Betsy Bassan

Betsy Bassan is the President and Founder of the Panagora Group. Previously, she held executive and leadership positions with a variety of organizations, including Chemonics International, Save the Children, and the Society for International Development’s Washington, DC chapter.



At Chemonics International, a major international development company, Ms. Bassan served as a Senior Vice President. She led many strategic initiatives, including two highly successful start-up divisions, the International Health Group and the Europe and Eurasia region, as well as helping develop and lead Chemonics’ pivotal outreach and grant support to the US Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC).



At Save the Children, she served as project director for a major USAID initiative to increase PVO/NGO capacity in family planning, reproductive health, and HIV/AIDS, and to provide services through networks and public-private partnerships.



She is the immediate past president of SID-Washington, the leading professional association for international development practitioners.



Ms. Bassan is a development planner and senior management specialist with more than 25 years of experience. Her sector expertise includes health, private sector development, environment, democracy/governance, and PVO/NGO development. Her regional experience includes Africa, Asia, Europe and Eurasia, and the Middle East.



“I am very excited about starting this new chapter in my journey in international development,” said Ms. Bassan. “Now more than ever, each scarce development dollar must be used to best effect – bringing innovation, building capacity, creating impact. Panagora brings the agility and out-of-the-box thinking of a small business combined with the surefootedness of proven development professionals. We hope you will join the “agora” – mailto:connect@panagoragroup.net– and help drive our vision of being an inclusive space where ideas bubble and the best thrive and spread!”