Menu



Subscribe to our newsletter

Get updates, news and stories from our work around the world.

Follow Us

Search


Opportunity EduFinance
Level 18, 100 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 1GT

Telephone: +44 (0) 7768599834

© 2024 Opportunity International Education Finance functions under its US and UK affiliates. Opportunity International United Kingdom is registered as a charity in England and Wales (1107713) and in Scotland (SCO39692). Opportunity International United Statesis a 501(c)3 nonprofit.

Global Education Summit - Side Event

By Opportunity International


BIOS

Liesbet Steer

Liesbet is Director of the Education Commission, chaired by former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. She was the director of the Commission's report The Learning Generation. Investing in Education for a Changing World.” She is currently overseeing the implementation of the report’s recommendations, including the design of an International Finance Facility for Education (IFFEd), the introduction of reform and results-based approaches in education around the world, and the development of global accountability measures. She has more than 20 years of experience in international development research and technical assistance.

Previously, Liesbet was a Fellow at the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution, where she worked on education finance and service delivery in developing countries. Prior to Brookings, she was Director of the Overseas Development Institute’s (ODI) flagship program on Development Progress, financed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, analyzing development progress across a range of sectors.

As a fellow of ODI’s Centre for Aid and Public Expenditure, she led several research projects on development finance and aid effectiveness, and the production and use of impact evaluations. Between 1997 and 2007, Liesbet lived and worked in Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos and Cambodia. She directed the economic reform program for the Asia Foundation in Indonesia, a technical assistance and research program on local economic development and growth. She also worked with the World Bank and IFC on private sector reform and the design and evaluation of SME programs in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Liesbet has written widely on development finance, and on education, and presented in a wide range of fora and advisory panels.

She was educated at the Universities of Antwerp and East Anglia, and the London School of Economics. She holds a M.Sc. in Quantitative Economics, and Ph.D. in Development Economics.

Justin van Fleet

Justin van Fleet is the President of the global children’s charity Theirworld and Executive Director of the Global Business Coalition for Education.

He previously served as the Director of the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity and Chief of Staff to the United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown where the landmark “Learning Generation” report put forward a pathway to finance and deliver the ambitions of Sustainable Development Goal 4 – inclusive and equitable quality education for all. He has been a passionate advocate for financing education, playing an instrumental role in the establishment of the Education Cannot Wait Fund for education in emergencies and the new International Finance Facility for Education.

Justin was a fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Universal Education in Washington, D.C. where his research focused on corporate social investments and philanthropy for global education.  He has previously held various non-profit and academic posts, including as Deputy Chair for Education at the Clinton Global Initiative, an Instructor at the University of Maryland and Associate Director of the Council on Foreign Relations Center for Universal Education. He has consulted for various international and national organizations and foundations.

Suezan Lee

Ms. Lee is the Senior Education Finance Specialist in the Center for Education in the Democracy, Development and Innovation Bureau. In this role Ms. Lee provides the strategic education finance guidance to USAID’s $1 billion education portfolio, specifically with regard to public-private partnerships, public financial management and innovative financing mechanisms to further the education policy aim to achieve sustained, measurable improvements in learning outcomes and skills development.  She is currently overseeing the $50+ million Catalyze EduFinance program.

Scott Sheridan

Scott Sheridan is the Director of Operations at Opportunity International EduFinance.

Scott is responsible for operations and business intelligence for EduFinance’s global footprint, including the data collection, development and implementation of reporting and other analytical tools. Prior to joining the team, Scott spent 8 years in the financial services industry, as a strategy consultant with Oliver Wyman and a banking sector equity analyst with Nomura and Barclays. Scott holds an MSc in Quantitative Finance and Risk Management from Bocconi University, and a BSc in Finance and Italian from Saint Louis University.

Andrew McCusker

Andrew McCusker is the Head of Opportunity International EduFinance.

In this role he is responsible for scaling Opportunity’s existing footprint and further evolving outreach and program strategy. Andrew brings a diverse skill set to the EduFinance team including fundraising, finance, education operations analysis, capacity building, performance reporting, and team management. Originally from Australia, Andrew began his career at Goldman Sachs, serving as Executive Director of Global Investment Research. He holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Melbourne and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Subscribe to our newsletter