Welcome to International Development Practice
This space is a platform to reimagine international development—not as charity, but as collaboration with heart, connection, and hope.
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Here, I share experience, insights, and opportunities for investment in innovative and scalable international development solutions that empower communities, foster local leadership, and drive transformational change at scale.
Photos (top): Meeting with Elders in Samburu County; (bottom) Speaking at a new program launch in Kilifi County.
Michelle Ell
MBA, BA (Political Science)
Michelle Ell is a strategic and trusted advisor with 20+ years of experience strengthening systems for delivering health and social services across East Africa. Known for establishing meaningful partnerships with governments, civil society, and communities to advance transformational change at scale, she is culturally fluent and skilled in navigating complex political and operational environments, convening partners to align vision and strategy to guide investment and learning across diverse sectors.
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Michelle holds an MBA and Graduate Diploma from Athabasca University, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Lethbridge and professional certificates in Conflict Resolution (Cornell University) and Environmental Leadership (Yale University), and AI: Business Strategy (MIT Sloan).
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My Approach
Building trust and creating safe spaces to explore creative solutions, I help organizations and teams to revisit their purpose & re-imagine their work - connecting lived experiences, data, & ideas with global insights to inspire new efforts & success.
Offering a coaching and mentoring approach, I ensure that individuals and teams feel valued, heard, and empowered to contribute their best. At my core, I am driven by a passion for solving problems and advancing thought leadership to scale what works. My leadership is about unlocking potential—within teams, organizations, and communities—and ensuring that the right systems, resources, and opportunities exist for them to succeed.
As a gritty and nimble generalist, I have led and supported complex development programs across multiple sectors - including education, health, social protection, gender, and livelihoods, strengthening systems and services to meet the needs of vulnerable groups. These experiences are featured in numerous publications, global, regional, and national conferences - see publications.
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I lead with vision and ambition, but also with humility and deep listening. I recognize that solutions emerge from local insights, frontline experience, and collective wisdom. My approach is to bridge diverse perspectives, elevate underrepresented voices, and create space for co-creation, ensuring that strategies are both contextually relevant and sustainable.
​Core Values
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Meaning Partnerships: I bring diverse people, teams, & organizations together, across disciplines and geographies, to build trust, inspire collection leadership, and establish a legacy to build upon.
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Visionary Thinking: I analyze challenges holistically and encourage teams to seek out bold (yet practical) solutions.
Creativity & Innovation: I cultivate spaces where leadership is shared, creativity is encouraged, and thought leadership is embedded into everyday practice.
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Unwavering Integrity: I hold myself and my teams accountable to excellence, transparency, and ethical leadership.
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I like to share this quote to explain my leadership philosophy:​​​
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​"In every moment of life, we both lead and follow"
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It’s a reminder that leadership is dynamic and shared — it requires us to stay humble, open to learning, and committed to recognizing the strengths of each member of the team.
Testimonies
Team Leader, USAID Rwanda
"I have no words to describe what you have been to the OVC [orphans and vulnerable children] fraternity in Rwanda. We will miss your passion, professionalism, initiative and candor"
Senior Project Officer, Catholic Relief Services
"I am full of praises for your strong and compassionate leadership and through your time at Catholic Relief Services. Your visioning, staff care, and creativity will be missed."
Program Management Specialist, USAID Uganda
Senior Gender Officer, Anti-GBV Directorate
"Thank you for steering the project, your energy, enthusiasm and passion to get things moving will be missed."
"Michelle, is someone who thinks without-the-box, she will help you to uncover truly innovative and creative solutions."