Augusto Lopez-Claros

Research Director

Augusto Lopez-Claros is the Director of Research, leading the methodological design and strategic direction of DARA’s research projects, including the Refugee Response Index. He is an international economist with over 30 years of experience in international organizations, including most recently at the World Bank. For the 2018/2019 academic years, Augusto Lopez-Claros was a Senior Fellow at the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Between 2011 and 2017 he was the Director of the World Bank’s Global Indicators Group, the department responsible for the Bank’s Doing Business report and other international benchmarking studies. Previously he was Chief Economist and Director of the Global Competitiveness Program at the World Economic Forum in Geneva, where he was also the Editor of the Global Competitiveness Report, the Forum’s flagship publication, as well as a number of regional economic reports. More

Brian Gorlick

RRI Project Manager

Brian Gorlick is managing the Refugee Response Index project, developing guidance for country focal points and overseeing the pilot process. He is an international jurist who worked with UNHCR and the UN Secretariat in a number of senior positions for over two decades. He has served in the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, North America, Headquarters in Geneva, and has been on mission to some forty countries around the globe. Prior to joining the United Nations, Brian worked as legal counsel in Toronto. He holds advanced degrees in politics (MA, York) and law (JD, Osgoode Hall) from Canada and England (LLM with distinction, London School of Economics). In addition to consultancy work, he currently teaches and is a senior research associate at the Refugee Law Initiative, School of Advanced Study, University of London..

Daniela Ruegenberg

Evaluation Manager

Daniela is responsible for external team and project management, quality assurance of evaluation products and communication with partners. She has experience in evaluation proposal drafting, focusing on team composition and the financial component. She has managed the 3ie impact evaluation in Chad, WFP evaluations in Somalia and Central America, and provided methodological, research and management support for various evaluations (UNICEF, ECHO, WFP, among others). She has experience conducting impact evaluations and providing quantitative analysis and has also been involved in projects such as the Refugee Response Index (RRI), Humanitarian Response Index (HRI), OCHA Study: Saving Lives Today and Tomorrow, Thematic Study of the Paris Declaration, Disaster Risk Reduction Index (DRRI).

Ana Rodríguez

Operations Manager

Ana is currently in charge of team coordination for the Madrid office as part of her duties as Operations Manager. On the technical side, Ana does quantitative and qualitative analysis for evaluations and DRR research, as well as project management. She has been a part of the core team in projects such as the global thematic evaluation of UN Women’s contribution to humanitarian action, GFDRR program evaluation, the Risk Reduction Index and several WFP evaluations. She has also managed multiple evaluations, including an impact evaluation for 3ie. Her field research experience is in the following countries: Jordan, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Honduras, Peru, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Prior to DARA, she worked as an environmental consultant and sustainability coordinator. Ana has a Master’s degree in Rural Planning and Development.

Alesia O’Connor

RRI Project Coordinator

Alesia leads the coordination of the Refugee Response Index, managing stakeholder engagement, developing project materials and methodological design. She is a researcher and evaluator, providing support to DARA’s evaluations and projects, as well as drafting of technical proposals. She was part of the team for the evaluation of UN Women’s contribution to humanitarian action, participating in the mission to Bangladesh, and has worked as researcher on the review of CERF’s added value to the Venezuela regional migration crisis. Prior to joining DARA, she worked with grass-roots NGOs providing assistance to refugees in Greece and France, with a focus on vulnerable women and unaccompanied minors. She has a degree in International Studies and is completing a Master of Humanitarian Assistance. She speaks English and Spanish.

Julia Durand

Contract & Evaluation Manager

Julia is responsible for project management, quality assurance of evaluation processes and communication with clients. Currently she is managing the corporate thematic evaluation of UN Women’s contribution to humanitarian action and the evaluation of the No Lost Generation initiative commissioned by UNICEF. She also participates in research for evaluations and projects, more specifically on participatory mechanisms. She led the participatory methodology and focus group discussions for the evaluation of WFP’s Nutrition Components of the Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO) in Algeria. Prior to working with DARA, she was an environmental and social consultant. She holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Policies and Social Practices. Julia is fluent in Spanish, English and French. 

Allan Lavell

Senior Consultant

Allan has more than 35 years experience conducting national and international research projects. Recently, he was awarded the prestigious 2015 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction for his achievements and work in this area. Since 1992, Allan has been the Coordinator for the Programme for the Social Study of Risk and Disaster (FLACSO) in the General Secretariat of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences. More

Marie Spaak

Senior Evaluator

Marie has 20 years experience working in the humanitarian field, principally with DG ECHO and OCHA, in emergencies resulting from conflict and natural disasters. She is familiar with the international humanitarian policy setting, standards, and accountability frameworks and initiatives. She has led or taken part in numerous evaluations and studies with a specialization in humanitarian financing (CERF, Common Humanitarian Funds, DG ECHO Thematic Funding and Enhanced Response Capacity). More