As a practice-oriented program, Emory MDP intentionally emphasizes job-readiness, and provides professional development coaching during the two years of the program and after graduation.
Emory MDP graduates have an 85% rate of employment in relevant fields after graduation (some move onto PhD programs). In the organizations they serve, Emory MDP alumni have rapidly advanced in their careers, demonstrating the value of the skills experiences acquired through Emory MDP.
Our alumni community serves as an invaluable resource to current MDP students, providing mentorship, internship opportunities, networking contacts, job leads, and enduring friendship.
Employers of Emory MDP graduates include federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations, consulting firms, research programs, policy think-tanks, and the private sector.
The following are some examples of positions occupied by recent graduates:
- Public Health Analyst, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Program Manager, Food and Nutrition Security, CARE USA
- Program Officer, Resilient Communities Portfolio, Global Communities
- Program Associate, Conflict Resolution, The Carter Center
- Associate Director, Disaster Risk, Response, Recovery, Habitat for Humanity International
- Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Mercy Corps
- Evaluation Specialist, United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)
- Impact and Systems Specialist, Partners-in-Health
- Youth Program Supervisor, International Rescue Committee
- Community Engagement Strategist, The Nature Conservancy
- Program Manager, Office of Sustainability Initiatives, Emory University
- Research Program Manager, Department of Environmental Health, Emory University
Get to know our graduates in the featured profiles below.
 Samantha Friedlander, MDP ‘18
Communications, Policy, and Research Associate,
Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), MIT
Sam works as a Communications, Policy, and Research Associate at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at MIT. J-PAL supports researchers that conduct randomized evaluations of poverty alleviation programs globally—and then makes that research accessible to policymakers, government officials, practitioners, researchers, and the public. Sam works on special projects with the Executive Director, including an initiative seeking to use already existing administrative data in decision-making. She also supports education-focused evidence-informed policy materials and works on a research initiative supporting government innovation. In her communications role, she supports products such as white papers, annual reports, and blogs.
“MDP taught me that what people need isn’t always reflected in policy-makers’ plans, which in turn doesn’t always dictate what happens on the ground. As a result, I wanted to help strengthen the connections between evidence produced by research and policies dictating the actions of practitioners, which is J-PAL’s exact mission. MDP definitely highlighted that gap in the process and gave me tools to work in such a demanding environment.”
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Tarangini Saxena, MDP ‘17
Microenterprise Program Coordinator
International Rescue Committee
At the International Rescue Committee (IRC) Atlanta, Tarangini coordinates the micro-enterprise arm of economic empowerment programming. In facilitating refugee ownership of small business, she supports refugees and asylees in navigating U.S. business regulations, accessing affordable financing, as well as assessing community needs and the role of small business in addressing them. She is currently working across local networks to equip stakeholders to better engage with refugee-owned businesses, often considered exemplar institutions for their contributions to interdependent and resilient economies.
“The MDP program equipped me with both ‘big picture and little picture’ skills – challenging me not only to design programs with deep contextual knowledge but also a commitment to long-term viability and net positive impact. The program also gave me many contrasting field opportunities to practice these skills, which helped me better understand how to communicate and manage change across scale and difference.”
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Gabriela Artasanchez, MDP ‘17
Program Coordinator,
TechnoServe Mexico
As a Program Coordinator, Gabriela oversees the Monitoring and Evaluation of the Inclusive Agriculture program for TechnoServe Mexico. This program integrates smallholder farmers into formal markets. In her work, she supports farmers that have been historically abused by intermediaries with agronomic and business training to improve their ability to deal directly with end buyers. She is responsible for reporting to donors and other stakeholders the program's progress and performance.
“The MDP program was crucial for me as I transitioned from a finance background to the development field. I learned to navigate real life experiences in the non-profit sector. I did my second internship at TechnoServe and I was hired after my internship. MDP helped to create this opportunity as Emory students worked with TechnoServe before me.”
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 Jessica Frye, MDP ‘16
Emergency Program Manager,
Concern Worldwide - Democratic Republic of Congo
Based in Kalemie, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Jessica works for Concern Worldwide as an Emergency Program Manager leading a $3.2 million USAID – OFDA funded humanitarian response program for 20,104 internally displaced (IDP) and conflicted affected households. The program covers the three regions of Tanganyika, Haut-Lomami, and Ex-Katanga focusing on emergency WASH and shelter interventions including rehabilitation of water points, emergency latrine construction, household hygiene kit distributions, and construction of emergency shelters for IDPs. After more than 2.5 years in DRC, Jessica will be moving to Freetown, Sierra Leone in August 2019 to join Save the Children International as their Program Development and Quality Director.
“Emory’s MDP program provided me with a solid foundation and understanding of international development, its complexities and processes. The program allowed me to put into practice many of the theories and skills learned in program design, monitoring and evaluation via internships and field practicum opportunities, strengthening my overall technical knowledge and capacity to be an effective development practitioner.”
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Esther Joe, MDP ‘13
Foreign Service Officer (Diplomat),
US Department of State
Esther serves as Foreign Service Officer at US Embassy Jakarta, Indonesia. In this position she manages several professional exchange programs, including the International Visitor Leadership Program, which aim to strengthen relationships between the US and Indonesia and advance US foreign policy goals. She also monitors and evaluates US grants to local NGOs and civil society groups in Indonesia, designs a speaker series, and manages cultural programming.
“The MDP program equipped me with many useful skills — such as monitoring and evaluation, organizational management, project design, and gender analysis. The program’s hands-on field experience was instrumental in preparing me for my new role, and the MDP's unique integrated approach to international development has allowed me to think critically and globally about development and diplomacy in a variety of contexts.”
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 Aliya Firozvi, MDP ‘13
Program Officer,
CARE Sri Lanka
Following her graduation from the Emory MDP program, Aliya Firozvi has continued working with CARE Sri Lanka, where she had spent two consecutive summers as an MDP field practicum intern. Aliya works as consultant to CARE Sri Lanka’s men-engagement project, EMERGE, assisting with knowledge management efforts. Among other assignments, her work includes developing a communications strategy, evaluating EMERGE partnerships, and mapping EMERGE networks.
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 Sarah Brooks, MDP ‘13
Program Management Associate
Chemonics International
Sarah Brooks lives in Washington, DC, where she works with Chemonics International. Following graduation from the Emory MDP program, she joined the organization's Asia regional office, bringing background experience and interest in the region, where she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand. Currently, Sarah supports a USAID-funded project in Pakistan that focuses on enabling economic environment in the Punjab region, with a focus on livestock, dairy and horticulture sectors. When she's not working she enjoys playing on the Chemonics bocce ball league!
“My training from MDP has equipped me well for my current work. In particular, I credit the degree with giving me the leadership skills and creativity to address complex technical and administrative issues head on.”
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 Mia Gallegos, MDP ‘12
Senior Public Health Program Associate,
Center for Global Safe Water at Emory University
Mia Gallegos is a Public Health Program Associate with the Center for Global Safe Water at Emory University. She is currently working on a project funded by the General Electric Foundation (GEF) which aims to promote, monitor, and evaluate the performance, use and sustainability of donated water treatment systems that provide safe water in health facilities in Honduras, Ghana, Uganda, Cambodia, and Rwanda. While in the MDP program, Mia discovered her passion for the suitability and sustainability of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions in schools, healthcare settings and emergency programming.
“I use the program design skills, theoretical approaches to program design, and monitoring and evaluation techniques that I learned in the MDP program to plan and coordinate projects on a daily basis.”
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 Myriam Dormer, MDP ‘13
Urban Conservation Director (GA),
The Nature Conservancy
As the Urban Conservation Director, Myriam is coordinating the development of a knowledge base to inform an urban conservation plan to reduce polluted stormwater runoff through forest conservation in Atlanta. Previously, as the Community Engagement Coordinator, Myriam worked with conservation scientists to involve people in hands-on conservation opportunities across the state of Georgia, aligning TNC’s work in Georgia with global priorities to broaden the base of support for conservation. Prior to her work at TNC, Myriam worked as the Food Security Manager at the Clarkston Community Center (CCC), coordinating a network of people and organizations dedicated to bringing healthy food and active living opportunities to local families. While at the Clarkston Community Center, she led a team of students from the Rollins School of Public Health in conducting a research project that mapped protective factors in Clarkston based on focus groups, stakeholder interviews and GIS mapping of food access points, public transportation routes and recreational areas.
"The MDP program reinforced my belief in the power of good planning and community participation while providing me with state of the art tools to coordinate these collective efforts.”
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 Claudia Langford, MDP ‘14
Public Health Analyst,
Karna LLC for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Claudia began working as an intern with CDC Climate and Health Program in her first semester with the Master’s in Development Practice program and moved into a full-time position after graduation. Claudia contributes to research and project coordination around the effects of climate change on public health in the United States. Claudia has assisted with development of the National Climate Assessment, review of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, coordination of a federal science agenda on Predicting Infectious Disease to enhance National Security, served on the International Task Force for the Ebola Emergency Response, and contributes to research on climate-sensitive health outcomes in vulnerable populations.
"The interdisciplinary nature of MDP gave the the experience and skills to work across different fields and contexts to better address complex issues."
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