Ken Koskela

About Ken Koskela

Seasoned leader with vast experience delivering sustainable financial services, enhanced livelihoods, and essential resources to entrepreneurs, farmers, schools, health clinics, and communities in under-resourced regions. Successfully guided a global private foundation through a major growth phase, expanding its impact on households affected by epilepsy and stigma. Recognized expert in international non-profit leadership, strategic planning, program design and management, proposal development, financial forecasting, budgeting, analysis, and institutional fundraising. Extensive field experience across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.

Experience

1. President & Head of Global Programs

   Row Foundation

   May 2018 — Present · Naperville, IL, US

   ROW is a global foundation leveraging a social enterprise model to bridge the epilepsy treatment gap in low-income countries. Beginning as a strategy consultant in 2017, I joined as President in 2018 to provide strategic, operational, and management oversight to the foundation and its global program portfolio.• Oversee ROW’s global program portfolio, leading strategic planning, program design, partnership development, grants management, and financial/regulatory compliance.• Drove significant growth in the foundation’s impact, increasing cumulative grants from to $4.53 million in my first year and surpassing $20 million by the end of 2021.• Expanded ROW’s reach from 12 partners in 7 countries to 61 partnerships in 30 countries (20••••21), elevating partner quality and profile to include Direct Relief, Americares, World Medical Relief, Boston Children’s Hospital, Yale University, and grassroots epilepsy organizations worldwide.• Transformed ROW’s offerings from basic medication and equipment grants to a comprehensive program portfolio, including rural outreach via community health workers, leadership development, low-cost diagnostic clinics, health worker training (online and in-person), and initiatives addressing epilepsy stigma in schools and communities.• Ensured outreach strategies prioritized the least-served, poorest, and most challenging regions.• Led financial management, donor and board engagement, marketing content creation, policy and procedure development, and spearheaded the launch of an affiliated public charity to complement the foundation’s work.

Education

• North Central College, MBA, Summa Cum Laude

  Masters of Business Administration (MBA), Double Major: International Business and Finance

  1991 — 1994

• Moody Bible Institute

  Bachelor of Arts (BA), International Ministries (Inter-Cultural Studies)

  1983 — 1987

Skills

• Program Management
• Public & Private Sectors
• Public/Private Partnerships
• Strategic Planning
• Leadership
• Financial Analysis
• Market Research
• Africa
• Business Planning
• Nonprofits
• Europe
• Emerging Markets
• Business Strategy
• Non-Profit Leadership
• Forecasting
• Analysis
• New Business Development
• Start-Ups
• Impact Investing
• Financial Modeling
• Strategy
• Strategic Alliances
• Fundraising
• Team Leadership
• Business Development
• Philanthropy
• Management Consulting
• Microfinance
• Proposal Writing
• Non-Profits
• Economic Development
• Latin America
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Entrepreneurship
• Private Equity
• Venture Capital
• International Development
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Project Management
• International Business