Khulisa is delighted to welcome our new Vice President for Business Development, Mirela McDonald, based in Bethesda, Maryland. Ms. McDonald is leading Khulisa’s efforts to win new business at our U.S. offices outside Washington, D.C., in the United States.

Ms. McDonald has more than 25 years of experience in business and proposal development, program design and reporting, and project management, planning, and administration. Ms. McDonald has also over 10 years of experience in designing, managing, and implementing evaluations, assessments, and other studies. Her experience includes projects and contracts funded by a number of international donors, including USAID, the Department of State, the World Bank, Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, among others.

Prior to joining Khulisa, Ms. McDonald worked as Vice President for Proposal Development and M&E at ME&A, where she was instrumental in building a very successful M&E practice. She has worked in both private and public sectors and managed project teams in more than 30 countries, including Albania, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Kosovo, Serbia, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Cambodia, South Sudan, Malawi, Moldova, Rwanda, Jordan, and others. 

Ms. McDonald holds a Masters in Business Administration and a Masters of International Management, Concentration in Finance from the University of Maryland, Global Campus; and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Tirana, Albania. She speaks fluent Albanian and Italian and has working knowledge in French and Spanish.