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Management Team

 

EDUARDO TUGENDHAT – CEO

Mr. Tugendhat is one of the founders of CARANA Corporation, having established the Washington area office in 1988. He has been CEO since 2000, overseeing CARANA's worldwide consulting and project implementation activities. Mr. Tugendhat is a recognized expert in the areas of competitiveness, investment promotion, export development, and strategies for accelerating economic growth and employment creation. He has given particular attention to the challenges facing small (often poorly situated) economies with limited domestic markets as well as those economies with serious handicaps in accessing and competing in international markets. He has led a number of assignments that involved introducing competition and private investment into such infrastructural services as telecommunications, electricity, transport, and industrial parks. Mr. Tugendhat has lectured and written extensively on strategies for accelerated economic growth. Prior to joining CARANA, he spent 11 years with Arthur D. Little, Inc. as the market manager for the Caribbean and Central America and as a core member of the Economic Development Unit. Mr. Tugendhat holds an M.A. in Ibero-American studies from University of Wisconsin and an A.B. from Harvard University. He is fluent in Spanish and conversant in Russian, with applied experience in over 60 countries.

SANTIAGO D. SEDACA – President

Mr. Sedaca serves as the President of CARANA and oversees the technical services and project management of all current programs. Mr. Sedaca served as Chief of Party under USAID’s Productive Network project in Ecuador, which advised the local government and the private sector to develop key industries and producer networks. He was previously CARANA's Senior Vice President for the Latin America and Caribbean region, where he successfully designed and managed USAID programs in international trade, competitiveness, enterprise development, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise, and cluster development, including the Colombia Enterprise Development project and the Guyana Trade and Investment Support project. Before joining CARANA in 2003, he served the Salt Lake Olympic Committee as director of operations planning and management, where he oversaw drastic changes in the Games' operational plans following the 9/11 attacks. Mr. Sedaca holds an M.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a B.A. in Economics and Political Studies from Gordon College. He is fluent in Spanish.

R. WILLIAM PHELPS – Executive Vice President, Global Operations

Mr. Phelps has been associated with CARANA since 1996. He serves as executive vice president for global operations and secretary/treasurer of the Board of Directors. In addition to responsibilities for the management of corporate services, he serves as the chief risk and ethics officer underpinning CARANA’s framework for internal controls. Mr. Phelps is a certified public accountant and fraud examiner. He holds an M.S. and a B.S. in Accounting from Arizona State University.

PETER BOONE – Vice President

Mr. Boone joined CARANA in 2007. He has led more than 50 economic development projects in a total of 40 countries and in more than a dozen U.S. states and regions, specializing in economic competitiveness and value-chain development. Previously, Peter was a principal economist at SRI International, an assistant secretary for Papua New Guinea’s Department of Agriculture, an economist at the World Bank, and a volunteer for the U.S. Peace Corps in Togo. Mr. Boone holds an M.S. in International Economics from Cornell University and a B.A. in American Studies from Colby College. He is fluent in French and speaks conversational Mina (Togo) and Melanesian Pidgin.

MARIA V. MARTINKOV – Senior Vice President, Global Operations

Ms. Martinkov joined CARANA in 1994 to work on USAID's Small Scale Privatization Project in Kazakhstan. She has been with CARANA’s headquarters in Arlington since 1999. Currently, Ms. Martinkov is a Senior Vice President, Global Operations overseeing the Corporate Services unit at CARANA Corporation. Among her tasks is responsibility to evaluate and streamline global operational processes, policies, and procedures for headquarters and project field offices. Her responsibilities include providing operations management and overall compliance guidance to CARANA’s headquarters project management and administrative staff, and to CARANA’s project offices in Africa, Eastern Europe, Middle East, South Central Americas, and the Caribbean. Ms. Martinkov also works closely with CARANA’s local and international partners, providing guidance on USAID rules and regulations, among other donor organizations and clients. Ms. Martinkov works closely with CARANA’s senior leaders as part of the Executive Management team and leads a group of Corporate Service department team leadss. Ms. Martinkov holds an MBA and a Master’s Certificate in Government Contracting from the George Washington University School of Business, an M.A. in International Affairs from Kazakh State University of International Relations, and a Degree in accounting from the International School of Business. She is fluent in Russian.

CARL LARKINS – Vice President

Mr. Larkins joined CARANA in 2001 and is the current Chief of Party on USAID's Macedonia Small Business Expansion project. Prior to this assignment, Mr. Larkins served as Chief of Party under USAID’s Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion project in the West Bank and Gaza. He was previously CARANA's Chief of Party for USAID's Guyana Trade and Investment Support project, which advised the government of Guyana and the private sector on strategic initiatives to increase export and market linkages of the country’s productive sectors. He has led more than 15 economic development and governance projects in more than 10 countries and in more than a dozen U.S. states, focusing on trade and market linkage development as well as legislative and governance issues. Mr. Larkins was formerly assistant director for legislative affairs with AFL-CIO, and deputy director for Southern Africa with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Colorado State University. He speaks French and Croatian.

ROMAN S. PONOS – Vice President

Mr. Ponos joined CARANA in 2002 and currently oversees the firm's global business development efforts and manages partnerships worldwide. Prior to this post, Mr. Ponos served as Deputy Chief of Party for USAID's Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion project. Previously, he was CARANA's vice president for human resources and risk management, regional manager for the Caucasus and Western N.I.S., and assistant vice president for business development. Before joining CARANA, he was a regional manager for a USAID Health Care Finance Reform Program in Ukraine and Moldova. Mr. Ponos earned an MBA in International Management from Thunderbird, the American Graduate School of International Management, and a B.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University. He is fluent in Ukrainian and proficient in both Russian and German.

ERIN M. ENDEAN – Vice President

Ms. Endean joined CARANA in 2011 and currently serves as Chief of Party for USAID's Business Environments for Agile Markets (BEAM) project. She has more than 25 years of experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors as an executive, senior manager, strategist, and analyst—most recently as a vice president of Nathan Associates Inc., where she created and managed the firm’s largest economic growth practice for five years. Earlier, Ms. Endean served as Chief of Party for two U.S. government contracts as well as staff director for two U.S. Trade Representatives. She has a B.A. in History from Yale College and an M.A. in East Asian Studies from Yale University. She speaks Chinese.

KATHLEEN D. VICKLAND – Vice President

Ms. Vickland joined CARANA Corporation in March 2010 and serves as vice president, currently overseeing CARANA's Latin America and Caribbean program portfolio and leading business development efforts throughout the region. Additionally, she serves as the technical lead for CARANA's Workforce Development Group. Prior to joining CARANA, she was employed by SRI International from 1984-2010. For over two decades, she has managed analytical, strategic planning, and project implementation teams, working in-country in 23 nations throughout 5 continents and across the U.S. on economic development projects. Katy specializes in private sector-led economic development and workforce development, including inclusive value chain development, market linkages, local economic development, and business environment. She has led a wide range of engagements for public, public-private, and corporate clients. She has a demonstrated track record of leveraging government funding with industry, foundations, and other contributors. Ms. Vickland graduated from Harvard's Kennedy School with an M.A. in Public Policy with a concentration in International Development and from Carleton College with a B.A. in Economics, graduating cum laude. Ms. Vickland has lived overseas in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Czech Republic, Bosnia, and Herzegovina. She is fluent in Spanish.