Advisors
Bonnie Jenkins
Bonnie Jenkins is the Founder and President of the Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation (WCAPS) nonprofit organization. She is also a Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and President of Global Connections Empowering Global Change LLC., where she works with several academic institutions on issues of global health, infectious disease and defense innovation. Prior to this, Jenkins was a Visiting Fellow at The Brookings Institution and the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House. Previously, she was an Ambassador at the U.S. Department of State (DOS) from 2009 – 2017, where she served as Coordinator for Threat Reduction Programs in the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation. Jenkins is a retired Naval Reserves Officer and holds a Ph.D. in international relations from the University of Virginia.
Vijay Velamoor
Vijay Velamoor currently operates as an independent consultant in Washington DC. He serves as a guest faculty at select academic institutions and serves as a special adviser, Executive Education at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. Velamoor started his career at Crompton Greaves, India and spent the formative years of his professional life at Escorts and Modi Xerox. After a stint in the UAE as the Head of Human Resources at Middle East Bank, Velamoor relocated to the United States over 26 years ago where he has held senior HR and IT leadership roles at US West, Air Touch/Vodafone, AT&T Wireless, Nextel Communications, and Caesar’s Entertainment. Vijay is an alumnus of Nizam college and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India and has achieved certification in enterprise and HR strategy from the University of Michigan.
KARIMA WOODS
Karima Woods is the Director of Business Development and Strategy for the City of Washington DC. Karima Woods brings over 15 years of experience in public-private partnership development, program management, leadership development, economic and community development, and entrepreneurship. Prior to her current role, Karima Woods managed the District’s international business development efforts, as well as implemented the District’s economic development strategy to become the top North American destination for foreign businesses, tourists and investors.
