5th Class, 2009-2011
Field Placement: Land O’Lakes, Ethiopia
Susan Ilyin worked with Land O’Lakes’ (LOL) Ethiopian Dairy Development Project (EDDP) to create and strengthen livelihood support for people living with HIV/AIDS along the dairy value chain. Susan provided technical assistance to EDDP field staff on the development and implementation of Income Generating Activities (IGAs), which included making regular visits to Land O’ Lakes’ ten field sites. Additionally, Susan assisted with program monitoring and evaluation and documented best practices of LOL’s economic development activities within Ethiopia as well as in other country programs. Susan also developed an IGA tool kit which will be shared with other organizations to provide comprehensive guidance on beneficiary participation in dairy value chain development and other agriculture based economic strengthening initiatives.
Policy Placement: Land O’Lakes, Arlington, VA
For her policy placement, Susan continued her work with Land O’Lakes International Development and was based in the Arlington, Virginia office. Drawing on lessons learned from her work assisting in the implementation of dairy-related income generating activities for people living with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia, she supported organization-wide economic strengthening initiatives. This included providing capacity building and training in livelihoods, income generation and economic strengthening for various country programs.
Pre-Fellowship Education/Experience:
Prior to becoming a Fellow, Susan Ilyin worked as an Emerging Market Development Adviser at the Jordan Tourism Board in Amman, Jordan where she assisted in strategic planning and improving organizational effectiveness. She also led a market research study assessing rural Rwandan consumer behavior and establishing Rwanda’s first market research firm, Izuba Research S.A.R.L. Susan holds an MS in Social Work from Columbia University and a BFA from the University of Arizona. She has worked in the corporate sector executing Colgate-Palmolive Company’s diversity strategy and has worked as a legal advocate in criminal court, assisting victims of domestic violence. She also spent time teaching in Chile, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica. Susan is originally from the Chicago area.