Jennifer Isern

About Jennifer Isern

I offer 30+ years of experience in 70+ countries on financial sector development and investing. My passion is combining financing, technical assistance, and innovation in high impact projects to improve the quality of life for people globally. In 2019, I founded Catalyze Global Impact LLC to help strategic organizations expand their impact in new technologies, financial sector, and private sector in the USA and globally. Integral to this work, I have served or currently serve on several boards and as advisor to investment funds, foundations, and associations in the USA, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Europe. Prior to launching my own firm, I held positions with increasing levels of responsibility across the World Bank and International Finance Corporation for over 23 years, helping our teams deliver high impact results. My last two roles were as senior manager based in Hanoi (20••••19) for our finance and private sector development team in East Asia and the Pacific and based in New Delhi (20••••16) for our financial sector team in South Asia. From 19••••09, I was one of the founding team and lead specialist at CGAP, a global incubator for expanding financial inclusion, where I managed our work with private sector, government policy makers, and funders across Africa and in China. Prior to joining CGAP, I lived in Togo from 19••••96 as regional technical advisor for economic development in West and Central Africa with CARE International, where I launched two microfinance institutions and a small business finance program in Togo plus other regional microfinance and agrifinance projects across Africa. From 1990-91, I worked with CARE in Niger to co-launch an innovative community finance program (MMD) that evolved into CARE\'s signature inclusive finance program globally.I received my doctorate in both finance and international business from NSU and a master’s degree in development economics from Princeton University. I am a CFA charterholder and am fluent in French with basic Spanish. I have authored 50+ technical and academic publications on financial sector issues. From 2008 to 2010, I enjoyed teaching a graduate course on financial sector development at Princeton University.

Experience

1. Board Member and Chair-- International Development Studies Advisory Committee

   University of Montana

   Mar 2021 — Present · Missoula, MT, US

   Member of Advisory Board 2021 to 2024, and Chair since 2024. Support to IDS program at University of Montana. Particular focus on courses in program, student engagement and outreach, alumni and practitioner webinars and class presentations, and fundraising for the program.

Education

• Nova Southeastern University

  Doctorate of Business, Double specialization in Finance and International Business

• University of Montana

  BA, Political Science and Honors Program

• CFA Institute

  CFA charterholder, Finance

  2001 — 2003

• Princeton University

  MPA, Development Economics

Skills

• Access to Finance
• Banking
• Sme Banking
• Private Sector Development
• Social Impact
• Latin America
• Credit Bureaus
• Capital Markets
• People Development
• South Asia
• Payments
• Ngos
• Credit Risk
• Social Entrepreneurship
• International Development
• Governance
• Investments
• Management
• Program Management
• Private Sector
• Project Finance
• Financial Services
• Rural Development
• Finance
• Economics
• Microfinance
• Trade Finance
• Non-Governmental Organizations (Ngos)
• Public/Private Partnerships
• Macroeconomics
• Emerging Markets
• Credit Bureau
• Technical Assistance
• Housing Finance
• Economic Development
• International Economics
• Capacity Building
• Financial Analysis
• Institutions
• Climate Change