Denise Mishiwiec

Denise leads the development and implementation of WomenStrong’s grant systems and policies. Denise is responsible for WomenStrong’s portfolio of agreements and manages the full lifecycle of WomenStrong’s grants. Denise also helps plan and implement WomenStrong’s capacity strengthening program, working with partners to identify capacity needs and managing partner’s action plans and milestones. Denise is working to examine how WomenStrong makes grants and provides capacity strengthening, and how we can be responsive to the needs of our grantees and carry out our work in a way that is trust based, that promotes justice, inclusion and equity, and which helps to strengthen the organizational capacity of our grantees.

Denise brings over 10 years of experience managing complex international development programs all over the world. Previous to joining WomenStrong, Denise supported an international network of universities working to build health equity through socially accountable and community engaged health workforce education at THEnet: Training for Health Equity Network. AT ICAP Columbia University, Denise coordinated the PEPFAR-funded Global Nurse Capacity Development Project, active in 11 sub-Saharan African countries. In this position, Denise worked closely with nursing schools to develop their capacity to implement large health programs and coordinated the implementation and financial/administrative management of the project. Previously, Denise worked extensively on programs in the former Soviet Union, including four years based in Russia and the South Caucasus directing the State Department-funded Future Leaders Exchange Program at American Councils for International Education. At the Social Science Research Council, Denise coordinated research fellowships and training programs for scholars of Eurasia. Denise’s focus across all these positions is creating effective systems to manage complex international programs and working with local partners to develop their capacity.

Denise has a Master’s of Public Administration from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs with a focus on International Development, a Master’s in Russian and East European Studies from Indiana University, and a Bachelor’s in Comparative Literature from Barnard College.