Staff

Elizabeth Stokely, Executive Director

Jane MeseckElizabeth has over 16 years of global development experience across a variety of sectors and dozens of countries. She has a deep commitment to cross-sector collaboration for social impact, with a proven track record of mobilizing over $60 million through partnerships with organizations such as Mastercard, USAID, and MetLife. As Director of Strategic Partnerships at Accion International, Elizabeth led a diverse portfolio of global partners for over 7 years, attracting investments in and shaping initiatives focused on financial inclusion, small business development, women’s economic empowerment, and climate resilience. In 2018, she helped secure the largest grant in Accion’s history. Prior to Accion, Elizabeth managed sales and operations at a multi-billion-dollar supply company and led community development programs with the Peace Corps in Loja, Ecuador and Fulbright in Cali, Colombia. At the Inter-American Dialogue, a Western Hemisphere focused think tank, Elizabeth also developed education policy research and grants for a regional network of experts, policymakers, and civil society organizations dedicated to improving education quality throughout Latin America. Elizabeth is Founder and Principal of Stokely Consulting, LLC, a mission-driven management consulting firm. She holds an MBA from USC’s Marshall School of Business, a BA in International Studies and Spanish from Dickinson College, and is fluent in Spanish.

Jane Meseck, Strategic Advisor and Board Member

Jane MeseckFormer Senior Director of Global Programs, Microsoft Philanthropies Jane has served the nonprofit and humanitarian sectors for 30 years. Formerly Sr. Director for Microsoft Philanthropies, Jane was a leader in Microsoft’s social impact work for over 24 years. As Microsoft’s Global Lead for Humanitarian she led programs and partnerships supporting international humanitarian organizations and the communities they serve, respond, and rebuild from crisis. Jane has been a fixture in the nonprofit tech segment, leading Microsoft’s effort to help nonprofits and humanitarian organizations adopt and use technology for mission. She led Microsoft technology donations for over 20 years scaling donations to 235 countries and $1B FMV. She helped create NTEN and supported TechSoup’s growth as the premier global online nonprofit resource. In 2017, Jane helped create Microsoft’s Tech for Social Impact team bringing together the best of Microsoft’s commercial ecosystem with renowned philanthropy programs. In July 2020, Jane formed a new Philanthropies’ team to help expand humanitarian efforts to empower humanitarian organizations and crisis affected communities thru technology, including AI for Humanitarian Action. In 2018, Jane received NTEN’s Lifetime Achievement Award recognizing her role in shaping the field of nonprofit technology. Jane currently serves on the Board of Directors of USA for UNHCR and GlobalWA, continuing her personal mission to support humanitarian and global development nonprofits.

Joel Meyers, Director of Communications

Joel has been a GlobalWA member, attended almost every Global Washington annual conference, is a Global Leadership Forum (GLF) alumni, a Sahar Education board member, runs his own international non-profit that works in Nepal, and promotes Tech4Good in many aspects of his life.

Before coming to GlobalWA, he ran his own design and technology consulting business for 18+ years, supporting hundreds of non-profits and educational institutions locally in the PNW, nationally, and internationally, including several UN-based teams. In 2015 he founded the highly successful AIGA Changemaker Series and has supported many startup non-profit projects, including his own.

Joel has been a Seattle native for over 30 years having escaped from New York City in the late 80’s, has a Bachelor’s in Architecture, is an avid photographer, rock climber, and a world traveler.

Pratima Stanton, Director of Programs

Pratima Stanton holds a Master’s degree in Gender Studies and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Prior to her tenure with Global Washington, she served as Program Coordinator for the International Association for the Study of Pain in Seattle, where she supported the organization’s mission until its relocation to Washington, DC. Her extensive experience includes roles with the National Wildlife Federation in Washington, DC; Femmes Africa Solidarité in Geneva, Switzerland; and Blue Diamond Society in Kathmandu, Nepal. Having lived and worked in diverse cultural settings, including the Philippines, Nepal, Oman, Bangladesh, and Switzerland, Pratima brings a truly global perspective to her role. She has been an integral part of Global Washington since April 2013.

Megan Chao, Operations & Membership Manager

Megan ChaoMegan has over 15 years of experience in global development specializing in youth empowerment, community-centric fundraising, and nonprofit operations. Prior to Global Washington, she was the US Executive Director and Co-Founder of Hope for Life, an international nonprofit focused on empowering youth to escape homelessness in East Africa through trauma-informed and family centered programming.

Megan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Certificates in Nonprofit Management and Bookkeeping. She is passionate about equity, equipping local leadership, and nonprofit collaboration to solve systemic issues. Outside of work, she enjoys playing and coaching volleyball, reading, and traveling.

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