On the Donor Tracker team, Zoe Johnson leads the Digital Hub team, which is tasked with re-imagining the Donor Tracker as an innovative digital product that can even more effectively support global development advocates. She also analyzes and writes about development policy and financing in Australia and Canada.

Before joining SEEK, Zoe worked for the Oxford Martin Programme on African Governance, where she led research in Ethiopia exploring young women’s expectations and experiences of work and life in the Hawassa Industrial Park. In addition, she worked as the editorial assistant for two peer-reviewed journals: Oxford Development Studies and the Journal of Gender, Agriculture, and Food Security. Zoe gained further experience working as an EdGE mentor and consultant with Omprakash, mentoring students from around the world, and working with grassroots organizations in Uganda, Costa Rica, Chile, India, and Cambodia.

Zoe is a graduate of the MPhil in Development Studies at the University of Oxford, where her research critically explored how processes of social, economic, and political change in Ethiopia shape young women’s perceptions of their own opportunities. She also holds a BSc in Global Resource Systems from the University of British Columbia.

Zoe can be reached at: zjohnson@seekdevelopment.org

Sebastian Ebert is a Project Manager at SEEK Development, where he runs the Donor Tracker project team and supports clients with developing advocacy strategies and creating goal-oriented frameworks that allow stakeholders to engage in and contribute to organizational development processes. He brings comprehensive experience in management consulting, organizational development, and strategic communication, and has worked for clients from the public, non-profit, and private sectors. 

Before he started at SEEK, Sebastian worked in various roles as a management consultant, including serving as the CEO of a digital transformation consultancy. He has worked closely with board members, CEOs, and senior leadership in large-scale transformation and change projects.  

Sebastian holds a Bachelor of Political Science and Rhetoric from the Eberhard-Karls Universität Tübingen and a Master of Political Communication from the Heinrich-Heine Universität Düsseldorf.

sebert@seekdevelopment.org

Benjamin Overton is in charge of analyzing Japan's development financing and policy. His work also includes developing new models and content for the Donor Tracker as a leading tool for data-driven, effective advocacy.

Benjamin’s background spans more than seven years in the international development and NGO sectors. He has extensive knowledge of impact investing and innovative financing for development gained as Partnerships Manager at Yunus Social Business, where he successfully conceptualized and pitched a multi-million euro partnership with a major corporate foundation to expand social entrepreneur support services in developing economies. He also brings extensive experience in philanthropy and Corporate Social Responsibility gained as a Programme Officer at the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Benjamin began his career in resource mobilization for the International Crisis Group and human rights education NGO Humanity in Action.

Benjamin has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Asian Studies, a Master’s of Public Administration, and a Certificate of Nonprofit Management from the University of Washington.

Benjamin can be reached at boverton@seekdevelopment.org

As Head of Policy Updates, Maura oversees the Donor Tracker's Weekly Digest. 

Focus areas

• Climate,
• Donor analytics, 
• Development finance,
• Gender equality.

Experience 

• 2020 - 2021: Academic Support Specialist and Tutor, Economics and Political Science, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC;
• 2019 - 2020: Graduate Fellow, Nonprofit Management, The Auerbach Global Impact Foundation, Alameda, CA;
• 2019: Interim Executive Director, The Auerbach Global Impact Foundation, Alameda, CA.
• 2016 - 2019: Buckley Public Service Scholar, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.

Education 

• 2017: Master of Arts in Political Science, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, DE;
• 2012: Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary European Studies, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.

Languages 

• English (native)
• Spanish (intermediate)
• German (intermediate)

Contact information 

mkitchens@seekdevelopment.org

As Content Hub Lead, Adam oversees the Donor Tracker's digital communications, web and social media development, and expansion,and promotion of the Donor Tracker. 

Focus areas

• Communications,
• Donor analytics, 
• Development finance,
• Global health.

Experience 

• 2020 - 2021: Digital Engagement & Communications Specialist, Chemonics International Inc., Washington, DC; 
• 2017 - 2020: Knowledge Management & Communications Analyst, The Cloudburst Group, Landover, MD;
• 2016: Team Lead, Virtual Student Foreign Service, US Department of State, Washington, DC; 
• 2016: Public Affairs Intern, Embassy of the United States, Tokyo, JP; 
• 2013-2015: English Teacher, Japan Exchange & Teaching Program, Tottori, JP; 
• 2012: Public Diplomacy Intern, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Washington, DC. 

Education 

• 2017: Master of Arts in International Communication, Public Diplomacy in East Asia, American University, School of International Service, Washington, DC;
• 2012: Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana.

Languages 

• English (native)
• Japanese (basic)
• French (basic)

Contact information 

ajennison@seekdevelopment.org

LinkedIn

Mareike Fürst is an Associate Consultant at SEEK Development. She brings to SEEK experience in sustainable development, international development cooperation and economic policy combined with skills in qualitative and quantitative data analysis. At SEEK, she is a member of the Climate Change and Donor Tracker teams. For the Donor Tracker, she is the Country Lead for France and regularly updates the French Donor Tracker profile.

Previously she worked as an Associate Fellow at the United Nations System Staff College on topics of sustainable development and circular economy. She also interned at other organizations in the field of international development, including the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Tunis and Mexico City, as well as at the German Federal Ministry of Economics and at a think tank in Bogota.

Mareike holds a Master of Public Policy from the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, as well as a Bachelor in European Studies from Maastricht University.

Mareike can be reached at mfuerst@seekdevelopment.org.

Kristin Laub is an Associate Consultant at SEEK Development where she is a member of the Donor Tracker project and the country lead for Germany.  Kristin brings to SEEK, her experience in international development cooperation and strategic consulting.

Prior to joining SEEK, Kristin interned at the Department of Business Development at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) working on the topic of private sector cooperation. Before that, she worked in the Digital Consulting Department at KPMG.

Kristin holds a Diploma in Industrial Engineering and Management from the Technical University in Dresden and the Norwegian School of Economics in Bergen, where she focused on sustainable supply chains.

Kristin can be reached at: klaub@seekdevelopment.org

Brett Harris is a Working Student at SEEK Development where he is a member of the Donor Tracker project team. He brings editing and content creation experience gained over 3 years in various academic capacities. He was drawn to SEEK based on his interest in international development and politics.

Previously, Brett worked in education, focusing on transatlantic relations and policy. He began his career at the UNC Center for European Studies gaining experience in grant writing, editing, and research as a Program Assistant.

Brett has a bachelor's in Literature and European Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is currently pursuing a dual master’s in Political Science with a concentration in European Governance at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. He is fluent in English and proficient in Spanish, German, and Arabic.