US

Lauren Crigler, B.A., HCI Director for Health Workforce Development

Lauren Crigler is the Director for Health Workforce Development under the Health Care Improvement project (HCI). In this role, she works with HCI staff globally to assess the health workforce and expand the evidence base for the application of Quality Improvement to HR workforce issues in areas such as training, supervision systems, interpersonal relations and workforce efficiency.

Ms. Crigler has 12 years of human performance improvement experience, and is especially skilled in competency and leadership development and supervision in primary healthcare programs of reproductive health/family planning, maternal and child health, nutrition, HIV, and malaria. She is skilled in adapting private-sector experience and methods for public-sector field use and conducting operations research and evaluation, and has worked in the US, Africa, the Middle East, Armenia, Asia and the Latin America/Carribean region. Ms. Crigler is a certified Systems Analysis and Performance Improvement specialist and has designed, conducted and published a peer-reviewed study on what factors affect human performance in the workplace. She is fluent in English and Spanish and has a working knowledge of French.

Nicole Dupré, M.A., Director of Finance and Administration

As Initiatives' Director of Finance and Administration, Nicole Dupré has managed the business operations of the Boston office and provided targeted project management support in the areas of finance and administration since 2004. Her specific responsibilities include proposal and budget preparation, corporate financial systems, personnel administration, and contract management. Ms. Dupré has also served as Task Order Manager for three of Initiatives’ six TASC2 Task Orders.

Ms. Dupré's skills range from financial management to technical writing to systems administration. Before she joined Initiatives, Ms. Dupré worked as a professional engineer, including several years as firm partner, providing general company management and oversight. She also has varied experience in non-profit management, including a year in Rome, Italy, where she was the administrator for an American non-profit arts organization.

Erin Kennedy, B.A., Project Assistant

In her position as Project Assistant, Erin Kennedy provides financial and administrative support to several of Initiatives’ projects. Ms. Kennedy graduated from Skidmore College with a degree in Environmental Studies, focused on economics and agriculture. Prior to joining Initiatives, Ms. Kennedy provided programmatic support to a nonprofit organization with the mission of increasing the access to healthcare for the backstretch workers at the Saratoga (New York) Thoroughbred Race Course.

Lorraine Soisson, Ph.D., Senior Technical Advisor for MVDP

Lorraine Soisson is the Senior Technical Advisor under the Malaria Vaccine Development Program (MVDP). In this role, she works closely with the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Office of Health, Infectious Diseases, and Nutrition of the USAID Bureau for Global Health. Dr. Soisson advises on the application of biotechnology to parasitic vaccine development, develops regulatory affairs plans and documents, and coordinates program activities with MVDP partners.

Dr. Soisson earned her PhD in Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology. After completing her PhD work in parasite vaccinology, she accepted an American Academy for the Advancement of Science Science and Diplomacy Fellowship in USAID's Bureau for Policy and Program Coordination. Dr. Soisson later worked on the development of USAID's Schistosomiasis Vaccine Development Program (SVDP) with USAID, the Egyptian Ministry of Health, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and has become expert in coordinating science and health issues with international organizations.