About this Event
Join the Vermont Council on World Affairs as we explore COVID-19: The Effects on the World’s Most Vulnerable with expert panelists Tyler Beckelman and Paul Costello. This panel will tie together experiences in Vermont and internationally, focusing particularly on implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the world’s most vulnerable populations, including in Vermont and the US. Tyler and Paul hope to look beyond the current situation to understand how the bigger picture of global health will be impacted by this worldwide crisis.
Meet the Panel
Paul Costello
Executive Director, Vermont Council on Rural Development
Paul Costello is a dynamic leader and powerful advocate who helps Vermont communities create prosperous and sustainable futures. He has promoted economic vitality and stewardship of Vermont’s natural assets in all corners of the state, and is a leader on climate change, having begun an initiative at VCRD to make Vermont a national hub for climate economy development.
Costello, a lifelong Vermonter, grew up in Burlington and obtained a BA from the University of Vermont. He worked in human services, as a manager for the Middlebury Natural Foods Cooperative, and as a carpenter before beginning doctorate course work in intellectual history at McGill University, while lecturing at Saint Michael’s College, UVM, and McGill. After earning his PhD, Costello worked for five years at Central Vermont Adult Basic Education (CVABE), an organization that provides literacy instruction for adults and teens in Washington, Lamoille, and Orange counties, serving first as a regional coordinator and then as development director. He took the helm of VCRD in 2000.
Tyler Beckelman
Director of International Partnerships, U.S. Institute of Peace
Tyler Beckelman’s work strengthens relationships between USIP and global policy partners, including U.S. government departments, intergovernmental organizations, multilateral, and non-governmental organizations. He has over 15 years of policy, programming and partnership-building experience in conflict and transitional contexts.
Prior to joining the institute, Beckelman served as the director of USAID's Somalia Field Office based in Nairobi, Kenya and Mogadishu, Somalia, and as a senior advisor and Africa Division chief in USAID’s Bureau for Resilience and Food Security.
From 2012-13, Beckelman served on the National Security Council as director for African Affairs, coordinating U.S. policy in 15 countries in East and Southern Africa and advising senior officials. From 2010-2012, he oversaw stabilization and political transition programs in Yemen, South Sudan and Zimbabwe for USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives.
Moderated by Zoraya Hightower
Burlington City Councilor and Innovation Manager at Resonance Global
Zoraya Hightower is a Burlington City Councilor and also works at Resonance, an international development firm headquartered in Burlington. A graduate of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Zoraya has been studying and working on environmental issues across the globe for over 10 years. She has supported the US Government across agencies including the DOE, USAID, and MCC and has worked across a range of topics from renewable energy finance and water access to fishery sustainability and community forest conservation.
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Event Format: Webinar
Attendee Video: Off
Attendee Audio: Off
Attendee Interaction: Polls, Submit Questions through Q+A, Raise Virtual Hand to Request Unmute
In this virtual event, your video will not be displayed and you will be automatically muted. You may interact by submitting questions into the Q+A box, answering polls, and raising your virtual hand to be unmuted.