Who we are

Ms. Amina J. Mohammed is the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group. She is a co-chair of the Spotlight Initiative's Governing Body. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Mohammed served as Minister of Environment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where she steered the country’s efforts on climate action and efforts to protect the natural environment. Ms. Mohammed began her career working on the design of schools and clinics in Nigeria. She served as an advocate focused on increasing access to education and other social services, before moving into the public sector, where she rose to the position of adviser to three successive Presidents on poverty, public sector reform, and sustainable development. She is a co-chair of the Spotlight Initiative's Governing Body.

A Platino Award winner, Ariel Award nominee and the first Spanish speaking actress to be nominated for an International Emmy, Ms. Suárez raises awareness on violence against women and girls and other forms of human rights violations, including to more than one million people on her social media platforms. Ms. Suárez has been actively engaged with Spotlight Initiative since 2018, with a particular focus on ending femicide in Latin America. She was designated a UN Global Advocate for the Initiative effective 1 July 2020.

Siya Kolisi was designated a Global Advocate for Spotlight Initiative effective 1 July 2020. Mr. Kolisi was named captain of the South African National Rugby Team, the Springboks, in 2018, making him the first Black test player to captain the team. In 2019, he led his country to victory in the World Cup finals against England, securing his position on the national and international stage and instilling pride in South Africans from all walks of life. Mr. Kolisi’s partnership with Spotlight Initiative, secured via Roc Nation Sports, includes activities that raise awareness of violence against women and girls, and the role men must play in ending violence for good. In March 2020, Mr. Kolisi and his wife Rachel Kolisi founded the Kolisi Foundation to alleviate extreme poverty, mentor underprivileged youth and promote equality.

Erin provides technical and managerial oversight to a broad portfolio of programmes worldwide as part of the largest ever single investment in addressing violence against women and girls. Prior to this position, Erin was a Team Leader in UNFPA’s Humanitarian Division, overseeing their work on addressing gender-based violence in emergencies. Before joining the UN, Erin worked in East and West Africa, the Former Yugoslavia, and South-East Asia with a number of non-governmental organizations and foundations, including: the International Rescue Committee, Child Fund International, EngenderHealth, Save the Children, the Women’s Refugee Commission, and the Open Society Foundations. Erin served as an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs from 2009-2017. Erin holds a Master of Public Health from Columbia University and was part of the first graduating cohort of the University’s Forced Migration and Health program.

Koye leads the Initiative's global communications and public relations efforts. Before joining the team, he was a Communications Specialist at the United Nations Population Fund where he oversaw systems, projects and initiatives to strengthen the Fund's strategic communications. He previously worked at the United Nations Volunteers programme in Bonn where he executed corporate communications activities for more than 8,000 UN Volunteers across the globe. He began his UN career in 2006, helping global and regional youth networks develop HIV prevention campaigns. Prior to joining the UN, he worked in sales and marketing at a private consulting firm. Koye holds a master’s degree in International Studies from the University of Sydney in Australia and is a graduate of Rutgers University in the United States.

Teresa is a programme development and grants management specialist. She joined the UN in 2008 in Bangladesh in the Governance team at the UN Capital Development Fund and later led Civil Society work at UNDP Iraq. In New York she has worked with UN Women's Fund for Gender Equality, the UN Democracy Fund, the UN Alliance of Civilizations and the Police Division at DPKO. Prior to joining the UN, Teresa has also worked in Georgia for the EU Delegation and World Vision International, and in Sri Lanka for the Red Cross. Teresa holds a Bachelors in International business from the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Reims and ICADE in Madrid, as well as a Masters in Political Sciences from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris.

Heran is the Technical Advisor for the Spotlight Initiative providing oversight of the monitoring, knowledge management, capacity development, and civil society portfolios. Previously, Heran oversaw the knowledge management and capacity development portfolio of the Initiative. In the past, she has worked as the Programme Specialist-EVAWG for the UN Women Ethiopia and the Liaison Office with the African Union overseeing programme development and implementation and providing technical advisory services.  She has also worked for various international and local NGOs on women’s rights and social justice issues in Ethiopia. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from Addis Ababa University and a Master of Laws in International Law and Law of International Organizations, specializing in Human Rights from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

Natalie is a researcher and policy analyst who has worked with feminist and women’s rights organizations, the United Nations and government to advance women’s human rights. Natalie joined the Spotlight Initiative in March 2020 and works to support the Initiative’s monitoring, evaluation and reporting functions. Prior to Spotlight, Natalie worked at the UNFPA Evaluation Office, where she contributed to global thematic evaluations, including of UNFPA’s support to the prevention, response to and the elimination of GBV and harmful practices. Previously, Natalie worked with the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), where she contributed to several initiatives, including “Alternative Development Strategies,” which examined the failures of neoliberalism, and amplified alternatives for economic justice and “Where is the Money for Women’s Rights”, which analyzed financing for women’s rights organization and feminist movement building. Natalie has also collaborated with the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP) and Cordaid on action research on financing for women, peace and security through the implementation of National Action Plans on UN Security Council Resolution 1325. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York and holds degrees from the London School of Economics and Political Science and the University of Michigan.

Before assuming his current role, David was a Programme Management Specialist on women’s economic empowerment with the UN Women Regional Office for Arab States, leading a multi-country joint programme with the ILO for promoting decent work for women in the region. Prior to that, David worked for the inclusive growth and sustainable development programme portfolio at UNDP in Kosovo, concentrating on efforts for people and communities at risk of being left behind and their socioeconomic empowerment. Throughout his career, David has also explored data and social innovation, such as in big data or foresight for development. David holds a master’s degree in international relations and diplomacy from the Prague University of Economics and Business in the Czech Republic.

Dalys is a certified project manager with a focus on initiatives related to ending violence against women and women’s empowerment. Dalys joined the Spotlight Secretariat in January 2022 as the Operations and Fund Analyst, and prior to joining the team she worked as Coordinator for the Spotlight Initiative Latin America Regional Programme. She has also coordinated a national project with UNPD to transform the delivery of health services in Panama. Before joining the UN, Dalys worked for the Panamanian Office of the First Lady overseeing regional projects in gender and education and she also led a non-profit organization working to empower women living in poverty through education and employment opportunities. Dalys holds a master’s degree in international administration from the University of Miami and she’s a specialist in public policy and gender.

Prior to joining the Spotlight team, she worked as a Budget/Finance Consultant for UN Women’s EVAW Section. Olga was with UN Women MCO Kazakhstan for approximately 8 years, working in areas of Finance, Procurement, and HR. Beyond UN Women, Olga has worked as Finance Specialist with Abt Associates Inc. and Counterpart International Inc., focused on implementing USAID projects in the Central Asia Region. Olga holds a 5-year diploma in mathematics from Novosibirsk University, and an MBA from Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research.