Staff & Boards

William Ryerson, MPhil
President

Bill oversees all PMC activity and travels around the world for current and new program development. Since 2008, Bill has also served as Chair and CEO of Population Institute in Washington, DC, which works in partnership with Population Media Center.  He has more than 40 years of experience working in the field of reproductive health, including two decades of experience with social and behavior change communications.  He holds BA from Amherst College and a Master of Philosophy in Biology from Yale University.

Kriss Barker, PhD, MPH
Vice President of International Programs

Kriss oversees all in-country PMC operations with responsibilities ranging from selecting and training PMC’s in-country offices to monitoring research results. Kriss has trained writers and producers for more than 30 TV or radio programs and has authored several chapters and articles. She has over 25 years of experience in health development and communications. She holds a BA from Stanford University, a Master of Public Health from the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and a PhD from the University of Cape Town.

Joseph J. Bish, MS
Director of Issue Advocacy

Joe is an in-house, public-facing expert on population, family-planning, and other global sustainability issues related to PMC’s mission, ensuring Marketing and Communications initiatives include effective and focused advocacy messaging. Monitoring and analyzing new trends in PMC’s focus issue areas, the field of social change communications, and PMC’s operational landscape, he communicates these findings to both external and internal audiences. Joe holds a Master of Science in Environmental Advocacy and Organizing from Antioch University New England.

Lillie K. Bleau
Office Manager

Lillie supports and oversees administrative operations to make sure the office operates smoothly, including fiscal operations, human resources, and IT. Lillie has over eight years of experience in a variety of administrative roles in non-profit and corporate fields. She holds a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resource Management from the University of Vermont.

Nancy Christiano
Major Gifts Officer

Nancy leads all efforts to increase major gift donations, focusing on the West Coast, donor stewardship, and special event planning. She has expertise in fundraising and development, donor relations, special events planning, public relations, and media outreach. Nancy is a graduate of Chapman University and holds a BA in Communication Studies where she received the Most Inspirational Student award.

Scott Connolly, EdD, MPH
Director of Research

Scott oversees PMC research activities for each program and also conducts in-country training workshops to build research capacity. PMC serial dramas involve many stages of research, monitoring, and evaluation. Scott has over 20 years of experience in the design, production, and evaluation of media-based public health programs. He holds a Master of Public Health in Behavior Science and Health Communication from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Vermont.

Molly Frizzell
Program & Partnership Development Associate

Molly supports new program development and partnership building at PMC, overseeing a portfolio of projects. Frizzell has over seven years of behavior change communication experience in both non-profit and mass media contexts, including the integration of health messaging into serial dramas at Univision Communications, Inc. Molly holds a B.A. in International Relations from Tufts University and a Diploma in Graphic Applications in Desktop Publishing from Concordia University.

Christina Guérin
Resident Representative, Haiti

Christina leads a communication agency in Haiti called Bloom SA (formerly SCreaM – Société de Creation et de Realization Multimédia). Christina feels very strongly about using media for social change, particularly regarding child slavery in Haiti and approached PMC about collaborating on a drama. She is not the traditional PMC Resident Representative, but she oversees PMC’s Zoukoutap dramas in Haiti.

Yvette Hanshaw, MPA
Associate Vice President of Development

Yvette leads PMC’s overall development strategy and manages its implementation. She is also responsible for Midwest and Southwest major gifts. Yvette has over 25 years of experience working as a development professional including ten years working as a political operative. She holds a Master in Public Administration from Hamline University and a BS in Political Science from Minnesota State University at Mankato.

Fatou Jah, PhD, MPS, MS
Senior Research Associate

Fatou supports and oversees PMC research activities for each program, focusing on program design, monitoring and evaluation, and quality control. Fatou has over 15 years of experience conducting policy-oriented research to evaluate the impact of population and educational policies and programs. She holds a Master’s in Food Science from University of Guelph. She also holds a Master’s in International Development and Population and a PhD in Demography and Development Sociology, with minor concentrations in Research Methods, and Teaching, Learning and Policy, both from Cornell University.

Jean Bosco Kwizera
Resident Representative, Rwanda

Jean Bosco leads the PMC-Rwanda team. Before joining PMC, Jean Bosco was a field operations senior manager and acting health programs director for Rwanda Social Marking Program (RSMP). Since 2004, he has been working for different Non-Government Organizations both internationally and locally. He has expertise and training in finance, health programs, programs management, social marketing, and health communications. He holds a BBA from University of Rwanda, a Master in Project Management from Mount Kenya University, Nairobi Kenya.

Gabin Kifukiau Mabanzila
Resident Representative, Democratic Republic of Congo

Gabin leads the PMC-DRC team. Gabin has substantial experience in the field of strategic communication and communication for development. Following posts in different development agencies, such as the US Peace Corps, USAID, and UNDP, Gabin has been working as a consultant for various national and regional programs. He holds a degree in applied adult learning (teaching of English as a foreign language) with an option in African cultures and a degree in journalism and foreign policy.

Jean Bosco Ndayishimiye
Resident Representative, Burundi

Jean Bosco leads the PMC-Burundi team. Before joining PMC, Jean Bosco was a lecturer at the University of Burundi. Since 1997, Jean Bosco has been working as a consultant to international organizations such as UNDP, UNICEF, ILO, World Bank, and CARE. He has a long and rich experience working with rural populations, in action research, and is an expert in participatory evaluation approaches and in communication for development. He holds two diplomas in Development Studies and Clinical and Social Psychology.

Ephraim Okon
Resident Representative, Nigeria

Ephraim leads the PMC-Nigeria team. Ephraim joined PMC as an Executive Assistant in 2008. He is passionate about using media to confront the significant health and development challenges facing the Nigerian populace – extreme poverty, gender inequality, public health emergencies, climate change, and many others. He holds an LLB degree in Law from BAZE University. He holds a traditional title of Abom 1 of Okon.

Rajan Parajuli
Resident Representative, Nepal

Rajan leads the PMC-Nepal team. Rajan is a prominent journalist, media trainer, and communication activist in Nepal. For several years he has worked in radio and television production, organizing mass awareness campaigns in poor and marginalized communities, and training young journalists of Nepal. He served as Program Director at Antenna Foundation Nepal (AFN), an innovative media organization of Nepal. For his work at AFN, Rajan was named as one of 30 inspiring young activists by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

William J. Rider, CPA
Vice President of Finance

Bill oversees all financial budgeting, accounting and reporting for the overall organization and each individual program. He manages all audit, banking and insurance activity, and he prepares new program development proposal budgets. Bill has more than 25 years of experience in non-profit finance and accounting. He holds a BA in Economics from the University of Vermont.

Lindsay W. Reid, MPA
Program Manager

Lindsay serves as a liaison between in-country staff and US Headquarters staff to coordinate the successful implementation and financial sustainability of PMC country programs. Prior to joining PMC, she worked in non-profit administration for a health and human services agency and as a staffing specialist for a provider of international development services. Lindsay holds a B.A. in International Affairs from Florida State University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Vermont.

Wendi Stein
Senior Program Associate

Wendi provides administrative and information management support for PMC programs and has participated in PMC’s qualitative research studies and training workshops for writers overseas. Wendi has experience working for mission-driven organizations, including community foundations, higher education, the arts, and sustainable forestry. She holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Brandeis University.

Stephanie Tholand, MPA
Director of Program & Partnership Development

Stephanie oversees new program development and partnership building at PMC. Prior to joining PMC, she worked in non-profit administration and donor development, as well as working in Kenya in 2010 to advise on internal management strategies as a Pro Corps Volunteer. Stephanie holds a BA from Wake Forest University and a Master of Public Administration from San Francisco State University.

Missie Thurston
Director of Marketing and Communications

Missie oversees all marketing and communication activities, advancing PMC’s brand and mission across a variety of channels. She has more than 15 years of marketing and communications experience and spent the five years prior to joining PMC working in public health. Missie holds a BA from St. Michael’s College and a certificate in Marketing Management from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington.

Paul Ugalde
Director of Development

Paul leads PMC’s critical direct mail and private/corporate foundation fundraising strategies. He is also responsible for East Coast major gifts. Paul has over 20 years of experience as a non-profit fundraiser, for organizations in health care, arts advocacy, public television, and higher education. He holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Vermont.

David Walker, MBA
Executive Vice President

David oversees all PMC activity with a particular focus on strategic planning, including the successful implementation of programs and new program development. He has more than 20 years experience leading organizations in the public health and conservation sectors. He holds a BA from Miami University and an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.