Who is Delta GDP
2011-2012 Executive Board
Serena Calejon
Board Position: President
School/Year: GS ’13
Bio: Serena is a senior at the School of General Studies, studying Economics. Her interests in Economic Development range from health and education to entrepreneurship. She is particularly keen about the emerging field of impact investing, and related market-based solutions to fight poverty and protect the environment. Adding to the diversity of nationalities that is characteristic of Delta GDP, she is of Brazilian origin.
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Sahil Yakhmi
Board Position: Vice President
School/Year: SEAS ’13
Bio: Sahil is a third-year student at Columbia majoring in Computer Science. His international family background and interest in foreign language led him to develop an interest in the economics and politics of development. He has particular interests in infrastructure development, energy, and the role of technology and innovation in development.
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Bruno Mendes
Board Position: Treasurer
School/Year: CC ’14
Bio: Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, Bruno is a second-year Columbia student majoring in Economics-Political Science. He is particularly interested in political economy and development economics, with a focus on income inequality, and hopes to engage in the active promotion of economic development in Latin America in the future. Bruno currently serves as Treasurer of DeltaGDP.
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Isabel Penaranda
Board Position: Secretary
School/Year: CC ’13
Bio: Isabel Penaranda is a Sustainable Development Major. Born in Colombia, she is interested in rural development specifically, given the role this has played in her country's history. This has led her to living in a National Park in the Amazon, living with smallholder farmers, activism on land grabs, and research on the perception of climate change by smallholder farmers in Ghana. At Columbia, she is an editor at Consilience: the Journal of Sustainable Development. She is particularly interested in different narratives for "development."
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Keith Miao
Board Position: Group Liaison
School/Year: CC ’12
Bio: Keith is a senior studying Economics and Sustainable Development, with particular focus on extractive industries. His work in New York has ranged from digital soil mapping to mining company assessment. Keith's studies have also taken him to development hotspots such as Bangladesh, Benin, Brazil, Ghana, and Qatar. His more recent research has been in oil and gas geopolitics as well as economic growth in relation to commodity price volatility.
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Crystal Ang
Board Position: Board Member
School/Year: CC ’15
Bio: Crystal Ang grew up in Malaysia and Singapore, where she realised how slight differences in initial government policy can unfortunately translate into long term disparities in economic growth. Crystal is majoring in Economics and Political Science, and is particularly interested in national growth models, political theory, and of course, science fiction novels.
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Akunne Daniels
Board Position: Board Member
School/Year: CC ’15
Bio: Akunne was born in Lagos, Nigeria and has grown up In New Jersey, Kathmandu, Nepal; Santa Ana, Costa Rica and Manila, Philippines. She is a first year in Columbia College who is currently considering a major in Economics- Statistics and a Special Concentration in Sustainable Development. Akunne is especially interested in developmental economics and natural resource management in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the role played by the private sector.
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Luke Foster
Board Position: Board Member
School/Year: CC ’15
Bio: Luke Foster is a Columbia College first-year majoring in Political Science and Economics. His personal experience with development issues comes from growing up in Southern Africa, where he learned just how intractable and debilitating poverty is and gained a passion for fighting it. He loves football (of the non-American variety!), theology, and fantasy novels.
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Zan Gilani
Board Position: Board Member
School/Year: CC ’15
Bio: Zan Gilani is a freshman at Columbia College from Karachi and London. He is potentially majoring in Political Science and Economics. Zan serves as the Media Director for DeltaGDP and is also involved in Columbia TV News.
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Joachim Mowinckel
Board Position: Board Member
School/Year: CC ’15
Bio: Half-Norwegian and half-French, Joachim lived in Oslo until he felt old enough to head out, a decision which brought him to the Columbia School of General Studies only after volunteering as an English teacher and learning Spanish in Costa Rica, studying for a year in Southern California, traveling in East Africa, and working for an NGO in Rwanda. Joachim is majoring in Economics and Political Science, with a research focus on the political economy of natural resources and civil war.
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DeltaGDP's
mission is to provide a platform for the Columbia community to critically explore pressing problems of economic development. Bringing together academics, practitioners, and students to grapple with controversial issues in the field, we seek to highlight innovative and viable solutions to urgent questions. DeltaGDP's project also promotes specific initiatives through fund raising and other activities.
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