“NGIN’s vision is ambitious and inspirational. The founding members, the founding donors, NGIN’s board of directors and NGIN’s members bring a deep expertise and commitment to building inclusive growth. By uniting economic development leaders across the nation we will identify profound innovations which will change lives and uplift communities.”
M. Yasmina McCarty is CEO and President of NGIN. Prior to NGIN, Yasmina was the Head of Mobile for Development at the GSMA, where she led a global team of 130 people using technology to deliver socioeconomic impact for the underserved in the areas of mobile money, health, agriculture, energy, water, sanitation, climate, humanitarian response, digital identity, digital inclusion, gender equity, and disability. Before GSMA, she was CEO and Co-Founder of GreenMango, a digital platform that helped low-income entrepreneurs increase their incomes. Yasmina worked in microfinance for five years with ACCION USA and Women’s World Banking. Yasmina started her career in the private sector.
Yasmina holds an Executive MBA Global from Columbia University and London Business School and a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University. She is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and was previously an Echoing Green Fellow, TED India Fellow, and AmeriCorps Vista.
Swati Ghosh is the Senior Advisor, Inclusive Economic Development at NGIN. Prior to NGIN, she served as the Senior Director of Research at International Economic Development Council (IEDC), where she led the research department in addition to contributing to technical assistance and training programs. Swati has nearly 15 years of experience in economic and community development, including analyzing and designing economic development strategies in entrepreneurship and workforce development, inclusive growth, economic recovery and diversification, and organizational capacity building, among others. She has authored several papers and articles on economic development and related topics. Swati has a Master of Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Urban Planning from the School of Planning & Architecture, India.
Jessica L. Gonzalez is an Inclusive Economic Development Advisor and Co-Program Lead for the Inclusive Economic Development in EDD’s COVID-19 Recovery Program at NGIN. In this role, Jessica leads a National Community of Practice of regional economic organizations working to implement inclusive economic strategies. Throughout her career, Jessica has dedicated her time and talent to elevating and enhancing access to resources that support the mobilization of communities pushed to the periphery and bringing them back to center. Whether navigating the complexities of gentrification and displacement in neighborhoods in her role at Local Initiatives Support Corporation, or leading federal grant programs at the City of Phoenix (AZ), Jessica utilizes her skills to connect hard to access resources and support to communities most in need. Jessica previously served as Business Librarian at Phoenix Public Library (AZ), establishing greater access points to city services that serve entrepreneurs and leading a team to launch the hive @ central entrepreneurial resource center, aiding entrepreneurs, and small business owners in incubating new businesses. She holds a Master in Public Administration from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Science in American Studies & Sociology from Rutgers University. She is a fellow of the Líderes Fellowship with Hispanics in Philanthropy, a fellow of the Hispanic Leadership Institute with Valle del Sol, and a fellow of the Startingbloc Institute.
Amanda Straight is an Inclusive Economic Development Advisor and Co-Program Lead for the Inclusive Economic Development in EDD’s COVID-19 Recovery Program at NGIN. In her role co-leading this EDA-funded project, Amanda leads technical assistance for six regional economic development organizations to develop inclusive growth strategies to support recovery from the pandemic. Prior to NGIN, Amanda was a Senior Project Consultant at Thomas P. Miller & Associates, a national economic and workforce development consulting firm, where she led the development of economic development strategic plans, target industry analyses, and other economic development projects for over 20 communities around the country. She also previously worked for the Greater Phoenix Economic Council in a variety of research roles supporting business attraction and industry and economic impact analysis. Amanda received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Mathematics from Indiana University and her Master of Urban and Environmental Planning from Arizona State University.
Sunny Malhotra is an Inclusive Economic Development Associate for the Inclusive Economic Development in EDD’s COVID-19 Recovery Program at NGIN. Sunny provides project management and research supporting the Technical Assistance and Community of Practice projects. Before joining NGIN, Sunny graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science. At UC Berkeley, Sunny provided foundational research for papers focusing on inequality and American political economy.
See full press release: NGIN appoints new CEO.