George Zarubin

Experience

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  Novorossiysk Shipping Company

  Dec 1991 - Jan 1995

  Legal Advisor to President

  Asked to assist, and advise this formerly state-owned company during the privatization process.Significant Achievements:• Assisted in restructuring this oil tanker owner and operator during its transition period and through the privatization process. • Advised, negotiated and drafted commercial transactions, including joint venture agreements, financing, ship purchase and ship building agreements, including 10 new-building agreements for over $30 million each in war-torn Croatia!• Counseled the company Board and the Senior Management on compliance with the requirements of the US Oil Pollution Act of 1990, and ensured compliance of all tankers headed for US waters. Show less

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  Soros Foundation Kazakhstan

  Dec 1995 - Dec 1999

  Executive Director

  Challenged to make this new-registered, nascent foundation into a fully functioning, partner for change to support open society in Kazakhstan. Managed and developed strategies for the foundation, including its fundraising strategies, and new business development; reported to and guided the programmatic decisions of the Board and the Open Society Institute New York Office. Significant Achievements: • Built staff capacity, which grew from a staff of less than twelve to over fifty employees • Increased the annual operating budget from just over one million dollars in 1995 to over seven million in 1998. • Expanded the sphere of the foundation’s activities from civic education and exchange programs to include multiple-year programs in law reform, environmental policy (including oil pollution in the Caspian Sea), public policy development, and economic development as well as 7 civic education programs that eventually became independently operating NGOs.• Raised the first 6-digit grant from USAID to fund our civic education programs (which led to millions in the early 2000s) and funding from other US foundations. Show less

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  Eurasia Foundation

  Jan 2000 - May 2013

  Vice President

  VICE PRESIDENT, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT,Washington, DC, 2005 - 2007Challenged to increase programs in the DC Office and re-structure engagement with the representative offices in Eurasia, while continuing to fundraise to meet annual budget needs.Significant Achievements:• Managed and coordinated all fundraising activity to reach annual budget of $20 million.• Increased DC-based grant programs, including start-up of complex, new, special program initiatives for Iran and supporting the State Department’s Foundation for the Middle East and North Africa.• Oversaw the development of the Capacity Mapping Initiative, an organizational development roadmap for start-up organisations.EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT, 2002-2005Transformed Eurasia Foundation (EF) from a grant-maker to a competitive, sustainable non-profit. Significant Achievements:• Oversaw a foundation learning campaign (including staff training on better grant-making & monitoring practices, program design, evaluation practice, fundraising & fraud awareness), approving field implementation plans and oversight of specific regions during transition periods. • Served as Acting Regional Vice President for Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus in 2004 and Acting Regional Vice President for the South Caucasus in 2002-2003REGIONAL DIRECTOR, South Caucasus Cooperation ProgramTbilisi, Georgia 2000-2002Designed, developed and managed a cross-border, grant-making fund in the South Caucasus, which developed grassroots cooperation, despite lack of political relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Significant Achievements:• Through our grantees, successfully introduced international treaties, cross-border media projects & adoption of European standards.• Launched the Caucasus Research Resource Centers to promote evidenced-based research & data collection in the social sciences to better inform policy-making – a unique ‘data tank’ in the Caucasus, with a multi-million dollar commitment from a US foundation. Show less

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  Eurasia Partnership Foundation

  Nov 2007 - May 2013

  President

  Challenged to transform Eurasia Foundation representative offices in the South Caucasus into viable, locally-registered foundations in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.Significant Achievements: • Raised over $40 million and built the capacity of Eurasia Partnership Foundation, a newly registered foundation in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, a spin-off and network partner of the Eurasia Foundation Network promoting a culture of rule of law, civic participation.• Built the capacity of the board, management and staff (approximately 100 in 6 offices) in all functional areas of foundation/non-profit work: Governance, Program Management & Evaluation, Financial Management, Fundraising, Human Resources and Communications.• Designed, supported, launched and spun-off, the Caucasus Research Resource Centers, which trained social scientists to publish surveys, data and evidence-based research to inform policy-making, philanthropy and peace-building. This program transformed the dialogue between the public and governmental institutions in Georgia and Armenia! Show less

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  Salzburg Global Seminar

  May 2013 - Dec 2015

  Vice President and Chief Development Officer

  Mission: To challenge current and future leaders to solve programs of global concern.Challenged to increase institutional (foundation, governmental, corporate) support, individual giving campaigns, major gift donor and board contributions in close collaboration with the President and in line with the Chief Program Officer’s program goals. The Financial Crisis left Salzburg Global unable to raise sufficient funds to cover its operating expenses.Signature Achievements:• Proposed and implemented a new, programmatic model designed to obtain local, community funding to support long-term initiatives.• Developed relationships and convinced several new, large foundation donors, in the US and Europe, to provide significant, new, six-figure, annual grants, that will lead to seven-figure, multi-year contributions.• Obtained governmental funds from foreign government development organizations, previously not supporting Salzburg Global Seminar.• Raised funding and exceed annual budget requirements, leaving the annual operating budget in the black for the 1st time in over a decade. Show less

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  America for Bulgaria Foundation

  Jan 2016 - Jun 2016

  President and CEO

  Mission: To promote the economic and the democratic development of Bulgaria.Challenged to improve foundation performance of a 7-year old foundation and “Muzeiko”, the first Children’s Museum promoting STEM education and understanding in Eastern Europe and the foundation’s largest program, opened in 2015. Assessed programs, major grants and Muzeiko, developed an institutional capacity-building plan.Significant Achievements:• Met all major grantees working in foundation program areas: agriculture, arts & culture, cultural heritage, education, civil society, judicial reform, good governance and work with the economically disadvantaged, offering suggestions and additional funding to improve their projects.• Improved foundation practices and policies around evaluation, by providing training to all staff, specialized training to over 50% of program staff and instituted major external evaluations of major programs. • At Muzeiko, a draft development strategy was prepared. Note: I resigned for personal/family issues because my wife couldn’t join me in Bulgaria. Show less

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  The AHA Foundation

  Feb 2017 - Jun 2024

  Virtual OrganizationHuman Rights Organization protecting girls/women from female genital mutilation (FGM), honor violence, forced marriages, as well as promoting a debate about the underlying socio-religious causes in Islamist cultures – www.theahafoundation.org EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Mission: We believe in liberty for all peopleSupported legislation to ban female genital mutilation (FGM) in Michigan, New Hampshire and improve legislation in Minnesota and Texas. Filed an Amicus Curiae Brief in the first federal FGM case; Supported legislation to ban child marriages in Delaware and New Jersey; and raise the marriage age limit to 17 in Florida, New York & Tennessee. Launched a campus program to promote women’s/girls human rights and a dialogue about radical Islamism. Virtual Organization with 9 employees.Specific Achievements:• Doubled the organizational budget from $600,000 to $1.2 million within 4 months of joining the organization, and in 2017 raised $1.6 million.• Launched a campus program within 5 months of appointment, that is working on 20 campuses after the pilot year;• Initiated a dialogue between ex-Muslims and Muslim Reformers;• Advocated and educated legislators for the passage of the Safe Act in the US House of Representatives; Laws banning FGM and Child Marriage in several U.S. states;• Purchased a new donor management system for the organization to improve fundraising processes;• Increased the staffing levels. Show less

  • Senior Advisor

    Feb 2024 - Jun 2024

  • Executive Director

    Feb 2017 - Feb 2024
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  George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs

  Jan 2019 - Jan 2021

  Adjunct Professor

  Teaching a professional skills building class in international nonprofit management that will include providing students with an organizational capacity mapping tool to assess the capacity of an international nonprofit organization in multiple spheres of work; Discussions about mission, program management, results frameworks and fundraising through case studies.