Yulya Spantchak

Since joining the Hudson Institute's Center for Global Prosperity in September 2008, Yulya Spantchak has been a contributor to the annual Index of Global Philanthropy and Remittances, writing and researching on U.S. private giving trends to the developing world. These U.S. philanthropic agents include foundations, corporations, private and voluntary organizations, academic institutions, faith-based groups, as well as individual and collective remittances from immigrants to the U.S. Ms. Spantchak evaluates the contributions of these groups in order to identify the socioeconomic trends and impacts on recipient communities that result from the total U.S. economic engagement in the developing world.

With an academic background including qualitative and quantitative data analysis, Ms. Spantchak reviews and stays abreast of new methodologies for researching the amounts, success stories, and best practices of these private donor organizations. She also manages contact with stakeholders in the development arena, including domestic and international academic, corporate, political, policy, and philanthropic leaders and practitioners.

Before joining the Hudson Institute, Ms. Spantchak was working on her Master's degree coursework at Brandeis University Heller School of Social Policy where she focused on economic development. She spent her past summer 2007 term working as a Client Assessment Fellow for FINCA International. This highly competitive fellowship consisted of conducting survey based research in the countries of Georgia and Ukraine, where Ms. Spantchak gathered and analyzed data on clients' standard of living and product satisfaction. Additionally, Ms. Spantchak has an extensive academic and professional background in science and health research. She has worked as a research assistant in radiation oncology, cognitive neuroscience and clinical neuropsychology laboratories at Harvard University and Boston University. In addition to research, Ms. Spantchak has also worked as a rehabilitative counselor to brain-damaged adults and volunteered her time to a health oriented after school program in Boston city schools.

Ms. Spantchak received her Master of Arts in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University and her Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Psychology from Boston University.