IAP Staff
Joanna Levitt, Co-Director
Joanna Levitt joined the IAP as Director of Programs in October 2006. Her work is grounded in a strong commitment to defending human rights, and to ensuring that development is defined by local peoples’ own visions and priorities.
Before coming to the IAP, Joanna worked with the Centro de Derechos Económicos y Sociales (CDES) in Ecuador during 2004 and 2005, through a Fulbright grant, where she conducted research on implementing the right to free, prior informed consent (FPIC). She worked closely with the community of Sarayaku on a number of initiatives to support their widely-known Inter-American Commission case against the Ecuadorian state, for oil-related human rights abuses. At CDES, Joanna was also actively involved in diverse educational initiatives, through which she developed a strong passion and skill-set for human rights education for empowerment. Previous to her work in Ecuador, Joanna was a Gardner Fellow at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) in Washington, DC. Her work at CIEL included co-coordinating CIEL’s participation in the global campaign around the World Bank Extractive Industries Review, and specifically co-developing recommendations advocating for the inclusion of the right to free, prior informed consent in the World Bank’s policies and practice. Joanna graduated from Stanford University in 2003 with a BA in Human Biology with a self-designed concentration in International Conservation and Development.
Jennifer Kalafut, Co-Director
Jen joined the staff of IAP in November of 2007. She holds a Masters of Public Administration from Rutgers University and has a background in public policy, international development and non-profit management. Prior to coming to IAP, Jen worked for Oil Change International, campaigning to expose the true costs of oil and to end international oil subsidies. Jen also spent several years working in the Policy Program at Bank Information Center (BIC). At BIC, she developed critical analysis of international financial institutions including the World Bank Group and Asian Development Bank. Her policy areas of expertise include access to information and environmental assessment. As a founding member of the Global Transparency Initiative, Jen coordinated international campaigning efforts around the public's right to know. Jen also spent almost three years in the Slovak Republic working with local environmental organizations and as the National Coordinator for the CEE Bankwatch Network. In this position, Jen monitored international investment in the region and promoted the sustainable use of development resources including in such areas as water, train and bank privatization, microfinance, and biomass.
Molly Clinehens, Media Program Coordinator
Molly Clinehens joined the IAP as Coordinator of the Media Program in February 2007. She is committed to working toward a world in which people have the freedom to make the decisions that affect their lives and have these decisions respected. She believes firmly in the inseparability of this self-determination of peoples, and a healthy and respected natural environment.
Before coming to the IAP, Molly worked with the International Potato Center in Lima, Perú, and completed a documentary about urban agriculture with the support of a Fulbright Scholarship. The documentary urges city officials in Lima to support urban agriculture—in spite of the constant pressure of encroaching urbanization—as a tool to maintain the economic livelihood of farmers, a healthy urban environment and a robust water table. While in Perú Molly also provide support to Racimos de Ungurahui and Shinai Serjali, two organizations that work in solidarity with indigenous Amazonian communities whose livelihoods and territories are threatened by oil and natural gas extraction. With these groups she helped film, edit and record indigenous voiceovers for the production and translation of short videos to be used for organizing and campaign purposes. Molly graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University in 2003 with a BA in Urban Studies and a concentration in Community Organizing.
Dana Clark, President and Founder
Dana Clark is a human rights and environmental lawyer who specializes in working at both the grassroots and international levels to promote justice and accountability in the context of international development projects. Her work focuses on development-induced displacment, improving citizen-based accountability mechanisms at international financial institutions, advocating for justice and remedial measures for communities whose rights are violated in the context of international development projects, and working for systemic reform. Ms. Clark has written numerous articles and publications about international financial institutions, accountability, and human rights. She is a co-author and co-editor of Demanding Accountability: Civil Society Claims and the World Bank Inspection Panel (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003). This collaborative book evaluates the ten-year case history of the precedent-setting World Bank Inspection Panel, and draws critical lessons learned about the strengths and weaknesses of that system. Ms. Clark founded the IAP in 2003.
From 1994-2000, Ms. Clark worked with the Center for International Environmental Law, a public interest environmental organization based in Washington, DC, where she served as Director of the International Financial Institutions program. While in Washington, Ms. Clark also served as a regular adjunct professor at The American University's Washington College of Law, where she taught several courses in international environmental law. Ms. Clark is a 1992 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, where she served as an Articles Editor on the Virginia Environmental Law Journal and as President of the Environmental Law Forum.
While Dana remains President of the IAP, she recently joined the Global Finance Campaign at the Rainforest Action Network, where she will bring her expertise on accountability and implementation of environmental and social policies to bear on the private sector banks.
Sue Danne, Administrative Support
Sue has been working with the IAP since 2003. She has 15 years of non-profit administrative and financial experience supporting a range of organizations, including Greenpeace Canada, Hollyhock Leadership School, The Rockwood Fund and The Ruckus Society. Sue is from Canada and currently lives with her husband and two sons in Berkeley, California.
IAP Interns and Fellows
Nina Robertson joined IAP in June 2007 as Summer Research Fellow. Her work with IAP focused on laying the groundwork for the Peoples Guide to Displacement Risks and Rights, which IAP is the process of developing. In June and July 2007 Nina traveled to India and Thailand to gather information and input from communities threatened with displacement and advocacy groups working to defend displaced peoples’ rights.
Nina is currently a candidate for a joint Masters in International and Public Affairs (MPA) and Juris Doctorate degree from both the Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton University and Stanford Law School. She is focusing her graduate and law studies on international environmental and human rights policy and law.
Nina has experience working on a wide range of environmental and human rights issues as well as Multilateral Development Bank reform. She has lived and worked in Latin America for over three years where she worked with several local rural development and environmental organizations. Nina graduated from Stanford University in 2002 with a B.S in Earth Systems and International Relations.
Technical Support
Allen Gunn, Technical Advisor
Allen Gunn, aka Gunner, is a technical activist, teacher, and consultant, and currently serves as Co-Director of Aspiration. He has coordinated non-profit technology events in North America, Europe and Africa to support community leaders sharing skills in internet software, wireless, radio and other technologies that can be applied in campaigns and direct actions. He runs a free server for activists and artists, teaches on the faculty at Foothill College, and has served as technical advisor at The Ruckus Society. Prior to his activist undertakings, he was co-founder and chief technology officer of Pensare, an eLearning dotbomb, and also worked as a senior software engineer for several Silicon Valley firms. Gunner is the IAP’s technical advisor.
Genevieve Raymond, Website Producer
Genevieve Raymond recently completed her Masters degree in Urban Planning at UCLA where she focused on urban sustainability and environmental justice. She has since worked with the Coalition for West Oakland Revitalization and the Urban Strategies Council, performing research and analysis to assist Oakland’s low-income residents and community-based organizations. Prior to her graduate work, she spent seven years at Rainforest Action Network, first with their Beyond Oil Campaign and later producing their award-winning web site. Genevieve is also a co-founder of MOMS - Making Our Milk Safe, which works to safeguard breastmilk from environmental contaminants.
Design Action Collective
Design Action Collective is a worker-owned collective that provides graphic design and communications services to non-profit and social justice organizations. Through providing these services, Design Action participates in building a broad movement for social change, and supports ongoing struggles to bring about progressive social change. Design Action helped design the IAP website.
