Elise Verdooner

Elise Verdooner is a Crisis Operations Specialist at USAID's Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization. Prior to joining USAID, she was a Fulbright Scholar in India researching corporate social responsibility and the impact of CSR legislation on NGOs. Before living in India, she was the Executive Director at TEEEM (The Empathic Entrepreneur Equality Mission), an international nonprofit focused on supporting international communities in areas including economic empowerment and educational and healthcare programming.

Elise completed a MSW at Columbia University with a focus on social enterprise administration and international social work, a Master's in Global Affairs from the University of Notre Dame, and a BSW from the University of Vermont. Elise served in the Peace Corps and lived in Botswana for two years where she worked in a primary school as a youth development volunteer and focused her efforts on organizational capacity building, HIV prevention and outreach, and gender equality initiatives. It was there that she developed a love of international social work and working with communities around the world. She also has experience working in a shelter for people who experienced domestic violence and a residential program for children who experienced trauma.

At Columbia School of Social Work, Elise teaches Advocacy in Social Work Practice and Social Welfare Policy. She also has experience as a Graduate Teaching Associate supporting the following courses: Staff Development, Training, and Coaching with Matthea Marquart; PROP-Infused Advocacy in Social Work Practice with Mashura Akilova; Advanced Clinical Practice in Health, Mental Health, Disabilities with Jalana Harris; Social Planning and Program Development with Rick Greenberg; among others.