Cristina M. Villegas, Director, Mines to Markets
Cristina Villegas specializes in rural development strategies, mineral sector governance and local capacity building, and has direct field experience across Africa, Asia and Latin America. She is known for her sub-specialization in jewelry and cosmetics-relevant materials, such as diamonds, gold, gemstones and mica. She also has expertise in conflict minerals (3TG), cobalt and copper, salt, sand, market innovations and ASM-LSM cohabitation. She is a member of the Gemstone Knowledge Hub, Fairtrade’s Technical Advisory Committee for Gold, a Gold Expert for the UN Environmental Program, and an Expert Associate of the Artisanal Gold Council. She is regularly consulted as an ASM expert on gold, gemstones and conflict minerals by such organizations as USAID, U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Labor, the World Bank, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and others. She lectures on extractives for Columbia University’s Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) and is a popular guest speaker in diverse fora.
Yves Bawa, Africa Great Lakes Regional Director
Yves Bawa is the director for Pact in the Great Lakes region of Africa (DRC, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda) and the regional technical director for all of Pact’s Mine to Markets work in the area. With over 20 years of experience in social development covering democracy and governance, education, community development, agriculture and natural resource management programs with USAID contractors, international organizations and the private sector, Yves fulfills roles as diverse as technical leadership, team management and mentoring, policy advocacy, new business development and oversight of programmatic and financial management. Prior to joining Pact, he held several roles with for-profit and nonprofit international organizations, where he designed, oversaw and monitored the implementation of major projects. A former miner, he is used to operating in high-risk and conflict zones, including with demobilized soldiers. His experience also includes working in peacebuilding and natural resource-related conflict resolution and with artisanal mining communities in Central and West Africa. Yves has extensive expertise working with the private sector, particularly with mining companies carrying out baseline studies, social development and conflict reduction planning.
Daniel Stapper, Manager, Mines to Markets
Daniel Stapper is an expert on artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) and mercury and has worked extensively on ASGM in Asia, Africa and South America. He is currently leading Pact’s work on mercury-free gold production in the ASGM sector, in several countries through developing partnerships between private sector partners (including mining equipment suppliers), development sector organizations and donors, and other partners including CSOs and government agencies. Prior to working with Pact, he worked as a GIS analyst and environmental scientist with Golder Associates Ltd., an international environmental engineering consultancy where he focused on environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs), and environmental permitting in the extractives sector. Previous to this, Daniel was a co-founding director of the Artisanal Gold Council, where he co-developed ASGM projects and initiatives in Indonesia, Ghana, Tanzania, Mali, Burkina Faso and Nigeria.
Jorden de Haan, Program Officer, Mines to Markets
Jorden de Haan is a development practitioner specialized in the intersections of ASM, formalization, socio-economic development and peacebuilding in Sub-Saharan Africa. He holds an MSc. in Local Governance and Development and has conducted field research in Sierra Leone, Eastern DRC, Kenya, Eritrea and South Africa. Now based in Nairobi, he previously worked as a consultant with UNITAR, where he supported African countries in developing National Action Plans for reducing mercury use in ASM gold, and championed the development of the UNITAR and UN Environment Formalization Handbook.
James McQuilken, PhD, Program Officer, Mines to Markets
Dr. James McQuilken is a social scientist specialized in ASM. He has authored and managed the production of 10+ peer-reviewed publications and has over 8 years of experience in sustainable development providing management, consulting and technical inputs across a range of rural livelihoods and market systems development topics spanning agriculture, construction, healthcare and mining. He holds a Ph.D. in Management from Surrey Business School, an MSc. in Environment and Development University of Reading, and a BSc. Geography University of Southampton.
Amayèle Dia, Reporting Coordinator, DRC Child Labor in Mining
After working for several years for diverse INGOs and humanitarian organizations in development and emergency contexts in Africa and the Caribbean, Amayèle joined the Pact team in 2016, first as an ITSCI Reporting Officer, before joining the child protection team. Her current role includes strategy and project design, business development and donor liaison, as well as communications and project coordination. Amayèle has worked in communication, information and knowledge management, reporting, advocacy and project development. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and anthropology and a master's in development studies and gender.
Mary Sherman, Reporting Specialist, DRC Child Labor in Mining
Mary's role includes supporting donor relationships, project coordination, communications and supporting the DRC team in the fight against child labor. Before joining Pact, Mary worked across the development field in various roles from program management to monitoring and evaluation. She focused on projects dedicated to migration, children’s rights, youth empowerment and addressing homelessness across the globe from West Africa to Southeast Asia. She holds an MPA specializing in migration, anti-human trafficking and human security.