Staff
Bhavitha Bhogaraju
Associate, Strategic Outreach
Bhavitha Bhogaraju
Bhavitha has over nine years of experience in program implementation, managing strategic partnerships and enabling growth for social impact projects across India and America. Prior to S3IDF, Bhavitha played pivotal role in leading implementation and expansion efforts at social organizations such as LEAD School, Girls Who Code, MSIT at International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT-Hyderabad), 1M1B at Social Alpha, Experifun, and Teach for India. She is an M.A. Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University with a Bachelors in International Business from St Francis College.
Russell deLucia
Innovation Director and Principal Founder
Russell deLucia
Russell J. deLucia has nearly 50 years of experience in the areas of development finance, infrastructure development, and natural resource allocation. He has worked with bilateral and multilateral development institutions, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and International Finance Corporation (IFC) in a variety of roles, such as team leader or specialist expert. Previously, Russell founded and managed a consulting firm, deLucia and Associates, which advised development institutions, governments, private firms, NGOs, and others on policy, project design, and implementation. He wrote The Energy Dimensions of Poverty for the first IFAD World Poverty Study and served as an Editorial Advisor for Natural Resources Forum, writing several articles for the Special Issue on “Small-Scale Natural Resources and Related Infrastructure Development.” Russell holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Engineering from Harvard University and a B.S. in Engineering from Manhattan College.
Elizabeth Friend
Managing Director
Elizabeth Friend
Elizabeth has over a decade of nonprofit management and international development experience planning, implementing, and evaluating market-based solutions to poverty. She brings a range of experience from on-the-ground field data collection and analysis to hands-on small business development to organizational strategic planning. Prior to her work with S3IDF, Elizabeth served as International Director of Village Forward where she managed international programming and played a central role in developing operational capacity and enterprise expansion strategies. Elizabeth has presented at numerous conferences and forums on energy poverty and small-scale enterprise financing and development. Elizabeth holds a M.S. Finance from Northeastern University and a M.A. Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University. Her B.A. Leadership Studies is from the University of Richmond. She also completed Digital Frontiers Institute’s Certified Digital Finance Practitioner Program, certified by The Fletcher School at Tufts University.
Nitin Gopalkrishnan
Chief Executive Officer, S3IDF-India
Nitin Gopalkrishnan
Nitin is a Civil Engineer with a deep interest in civic and environmental issues. He has widely engaged in incubating grassroots entrepreneurs solving contemporary problems. He has also led the development of climate education, adaptation and mitigation programs for rural communities. He looks forward to co-creating solutions that are people and planet centric.
Michael Lesser
Finance Director and Senior Economist
Michael Lesser
Michael Lesser, an economist, has over thirty years of experience in infrastructure development and natural resources management in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. He has consulted for international, national and local agencies as well as private clients. His extensive energy sector work has covered all conventional and renewable energy sources and related environmental issues, including rural electrification, pricing/tariffs studies, and system planning and regulation. He has also worked on drinking water and sanitation issues, as well as in forestry and agriculture. He holds a B.S. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Emma Marks
Impact Manager
Emma Marks
Emma has worked in a range of roles in community and international development since 2015 supporting fundraising, project management, communications, and monitoring and evaluation. At S3IDF, Emma supports ongoing research efforts and setting up frameworks for impact assessment across our portfolio. Emma currently splits her time between S3IDF and the World Resources Institute (WRI) where she works as a Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Analyst.
Emma holds an M.A. in Global Environmental Policy from American University’s School of International Service and a graduate certificate in Environment & Sustainable Development from the University for Peace in Costa Rica. She received her B.A. in International Development and Social Change from Clark University where she designed a concentration in Environmental Protection and Food Systems.
Steve McAvene
Manager, Administration and Research
Steve McAvene
Steve has lengthy experience in administration, management, and operations planning across a range of industries. He is currently a PhD student at UMass Boston’s McCormack School of Policy and Global Studies focusing on Democracy in International Development. He has a strong interest in social justice issues with a focus on upstream solutions. Steve holds a B.A. in History with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies from Worcester State University, an M.A. in International Development and Social Change from Clark University, and an M.A. in Global Governance and Human Security from UMass Boston.
Board of Directors
Robin Brenner
Board Member and Clerk
Robin Brenner
Russell deLucia
Board Member and President
Russell deLucia
Sabira Lakhani
Board Member
Sabira Lakhani
Michael Lesser
Board Member and Treasurer
Michael Lesser
Somak Ghosh
Board Member
Somak Ghosh
Marco Palmieri
Board Member
Marco Palmieri
Scott Sklar
Board Member
Scott Sklar
Advisors
Andrew Barnett
Advisor
Andrew Barnett
Nikhil Desai
Advisor
