Innovations for Poverty Action competitors

Colin Shannon is President, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Director for PRA. Since 2007, Mr. Shannon has served as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) for PRA. Mr. Shannon has contributed significantly to the development of PRA's current mission and vision. As COO, he has been instrumental in driving PRA's decision-making processes and building a talented pool of clinical professionals.

President & CEO, Abt Associates | Mission-Focused, Inclusive Leader | Passionately Working Toward Equity for All

Dhaval Jadav is the co-founder and chief executive officer of alliantgroup, a Houston-based tax consulting firm that helps small and mid-sized businesses earn state and federal tax credits. Jadav founded the firm in 2002 with current chief operating officer Shane Frank. Prior to founding the firm, Jadav held positions in both the public and private sectors. He worked for several companies in Silicon Valley, as well as for Deloitte & Touche and the Internal Revenue Service’s Houston District Counsel. Philanthropy is an important part of Jadav's work. He has helped establish alliantgroup's Blue Heart Fund, a charitable fund created to aid the firm’s employees, clients and their CPAs, and the local community in rebuilding after Hurricane Harvey left many displaced. Additionally, Jadav helped create a STEM scholarship fund for Houston-area high school students wishing to pursue a career in a STEM-related field. Jadav has contributed to a number of publications, including Harvard Business Review, Industry Week and Reuters Breakingviews, where he discussed the need for tax reform in order to reinvest money back into the U.S. economy. Jadav is a member of alliantgroup's strategic advisory board. He earned an LL.M. degree in taxation from the Georgetown University Law Center, and is licensed to practice law in Texas where he lives with his family.

Tacy M. Byham, Ph.D., is Chief Executive Officer of DDI. An innovative global leadership company, DDI works by the side of organizations worldwide, to find and grow ready-now and ready-next leaders, who can make powerful leadership decisions and navigate global complexity. Tacy and the 1000+ associates at DDI complete 50+ global CEO assessments annually for Fortune 500 companies, family owned businesses and non-profits. DDI’s world-class learning systems have helped their clients’ organizations develop more than 16 million leaders globally improving business metrics such as productivity, turnover, downtime, and safety. Notably, Kennedy Consulting Research & Advisory, the world’s leading source of consulting market analysis, gave DDI top ranking as the number one leadership development provider on its The Kennedy Vanguard™ Matrix based on the breadth and depth of its solutions. A nationally recognized speaker and author in the field of leadership, Tacy’s wisdom helps leaders survive and thrive during critical transitions and unleash their potential. Her book, \'Your First Leadership Job: How Catalyst Leaders Bring Out the Best in Others\', coauthored with Rich Wellins, has sold tens of thousands of copies and has been translated into five languages. Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., The Conference Board Review, Chief Learning Officer, and TD Magazine have featured her articles on topics from the arrival of unprepared leaders to how to be a leader at home. Furthermore, she has been interviewed and quoted in several industry media outlets, including CNN (London), Entrepreneur, IndustryWeek, Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Pittsburgh Magazine, Pittsburgh Business Times, and Sirius XM Business Radio. A staunch supporter of women’s empowerment and gender equality, Tacy champions inclusion and diversity. Her vision, determination and enthusiasm led her to serve as the inaugural keynote speaker for Women in Technology Conference sponsored by HR Technology (2016) and has made a well-received TED-like talk entitled #LeadLikeAGirl that can be viewed on YouTube. In August 2017, she penned an op-ed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in response to a Google engineer's divisive statements against gender equality. When not working, Tacy is a singer in the DDI Band.

Experienced Chairperson with a demonstrated history of working in the health information technology and services industry. Contributing as the Director of the Board at the Publicly traded FVC Bank, Director of the Board of HUBZone National Council and several other Women Leadership Boards. Skilled in Leadership, Business Development, Business Strategy and Executive Management, graduated from The Wharton School.

Ed Merrow is the Founder and CEO of Independent Project Analysis, Inc. (IPA), the global industry leader in quantitative analysis and benchmarking of project management systems. After receiving his degrees from Dartmouth College and Princeton University, Merrow began his career as an Assistant Professor at University of California Los Angeles, followed by 14 years as a research scientist at The Rand Corporation where he directed the Energy Research Program. He is a recognized expert on the development and commercialization of new process technologies and management of large and complex projects. His recent books include his critically acclaimed Industrial Megaprojects (John Wiley 2011) and Leading Complex Projects (John Wiley 2018). Ed’s current major research effort centers on a quantitative analysis of how contracting strategies and delivery systems shape project results. That will result in a new book on the subject in late 2019.IPA evaluates projects and project delivery systems primarily for industrial companies in oil, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, minerals, and power and infrastructure. IPA’s clients are worldwide. IPA also maintains the largest projects research organization in the world with a full-time staff of over 40 inter-disciplinary researchers studying how to better develop and execute capital projects.