Riva Levinson is the founder and Principal of KRL International LLC. Ms. Levinson has earned a reputation as an effective, sought-after strategist, with extensive expertise in managing international policy issues. A seasoned internationalist, Ms. Levinson has managed major projects and coordinated the efforts of staff in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, the Far East, South Asia, Central and South-Central Europe, and the Newly Independent States. As a front-page profile in The Hill, a prominent Washington Newspaper put it "...Levinson has been in trickier spots and taken up more daunting causes than all but a few other lobbyists in town." A recent Financial Times Article described Ms. Levinson's reputation in advocacy as "formidable."

Ms. Levinson is the long-time advisor to Africa's first elected female President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and is credited with being the "secret weapon" in the Sirleaf campaign. She now represents the Government of Liberia in Washington, DC.

Areas of Expertise
Advocacy, Strategic Positioning, Messaging and Integrated Communications, Government Relations, Political Party Training, Managing Winning International Policy and Trade Initiatives

Education
BA, Economics & International Affairs, Tufts University
MA, Security Studies, Georgetown University
Graduate studies at the University of Barcelona in Political Economy

 

Chris Beatty joined KRL in May of 2007, shortly after the firm was established. As Director at KRL, Mr. Beatty has traveled extensively throughout the developing world, with noted experience in Sub Saharan Africa, operating in the most complex of environments. Mr. Beatty has supported the company's private sector clients in designing market entry strategies and programs to manage political risk. Mr. Beatty has also advised the company's foreign clients on matters related to government advocacy, political positioning and communications.

Mr. Beatty manages the firm's day-to-day operations and serves as an advisor to clients on U.S. legislative affairs, international trade policy, the investment and political climate in emerging markets and corporate social responsibility. He has worked throughout his career to facilitate coordination between the private sector, NGOs, and governments to foster responsible investment and deliver tangible benefits to the communities in which they operate.

Areas of Expertise
Advocacy, Strategic Communications, Corporate Social Responsibility, Political Risk Mitigation, Political Campaigns, Public-Private Partnerships, Government Relations

Education
BA, Political Science, George Washington University

John Donaldson served at the World Bank for 15 years, acting as Principal Advisor to the Director for International Affairs in the corporate External Affairs unit from March 2008 to November 2010, where he worked with offices in Paris, London, Brussels, Geneva, Rome, Berlin, Tokyo and New York to coordinate comprehensive communications, risk management, funding support and strategic diplomacy with donor countries and international institutions.

From April 2004 to March 2008, Mr. Donaldson served as the Acting Manager of External Affairs, Africa Region (AFREX), in charge of a communications staff of 65 which was based in Washington and spread throughout 30 field offices in Africa. In this role, he was responsible for developing and executing a region-wide strategic communications strategy for the World Bank's work in Africa and for coordination with other communications units across the Bank.

Mr. Donaldson has also worked for the US Department of the Treasury and US Department of Commerce as well as in the private sector. He has a great deal of experience and expertise working in Africa.

Education
BA, History, English, Vanderbilt University

Prior to joining KRL as Senior Advisor, Eric Chinje was the Director for Strategic Communications at the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, a position he took up at the start of 2012. Prior to that he led the Global Media Program at the World Bank Institute (WBI) and, in that capacity, launched the IMAGE (Independent Media for Accountability, Governance and Empowerment) capacity building program to create a corps of development journalists in the Bank's client countries. Mr. Chinje also served as the World Bank's External Relations Manager for Africa and at the African Development Bank (ADB) in Tunis, where he was head of the institution's External Affairs and Communications Unit. He is currently on the Board of the African Media Initiative (AMI) and is a Co-Founder of the African Media Leaders Forum (AMLF). Mr. Chinje is also the Vice President of the African Advisory Board of the National Museum of African Art of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC.

Fluent in English and French, Mr. Chinje studied in the universities of Yaounde (Cameroon), Syracuse (New York) and Harvard (Cambridge, Massachusetts). He was Editor in Chief of Cameroon Television and a contributing correspondent for CNN World Report, and a stringer for the BBC World Service, Voice of America, and Deutschewelle Radio. Mr. Chinje is an Officer of the Cameroon Order of Merit and an Officer of the Dutch Order of Orange Nassau.

A former journalist, Laura Brunts brings a diverse background to KRL. As an Associate at KRL, Ms. Brunts provides support to KRL's clients through research and analysis, advocacy work and development of CSR strategies. She also plays a key role in shaping KRL's public marketing and press outreach, while supporting clients in strategic communications projects.

Prior to joining KRL in September 2012, Ms. Brunts supported democracy and governance programs at the National Democratic Institute in Washington, DC where she outreached to lawmakers, civil society groups and political parties. Ms. Brunts worked in the journalism industry for more than three years covering everything from local elections to international diplomacy. Her writings have appeared in the Washington Post, Newsweek International and TheAtlantic.com. She has lived and studied in West Africa and completed a master’s dissertation on election monitoring which included field work in East Africa.

Areas of Expertise
Communications, Governance, Elections, Research and Analysis

Education
BA, Political Science, Columbia University
MSc, African Studies, Oxford University

Özge Sayginer, as a Special Assistant at KRL, delivers support to both local and international clients. She provides media analysis and facilitates communication between Washington's most eminent institutions and KRL's global clientele. Ms. Sayginer advises public and private sector clients primarily on communications, messaging and strategic partnerships.

Ms. Sayginer previously held positions at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in DC, the Turkish Embassy in Geneva and GazProm Oil in Moscow. Her expertise ranges from energy policy, emerging market entry and communication strategies. Ms. Sayginer studied at the Moscow State University and Université Paris 1 - Panthéon Sorbonne, while completing a thesis project on democracy and elections. She is fluent in Turkish, English and Russian.

Areas of Expertise
Energy Policy, Emerging Markets, Strategic Partnerships, Russia and the CIS

Education
BA, Political Science and Eurasian Area Studies, Wittenberg University

Originally from Togo, Afi Akolly joined KRL in May of 2012. As a research associate, Afi provides support to help analyze political risk, country entry strategies and social investment opportunities for our clients entering emerging markets. She works with the team to develop strategies and partnerships for emerging and established international businesses, governments, and individuals. She also drafts proposals and memorandums on a variety of topics including communications, strategy, outreach and major international events.

Prior to KRL, Afi worked with the Corporate Council on Africa to promote trade and investment between the U.S. and Africa, with a specific focus on research and analysis to promote small business partnerships with CCA's members. She also supported CCA's briefings, luncheons and conferences involving various African heads of state and other stakeholders in the development arena. She is fluent in French.

Areas of Expertise
International Trade, Research and Analysis, Project Management, Public-Private Partnerships, Advocacy

Education
BA, Political Science/Economics, University of Arizona
MA, Global Affairs, Thunderbird School of Global Management