Elissa D McCarter-LaBorde

Elissa McCarter-LaBorde is a seasoned executive manager with 20 years’ experience in leading organizations that are dedicated to designing financial products and services for low-income customer segments. She currently serves as Vice President of Development Finance for Global Communities, a non-profit international development organization, and CEO of Vitas Group, a for-profit holding company founded by Global Communities. Vitas Group is a network of financial services companies in the Middle East and employs over 1300 local professional staff in the region. Previously, Elissa spent over seven years in the field starting up and managing microfinance institutions and has lived and worked in five countries (Armenia, Benin, France, Turkey, and Zimbabwe). She has a M.S. from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and two Master's certificates from Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris. She has served since 2009 as an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC.