Taroub Faramand
Founder and President of WI-HER (Women Influencing Health, Education and Rule of Law), Dr. Taroub Harb Faramand brings more than 35 years of experience to the development sector. She is an outstanding mentor, entrepreneur and creative innovator who started her career as a service provider and then assumed senior leadership position as a direct USAID staff, Chief of Party, Director of Global USAID project, Senior Vice President and now runs her global development company, WI-HER, LLC.
Dr. Faramand founded WI-HER to fulfill her vision of a world where women, men, boys and girls – of all color, shape, orientation, and background – would have opportunities to grow and thrive. She felt called toward this vision early in her career. Dr. Faramand committed her to life leading change toward real equality and lasting prosperity – within organizations, alongside national governments, and among global leaders. Recognized for her ability to build lasting partnerships, manage multi-million dollar budgets, and develop the professional growth of young professionals, Dr. Faramand’s achievements and tireless commitment to service have earned her the Meritorious Award for exceptional achievements, presented by US Ambassador Martin Indyk in 2002, and the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from Emory University in 2008.
In 2009, Dr. Faramand launched her own business. Leading WI-HER, she has continued her trajectory of success, leading WI-HER to grow ten-fold in size from one subcontract with URC under the USAID ASSIST Project with a staff of two to today’s multiple sub-contracts in health, electricity, infrastructure, and environment to name a few. Dr. Faramand takes pride in making real and sustained change in the programs WI-HER leads. Such programs enable individuals and organizations to exercise the power from within to address gaps affecting their livelihood. WI-HER has extended its own grants to seed-fund programs that empower young women to leverage economic opportunities so they become self-reliant and prosperous.
Dr. Faramand is a versatile and proactive leader with extensive senior and board level management experience, and a deep understanding of USAID, MCC, the UN and the broader donor community. She has created numerous public/private partnerships, which have led to the procurement of multi-million-dollar investments and lasting collaborations that continue well beyond initial WI-HER-led interventions. Dr. Faramand attributes her success to her passion for justice, her compassion for the human condition, her business acumen, and her ease with moving among and across cultures, helped by her fluency in English, Arabic, and Russian. She also holds deep gratitude for her late mother, who inspired her to always strive and instilled in her discipline, determination, and hard work to achieve success.