Born and raised in Ohio, Theresa earned her bachelor’s degree in Finance from Miami University of Ohio. Immediately after college, Theresa joined the Peace Corps and served as a business adviser in the Republic of Georgia until the 2008 conflict with Russia. After transferring to Costa Rica, Theresa worked as an economic development facilitator. In this role, she supported entrepreneurs, women’s associations, cooperatives, youth groups, and municipal and local government initiatives. More recently, Theresa worked as a coordinator for the Peace Corps’ economic development program and focused on strengthening public private partnerships to bridge the digital divide in rural areas. Theresa recently began working toward a dual MBA/MA Global Affairs degree because her efforts in the Peace Corps showed her entrepreneurs, when supported by cross-sector collaboration, can amplify economic growth and social justice in communities. She can think of no better organization poised to make an impact in this area than Kiva and is delighted to work with Kiva Zip in Ohio this summer.