WHO WE ARE
Senior Staff
Arthur B. Keys, Jr. is the President and CEO of International Relief and Development (IRD), a non-governmental organization, which he founded in 1998. As president of IRD, Dr. Keys oversees management of nearly $525 million annually for development assistance around the world. Dr. Keys has been active in NGO and humanitarian aid work since the early 1980s when he worked in the former Yugoslavia for the World Council of Churches Urban-Rural Mission Program. Prior to forming IRD, Dr. Keys was president of Keys and Associates, Inc., a for-profit organization that raised over $150 million in grants and in-kind contributions for NGOs in international development. Dr. Keys earned his B.A. from Bethany College, M.Div. from Yale University Divinity School and a D.Min from Emory University. He speaks Serbo-Croatian and is the author of numerous articles dealing with public policy and the Balkans. He is married and the father of three children.
Beverly Morris Armstrong, Chief Financial Officer, has had more than 30 years of experience in both financial and executive posts in nonprofit institutions including Pathfinder International, the Universities of Chicago and of Illinois, the Pacific/Asian American Mental Health Research Center, the Metropolitan Planning Council, the American Cultural Center of Baghdad, and the American Bar Association. She spent some years as Chief Financial Officer for the Metropolitan Planning Council, Friends of the Parks, Corporation for Open Lands, the Open Lands Project, the Upper Illinois Valley Association, and the Wetlands Research Institute. Beverly earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science (Medieval Political Philosophy) from the University of Chicago, a Masters in Accountancy from DePaul University, and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Ingrid Fitzgerald, Chief of Administration, manages and oversees IRD's administrative, information technology, and human resource departments. Prior to joining IRD she was the director of human resources and administration for Population Services International, where she had overall responsibility for domestic and international staff. Ms. Fitzgerald holds a B.A. in political science from American University in Washington, D.C.
Jasna Basaric-Keys, Chief of Program Operations, has been with the organization since its inception. Prior to joining IRD, she was a principal in Keys and Associates, a private consulting firm assisting non-governmental organizations to develop and design grant proposals in the field of humanitarian aid. Earlier she worked as a researcher in the health field at George Washington University and the National Institutes of Health. She received her master’s of public health from George Washington University and her bachelor’s of science in biology from the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia.
Isatou Jack, Director of IRD's Sustainable Food and Agriculture Systems Office, oversees programs on three continents. Originally from the West African country of The Gambia, Jack has worked for 25 years to increase agricultural production from many different perspectives, including working for government, NGOs, and private companies. She received her BS in agricultural science from the University of Florida and her Masters and Doctorate in international agriculture and adult education, respectively, from Cornell University.
Adam Koons, Director of Relief, has been working in development and relief for 26 years. He holds a Ph.D in economic and applied anthropology from American University in Washington, DC. Dr. Koons has worked for a wide variety of agencies, including the Peace Corps, USAID, CARE International, Save the Children, the United Nations, and President Carter’s Presidential Commission on World Hunger, as well as on numerous consulting assignments. Before joining IRD, he served for over three years as the Sudan Country Director for Save the Children, overseeing a $32 million program with over 1000 staff. Dr. Koons specializes in food security, economic development, and disaster relief, and has over 15 years of long-term overseas experience in countries like Haiti, Niger, Sudan, and Kenya holding a number of different positions, including technical training coordinator, evaluation director, food aid advisor, project and program manager, and agency country director.
Jim Lanning, Director of Acquisitions and Logistics, came to IRD in January 2007 from ADRA International, where he served as Director of Acquisitions for 13 years. Prior to working at ADRA, Lanning worked in the development field, including for 11 years as vice-president of an architectural/engineering firm that specialized in health care. He holds two Bachelor of Science degrees, in business and health care management, both from Columbia Union College in Takoma Park, MD. Married with three adult children, he is also a licensed jet rated pilot and certified flight instructor.
Maria Miralles is IRD’s Director for Health. She came to IRD after being the deputy director on USAID’s Strengthening Pharmaceuticals Systems Program with Management Sciences for Health, one of several positions she held with MSH since 1995. She received her BA in Latin American studies from UCLA, and her MA in anthropology and her PhD in pharmacy health care administration from the University of Florida.
Mario Rizos, Director of Infrastructure, oversees IRD's portfolio of both large and small-scale infrastructure projects. Mr. Rizos joined IRD in May 2007 with 20 years of civil engineering and international development project experience, including feasibility analysis, design, project planning, monitoring and evaluation, and project management. He works closely with international donors as well as negotiating and partnering with government and private sector project counterparts, having undertaken donor-funded projects in West Bank-Gaza, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Angola, Yemen, Zambia, Cameroon, Kosovo, Pakistan and Greece. Before joining IRD, Mr. Rizos worked for Chemonics International, and also served as the Senior Infrastructure Officer in Jordan and Yemen for the European Union Relex office. He holds an M.S. degree in Civil Engineering and is fluent in Greek.
Elsie Tama, Director of Program Resources, has been with IRD since its inception. She first served as finance director, then director of budgets and special projects, then deputy director for programs until moving to her current position. She served as finance manager for Keys and Associates for four years before joining IRD. Earlier she worked as a financial manager for Africare, an international NGO. A native of Cameroon, she received her B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of the District of Columbia in Washington, DC.
