Leadership

The board, executives and management at Global Communities are dedicated to reaching the goals of the organization and finding new ways to meet the needs of the developing world. 

Executive Officers

David A. Weiss, President and CEO

Chris Sale, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Board of Trustees

Robert A. Mosbacher, Jr., Chair
Chairman, Mosbacher Energy Company; Former President and CEO, OPIC

David A. Weiss, President and CEO
Global Communities

Lauri Fitz-Pegado, Vice Chair
Partner, The Livingston Group

Governor Richard F. Celeste, Treasurer

Caroline Blakely, Secretary
Vice President, HCD Risk Management, Fannie Mae

Ambassador Vicki Huddleston

William C. Lane
Washington Director for Government Affairs, Caterpillar

Trustees Emeritus

Samuel E. Bunker
President, Philippine American Foundation

Don H. McCreary
President and CEO (retired), California Community Housing Management Services

Gordon Cavanaugh, Esq.

Gordon E. Lindquist
President and CEO (retired), Mutual Service Insurance Companies

Senior Management

Abhishek Bhasin, Acting Chief Financial Officer

Michel Holsten, Senior Vice President, Office of International Operations

Elissa McCarter, Vice President, Office of Development Finance

William L. Simpson II, Vice President, Management Services

Teri Blandon, Vice President, Institutional Advancement

Eric O’Neill, General Counsel and Chief Ethics Officer 
________________________________________________________________________________

Bios

David A. Weiss – President and CEO
David A. Weiss became President and CEO of Global Communities/CHF in 2010, having previously been a member of its Board since 2004 and Chairman of the Board from 2008-2010. Prior to joining CHF, Mr. Weiss was Senior Policy Advisor at the global law firm DLA Piper for 13 years, advising on international trade and policy and representing major industries seeking improved access to foreign markets. Mr. Weiss spent 18 years with the Federal Government in the following roles: Special Assistant to the Director of the Peace Corps; member of the US Foreign Service; Economic Officer in Haiti; Staff Aide to the Secretary of State; Senior Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State; Assistant US Trade Representative for North American Affairs; and other senior positions in the Office of the US Trade Representative. Weiss received the US Department of State’s Superior Honor Award. He has a B.A. from Hamilton College and an M.S.F.S. from Georgetown University. David Weiss is a member of the Board of Directors of InterAction, the largest alliance of US-based NGOs.
 
Chris Sale – Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Chris Sale is responsible for overseeing the integration of planning, management and oversight systems across the organization. Ms. Sale served as the Vice-Chair of the CHF Board of Trustees for 12 years before joining the organization as Vice President of Development Finance in 2008, leading CHF’s team of finance professionals, providing guidance and informing policy with regard to the organization’s microenterprise, housing finance and SME lending programs. She brought over 20 years of experience in finance and development to CHF, having served as Deputy Director for External Relations at the Inter-American Development Bank, Deputy to the Chairman and CFO of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and COO of the US Small Business Administration, among other positions. She received a B.A. from Boston University and an M.B.A. at American University. Ms. Sale is Finance and Investment Chair for the National Partnership for Women and Families, and is a Fellow for the National Academy of Public Administration.

Michel Holsten –  Senior Vice President, Office of International Operations
Michel Holsten oversees and coordinates all global operations and new business development efforts including U.S. Government, bilateral donors, and multi-national institutions like the UN and World Bank. Mr. Holsten has extensive management experience in both the implementation of programs overseas and at US headquarters, including significant work in the fields of microfinance, housing assistance, and post-conflict environments. For over 20 years, Mr. Holsten has been managing multi-million dollar programs, focusing on projects in home improvement finance, rural economic development, community infrastructure, business development services, new housing construction, agricultural and microenterprise credits, community development, and association strengthening. Prior to joining CHF in 1999, he worked to introduce credit into the program approaches for housing and other habitat related services at Plan International. He also spent a combined 10 years living in Costa Rica and Panama working for the Peace Corps and CHF. Mr. Holsten received his B.A. from Princeton University.
 
Elissa McCarter –  Vice President, Office of Development Finance
Over the last seven years Elissa McCarter has established the technical department that manages Global Communities' microfinance, small and medium enterprise, and housing finance operations, which together make up Global Communities’ Development Finance portfolio. Under her leadership, the portfolio has grown from $40 million to over $150 million in assets under management, spanning 15 programs in nine countries. Ms. McCarter also serves as CEO of a commercial holding company established to hold the assets of Global Communities'  high growth potential microfinance subsidiaries, in support of Global Communities'  vision to  expand financial services to individuals and small businesses in a way that creates jobs and improves lives in low-income communities around the world.  Ms. McCarter has 14 years of experience as a microfinance practitioner. Prior to Global Communities, she established and managed two microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Armenia and Turkey, and has served as a technical advisor to MFIs in countries including Morocco, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Egypt. Ms. McCarter is the author of two books on microfinance mergers and has published several articles on new product development, women in microfinance, and SME lending. She received an MS from the joint degree program of Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris; and she currently serves as an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
 
William L. Simpson II –  Vice President, Management Services
William Simpson currently oversees Global Communities'  IT, business services, and human resources departments. He joined the organization in 2009, bringing extensive experience in business and technology as CIO, as a consultant at major international consulting firms, project manager, systems analyst, and programmer. Prior to joining Global Communities, Mr. Simpson led IT strategy, M&A transactions, PMO, architecture planning and deployment, business process improvement, BPO, and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance across a wide range of technical platforms in both the private and public sectors, including top-tier Fortune 500 companies and major government entities. He developed a nationally recognized investment analysis and modeling tool and has worked with Dr. James Martin, a world-renowned pioneer in the IT field, to create international IT outsourcing infrastructure and software delivery solutions. Mr. Simpson received his B.S. and M.B.A. from Stetson University, and completed the Executive Leadership Program at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Mr. Simpson is also an author and speaker at the university and national level.
 
Teri Blandon – Vice President, Institutional Advancement
Teri Blandon is responsible for building partnerships with corporations and foundations, and securing funds from individuals in support of Global Communities programs. She also provides oversight and management of the Office of Policy & Innovation, which focuses on identifying and disseminating evidence of Global Communities program innovations, and building strategic relationships with research institutions, universities and others.  Ms. Blandon has more than 20 years of success in securing foundation, corporate and federal grants, having worked for a variety of organizations, ranging from WETA public broadcasting to CIVICUS, a global alliance of donors and NGOs. In addition to her fundraising expertise, she is experienced in program management, strategic planning, financial management, Board relations and membership development. Ms. Blandon has a B.S. in Biology and an Honors Degree in Humanities from LeMoyne College, and an M.A. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Eric O'Neill – General Counsel and Chief Ethics Officer
Prior to joining Global Communities, Eric O’Neill practiced law at the global law firm, DLA Piper. He has broad legal experience in the areas of government contracts, due diligence for mergers and acquisitions, procurement fraud, internal investigations and employee corruption cases. Mr. O’Neill received his legal degree, with honors, from The George Washington University School of Law and is admitted to the Maryland and District of Columbia Bars.