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Dr. Lianne Fisman is an experienced researcher and a recognized expert in qualitative and mixed method research design, and analysis. She specializes in evaluating and strengthening programs that support economically disadvantaged individuals and communities. Dr. Fisman currently leads Abt’s Qualitative and Mixed Methods sub-capability. During her tenure at Abt, Dr. Fisman has served as project director and task leader on projects related to a variety of policy areas, including housing, youth and community development, education, and financial wellness.

Matt Bugbee is a federal technology executive with almost three decades of experience leading digital modernization, enterprise IT, and business growth initiatives for civilian agencies.

Brian Chirwa is an agricultural and environmental scientist with over three decades worth of experience working on projects funded by the World Bank, the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), the Environmental Council of Zambia, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). He brings 18 years’ experience on PMI-funded projects focused on indoor residual spraying (IRS) and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and has provided technical leadership, assistance, and high-level management for country-wide Zambian IRS and ITN campaigns. Brian also has three decades' worth of experience designing environmental information systems (EIS) for public organizations.

Debra Kemp Fleischer is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with 25 years of experience supporting federal programs. She applies her background in environmental science and policy with communications expertise to inform and engage stakeholders about regulatory and voluntary programs. She has led the development and implementation of multi-media communications strategies for a variety of audiences, including non-profit organizations, industry, environmental groups, and federal staff. She has experience with plain language writing, message development, and risk communication. 

Gary L. Perlin, the retired chief financial officer of Capital One Financial Corporation, is the non-executive chairman of Abt Global’s Board of Directors.Perlin has more than three decades of experience in senior finance roles in for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. As CFO of Capital One – one of the largest financial services companies in the nation – Perlin was responsible for the company’s overall financial management. He was named “Best Finance Company CFO” for four years by Institutional Investor magazine between 2007 and 2011.

Lauren Pittenger comes to Abt with more than 20 years of experience working in or as a consultant to federal government agencies. She has strong grounding in research and research-based consulting to government clients. She also has extensive experience leading and growing business, managing technical and scientific projects, and coaching and supporting account teams. She has served as a director at Guidehouse, scientific program manager at Booz Allen Hamilton, and lab manager at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She has worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Canadian Public Health Laboratory Network, the Gates Foundation and the Association of Public Health Laboratories.

Etienne Fondjo is a medical entomologist specializing in malaria with 20 years of experience in project management and malaria control funded by the public sector and its partners. He has served as the national malaria coordinator and as the deputy national malaria coordinator in Cameroon’s National Malaria Control Program (NMCP). He has also consulted for the World Health Organization (WHO) in five countries, served as principal investigator for 11 projects in Cameroon, and was the Central Africa coordinator for the Mapping Malaria Risk in Africa (MARA) project in nine countries.

Jane Pepperall is a senior health professional with over 30 years of experience in global health policy development and in supporting national health sector development in the Pacific, Asia, and Africa. She has focused on strategy and investments to strengthen health systems and health financing. Jane worked for the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) (now the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) for 20 years, including health adviser postings in Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Pakistan, and the Pacific. More recently she has been providing health strategy, policy, and technical advice to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Dereje Dengela is an epidemiologist and entomologist with more than 25 years of experience in planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of malaria control programs. He has extensive managerial experience, having supervised as many as 94 professionals. He has held senior positions with the government of Ethiopia, worked on projects for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and served as a national malaria program officer in Ethiopia. He supported the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia in mobilization of financial resources from donors, particularly the Global Fund. Dengela has authored or co-authored more than 30 publications in peer-reviewed journals.