TCBoost Team
TCBoost's experts have extensive experience building trade capacity in developing countries. They can respond quickly to requests for specific assistance and can help USAID officers design and implement TCB programs and practical activities to meet TCB needs. To learn more about how TCBoost can help you in your project goals please contact:
Lisa Yarmoshuk
Chief of Party
Lisa Yarmoshuk is an acclaimed strategist and trade and regulatory lawyer with more than 15 years of experience advising on international legal, business, and policy issues worldwide. Previously she was Chief of Party of the USAID Southern Africa Global Competitiveness Hub, and a lawyer with a major U.S. law firm where she counseled foreign governments and companies on complex issues of trade policy, international business, regulatory law, and in litigation.
Phone: +1 703 516 7798 | Email: lyarmoshuk@nathaninc.com
Jeremy Schanck
Deputy Chief of Party
Jeremy Schanck is a trade capacity building professional with eight years experience managing USAID-funded econom
ic growth programs serving the Europe & Eurasia and Asia-Pacific regions. On TCBoost, he co-developed the Authorized Economic Operator Handbook, contributed technical expertise to transport corridor analyses in West and East Africa, and co-authored analytical pieces on trends in USAID-funded regional trade capacity building programs. Mr. Schanck previously served as Project Director for the Nigeria Trade and Transport Program under the USAID-funded MARKETS program, which, within a broader context of food security improvement, works with the Government of Nigeria to reform transport corridors, modernize and streamline customs and border management procedures, and rationalize trade policy. Before joining Nathan Associates, Mr. Schanck was Project Director for the USAID Azerbaijan Trade and Investment Reform Support Program at Chemonics International. He has worked in the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia,Mongolia, Nigeria, and Southeast Asia.
Phone: 703-516-7814 | Email: jschanck@nathaninc.com
Robert Holler
Senior Customs Adviser
Bob Holler has worked on USAID, World Bank, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and WTO international customs projects for 37 years, before and after retiring from U.S. Customs. An expert in customs facility design, he has conducted operational evaluations, guided customs administrations in the transition to risk-based controls, developed and implemented anticorruption programs, and provided training in risk management and human resource management. He has 11 years of international experience including long-term assignments in Namibia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania and Georgia.
Phone: +1 281 292 5111 | Email: robertholler@sbcglobal.net
Bruce Bolnick
Senior Economic Adviser
Dr. Bolnick has more than 35 years experience as a development economist advising countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East on a variety of matters: trade policy, tax policy, financial sector development, macroeconomic management, strategies for promoting growth and reducing poverty, and investment promotion. He has written dozens of papers; among others, he was a principle author of the Diagnostic Trade Integration Strategy for Mozambique and of the study Labor Market Adjustments in Countries Undergoing Trade Liberalization for USAID.
Phone: +1 703 516 7866 | Email: bbolnick@nathaninc.com
Leon Skarshinski
Activity Leader
Leon Skarshinski is a trade specialist focused on trade policy and facilitation related activities. He oversees several transportation corridor activities taking place under the TCBoost project. He currently serves as lead on the Nigeria Trade and Transport Program bridging activity, other Africa region projects and new business opportunities.
Phone: 703-516-7831 | Email: lskarshinski@nathaninc.com
Ann Katsiak
Project Technical Support
Ms. Katsiak holds an M.A. in International Affairs, possesses more than 5 years of professional experience and has worked extensively throughout the former Soviet Union. Most recently, Ms. Katsiak served as a trade specialist for the USAID-funded BIZTAR project in Moldova, where she was an integral part of a customs assessment team examining current customs development efforts in external and internal communications activities.
Phone: 703-516-7743 | Email: akatsiak@nathaninc.com
Zey Akalin
Project Coordinator
Ms. Akalin has extensive research and project management experience in international development; focusing on infrastructure projects. She holds a Master’s degree in International Development. Having worked in the development sector in India, Turkey and France, Ms. Akalin is fluent in Turkish and French; and proficient in Spanish.
Phone: 703-516-7855 | Email: zakalin@nathaninc.com
Jessica Cross
Project Coordinator
Jessica Cross has extensive research and project management experience in international trade and investment. She currently provides operational and technical support for the TCBoost project and also serves as project coordinator for the Competitive Armenian Private Sector (CAPS) Program. Ms. Cross holds a master’s degree in public policy, with a concentration in international economic development, and is proficient in French, Greek, and Italian.
Phone: 703-516-7763 | Email: jcross@nathaninc.com
Marissa Jacobus
Project Coordinator
Marissa Jacobus has significant experience in international trade and development in the areas of trade finance, WTO accession and regional trade. Her previous positions include work at the U.S. Export-Import Bank and most recently as economic adviser for the USAID WTO Accession Plus Project in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ms. Jacobus holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs and Economics from The George Washington University and speaks Spanish fluently.
Phone: 703-516-7783 | Email: mjacobus@nathaninc.com
Blake Lyman
Project Coordinator
Blake Lyman has extensive professional experience in international economic development and project management. He currently provides operational and technical support for the TCBoost project, specifically as Project Coordinator for the Nigeria Expanded Export Promotion (NEEP) Program, in addition to acting as the Project Coordinator for the GFSR Nigeria Trade and Transport Reform Program. He holds a B.A. in Economics and History from Vanderbilt University and has supported and implemented development programs in several regions, including in-country experience in Sudan.
Phone: 703-516-7756 | Email: blyman@nathaninc.com