Creative appoints new Vice President of Education for Development Division

Patricia "Tricia" Tibbetts, Ed.D., has been appointed Vice President of Creative Associates International's Education for Development Division.

"Tricia brings to Creative a wealth of experience that blends outstanding program implementation, technical expertise and staff development," says Noy Villalobos, Chief Programs Officer at Creative. "Tricia's 20-plus years of education work is shaped by innovation, localization and client responsiveness."

Tibbetts' experience includes leadership and technical roles with USAID, Save the Children, and the World Bank in countries including Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Yemen and Zambia. She joins Creative from The Palladium Group, where she led the Early Childhood Care and Education Activity under USAID's CATALYZE: Mobilizing Private Captial for Development Program, designed to mobilize 2 billion in private capital for development impact.

Creative's President & CEO, Leland Kruvant, says Tibbetts' breadth of experience will be an asset to clients, partners and beneficiaries.

"She is an excellent addition to our leadership team and a person who shares our mission and vision," Kruvant says. "Tricia's diverse experiences in managing large-scale projects, providing technical assistance and fostering lasting partnerships, coupled with her understanding of education policy, program design and evaluation, will undoubtedly drive a new era of growth and sustainable results in our Education for Development Division."

As Vice President, Tibbetts steps into a division that is an original pillar of Creative's nearly five decades of locally focused programming. Currently, the division has education programs in the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Nigeria, Uzbekistan and elsewhere. Creative's two other program divisions - Communities in Transition and Economic Growth - are led by Sharon Van Peltand Eileen Hoffman, respectively.

"I am so grateful to be joining the amazing Education for Development team at Creative," Tibbetts says. "What inspires me about this team, and motivates me personally, is the commitment to locally led change, particularly locally led change in marginalized communities and contexts. It's so hard, messy and often beyond heartbreaking, but it is the only way to work towards, to contribute in some way, being a part of positive change. Fortunately, Creative's education team is well versed in these areas and has smart ways to engage communities."

Tricia holds a Doctor of Education from George Washington University, a Master of Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Smith College. She has also been actively involved in board memberships and volunteer work, including her recent role as a Board Member of CorpsAfrica and her involvement with the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Student Alumni Mentoring Initiative.