Programs

Director of Programs

Joanne Trotter
Joanne Trotter is the Director of Programs of Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. and has been with the Foundation since May 2008. She is responsible for cultivating and coordinating the Foundation’s partnerships on behalf of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) with US Government, private, philanthropic and multilateral agencies.

Joanne has done extensive work within AKDN and has over 12 years of overseas experience. She had a two and a half-year posting in AKF Afghanistan, where she led resource mobilization for the large, multi-sector rural development program and managed program and policy engagement with donors and partners. Prior to her posting in Afghanistan, Joanne was based with AKF UK, where she managed relations and fund-raising with European donors on behalf of AKDN programs in Afghanistan, India and Mozambique. She obtained her Master’s of Science in International Development from the University of Bath with a special focus on citizenship, civic education and governance.

Programs Staff

Caryn Sweeney, Program Development Manager
Caryn Sweeney is the Program Development Manager at Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. She is responsible for managing many proposals the Foundation submits to various government and private donors for program funding. Caryn joined the Foundation in March 2011.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Caryn worked for 11 years at the Academy for Educational Development (AED) in a number of areas, including program management, monitoring and evaluation, and new business development. Her work took her to India, Sri Lanka, China, Brazil, Niger, South Africa, Ireland, Canada, the U.S. Mississippi Delta and beyond, working with communities and with local partners to improve social and economic development. Prior to AED, she was a study abroad advisor with Boston University, from which she also received a Master's degree in International Development, and as an undergraduate was a visiting student to the University of Oxford, St. Anne’s College in the United Kingdom.

Lidan Du, Senior Program Officer

Lidan Du is the Senior Program Offer for Health of Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. She is responsible to managing ongoing health projects, cultivating relationships with government and private donors and expanding the health portfolio in response to the global and national policy initiatives and priorities in integrated programming. Lidan joined the Foundation in February 2012. 

Lidan brings ten years of experiences in nutrition and public health research and programs. Prior to joining the Foundation, she was the Nutrition Specialist on the USAID-funded A2Z project, a research associate at Rutgers University designing, delivering and evaluating community nutrition education curricula and project targeting low-income immigrant population and teaching graduate courses. Lidan has also worked as a consultant for UNICEF and the World Bank. Lidan holds a PhD in International Nutrition from Cornell University, a Master's of Science degree in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from Tufts University and a Bachelor's of Science in Preventive Medicine from her native China.

Linda Ulqini, Program Officer
Linda Ulqini is the Program Officer for Education Projects at the Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. She joined the Foundation in February 2006 and is responsible for technical and grant management support to education programs that receive U.S. funding. She works closely with AKDN field offices to provide support to ongoing programs, ensure compliance and develop new programs or grant proposals. She also liaises with donors to strengthen ongoing collaboration and share program outcomes.

Linda has over 12 years of experience in international development and education in multiple countries and has a particular interest in tracking donor policies in East Africa. Prior to joining the Foundation, she worked at the International Reading Association where she managed a multi-country teacher development program. Linda has a Master’s of Science degree in Development Management from American University in Washington, DC.

Luke Bostian, Program Associate 

Luke Bostian is a Program Associate at the Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. He manages grants, assists with resource mobilization and helps represent the Foundation to donors and peer networks in a wide variety of sectors, including disaster risk reduction, humanitarian assistance, built environments, climate change and nutrition.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Luke was a Program Support Officer at CHF International, an international humanitarian and development organization in Silver Spring, MD. Luke graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Political Science.

Natalie Ross is the Program Associate for Civil Society and Youth at the Aga Khan Foundation USA. Natalie serves as a technical backstop for AKF's US-donor funded civil society and youth programs, and manages a portfolio of programs in East Africa and Central and South Asia.

Prior to joining the Foundation in May 2011, Natalie completed a Fulbright Fellowship to South Africa, where she worked with higher education at the University of Pretoria and developed girl's educational programming for secondary students. She also previously taught with the Aga Khan Education Services in Kampala, Uganda, worked as a Development Associate with Restless Development in Washington, DC and studied at the University of Ghana-Legon. Natalie graduated from Wellesley College with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Africana Studies.