholder of the Centre for Applied Training (CAT), a business development private company established in 1998. Her areas of expertise are project design and management, SE Business Development, and institutional and capacity building services. As CEO of CAT, she has managed a $ 6 million program funded by the Foreign Agriculture Service of the US Department of Agriculture. The program was aimed at sales development of the American co-operators’s commodities in the region (US Dairy Export Council, American Soybeans Association, US Wheat Export Council). Acting as the local subcontractor, Ms. Gargouri has conducted and managed training and exchange programs on behalf of American for profit and non-profit organizations funded by the U.S. State Department, MEPI and Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
The goal of these programs is to promote entrepreneurship and free enterprise with an emphasis on women run businesses. In 2004, in partnership with ISED Solutions, Ms. Gargouri led a group of 15 Tunisian Businesswomen to the US. The trip in the US involved over 100 “one to one” meetings matching Tunisian Businesswomen with their American counterparts. Ms. Chema Gargouri was involved, as Program Coordinator in the joint Tunisian Business Women Association (CNFCE) and Vital Voices Global Partnerships program sponsored by MEPI. The program was aimed at empowering women artisans through the establishment of a Public Private Partnership.
Until recently she has served as the Project Manager of the Results Oriented Commercial Organizations Capacity Development program, managed by the Institute for Social and Economic Development and funded by MEPI. The program was implemented in five countries in the MENA Region with a special focus on building the capacities of the Chambers of Commerce in the region to better serve their business members and explore ways to access capital and export to the US.
In 2011-2012 Chéma was the Country Director for the E-Mediat program, funded by MEPI and managed by Institute of International Education. The E-Mediat: Tools Technology and Training program provided cutting-edge new media training to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Since March 2012, Chema is working as the Country Director for the Women's Enterprise for Sustainability program
Five years ago she developed a special interest in social entrepreneurship and founded in 2006 the Tunisian Association for Management & Social Stability. TAMSS is a community development and entrepreneurship promotion NGO (for women and youth) located in a very poor area of Tunisia’s capital, Tunis. TAMSS’ mission is to fight poverty and develop a sense of civic responsibility, contributing to the improvement of Tunisian quality of life and connecting people for knowledge and reform. In 2011 TAMSS expanded its outreach through the establishment of 2 antennas in the center, Sidi Bouzid, and South , Gafsa of Tunisia. Her responsibility as President of TAMSS focuses on fundraising resulting in $3M in donations and an outreach of about 3000 women micro entrepreneurs and families. Chéma developed a significant experience in the areas of education for all, vocational training, non-formal education, life skills education, children with special needs, micro-finance, self help groups, and community participation.
Just after her university graduation she started her carrier as Project Manager at the International Executive Service Corps which is one of the world's largest, non-profit economic development organizations funded by the United States Agency for the International Development. She is a 2009 Summer Fellow of the Centre on Democracy Development and Rule of Law at Stanford University.
Chema Gargouri, Directeur National
Chema Gargouri est le Directeur Général du Centre de Formation Appliquée (CAT), une entreprise privée de développement créée en 1998. Depuis 2011 Chéma agit en tant que Directeur Local auprès de l’Institut International pour l’Education (IIE) un organisme Américain qui travaille depuis 1919 pour la promotion des capacités des individus et institutions dans plus de 60 pays dans le monde afin qu’ils puissent penser et agir à l’échelle internationale.
Chéma est responsable de la mise en place et la gestion des programmes de l’IIE à savoir : Techwomen (femmes et technologies),E-Mediat (Médias sociaux et stratégies de communications) et récemment le programme WES ou Entreprises Féminines Durables. En 2009 Chéma a reçu une bourse du Centre pour La Démocratie, Développement et l’Etat de Droit (CDDRL) de l’Université de Stanford aux USA. Avant 2011 Chéma a représenté et géré les programmes et budgets de plus d’une dizaine d’organismes américains en Tunisie mais aussi en Algérie, Lybie et le Maroc.
Ses domaines d'expertises sont essentiellement la conception et la gestion des projets de développement et d’échanges de compétences. Chéma a démarré sa carrière auprès de l’Agence Américaine pour le Développement International (USAID) suite à des études universitaires en Tunisie. Chéma est aussi Fondatrice et Présidente de l’Association Tunisienne de Gestion et de Stabilité Sociale , TAMSS, une ONG Tunisienne qui travaille depuis 2006 sur le développement communautaire.
Ahmed Hamza, Program Coordinator
Ahmed Hamza is WES Tunisia Program Coordinator and is an entrepreneur, a social media enthusiast, a civil society activist, and a musician.
Prior to joining WES, Ahmed was the Training Coordinator for the E-Mediat program in Tunisia.
He holds a BA in English Language, Literature and Civilization and speaks English, French and Arabic fluently. In 2008 Ahmed founded a consulting company specializing in web development and marketing. Following that, he went on to work as a Social Media Consultant for communication and marketing agencies in Tunisia and abroad. During that time, he assisted several Tunisian NGOs in their communication strategies online, and offline. He organized several funding campaigns and coordinated the Kairouanian civil society’s support for the international refugees in the Tunisian/Libyan borders during the first days of the Libyan revolution.
Ahmed is also a musician and composer, he started his own band “RaZZmataZZ” in 2006 and produced an instrumental album entitled “Safra” (Journey) in 2009. He plays violin, luth, and drums and has composed music for theater performances. He has also served as the Artistic Director/PR Manager of several underground Arts festivals in Tunisia.
Ahmed Hamza, Coordinateur du programme WES en Tunisie
Ahmed Hamza a été coordinateur et formateur auprès du programme E-Mediat Tunisie et agit actuellement en tant que Coordinateur du Programme Entreprises Féminines Durables (WES).
En 2008, Ahmed a fondé une entreprise de conseil spécialisée dans le développement Web et le Marketing.
Il a travaillé ensuite en tant que Consultant en Réseaux Sociaux pour plusieurs Agences de Communication et de Marketing en Tunisie et à l'étranger : USA, France, et au Maroc.
Il est aussi entrepreneur, passionné de médias sociaux, un militant de la société civile, et musicien.
IIE's Center for Women's Leadership Initiatives
Heather Ramsey, Director Strategic Partnerships
Heather has initiated and managed international programs for 18 years with a strong focus on NGO capacity building, social enterprise development, women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship, social media, and technology in emerging markets and developing countries. These programs include E-Mediat: Tools, Technology and Training, Techwomen, Women’s Enterprise for Sustainability, and Women in Technology MENA. Heather also led a USAID-funded WIT pilot program, managed corporate scholarships, teacher exchange programs and study abroad scholarships, and supported foreign Fulbright Students.
Prior to joining IIE, Heather recruited students from around the world for English language schools in the U.S., U.K. and Australia. Heather also worked in Bucharest, Romania planning education programs at Casa Deschisa, a shelter for street children. Heather earned a Master’s degree in International Policy Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies with a focus on Gender and International Development, and a Bachelor’s degree in French and Journalism. Heather’s longtime commitment to the rights and welfare of girls and women has been reinforced by her role as a mother to her daughter and step-daughters.
Julia Hendrickson, WES Assistant Director
With over 15 years of program management and evaluation experience, Julia has focused her work on women’s leadership, health issues, gender equity, and program evaluation. In the past, Julia lead the evaluation for IIE’s Leadership Development for Mobilizing Reproductive Health (LDM) program, and participated in management of country programs, curriculum development and overall strategic planning for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Global Initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness program. Prior to joining IIE, Julia worked on the Women’s Political Participation programs at The Asia Foundation where she was involved in regional projects to prevent gender-based violence. Julia has spent many years living in South and Southeast Asia. She has a B.A. in International Relations and Asian Studies from Tufts University, and an M.P.H. in International Health from Emory University.
Celia Boren, Program Officer
Celia first joined IIE in 2008 to support the Susan G. Komen Global Initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness. During her three years working with this global network she focused on communications, monitoring and evaluation, and new curricula and training. Celia’s commitment to global health and women’s economic participation took her to Rwanda in 2011 where she joined Population Services International (PSI). At PSI, she coordinated research and M&E efforts for a health education and financial literacy program for girls ages 10-12 in four regions of Rwanda. While living in East Africa, Celia also designed, launched, and managed her own food business focused on fresh and healthy prepared meals.
In 2012, Celia returned to IIE as Program Officer for the Women’s Enterprise for Sustainability (WES) program. She brings with her a passion for collaborating with women-led businesses in Africa to support them as they launch, grow, and scale their ideas to shape their country's future. Celia holds a B.A. in Sociology with a focus on Human Development from Colby College.
Madhavi Bhasin, Program Associate
Madhavi joined the Institute of International Education in 2011 to work with the E-Mediat: Tools, Technology and Training team, where she supported social media trainings for civil society organizations in the Middle East and North Africa region. Madhavi received a Ph.D. in International Relations from Jadavpur University, India and a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Delhi University, India. She was a Visiting Scholar at the Center for South Asia Studies, UC Berkeley for two years, conducting research on the contemporary socio-political trends in India. Seven years after pursuing her career in academic research, Madhavi moved from working with community development programs to international NGOs. She continues to work with India based NGOs and is currently designing an online platform for South Asian NGOs to connect and network. She is primarily interested in issues relating to women’s economic empowerment, use of social media for social change and exploring cultural adaptations of development models.