2015 Washington DC Regional Summit

Please join us in Washington, DC for our 2015 Regional Summit, hosted by the Board of Governors! 

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FEATURED SPEAKERS

Join today's leading global experts and discover the latest strategies for breaking the cycle of poverty, transforming lives and strengthening families and communities around the world. Read their biographies below.

• The Honorable Matthew McGuire, U.S. Executive Director of The World Bank Group
• David Gardner, Managing Partner, Cofounders Capital
• David Gardner, Co-Founder, The Motley Fool
• Bob Rabatsky, Director of the Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation Program at Fintrac
• Vicki Escarra, Global CEO, Opportunity International
• Nathan Byrd, Head of Education, Opportunity International
• John Magnay, Head of Agriculture, Opportunity International

Hear from our clients and officers in the field.

• Faith Komukyeya, Relationship Supervisor, Opportunity Uganda
• Joyce Nawaguma, School Proprietor, Opportunity Uganda

SCHEDULE (Subject to Change)

8:00 am        Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:30 am        Introduction to Opportunity International

If you’re a first time attendee or would like to learn more about Opportunity, this is the session for you.

8:30 am        Prayer Gathering

Join others for an inspirational start to the day with prayer and reflection. We also invite you to use this time to greet old friends, meet new ones, and visit over coffee.

9:00 am        Morning Plenary

Invocation / Kadita “AT” Tshibaka served on Opportunity’s Board of Directors. 

Welcome / Global CEO Vicki Escarra will share Opportunity’s vision for the future of our work to alleviate extreme poverty.

Keynote / The Honorable Matthew McGuire, U.S. Executive Director of The World Bank Group 

Featured Speaker / Mr. David Gardner, Managing Partner, Cofounders Capital

10:30 am      Break

11:00 am      Looking Ahead at Opportunity

An open dialogue with Opportunity leaders to explore anticipated priorities and strategies to carry out Opportunity’s mission, vision, and motivation.

11:50 am      Lunch

Keynote/ David Gardner, Co-Founder, The Motley Fool. The Motley Fool has grown into an international multi-media network offering financial solutions to millions of individuals worldwide seeking to make better financial decisions and improve their overall quality of life.

1:00 pm        Breakout Sessions

Institutional Agriculture / Featuring Bob Rabatsky, Director of the Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation Program at Fintrac, which identifies and commercializes innovative agricultural technologies for consumers. Fintrac, a U.S.-based consulting company, develops agricultural solutions to end hunger and poverty. 

Education / Featuring Nathan Byrd, Head of Education Finance, Opportunity International

1:50 pm        Break

2:15 pm        Afternoon Plenary

Innovations in Asia / With 3.1 million loan clients in Asia, including 2.2 million in India alone, Opportunity is focused on innovation and microfinance services in Asia. The need is great where, in South Asia, 75% of the people are living below $2.50 per day.   

Education and Entrepreneurs / Making a difference in Uganda - Opportunity International Global CEO Vicki Escarra will lead a conversation with a loan officer and client, a Uganda school proprietor, to learn firsthand how OI is creating and sustaining jobs while empowering people living in extreme poverty and improving education for children in Uganda.

3:45 pm        Closing Reception

Join us for continued conversation over light hors d’oeuvres and cocktails before you depart!

Throughout the day, be sure to stop by the exhibit tables to:

• Check out (and purchase!) handmade client products from around the world
• Learn how to talk to others about Opportunity’s work
• Obtain information about Planned Giving & the Whittaker Society
• See Opportunity in action and learn about Insight Trips!

SPEAKER BIOS

Nathan Byrd, Head of Education Finance of Opportunity International
Nathan Byrd is Head of Education Finance for Opportunity International and is responsible for developing education-related finance tools for schools and families, forming strategic partnerships in the education sector and expanding Opportunity’s Education Finance offerings. Before joining Opportunity International, Byrd was Deputy Director of Operations for the International Rescue Committee in Kabul, Afghanistan, where he was responsible for a budget of $21.5 million. Byrd previously served as Vice President of Strategic Development for Covenant House, a children-focused organization. Byrd holds a master’s in global management from Thunderbird School of Global Management, an M.B.A. from Indiana University and a bachelor’s in Spanish and English from Saint Louis University.

Vicki Escarra, Global CEO of Opportunity International
Vicki Escarra is the Global CEO of Opportunity International, leading the organization's efforts to empower people to work their way out of poverty. She has led several major initiatives to create a long-term strategic plan, restructure the organization's worldwide operations to unite eight international offices under one global banner, streamline operations and increase global revenue to expand Opportunity’s work. Escarra has also strengthened corporate partnerships as part of the organization’s plan to create 20 million jobs by 2020, impacting 100 million people through life-changing loans, savings programs and other services and training. Escarra began her career at Delta Air Lines, where she rose to Chief Marketing Officer and was one of the highest-ranking women in the aviation industry, overseeing $15 billion inrevenue and leading a workforce of 52,000. She also served as CEO of Feeding America, where she quadrupled the revenue and doubled the number of people the organization serves.

David Gardner, Managing Partner, Cofounders Capital
David Gardner is on Opportunity International’s Ambassadors Council and brings nearly 30 year of experience as a serial entrepreneur, writer, adviser and investor in the software technology industry. Before founding Cofounders Capital, a $12M early stage seed fund, he was an active angel investor and served as a Vice President for Compuware, a billion-dollar Fortune 1000 corporation. Gardner has cofounded or founded multiple successful companies and has also served as a full-time unpaid mentor for startup companies. Gardner has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Bluefield College, a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a master’s in information science from North Carolina State University.

David Gardner, Co-Founder and Chief Rule Breaker, The Motley Fool
David Gardner is the Co-Founder and Chief Rule Breaker at The Motley Fool. David co-founded “The Fool” with his brother, Tom, in 1993. The company’s mission is to help the world invest better by focusing on long-term investments in world-class businesses. With an unyielding focus on workplace culture and employee engagement, The Motley Fool was named the #1 Medium-Sized Company to Work For by Glassdoor.com in 2014 and 2015.

As Chief Rule Breaker, David wears many hats including innovator, stock picker, author, and lecturer. Prior to founding The Motley Fool, David graduated as a Morehead Scholar from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1988. He is a recipient of UNC’s prestigious "Distinguished Young Alumni Award" and served on the Individual Investor Advisory Committee of the New York Stock Exchange for 15 years. Among his many accomplishments at The Motley Fool, David is perhaps most proud of his conception and development of Motley Fool CAPS.

Faith Komukyeya, Relationship Supervisor with Opportunity Bank Uganda
Faith Komukyeya is the Relationship Supervisor with Opportunity Bank, Uganda, and is responsible for overseeing the growth and quality of group financial development. Since joining Opportunity, Komukyeya has held a number of executive positions in which she has been able to guide clients to create healthier financial lifestyles, overcome challenges and seek brighter futures. Komukyeya holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Makerere University in Uganda.

John Magnay, Head of Agriculture Finance of Opportunity International
John Magnay is the Head of Agriculture Finance at Opportunity International and is responsible for developing agriculture-related finance tools for farmers, forming strategic partnerships along agricultural value chains and expanding Opportunity’s Agriculture Finance offerings across Africa. Before joining Opportunity International, Magnay developed successful businesses supporting the agricultural sector as an input supplier and processing equipment provider, as well as a regional food processor and grain trader. He also served as a private consultant for USAID, the United Nations World Food Programme and the World Bank, advising on agribusiness and output market development across Africa. Magnay graduated from the University of London’s Wye
College in 1977 and has lived and worked in Uganda ever since.

Matthew McGuire, United States Executive Director of the World Bank Group
The Honorable Matthew McGuire is the United States Executive Director of the World Bank Group. He was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate, on June 15, 2015. As the U.S. Executive Director, he represents the United States as the largest shareholder on the executive boards of the World Bank Group institutions. Previously, Dr. McGuire served as Director of the Office of the Business Liaison at the U.S. Department of Commerce. In this capacity, he managed the Secretary’s relationships with business leaders globally, and he worked closely with policy making entities across the Obama Administration, including the National Economic Council, the National Security Council, and the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.

Prior to coming to Washington, DC, Dr. McGuire worked as a senior executive in the financial services industry, helping to build three dynamic and entrepreneurial firms in Chicago, IL. He has also run non-profit programs in the U.S. and abroad, focusing in particular on the fields of workforce development and affordable housing development. McGuire has been involved with various civic endeavors throughout his career, acting as a board member with number of not-for-profit organizations, including Public/Private Ventures, Chicago Public Media, and PeacePlayers International. He earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology from Harvard University and a BA from Brown University, as well as a Certificate of Religious Studies from the University of London.

Most importantly, he is married and has two remarkable daughters. 

Joyce Nawaguma, Founder of Batanda Junior School, in Kampala, Uganda
Joyce Nawaguma is the founder and proprietor of the Batanda Junior School in Kampala, Uganda. Nawaguma was a mother of six and a teacher who dreamed of starting a school as a way to give back to her community. In 2001, she started with just six students in her living room; today she has a formal school with a student body of 400. Since taking out her first loan from Opportunity International three years ago, Nawaguma has completed the lunchroom, built on-site housing for teachers and purchased a van to pick up children who could not otherwise get to school. She employs 23 staff members at the school.

Bob Rabatsky is the Chief of Party for Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation at Fintrac, a U.S.-based consulting organization that develops agricultural solutions to end hunger and poverty. Rabatsky joined Fintrac in 2002 and is responsible for putting new agriculture technologies into the hands of smallholder farmers to quickly and sustainably improve productivity and incomes. He has over 30 years’ experience building technical and corporate consortiums to implement complex, development projects worldwide. He has supervised global agricultural projects and has also managed USAID agricultural, micro-enterprise and local capacity-building contracts. Rabatsky earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Ohio State University and an MBA from American University.

Kadita A. T. Tshibaka 
Mr. Kadita A. T. Tshibaka serves as an Independent Director at Kazinvestbank JSC. Mr. Tshibaka has over 33 years of experience in Citibank undertaking a variety of senior positions in their Operations, Credit, FI, Treasury, Corporate Banking, and Country Management teams. Afterwards AT joined Lloyds TSB being responsible for all aspects of risk management within the Wholesale and International Banking Division and later holding position of Executive Vice-President and Country Manager, USA. He has been a Non-Executive Director of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated since June 30, 2014. He sits on the Board of Directors for the Opportunity Loan Guarantee Fund, and as member of the Board of Governors, and of the President’s Council, of Opportunity International. He obtained his Bachelor of Economics degree from Dartmouth College (USA) and his MBA from Amos Tuck School of Business Administration, Dartmouth College, N.H.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Loews Madison Hotel
1177 15th Street NW
Washington, DC

A limited number of rooms have been reserved at a discounted group rate of $199 per night, plus tax and service charges.  Make your reservations online or by calling 855-325-6397 (reference code: OPP105).  Rooms reserved after September 22, 2015 will be subject to availability and price increase.

Below is an image of where you will find the Group Rate button on the Loews Madison reservation site...