Katy Anis

Coalescence is an advisory firm that accompanies thought leaders, decision makers and entities to effectively catalyze positive change, in alignment with their values and priorities. The firm bridges resources, expertise, investments, country contexts and worldviews to transform disparate efforts into unified, cohesive action. Coalescence specializes in fusing knowledge, resources, expertise and movement of capital with values and spirit to promote shared flourishing of people and planet.

Carry out projects and assignments advance the institute’s mission of building the spiritual foundation for a loving world. Conduct global mapping on Spirituality, Children & Youth and on Economics, Business and the Spiritual.

Provide technical guidance to angel investor’s high-value, direct investment in early childhood development with Syrian refugees in Jordan and Iraq. Support civil society to transform programming into adaptive learning model of early childhood development in humanitarian settings.

Provide strategic input and guidance to blended finance mechanism that leverages private sector and philanthropic capital to join with bilateral funding for child care and early education innovations.

Provide technical support to USAID missions in Africa, in designing, implementing and evaluating programming and new awards. Provide technical assistance in strategic planning and priority setting for regional & country level programming in sub-Saharan Africa. Serve as the focal point for technical areas, such as early child development, learning determinants, non-state providers, education finance, among other areas. Coordinate with cross sectoral counterparts in education, gender, financing,… Show more

Provide technical support to USAID missions in Africa, in designing, implementing and evaluating programming and new awards. Provide technical assistance in strategic planning and priority setting for regional & country level programming in sub-Saharan Africa. Serve as the focal point for technical areas, such as early child development, learning determinants, non-state providers, education finance, among other areas. Coordinate with cross sectoral counterparts in education, gender, financing, children in adversity, health, nutrition, child protection, nutrition, mental health, social behavior change, and other areas. Show less

Developed a toolkit in order to provide faith-based actors with concrete guidance, tools and examples about how to work with faith communities to nurture the spiritual development of children as well as to contribute to the prevention of violence in early childhood, with the ultimate goal to contribute to children’s holistic development and well-being. The toolkit utilizes a multi-sectoral approach, drawing on common principles that faith communities uphold for the flourishing of children, as… Show more

Developed a toolkit in order to provide faith-based actors with concrete guidance, tools and examples about how to work with faith communities to nurture the spiritual development of children as well as to contribute to the prevention of violence in early childhood, with the ultimate goal to contribute to children’s holistic development and well-being. The toolkit utilizes a multi-sectoral approach, drawing on common principles that faith communities uphold for the flourishing of children, as well as relevant and meaningful contributions from the early childhood development, child protection, holistic well-being, psycho-social well-being, spiritual development, violence prevention, parenting and other relevant fields. The toolkit focuses on sessions to undertake with community members, particularly parents, caregivers (including extended family) and early childhood educators, who interact with children from the prenatal stage to age 8. The toolkit is primarily oriented to faith actors and faith communities, however it includes a section for organizations who wish to work with faith communities.

The toolkit is composed of the following components:
• conceptual background on the toolkit
• resource guide for implementation in multiple implementation sites
• resource guide for local faith actors to prepare to implement in one local community
• guide for facilitators to implement sessions with caregivers and community members
• hands-on activities for nurturing spiritual development in children during the early years
• visual flipbook on nurturing spiritual development in early childhood for the prevention of violence
Show less

- Oversee grantmaking for Global, Latin America, Africa Regional, ,and Liberia country portfolios
- Fund plug and play tool to calculate the Cost of Inaction in early years, and related Financing and Resource Mobilization efforts through Early Child Development Action Network
- Fund a family of interventions in male engagement, including “Involved Fatherhood as a Pathway to Community Violence Reduction” and “Promotion of the Involvement of Men in Fatherhood and Caregiving in the… Show more

- Oversee grantmaking for Global, Latin America, Africa Regional, ,and Liberia country portfolios
- Fund plug and play tool to calculate the Cost of Inaction in early years, and related Financing and Resource Mobilization efforts through Early Child Development Action Network
- Fund a family of interventions in male engagement, including “Involved Fatherhood as a Pathway to Community Violence Reduction” and “Promotion of the Involvement of Men in Fatherhood and Caregiving in the Brazilian Government Home Visits” in Brazil
- Secure funding for feasibility assessment for Social Impact Bond to Effect Municipal Savings and Reduce Violence through Engaged Fatherhood
- Forge connections between Justice and Child-wellbeing, through dissemination of learning on: passage of legal code, training of judges & prosecutors, and caregiver home arrest policies at the UN Crime Congress
- Fund suite of grants in caregiver mental health, including economic framework and decision tool for scaling mental health, smartphone app for high-risk pregnant women, & system-strengthening
- Serve on grant-making panel of the IDB ECD Innovation Consortium, making grants to Haiti, Colombia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, Uruguay and other locations
- Oversee grants on child assessment, workforce development, social emotional learning, global financing for early years, and incorporation of early childhood into ntl. Education Sector Plans
- Provide technical assistance and oversight to the development of early childhood in Liberia
- Manage staff, represent organization, conduct research, negotiate budgets, develop initiatives, projects and strategies
- Manage relationships with co-funders and foundations such as: InterAmerican Development Bank, Comic Relief, Dubai Cares, Alana Foundation, Oak Foundation, Porticus, & others
- Monitor diverse grantees such as: Global Partnership for Education, London School of Economics, Early Child Action Network, Africa Early Child Network, etc.

Show less

Develop two methodological papers for the development of the Sustainable Development Goal indicator: 4.2.1- proportion of children who are developmentally on track before age 5 on:
o the measurement of learning in young children
o psychosocial well-being in young children

* Produced mapping and landscaping report on Early Childhood Care and Education in Ethiopia
* Contributed to production of early learning framework with subdomains and competencies defined
* Produced scope and sequence for 160 days of academic year across six domains of early learning
* Created 20 days of scripted daily lesson plans, for O Class teachers in Ethiopia
-Revised the national teacher training in-service package and produce supplementary training materials for O Class in… Show more

* Produced mapping and landscaping report on Early Childhood Care and Education in Ethiopia
* Contributed to production of early learning framework with subdomains and competencies defined
* Produced scope and sequence for 160 days of academic year across six domains of early learning
* Created 20 days of scripted daily lesson plans, for O Class teachers in Ethiopia
-Revised the national teacher training in-service package and produce supplementary training materials for O Class in Ethiopia
* Outlined plan for next steps in quality enhancement of O Class materials in Ethiopia
* Conducted an inventory of pre-primary learning materials in Liberia
* Conducted a landscaping report of early child development in Liberia Show less

-Provide technical support to the USAID Education Office, including input to school readiness tool development, project appraisal, indicator development, national Education Sector Plan and Strategy alignment, global basic education strategy formulation and other initiatives
-Contribute to Education Office portfolio in reading and early child development
-Collaborate with Health Office on early child development initiatives
-Represent USAID at the donor cooperating partners’ group and… Show more

-Provide technical support to the USAID Education Office, including input to school readiness tool development, project appraisal, indicator development, national Education Sector Plan and Strategy alignment, global basic education strategy formulation and other initiatives
-Contribute to Education Office portfolio in reading and early child development
-Collaborate with Health Office on early child development initiatives
-Represent USAID at the donor cooperating partners’ group and Zambia Early Child Action Network
-Advise in the preparation of Zambian folklore reading materials for 0-2, 2-4 and 4-6 age groups
Show less

Administered school readiness assessments of pre-primary and kindergarten children using Woodcock Johnson, Peabody Picture, Phonemic Awareness Literacy Assessment, HTKS and other instruments in schools in Northern Virginia counties, United States

* Provide ECD technical assistance and management oversight to the World Bank/Ministry of Education DICIPE program in Mozambique
*Work with UNICEF Mozambique to develop and pilot an alternative model of ECD, accelerated school readiness program
*Provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Education of Ethiopia to create a ECD curriculum for O Class and to develop a training program for O Class teachers
*Work with Banyan Tree Foundation to develop an Emergent Literacy and Math… Show more

* Provide ECD technical assistance and management oversight to the World Bank/Ministry of Education DICIPE program in Mozambique
*Work with UNICEF Mozambique to develop and pilot an alternative model of ECD, accelerated school readiness program
*Provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Education of Ethiopia to create a ECD curriculum for O Class and to develop a training program for O Class teachers
*Work with Banyan Tree Foundation to develop an Emergent Literacy and Math program customized for pastoral and semi-pastoral populations in Ethiopia.
*Serve as ECD focal person for Save the Children Ethiopia, including support to ECCD programming, development of Emergent Literacy and Math, development of child assessment and national advocacy efforts on ECD.
*Serve as ECD Technical Advisor to the USAID EducAccion Project in Honduras.
*Provide technical assistance in early child development and basic education programming to Bolivia, Mexico, El Salvador
*Provide technical assistance in Social-Emotional Development and Early Child Development in Mexico
*Provide training on ECD child - level direct assessment in Tanzania, Brazil, Honduras, El Salvador, Mozambique, Bolivia and number of other countries.
*Serve as Project Director for the Leer Juntos Aprender Juntos USAID Early Grade Reading Project, in Guatemala and Peru, a $4.4 million cooperative agreement. Serve as primary liaison for quasi-experimental rigorous impact evaluation.
Show less

Provided technical assistance to the Ethiopians Fighting Against Child Exploitation Project documentation

CARE, United States, 2010
* Developed policy brief on Power Within and Education Plus strategies, detailing how girls’ education is enhanced through explicit focus on leadership for girls.

* Produced documentation on interventions for girls in: water and sanitation, irrigation, land ownership, fuel-saving stoves, petty trade, health, educational, and life skills inputs for girls, culminating in: Empowering Adolescent Girls in Ethiopia: A Girls Lens on Integrated Programming
* Produced “How-to Guide”, delineating how to design and implement programming with adolescent girls: A Guide to Practice for Developing Programming for Adolescent Girls

* Conducted qualitative research and produced documentation on holistic and integrated programming in the areas of: adult and nonformal education, alternative basic education, income generation and livelihoods, girls’ and women’s empowerment, pastoralism, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, peace and conflict resolution, natural resource management, and other areas.
* Conceptualized and designed projects in: alternative basic education, education reform, gender violence prevention, economic… Show more

* Conducted qualitative research and produced documentation on holistic and integrated programming in the areas of: adult and nonformal education, alternative basic education, income generation and livelihoods, girls’ and women’s empowerment, pastoralism, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, peace and conflict resolution, natural resource management, and other areas.
* Conceptualized and designed projects in: alternative basic education, education reform, gender violence prevention, economic empowerment, school health, HIV/AIDS & reproductive health, health education, civic education, orphans and vulnerable children, holistic programming, playing instrumental role in leveraging funding for projects to the value of $19.75 million
* Conducted nationwide research study of education interventions for pastoralists and nomads
* Conducted project evaluation of holistic intervention in girls’ empowerment programming
* Spearheaded initiative on the integration of ethnographic approach into curriculum design for literacy and numeracy projects (include delivering training, produce documentation and manual) Show less

* Provided oversight and technical assistance to a nationwide research project on the prevalence of gender-based violence in primary and secondary schools across Ethiopia

* Conducted external evaluation of literacy and numeracy projects in 7 districts of East Timor, assessing the local-level impact of literacy and numeracy courses, findings and recommendations on teaching and learning, and recommendations on organizations’ provision of nonformal education

* Carried out study and produced report on the Ethiopia Country Profile in Nonformal and Basic Education for inclusion in the UNESCO Global Monitoring Report on Nonformal Education.

* Assisted Ethiopian NGO in the development of conceptual framework and proposal to develop the capacity of local education and training coalitions to provide and sustain nonformal education.

International Rescue Committee, with Univ. of Massachusetts & Management Sciences for Health, Kabul, Afghanistan ( with frequent travel to 12 provinces), 2004- 2006
* Responsible for implementation of the Learning for Life project, a health-focused literacy and numeracy curriculum, with the objective of preparing rural Afghan women to become community health workers and community midwives. Ensured that the project adhered to principles of: accelerated learning, active learning, community… Show more

International Rescue Committee, with Univ. of Massachusetts & Management Sciences for Health, Kabul, Afghanistan ( with frequent travel to 12 provinces), 2004- 2006
* Responsible for implementation of the Learning for Life project, a health-focused literacy and numeracy curriculum, with the objective of preparing rural Afghan women to become community health workers and community midwives. Ensured that the project adhered to principles of: accelerated learning, active learning, community participation, competency-based learning, and adult learning, and gender sensitivity.
* Responsible for designing and rolling out Learning for Life operations in 12 provinces of Afghanistan, reaching over 8600 women, establishing around 390 classes.
* Managed a budget of $3.1 million.
* Started up the project, including recruiting of staff, developing an implementation plan, creating the community mobilization action plan, developing the training program, training the staff, coordinating with curriculum development, fundamentally restructuring the budget, and building a functional operational system.
* Provided input and coordinated training with the design of instructional materials.
* Oversaw the process of writing, competing and awarding $1.28 million in grants to 7 local NGOs.
* Designed system for building the capacity of the local NGOs and provided management, monitoring, technical support and evaluation.
* Provided technical assistance and management oversight to all aspects of the project, including: nonformal education components, community mobilization, classroom pedagogy, training, security, human resources, logistics, institutional relationships, financial management, government relations and other areas.
Show less

* Organized workshops on Participatory Research and Action methodology.
* Coordinated field visits to conduct Participatory Research and Action with immigrant youth in the Washington, D.C. area.
* Designed and managed website for GroundWork, Inc.

World Bank -Education Advisory Service, Human Development Network
*Supported the Adult Outreach Education Thematic Group, including the sponsoring events on Grassroots Libraries, the Cost-Effectiveness of Literacy Programs, and Alternative Literacy Methodologies.
* Helped to coordinate and strategically position the International Literacy Network and the celebration of International Literacy Day to elevate public support for literacy.
* Researched and responded to thousands of… Show more

World Bank -Education Advisory Service, Human Development Network
*Supported the Adult Outreach Education Thematic Group, including the sponsoring events on Grassroots Libraries, the Cost-Effectiveness of Literacy Programs, and Alternative Literacy Methodologies.
* Helped to coordinate and strategically position the International Literacy Network and the celebration of International Literacy Day to elevate public support for literacy.
* Researched and responded to thousands of education-related questions from World Bank project staff.
* Developed over 150 resource guides on international education issues (see publications section).
* Provided significant contributions to the World Bank’s Education Knowledge Management System and conducted outreach on utilizing the system.
* Assisted with quantitative evaluation of the Education Advisory Service.

Show less

* Performed global, cross-sectoral review and analysis of existing international literature on men, their behavior, and their impact on women and children.
* Produced a synthesis of the research, The Effects of the Presence and Absence of Fathers.
* Created graphic design and layout for conference display on fatherhood.

* Sought out potential funders and grantmakers.
* Researched and wrote articles on school-to-work issues.
* Synthesized evaluations of US school-to-work programs for annual report to Congress.
* Developed database of over 1200 resources on the US School-to-Work Initiative.

* Coordinated writing of various sections of a $21 million proposal to fund the South African Tertiary Linkages Project. (Project awarded).
* Worked with Historically Black Colleges and Universities to document and highlight institutional capabilities.
* Supervised proposal production staff.

Writing Department, University of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 1993-96
International Education Systems, Koreatown, CA, 1994-96
Berlitz Language School, Torrance, CA, 1994-95
Fisk Language School, Tanabi, Brazil, 1992
Private Tutoring in ESL, 1990-1998
* Instructed English reading, writing, listening and conversation to adults and children in various locations.
* Taught courses on American Culture and Life to Brazilian elementary school teachers.
* Facilitated… Show more

Writing Department, University of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 1993-96
International Education Systems, Koreatown, CA, 1994-96
Berlitz Language School, Torrance, CA, 1994-95
Fisk Language School, Tanabi, Brazil, 1992
Private Tutoring in ESL, 1990-1998
* Instructed English reading, writing, listening and conversation to adults and children in various locations.
* Taught courses on American Culture and Life to Brazilian elementary school teachers.
* Facilitated writing groups to develop the writing skills of at-risk
* Tutored college students in writing skills and taught courses in English grammar.
Show less

* Researched and compiled international primary source literature on strategies for girls’ education.
* Categorized and codified documents into database for use in literature and resource development.

* Researched and wrote biographies for use in educational CD-ROMs for secondary schools, including Biography of a Contemporary Author: Zora Neale Hurston and Biography of a Contemporary Author: Gary Soto.
* Prepared A Historical Timeline of Latin America: 1800-present, which documented history, politics, the arts, culture and other aspects of life in Latin America for use in educational CD-ROMs.
* Performed fact-checking of educational text developed on various topics in American… Show more

* Researched and wrote biographies for use in educational CD-ROMs for secondary schools, including Biography of a Contemporary Author: Zora Neale Hurston and Biography of a Contemporary Author: Gary Soto.
* Prepared A Historical Timeline of Latin America: 1800-present, which documented history, politics, the arts, culture and other aspects of life in Latin America for use in educational CD-ROMs.
* Performed fact-checking of educational text developed on various topics in American literature.

Show less

* Recruited participants, conducted experiments, analyzed data for an experiment on the Role of Phonology in Second Language Reading Comprehension.
* Facilitated classroom discussions on Second Language Acquisition
* Observed and evaluated students’ academic performance.
* Monitored students in field placements.