About
Laya Hess-Skinner is the Director of Development at NESsT. Previously, she served as Senior Manager for Institutional Relations at Grameen Foundation, where she managed project and new business portfolios totaling $50 million and provided technical consulting to organizations including the World Bank, USAID, the Asian Development Bank, MCC, and the Department of State. She holds an MPA in Economic Policy and Public Finance from Cornell University, a Graduate Certificate in Economics from Oxford University, and a BA in Sociology and Middle Eastern Studies from St. Olaf College.
Experience
- NESsTDirector of Developmentcurrent2025 — present
- Grameen FoundationSenior Manager, Institutional Relations2021 — 2025
- J.E. Austin AssociatesTechnical Lead-Gender, Middle East-North Africa2019 — 2021Washington DC-Baltimore Area
- J.E. Austin AssociatesRegional Director, Middle East-North Africa2017 — 2021
- J.E. Austin AssociatesProject Manager2015 — 2017
- Mario Einaudi Center for International StudiesResearch and Administrative Assistant2013 — 2015Ithaca, New York Area
- Muftah MagazineCo-Editor of Israel, Palestine, and the Levant2014 — 2015
- RTI InternationalGovernance and Economic Development Intern2014Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
- US ArmyTax Assistant2011 — 2012Fort Knox, Kentucky
- City YearCorps Member2010 — 2011Little Rock Metropolitan Area
- St. Olaf CollegeArabic Tutor2009 — 2010Northfield, Minnesota
- Student Action for RefugeesArea Coordinator2008 — 2009Ain Shams, Cairo, Egypt
Education
- Cornell UniversityMaster of Public Administration (MPA), Economic Policy and Public Finance2013 — 2015
- University of OxfordGraduate Certificate, Economics2012 — 2013
- St. Olaf CollegeBachelors of Arts, Religion2006 — 2010
- The American University in CairoStudy Abroad, Near and Middle Eastern Studies; International Development2008 — 2009
Skills & more
Research16International Relations7Teaching English as a Second Language4Volunteer Management5Statistics3Social Media5Data Analysis4Nonprofits7Project Management3Quantitative Research1Policy Analysis4Program Evaluation4
+7 more
Nonprofit OrganizationsInternational DevelopmentSPSSMicrosoft OfficeArabicPublic SpeakingESLLanguages Egyptian Arabic · English · Levantine Arabic · Persian · Tagalog
From Laya's professional profile.
Colleagues at NESsT
Adriana Neira
Senior Finance & Operations Associate at NESsT
Alejandra Ramírez Loaiza
Country Director at NESsT
Alfredo Ramos Cruzado
Portfolio Manager at NESsT
Ana Belen Jalixto Romero
Lirio Fund Andes Portfolio Manager at NESsT
Ana Carbajal Azcárate
Global Accountant at NESsT
Anamaria Pelegrini
Director of Human Resources, Systems and Global Compliance at NESsT
Andrea Molestina
Portfolio Manager at NESsT
Aneta Sokolowska
Portfolio Manager at NESsT
Frequently asked questions
- Where does Laya Hess-Skinner work?
- Laya Hess-Skinner is Development Director at NESsT.
Same school
Also attended Cornell University703
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Also attended University of Oxford950
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Also attended The American University in Cairo54
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Shared employers
Also worked at Grameen Foundation11
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Also worked at RTI International4
Also worked at US Army125
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