“The Insighter”

Eric Howell

CHIEF financial OFFICER

KNOWN FOR  |  PATH TO CI  |  VALUES INSIGHTS  |  PASSION  |  PERSONAL

Known for: Eric is known for bringing business acumen and a quantitative, analytical approach to solving business and development challenges. He enjoys helping international development organizations grow to further their impact on the world's underprivileged. As CFO, Eric oversees the accounting, finance, and constituent understanding and insights functions.

Path to CI: With more than thirty years' experience in international development organizations, Eric has served in a variety of roles, including Chief of Party in the former Soviet Union, overseeing privatization projects; fifteen years at Chemonics, an implementing partner to the US Agency for International Development; Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President for the Afghanistan Business Unit; Chief Operating Officer at Save the Children; and COO/CFO at Resonance. Eric holds a BA in Mathematics from Pomona College, an MS in Statistics from the University of Washington, and an MBA from the University of Virginia.

On CI values: Eric appreciates all CI values, especially ‘own the impact’ and that we have a bias for action, continuous learning and progress. Where other people see tables and graphs of figures and numbers, I see children's lives and communities impacted by the work we are doing. I also know that every day we are learning and making our operations more efficient and our programming more effective in support of the kids and communities we serve. 

Passion: Eric has dedicated his professional life to helping people in less developed countries live better, more independent, more prosperous lives. He loves traveling to see the impact of work firsthand and to hear the inspiring stories of the children we support. He loves working at an organization that connects people with children in less fortunate circumstances.

Personal: Born in Mexico City, Eric spent the first four years of his life there before moving to Northern Virginia, where he grew up. Eric loves nature walks and has traveled to dozens of countries. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Ania, and their teenage son, Ian.