Our Team

James Riak

Country Director, Sierra Leone

James Riak was appointed as Country Director for GOAL in Sierra Leone in April 2022.

James has worked for GOAL for 15 years, most recently as Programmes Director in Sierra Leone for the last four years. Prior to this, James served as Area Coordinator in Kenema and as Programme Coordinator in Bombali. James has been based in Sierra Leone since 2015, moving there after many years of service to our South Sudan programme.

James holds a Master’s in Sustainable Development and a Master of Science in Public Health.

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Dawit Beyene

Country Director, Uganda

Dawit was appointed Country Director for GOAL’s Uganda in February 2023.

 Dawit brings over 19 years of experience to the role, including time as GOAL Country Director in Sudan and Interim Country Director in South Sudan. Prior to joining GOAL, Dawit served as Head of Office for Mercy Corps in Darfur and Assistant Country Director – Programmes for Action Against Hunger (ACF) in Yemen. Prior to that, Dawit worked with Tufts University/ Feinstein International Centre as a consultant in various roles in Ethiopia.

 Dawit’s educational background is in Rural Development (MA) and Sociology & Social Administration (BA). Over the years, he has managed humanitarian and development programmes in complex and protracted humanitarian settings.

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Matt Knight

Country Director, Haiti

Matt Knight was appointed Country Director for GOAL in Haiti in June 2023. He has over four years’ experience at GOAL, having previously served as Emergency Systems Director, Emergency Response Logistics, and Procurement Advisor in different GOAL locations. Matt has extensive experience from his roles at Public Health England and from other roles in Field Logistics and Logistics Management in Sierra Leone. He holds a Master’s degree in Psychotherapy from the University of Sheffield and a BSc in Psychology from the University of Hull, UK.

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Phyllis Jepkorir

Country Director, South Sudan

Phyllis Jepkorir was appointed Country Director for GOAL South Sudan in January 2023. With over 15 years’ experience at GOAL prior to this appointment, Phyllis held previous roles such as Systems Director in Ethiopia, Assistant Country Director for Systems in Malawi and South Sudan, and Logistics Coordinator. Phyllis holds an MBA in Strategic Management from Texila American University in Guyana. She has extensive experience in systems implementation, procurement, logistics, and strategic planning.

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Marcelo Gonzalez

Country Director, Colombia

Marcelo Gonzalez was appointed Country Director for GOAL in Honduras in January 2023. Marcelo has over 25 years of experience in international development and humanitarian aid. Before this role, he was a Roving Technical Advisor for Disaster Risk Reduction at GOAL. He has also worked as a Humanitarian, Development, and Business Consultant, Humanitarian Programme Coordinator for Oxfam Italia in Lebanon, and Operations Manager for NGO GVC in Nicaragua. Marcelo holds a Master’s Degree in International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid and is a specialist in Disaster Risk Management.

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Nathan Kennedy

Programme Director, Sudan

Nathan Kennedy joined GOAL initially in June 2016 and held positions as Cash Based Response Manager and Cash and Markets Coordinator. He was then Sudan Programme Director for four years up to Sept 2022. More recently Nathan undertook a short-term assignment as Interim Country Director with the GOAL Haiti Team but in Nov 2023, Nathan resumed his position as Programme Director for GOAL Sudan. Prior to working with GOAL, Nathan held positions with Plan International in Senegal and Niger. Nathan holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from Tufts University, Boston, and a Bachelor of Arts from Carlton College, Minnesota.

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Gashaw Mekonnen

Country Director, Zimbabwe

Gashaw was appointed as CD of GOAL’s Zimbabwe programme in April 2022.

Gashaw brings over 20 years of experience to the role, including time as a Roving CD and CD across Haiti, Niger, South Sudan and Malawi and across various other positions in our South Sudan and Ethiopia programmes. Gashaw was CD in Sierra Leone for the last three and a half years.

Gashaw’s background is in rural development and development management. He is a trained advocate on Community Development Approaches and a ToT trainer on participatory tools. Over the years, he has managed humanitarian and development programmes in a challenging political environment.

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Tamer Kirolos

Country Director, Syria

Tamer Kirolos joined GOAL as Country Director for Syria in Oct 2024. Tamer has over 30 years of experience in the humanitarian aid and development sector, including 18 years with Save the Children. Throughout his career he has held senior positions, leading large and complex humanitarian response programmes with diverse, cross-cultural teams.

In his most recent role as Gulf Initiative Director at Save the Children International, Tamer led strategic engagements with Gulf Cooperation Council states, significantly increasing fundraising and establishing long-term strategic partnerships. He also took on additional responsibilities as MENAEE Regional Advocacy and Resource Mobilization Director based in Amman.

And previously Tamer held several Country Director roles for Save the Children in Egypt, Yemen, Zambia, Jordan, and Lebanon, where he successfully expanded budgets, led large teams, and implemented impactful programs across various sectors.

Tamer possesses a deep understanding of key donors in both humanitarian and development contexts and proven expertise in strategic, program, award, and organizational leadership

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