Jean-François Seide

Jean-François (JF) Seide holds an MS in Information Systems from the University of Washington, an MPP in Public Policy Analysis from the University of Oxford, and a BA in Business Administration from the University of Portland. After his studies in Oxford, JF went back home to Haiti and started his own management and IT consulting firm to help businesses and institutions leverage the power of technology in instituting socio-economic change. His work focuses on implementing financial technology projects to increase and improve financial inclusion in Haiti.

JF worked on three projects during his one-year engagement at START, acting as the Project Manager for one of them. Below are highlights from two of the projects JF worked on:

• Generosity Commission: The START team conducted an updated literature review to better understand the following key questions:
  1. What are the implications for nonprofit organizations and communities of the decline in the number of givers and volunteers?
  2. What are the causes of recent trends in giving and volunteering? What are the possible remedies?
  3. What is the level and social impact of new diverse forms of giving and volunteering?
  4. Where do giving and volunteering fit among different forms of civic engagement?
  5. What is the relationship between giving and volunteering on the one hand and a healthy democracy on the other?
  6. How do changes in participation in giving, volunteering, and civic engagement impact social outcomes and issues such as social justice and racial and gender equity?”
  
• Women’s Leadership : BMGF committed $230 million over 10 years to accelerate women’s leadership and influence in the fields of health, law, and economics. Investments will be concentrated in the priority geographies of India and Sub-Saharan Africa. The START team was tasked to seek out further research in order to understand both market dynamics and current literature on women’s leadership across sectors in these geographies.

Looking back on his experience at START, JF said, “my experience at START taught me new skills that will contribute greatly to the next step I take in my career.”

JF currently is the Chief Operating Officer at Nclusion.