Our Team

Strategic Leadership | Innovation | Partnerships

Tica is a senior humanitarian professional with over 17 years of experience across the full spectrum of emergency response—from frontline program implementation and inter-agency coordination to strategic leadership within donor institutions. Her work is grounded in a comprehensive understanding of both operational realities and system-level strategy, developed through roles with NGOs, UN agencies, and bilateral donors.

In leadership positions with USAID, the UN, and NGOs, Tica has directed large-scale programs, led complex responses, and managed diverse cross-functional teams in some of the world’s most challenging contexts. She has played key roles in high-profile emergencies—including in Gaza, Sudan, Nigeria, Yemen, and South Sudan—consistently ensuring accountability and principled humanitarian action. 

A strong advocate for reform, Tica has contributed to shaping humanitarian policy and practice through advisory roles focused on system improvement, accountability, and inclusion. Known for her ability to translate field realities into strategic priorities, she brings both vision and operational acumen to efforts aimed at building a more effective, equitable, and responsive humanitarian system.

Tica holds a Master’s in Peace and Justice Studies from the University of San Diego.

Senior Humanitarian Leader | Champion of Access, Protection, and Systemic Change

Dina Parmer is a senior humanitarian strategist with over 20 years of leadership coordinating complex operations, forging high-level diplomatic initiatives, and driving rights-based humanitarian responses across conflict, displacement, and migration settings worldwide. Recognized for her ability to unite diverse actors toward common humanitarian goals, Dina has advised IASC Principals, UN leaders, donor governments, and major international organizations through some of the world’s most challenging crises.

A skilled negotiator and coalition builder, Dina has successfully led humanitarian access negotiations with authorities, non-state actors, and multilateral stakeholders, ensuring principled humanitarian assistance in volatile environments such as Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, Nigeria, and the occupied Palestinian territories. She has spearheaded collective advocacy and diplomacy efforts that strengthened protection of civilians, advanced International Humanitarian Law, and opened humanitarian corridors where needs were most acute.

Known for her strategic leadership in managing multi-sector operations and coordinating inter-agency responses from humanitarian aid to conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Dina brings a bold, adaptive approach to complex, high-risk contexts. Her leadership is grounded in clarity, empathy, and a deep commitment to justice, access, and humanitarian principles. Throughout her career, Dina has championed systemic change in the humanitarian sector, challenging exclusionary practices and promoting a more just, inclusive, and rights-centered humanitarian architecture.

Policy Analysis | Program & Risk Management | Principled Humanitarian Access

Melody Knight is a humanitarian professional with over 15 years of experience managing emergency response, donor engagement, and policy development in crisis-affected settings across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. She has held leadership roles with USAID, the UN, and international NGOs, with a focus on policy engagement, risk management, and principled humanitarian response.

She has led inter-agency policy engagements with senior humanitarians, donor representatives, and UN counterparts on issues ranging from climate change mitigation and adaptation to internal displacement and humanitarian financing. Known for bridging field realities with policy priorities, Melody has authored analytical research, managed advocacy campaigns, and designed operational guidance that strengthens humanitarian accountability.

Melody brings deep expertise in the oversight of complex humanitarian programs, including monitoring implementation, ensuring donor compliance, and mitigating operational and contextual risks. Her work has often centered on navigating the challenges posed by counter-terrorism measures and sanctions regimes, advocating for humanitarian access, and safeguarding the impartiality of aid in politically sensitive environments.

In addition to her policy and donor roles, Melody has supported humanitarian negotiations, led capacity-building initiatives, and developed systems for improved data collection, analysis, and research. She holds a master’s from the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University and speaks Italian and conversational French.

Strategic Thinker | Program and Risk Manager | Crisis Response Coordinator

Laura E. Jones is results-driven humanitarian and emergency management professional with over 15 years of experience in strategic planning, risk mitigation, stakeholder engagement, response coordination, and project development and management in complex and high risk environments. 

Most recently, Laura led a team of dynamic professionals at USAID working on issues related to risk management and the oversight of the 29 multilateral humanitarian partners funded by the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA). Prior to her work at USAID, Laura spent a number of years with the UN - primarily the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) - on various humanitarian responses supporting displaced populations in contexts such as Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, Kenya, and Uganda, with a specific focus on shelter and settlements. Laura has also worked for a number of NGOs on humanitarian and human rights projects including Project Concern International, the Center for American Progress, and Church World Service. 

Laura specializes in leading complex programs that deliver results in crisis-affected environments. Her work has driven the development and execution of multi-million dollar emergency responses, improved accountability frameworks across the UN, and shaped policy in high-stakes humanitarian settings. Laura has led high-performing teams to deliver impact with integrity and innovation, and has a proven track record in fostering collaboration and driving operational excellence across the humanitarian sector. 

Laura holds an MIA from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University and a BA from Emory University. 

Strategic Leadership | Climate Resilience | Localization

Dr. Sarah Henly-Shepard is a senior global resilience and humanitarian expert with over 25 years of experience advancing climate-smart disaster risk reduction, environmental resilience, and locally led humanitarian response and recovery in crisis-prone and conflict-affected settings. Her interdisciplinary leadership spans technical, policy, and operational domains—linking global frameworks with grassroots impact across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific. 

Through executive and advisory roles with USAID/BHA, the UN, and international NGOs, Sarah has led complex multi-sectoral programs, supported interagency coordination, and shaped regional and national strategies in response to both rapid-onset disasters and slow-onset climate crises. She is recognized for building equitable partnerships, strengthening early warning and anticipatory action systems, and championing feminist and decolonial approaches to resilience and recovery. Sarah’s work bridges the gap between data-driven strategy and community empowerment. She brings a strong track record of influencing institutional policy, designing inclusive governance models, and advancing nature-based solutions for climate adaptation and hazard mitigation.

Dr. Henly-Shepard holds a PhD in Natural Resource and Environmental Management focusing on community-based disaster resilience and climate adaptation, a Master of Public Health focusing on Refugee Healthcare and Human Rights, and a BA in International Affairs. She is the Executive Director of Disaster Resilience LLC and an active member of the global DRR and humanitarian architecture, including previous board service with GNDR.