Our “Employee Spotlight” series profiles employees at the END Fund. The series is part of an initiative to provide transparency and share the important work that our employees are doing to end neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Stay tuned as we roll out new spotlights monthly. Click to learn more about the series.
Meet Evelyne Barry, a chameleon amongst the END Fund team. As a key member of our Investor Relations team, Evelyne is one the organization’s go-to employees for event planning, a role that coalesces with just about every other department here at the END Fund.
“I was hired as a Senior Associate Director in charge of the events and travel strategy within the Investor Relations team, but since then I have ended up working with every department within the organization,” notes Evelyne.
“It has evolved to the point where I am not just siloed within Investor Relations or individual giving. I have worked with the Programs team on event planning. I have worked with Public Affairs on certain events. So, I have really gotten a chance to work with most of the organization at this point.”
For Evelyne, the skills necessary to work across such diverse departments did not come as an accident.
“I have always been a hotelier throughout my career. I am a former hospitality management student and then I worked in hotels all my life, specifically within events management, which is how I ended up with the END Fund. Now I am in fundraising, which is something different. However, there is certainly an element of hospitality that is required in fundraising, especially individual giving.”
Based in Nairobi, Evelyne gets to see first hand the fruits of the END Fund’s collective labors.
“My job is very eye-opening and emotional,” describes Evelyne.
“It is a job where you learn a lot about what is actually happening on the ground. I get to see everything from the beginning – from the ground-up – in terms of our mission, our goals, and the people we are supporting. Going into these communities and seeing the work being done and the work still needed is extremely eye-opening. I have had occasions where I have been marked by interactions with people with neglected tropical diseases that will stay with me forever. And that makes me very passionate about what I do.”
For Evelyne, these kinds of experiences make her job fulfilling, and informs her goals for the future.
As she puts it, “I just want to learn a lot more about the [NTD space] just because I am in a unique situation where I go into specific impacted communities, programatic partners, donors, and board members. I am learning a lot about being in this philanthropic public health space. So, I am looking forward to learning more about how I can have a positive impact in the communities that we serve.”
Read more Employee Spotlights, and visit our website for more information on NTDs.
