NESsT Entrepreneur-in-Residence (February - August 2003, Santiago)

NESsTER Project: NESsT Consulting (Ukraine)

“The NESsTER experience has been an excellent opportunity for me to learn from NESsT, the leader on social enterprises in emerging economies, and from entrepreneurial civil society organizations (CSOs), as well as to contribute my regional expertise in the former Soviet Union. It is gratifying to pass on lessons learned from NESsT’s Central European and Latin American experience to another area of the world. Ukraine has a rare opportunity to capitalize on the continued presence of donor funding and more thoroughly develop self-financing strategies for CSOs.

Furthermore, the NESsT team is close-knit and supportive, while each individual is given considerable responsibility and independence to develop their projects. This has been a thoroughly rewarding experience.”

-- Jill Costello

Background: Jill graduated from Pomona College with an honors degree in Russian language and literature.   Soon after graduating, she moved to Russia, living and working there for most of the following ten years. Her professional experience spans private, academic and non-profit sectors, always involving intercultural management. Jill set up and managed small business development programs across European Russia for the Center for Citizen Initiatives, later experiencing firsthand the pains of donor funding withdrawal. Her experience at CCI led her to a position as Human Resources and Administration Director for Brunswick UBS Warburg, a joint venture investment house in Moscow. Jill left Russia in 2001 for round-the-world travel, coursework, consulting in intercultural communication, and temporary relocation to Santiago de Chile.   She hopes to incorporate her experience, including a deeper appreciation of social enterprise, into a new career direction in international public health management as she begins her MPH degree at Boston University later this year.

Contact: jillochka@hotmail.com