With the impact of climate change on the poor and resulting mass migration, these are particularly difficult and volatile times for international development in very poor rural countries. Dr. Kate Schecter, head of World Neighbors and expert in this field, will share her thoughts about these challenges. She will also discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine and her experiences working in Ukraine and Russia after the fall of communism.

Dr. Schecter joined World Neighbors as the President and CEO in June 2014.  World Neighbors is a 71-year-old international development organization that works with rural isolated communities to help find solutions to permanently lift these communities out of poverty.  Dr. Schecter is responsible for managing World Neighbors’ programs and operations in 14 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.  Previously, she worked for the American International Health Alliance (AIHA) for 14 years and as a Senior Program Officer, had responsibility for managing health partnerships throughout Eurasia and Central and Eastern Europe. 

Earlier she worked as a consultant for the World Bank specializing in healthcare reform and child welfare issues in Eurasia and Eastern Europe.  She previously taught political science at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.  She is the co-editor and co-author of several books and articles about post-Soviet Russia and Ukraine. She also has made three documentary films for PBS about the former Soviet Union. Dr. Schecter holds a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University and an M.A. in Soviet Studies from Harvard University. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and served on the Board of Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. from 2010 to 2018. 

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