International Development MA Partner Organizations

Shane H. Feldman

Founder & CEO Innivee Strategies

Innivee Strategies has had the privilege of working with IDMA graduates, both as full-time staff and as interns. Our staff member, who graduated from the IDMA program, led major projects for us, including ASL interpreter needs assessments, leadership development, and strategic consulting. Our IDMA interns were major contributors to our leadership development program and to company operations. Thanks to IDMA’s work, they arrived prepared to manage complex projects and to serve multiple clients, each with unique needs. They adapted their approach for each client, shaping research, facilitation, and recommendations around that organization’s community and goals. Just as important, they carried values that matched our company’s and our clients’, which made them trusted partners from the start. We value that preparation and would gladly work with IDMA students and alumni again.

Katherine Guernsey

Former USAID Disability Rights Coordinator

During my time at USAID I had the privilege of working closely with a number of Gallaudet graduates, including graduates of the IDMA program. We worked to ensure that U.S. foreign assistance was inclusive of, responsive to, and ideally led by persons with disabilities. In pursuing these objectives I relied heavily on the experience and expertise of colleagues who had come through the IDMA program. Not only did they bring a wealth of knowledge, but also practical skills and cultural competency in navigating both government bureaucracy and engagement with civil society across regions around the world. We also partnered with the IDMA program on a high profile inclusive development conference at which then USAID Administrator Samantha Power gave the keynote speech. IDMA faculty and students both were key collaborators in this initiative, and we would not have been successful without their partnership and creativity! I continue to be impressed by the quality of graduates from the IDMA program, including their adaptability to the changes we have seen in the international development space over the last several years. I hope to have more opportunities to work alongside IDMA-affiliated colleagues in the future.