René Celaya has been a leader in international humanitarian and development strategy and practice for 30 years. Growing up in Mexico and the U.S. shaped his commitment to social justice. René served as Vice President for Humanitarian Programs at Sesame Workshop leading Ahlan Simsim (Welcome Sesame in Arabic), providing impactful early childhood development opportunities to children affected by conflict and crisis across the Middle East and North Africa. With CARE, he served as Country Director in Palestine and Mozambique and held various positions at country and regional levels in Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. René has been an independent consultant on organizational strategy and performance. He also served as an Assistant Dean at the School for International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, where he had previously earned a master's degree in economic and political development. He earned a bachelor's degree in Russian and Soviet studies from Harvard College.