Technical Expertise

HQ: Mary Heather White, Program Manager for Asia

M.A. International Affairs

Ms. White has 20 years of experience in the area of development education and training for poverty reduction. More than 10 years of her career have been spent in the South Asian region, with a focus on Sri Lanka, working on CIDA-funded bilateral projects as well as with other leading international organizations. Her expertise in post-disaster environments and gender mainstreaming include post-tsunami and post-conflict livelihoods development through vocational training, social and economic re-integration of ex-combatants and the promotion of women in non-traditional trades. She also has significant experience integrating gender at the organizational level.

Before joining CHF as Program Manager Asia, Ms. White was the Director for the longstanding and highly successful Project for Rehabilitation for Education and Training funded by CIDA and numerous other donors in Sri Lanka. Ms. White has also been stationed in India, has worked in Afghanistan, and has played important roles in Canada managing partnership programs, university and college programs and refugee education programs. She speaks English and has a working knowledge of French. At CHF she is responsible for managing the Humanitarian Response in Northern Sri Lanka project and will be looking at other programming opportunities in the region.