Advancing Gender Equality
through Integrated & Multi-Sectoral Approaches
Session 1: September 17 – 8:30-9:45 am ET
Host & Speakers
Speakers
Noelia Ruiz
Second Secretary of Development, Canadian Embassy, Addis Ababa
Noelia Ruiz currently serves as Second Secretary for Development at the Canadian Embassy in Addis Ababa, managing a development assistance portfolio focused on gender equality and health. She works with government, civil society, and international partners to advance Canada’s international assistance priorities and support meaningful, lasting change for vulnerable communities. Her international development experience spans diverse contexts across Latin America, North America, Africa, and Asia. She is driven by a commitment to social justice, partnership, and evidence-based development that improves lives and expands opportunities for all.
Marie Bettings
Vice President, International Programs, World Vision Canada
Marie Bettings is Vice President, International Programs at World Vision Canada, with more than 20 years of leadership experience in international development. Her work spans humanitarian response, sustainable development, strategic partnerships, government relations, resource mobilization and impact delivery, including complex, multi-country initiatives. Passionate about turning evidence into better decisions, Marie champions local agency and voice, partnerships that multiply impact, and innovation that creates lasting change for children and communities. She holds a Master of Public Health and is committed to equity, inquiry and advocacy, especially for women and girls’ rights.
Miriam Chang
Senior Technical Specialist, Health and Nutrition, World Vision Canada
Miriam Chang has served in both technical advisor and program management roles at World Vision Canada, the World Vision International Southern Africa Regional Office, and World Vision Malawi for more than 15 years. Miriam holds a Master of Nutritional Sciences and a certificate in International Development Management Studies. She has a strong interest in innovations that improve the effectiveness of health and nutrition programming and in emerging cross-sectoral initiatives.
Sophia Papastavrou
Gender Technical Specialist and Foreign Government Engagement Lead, World Vision Canada
Sophia Papastavrou is a Gender Technical Specialist and Foreign Government Donor Engagement Lead at World Vision Canada. She works across donor engagement, policy, strategic positioning, and technical guidance on gender equality and inclusion, with a particular focus on Nordic donors and programming in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. She holds a PhD from the University of Toronto and contributes to research, policy dialogue, publications, and international forums on gender equality, peace, and inclusive development.
David Mbugua
Grant Manager, RESILIENT-WE Project, World Vision Canada
David Mbugua is an international development professional with more than 25 years of experience in research and programming, specializing in food security, climate change, environmental sustainability and gender equality. He currently leads the Global Affairs Canada-funded RESILIENT-WE project, which advances women’s social and economic well-being. David has provided strategic leadership across the full program cycle, from conceptualization and design to donor engagement and partnership building. During his career, David has led and delivered gender-responsive development projects across diverse contexts and successfully managed projects funded by Global Affairs Canada, KIT Royal Tropical Institute, DFID and the Rockefeller Foundation. He holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University and is a Rockefeller Foundation Scholar. He has contributed to science through publications and participation in knowledge sharing forums
Oluseyi Adegbulugbe
Gender Technical Specialist, World Vision Canada
Oluseyi Adegbulugbe is a passionate advocate for equitable and inclusive development. As a Gender Technical Specialist with World Vision Canada, she supports initiatives that expand opportunities, strengthen resilience, and foster meaningful social change for women, girls, and marginalized groups. Drawing on more than 14 years of experience in humanitarian and development programming, she has worked across livelihoods, health, protection, education and gender equality, helping communities unlock their potential and thrive. Her work is driven by the conviction that sustainable change happens when everyone has the opportunity, voice, and agency to shape their own future.
Alex Dye
Business Development & Grant Manager, Kidogo
Alex Dye is the Grant/Development Manager at Kidogo, an NGO expanding access to affordable, quality childcare in East Africa’s informal settlements, beginning in Kenya. Before joining Kidogo, Alex worked as a Business Consultant in China and as Operations Manager for a social enterprise in Peru that supportedwomen to start their own businesses. She is passionate about gender equality, early childhood education, language learning and travel, bringing a global perspective to her work in childcare and women’s economic empowerment.
Saba Gebremedhin
Executive Director, Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA)
Saba Gebremedhin is an Ethiopian lawyer, gender equality advocate and Executive Directress of the Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA). With a legal background and more than 20 years of leadership at NEWA, she has advanced women’s rights and gender equality through advocacy, partnerships, legal and social reform, and support for women’s organizations across Ethiopia. Inspired by a lifelong commitment to justice, Saba continues to champion empowerment and collective action while contributing to national advisory platforms focused on peace, humanitarian response and women’s rights.
Noémie Boulanger
Analyst, Horn of Africa Bilateral Relations Division Global Affairs Canada
Since joining Global Affairs Canada in 2021, Noémie Boulanger has worked in international development programming, first with the Engaging Canadians team, where she supported international youth internships and volunteer cooperation initiatives that provide Canadians with opportunities to gain international experience abroad. In 2025, she joined the Ethiopia Development Program as an International Development Officer and now serves as an analyst, contributing to the management and oversight of bilateral development programming and partnerships. Noémie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Graduate Diploma in Eco-Consulting from the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi.
Host
Allison Alley
CEO & President, World Vision Canada
Allison Alley is the newly appointed President and CEO of World Vision Canada. She holds a Master of Arts in Global Leadership with an emphasis in International Development and Urban Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary and a Master of Business Administration from Ivey Business School. Allison and her husband, Tommy, live in London, Ontario and have two daughters. Previously with Compassion International for over 12 years, Allison is motivated by my faith to see love, compassion, justice, and peace advance around the world so that children, families, and communities are transformed.
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