Building Expertise in International Development

Roman Marshavin
Certificate in International Development '20

Q: Could you please tell us about your current professional work experience?
 
A: I am one of 25 Executive Directors (EDs) at the World Bank Board of Directors. In my role, I make sure that Bank policies and operations reflect the guidance from Russia and Syria, the two countries I represent.
 
Q: What encouraged you to take classes at Johns Hopkins SAIS?
 
A: When I became an ED, I realized that my knowledge about international development was incomplete. Although the Bank provides a good onboarding to newcomers, I thought it would be beneficial to complement it with my own extra studies. I am also a believer in a life-long education, and it was time for me to learn something new.
 
Q: Is there a faculty member you would like to highlight?
 
A: I am very grateful to Professors Charles Kenny and Vikram Nehru for their fantastic courses and the discussions we had. Both of them used to work at the World Bank, and it was really interesting to listen to their views about the Bank’s work today.
 
Q: How have the classes complemented your professional work experience?
 
A: The courses about current scientific thinking and research on development problems, have complemented my professional work experience. They have also helped me better understand Bank papers. Furthermore, the courses often encouraged my classmates and I to have discussions among ourselves, which was beneficial for the real-life discussions we have at the Board.
 
Q: What has been one of your top experiences at the school so far?
 
I think what I enjoyed the most was the spirit of collaboration among the students. We did joint papers and learned from each other. The professors also did a great job and reached out to people individually.

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