“It’s exciting to be a part of WEEMA because of what the “A” stands for: Alliance, and the organization’s commitment to community-led decision making. It makes me proud to be part of a team working to put agency back in the hands of the people it serves by supporting solutions to poverty for Ethiopians, by Ethiopians.”
We are thrilled to welcome Amber Oberc to the WEEMA family as our first U.S. Managing Director! Amber brings to the team 15 years of international development experience, a passion for operational effectiveness, and a deep commitment to bringing equity, opportunity, and dignity to marginalized communities.
Building the capacity of WEEMA's teams in the U.S. and Ethiopia is a key step in helping the organization scale its impact. WEEMA's board of directors made the decision to invest in U.S. staff in order to allow WEEMA's Executive Director, Liz McGovern, more time to work with the team in Ethiopia and dream big about what is possible when everyone has access to clean water, quality education, economic opportunities, and medical care.
Amber previously served as the U.S. Managing Director for the Tanzanian Children’s Fund, where her ability to build strong internal systems and effective teams created sustainable organizational growth. She also worked at Partners in Health where she managed the Right to Health Care program and was responsible for evacuating patients after the Haiti earthquake in 2010. Amber began her career at Management Sciences for Health as part of their Management and Leadership team working on monitoring and evaluation projects – experience that will come in handy as WEEMA scales up its data-driven approaches.
In her free time, Amber serves on the board of the Boston Network for International Development, actively mentoring the next generation of international development leaders. She also enjoys spending time with her husband Jeremy, preferably doing something in, on, or near water and her favorite place on earth is Squam Lake in New Hampshire.
