ACDI/VOCA Names New Members of Executive Leadership Team

Bob Fries has been named our new chief technical officer (CTO). He will also maintain his existing role as president of ACDI/VOCA’s for-profit subsidiary AV Ventures, dedicated to blended finance and impact investment. Bob has served ACDI/VOCA for more than 33 years, most recently leading the organization’s technical application and learning team. In his new role as CTO, Bob will bring his expertise in overseeing technical teams as they develop programmatic approaches, share best practices with projects overseas, and apply evidence to optimize and communicate the impact of our work.

Maura Allen, who formerly led ACDI/VOCA’s resilience and growth project portfolio, has been named our new chief program officer (CPO). In this role, she will oversee project management and operations, business development, and award management services. She will draw from her more than 14 years of experience at ACDI/VOCA to focus on the project lifecycle from business development throughout implementation. Maura has previous experience at Chemonics International, International Executive Service Corps, and Counterpart International. She began her career in the Peace Corps in Senegal.

Heidi C. Pilloud has been named chief financial officer (CFO) and will oversee systems, procedures, and internal controls that support operations. Prior to joining ACDI/VOCA in 2021 as vice president of accounting and finance, Heidi served as CFO of the Open Technology Fund. She has previously held roles at Chemonics International, Nike, and Population Services International. Heidi is a Certified Public Accountant and began her career as an auditor with KPMG.