Giulia McPherson
executive director, GCE-USGiulia McPherson (she/her) is the Executive Director of the Global Campaign for Education-US. She has 20 years of leadership experience in the humanitarian and development sectors and most recently served as Vice President of Advocacy and Operations at Jesuit Refugee Service/USA. Giulia has a Bachelors in Political Science from Villanova University and a Masters in International Development Studies from The George Washington University. She serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for Educate2Envision International, Chair of the Board of Directors for AMP Global Youth, a program of Americans for Informed Democracy, Treasurer of the Board of Directors for American Jesuits International, and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Nourishing Bethesda. Giulia received the 2022 Distinguished Alumna Award from her alma mater, the Academy of the Holy Cross, and was honored as a Top 20 in 2022 Advocacy Professional from the Advocacy Association and one of The Hill’s Top Lobbyists in 2023.
Suzanne Berman
senior advisor, GCE-USSuzanne Berman (she/her) is a policy and communications consultant with more than 20 years of experience across the public, private, and non-profit sectors, currently serving as Senior Advisor with the Global Campaign for Education-US. As a Senior Consultant at Deloitte, Suzanne designed and implemented communications tools for federal and non-profit clients, engaging stakeholders and streamlining processes. At ChildFund, she built the organization's US government advocacy operation, developing its advocacy platform, annual lobby day, and child protection coalition. In her roles at CARE and Bread for the World, Suzanne conducted grassroots and grasstops organizing across 19 states on gender equity, maternal health, education, and food security. Suzanne holds a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin, a MA in Human Rights and Democratization from the University of Malta, and a BA in English from the College of William and Mary.
Kate Mallory
senior Fellow, GCE-USKate Mallory (she/her) is an undergraduate Honors student studying International Relations at Northeastern University. Currently, she is a Student Fellow with GCE-US. She also served as a member of the 100 Million Campaign’s USA Secretariat, a Co-Chair of the United Nations Association of the USA’s Human-Rights Affinity Group, and the UNESCO SDG4Youth Network. Kate has advocated for human rights on a global scale as a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly, the Convention on the Status of Women, the High-Level Political Forum, and as a Youth Consultant to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. She is passionate about access to education, and is so excited to be involved with GCE-US!
Maha Shoaib
senior Fellow, GCE-USMaha Shoaib (she/her), a Fulbright Scholar from Pakistan, is currently pursuing a graduate degree in International Education Policy at the University of Maryland College Park. As a Graduate Fellow at the Global Campaign for Education - US (GCE-US), she actively contributes to promoting SDG4 by assisting in advocacy, public policy, strategic communications, and youth engagement. Maha aims to enhance her understanding of global education advocacy and policymaking, with a focus on implementing effective education policies. Previously, she worked at Teach For Pakistan, collaborating with stakeholders to expand access to quality education in a rural community in Islamabad. Maha is driven by her passion for developing sustainable education systems that offer equal opportunities for all children to learn, grow, and succeed.
Ngozi Lawal
Ngozi Lawal, Board Chair, is the Principal of Early Actions, working to ensure every child reaches their full potential in school and life. Previously, Ngozi was the Project Director for the Center for the Study of Social Policy’s Prenatal to 3 Initiative, aimed at increasing the number of children on track for kindergarten in EC-LINC communities. Prior to joining CSSP, Ngozi supported the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood Education at the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human in implementing a national policy agenda to help states and communities help babies, toddlers and preschoolers get ready for school. She oversaw the federal State Advisory Councils and played a key role in the policy development and implementation of the Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge and Preschool Development Grants. Ngozi also managed the child care portfolio at the American Public Human Services Association, working alongside state child care administrators to develop policy proposals to improve implementation of the Child Care and Development Fund. She partnered with state child welfare directors to reduce the disproportionality of children of color in the child welfare system and improve the educational and social outcomes for youth who age out of foster care without permanent home placements. Ngozi began her career at Zero to Three where she tracked state and federal policies and initiatives on early childhood mental health. Ngozi has a Master of Arts Degree in Child Development from Tufts University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Boston College.
Amanda Guarino
Amanda Guarino, Board Treasurer, is the Managing Director for the First Five Years Fund (FFYF), and has over a decade of experience and policy expertise in early childhood education and management. Guarino joined FFYF after nearly twelve years with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where she played a crucial role in the Administration for Children & Families’ management of programs that support early childhood education and development. Beginning in 2010, Guarino served as Management and Program Analyst within the Office of Child Care at the Administration for Children & Families. In this role she provided strategic direction, leadership, and consultation regarding the coordination and delivery of Technical Assistance (TA) activities. This coordination included implementation of process quality improvement, budget monitoring considerations, Child Care/Head Start collaboration activities, and effective communication across federal programs and TA projects. Guarino also managed several TA projects including the State Capacity Building Center, the next iteration of the State Systems Specialist Network. In this role she worked tirelessly to ensure the delivery of TA is systematic, of high quality, responsive to grantee needs, and outcome driven. Guarino holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the College of the Holy Cross and earned a Masters of Arts Degree in Social Work with a concentration in Administration from Columbia University in the city of New York. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and lives on Capitol Hill.
Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is the Executive Director of RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund (REF) and has been a part of RESULTS in a variety of capacities for over 20 years. Joanne became legislative director of RESULTS/REF in 1992 and associate executive director in 2007. As legislative director of RESULTS/REF, Joanne worked with key administration and congressional allies, partner organizations, and technical agencies orchestrating U.S. and international campaigns to tackle major diseases of poverty (particularly tuberculosis and major child killers), increase access to education, expand economic opportunity for the poorest, and reform World Bank and International Monetary Fund policies. An international expert and spokesperson on global poverty issues, Joanne regularly organizes media briefings on breaking legislative and technical news and works closely with the World Health Organization, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and other international organizations. She is also a founding board member of Global Action for Children.
