Staff

Banyan Global is made up of seasoned private sector and international development professionals working in Washington, D.C. and overseas. Our highly skilled team brings passion and commitment to providing creative and innovative solutions to complex development problems.

Leadership and senior staff

Meaghan Smith

President and Chief Executive Officer

Meaghan Smith is the president and chief executive officer of Banyan Global. She has more than 20 years of experience alleviating poverty, stimulating private-sector growth, improving health systems, and empowering women in developing countries. She has expertise in development finance, enterprise development, private-health–sector development and local capacity building. Ms. Smith has served as the chief of party for the USAID-funded Banking on Health project, the executive director of the Summa Foundation, and vice president and Uzbekistan country director of the Asian Crossroads Loan Company. She has worked extensively in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America and has lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. She holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania.

Janice Stallard

Vice President

Janice Stallard is vice president at Banyan Global, where she oversees its economic growth, gender, and youth practice areas and also serves as the indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) manager for the Advancing the Agenda of Gender Equality and YouthPower IDIQs. She has more than 25 years of international development experience, including 13 years in the field working on inclusive finance, competitiveness, gender, youth, agriculture, and evaluation programs. Her overseas positions included senior management roles as chief of party and deputy chief of party for various USAID-funded projects, and she has lived in Egypt, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. She holds a master’s degree in international development from the George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in international studies from West Virginia University.

Shannon McCafferty

Vice President, Contracts and Operations

Shannon McCafferty is vice president for the contracts and operations division at Banyan Global. Ms. McCafferty provides contractual and management oversight to all of Banyan Global’s projects and leads cost proposal efforts. She has more than 20 years of experience managing USAID and other donor-funded projects on behalf of international development firms in the Washington, D.C. area. She served as the deputy chief of party on a USAID-funded project in Iraq. Ms. McCafferty holds a master’s degree in African studies from the University of Illinois and a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from the University of Pittsburgh.

Jason Wright

Principal Associate

Jason Wright is a principal associate, leading Banyan Global’s health systems strengthening portfolio, including managing the $19 million USAID-funded Nigeria Health Workforce Management Activity and the Integrated Health Systems indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract. Prior to joining Banyan Global, Mr. Wright directed the USAID-funded Leadership, Management, and Governance project at Management Sciences for Health (MSH) before becoming MSH Senior Director, Project Implementation Excellence and then MSH Senior Director, External Engagement. He also spent almost 10 years at USAID, serving as USAID Liaison to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria and the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). He has work experience in more than 40 implementing countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America and with 10 donor countries. He holds master’s degrees in foreign service and history from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in political economy and German from Tulane University.

Derin Honeywell

Director of Finance

Derin Honeywell is the director of finance at Banyan Global, where she leads the firm’s financial operations. Ms. Honeywell has been with Banyan Global since 2017 serving as finance accounting manager. Her directorship emphasizes contract compliance, international project operations, and internal auditing. Ms. Honeywell has more than 20 years of experience in accounting, banking, legal accounting, and management of small finance teams. Her experience includes managing a Federal Credit Union full- and part-time, for 25 years. She received her Certificate of Accounting from The University of Virginia, her bachelor’s degree from Marymount University, and master’s degree from Argosy University.

Malini Patel

Principal Associate

Malini Patel is a Principal Associate at Banyan Global, where she manages a portfolio of gender activities, leads strategy, provides women’s economic empowerment (WEE) expertise, and supports new business development. Prior to this role, she served as Chief of Party on two USAID funded WEE global programs in which she facilitated interagency consultations on the first-ever U.S. Strategy on Global Women’s Economic Security. As an executive leader who brings over 25 years of experience in non-profit organizations, for-profit companies, and government agencies, Ms. Patel also served as Vice President at Vital Voices; Deputy Director of the Middle East, Europe, and the Caucasus at Global Communities; and in various capacities at Peace Corps, Cornell University, and Ford Motor Company. She is an invited speaker globally and has worked in Africa, Middle East, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Eurasia. Ms. Patel holds a master’s degree from New York University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.

Michelle Cormier

Director of New Business Development

Michelle Cormier is the Director of New Business Development at Banyan Global, where she leads strategy and development to grow the firm’s global portfolio across all practice areas. Ms. Cormier has over 20 years of international development and humanitarian response experience including an extensive track record driving inclusive proposal development processes to win new programming from U.S. government clients. Prior to this role, she served as Deputy Director of New Business Development at IREX. A thought leader, trainer, returned Peace Corps Volunteer, and faculty member, Ms. Cormier leverages broad technical expertise for innovative and holistic program design and partnerships that meet local stakeholder and client priorities in complex contexts. She has worked throughout Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia acquiring and applying knowledge in post-conflict, locally led development; economic growth and workforce development; climate change and resilience; as well as education system reform. She holds a master’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Babson College.