Andrea Bertone
Director, Gender, Equity, Safeguarding & Social Inclusion (GESSI)
Andrea Bertone, Ph.D. has over 20 years of international development experience on gender and social inclusion in health, education, and civil society; human trafficking; women's and girls' empowerment; male engagement; and gender-based violence. She is the director of FHI 360’s Gender, Equity, Safeguarding and Social Inclusion team, and also adjunct professor at The George Washington University. She holds a Ph.D. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Elise Young
Senior Technical Advisor, Gender, Equity, Safeguarding & Social Inclusion (GESSI)
Elise Young has served as an international development analyst, advocate, and advisor for 20+ years, specializing in economic empowerment, education, gender equality and social inclusion. She supports disability inclusion efforts, women’s economic empowerment projects and mainstreaming and capacity building for the GESSI Framework 2.0. As Women Thrive’s Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs, she advocated for gender equitable U.S. and global policies. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin. Elise is committed to examining her power and privilege and becoming a better ally in the global fight for equality.
Habtamu Buli
Technical Officer, Gender, Equity, Safeguarding & Social Inclusion (GESSI)
Habtamu Buli has 10+ years’ experience in international development and disability inclusion. He holds a master’s in special needs education from Addis Ababa University (AAU) and master’s in international development from Gallaudet University. He co-founded the Association of Students with Physical Disabilities, Deaf Students Association and supported creation of the Ethiopian Sign language B.A. program at AAU. He served as Executive Director at the Ethiopian National Association of the Deaf. As Disability Inclusion Technical Officer at FHI 360, he helps integrate disability inclusion across projects and business development initiatives.