"Our hope is that CIFF’s journey will be useful for all
who aim to make development more impactful."

Nalini Tarakeshwar serves as Senior Manager, Performance Measurement and Effectiveness. She is involved in all aspects of CIFF’s work, including the strategic development, due diligence and performance management of CIFF’s growing portfolio of investments. Nalini worked as a civil engineer and as a special education teacher in India before obtaining her PhD in clinical psychology in the US, specialising in child clinical psychology and the psychology of religion. Prior to joining CIFF, Nalini was an Assistant Professor at Yale University and more recently, Duke University. During her academic career, Nalini was involved in the implementation and evaluation of psychological interventions for women, couples, and families affected by HIV/AIDS in the US, India, and Africa. She has published several academic articles on how families and children cope with medical and mental health problems, with an emphasis on the role of religion and culture in the coping process. She is on the editorial board of the journal ‘Mental Health, Religion, and Culture’ and serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for several other academic journals.