Aaron Kyle Dennis
Institutional strategy; development finance; environmental and social risk; practical data systems.

Public contact: aaron@categori.se
Location: Washington, DC, USA

PROFILE
Aaron Kyle Dennis works across development finance, environmental and social risk, accountability, and practical data systems. He helps leaders and teams turn complex social and environmental commitments into clearer decisions, workable systems, and improvements people can sustain.

CURRENT ROLES
Senior Data & Analytics Liaison Officer (detail), U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, Jul 2026-present.
Senior Environmental & Social Specialist, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, Dec 2023-present.
Creator, categori.se (Remote), March 2023-present.

SELECTED EMPLOYMENT
User Success Engineer, Observable Inc., Mar 2023-Oct 2023.
Social Development Specialist, Asian Development Bank, Oct 2019-Mar 2023.
Research Analyst, World Bank Group Office of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman, May 2017-Sep 2019.
Staff Consultant, Social Development Specialist (Safeguards), Asian Development Bank, Jul 2016-Apr 2017.
Consultant, Improving Safeguard Policy Applications in South Asia DMCs, Asian Development Bank, Jul-Nov 2016.
Manager of User Services, Bard College at Simon's Rock, Aug 2015-Jun 2016.
Special Advisor, Research and Innovation, Cross-Cultural Consulting Services, Jan-Mar 2015.
Director, Business Development & Research, Cross-Cultural Consulting Services, Nov 2005-Dec 2014.
Research Associate, Cross-Cultural Consulting Services, Jun-Nov 2005.
Research Associate, Safeguard Policy Update, Asian Development Bank, Apr-Jul 2009.
Intern, Environmental and Social Safeguards Division, Asian Development Bank, Jan-Mar 2009.

CORE COMPETENCIES
Institutional strategy; practical data systems; data management; social development; development finance; environmental and social due diligence; IFC Performance Standards; MDB safeguards; Indigenous Peoples policy; free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC); involuntary resettlement; stakeholder engagement; grievance redress; portfolio monitoring; gender equality and social inclusion (GESI); data visualization; knowledge management; capacity building.

EDUCATION
Business Analytics certificate course, Harvard Business School Online, 2025.
Master of Science, Asian Studies, Lund University, 2007-2011.
Bachelor of Arts (Honors), Anthropology; minor in German, Pacific Lutheran University, 2000-2004.

INTERNSHIPS, FELLOWSHIPS, AND AWARDS
Intern, Culture Sector, UNESCO, Beijing, China, 2005.
SUPRA Nordic Scholar, Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, 2009.
S. Erving Severtson, Forest Foundation Research Fellowship, 2003-2004.
Wang Center Grant for International Studies, 2003-2004.

LANGUAGES
English native; German advanced; Swedish moderate; Mandarin Chinese functional; Russian passive.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS
2022: Inclusive Community Energy Resilience in Bangladesh, ADB South Asia Working Paper Series No. 89; supported coordination of, and responses to, peer review.
2015: Practising Social Development: Navigating Local Contexts to Benefit Local Communities, with Gregory Eliyu Guldin.
2014: Indigenous Peoples of Russia: Country Profile, prepared with Gregory Eliyu Guldin for the World Bank Group.
2008-2009: Social Assessment: In Search of Good Practice, paper prepared with Gregory Eliyu Guldin for the IUAES congress in Kunming.
2007: Indigenous Peoples and Oil Companies: Respect the Differences, with Michaela S. Bergman and Gregory Eliyu Guldin.
2007: The Party Secretary, the Village Head and the Masses: Negotiating Real Contexts in Social Assessment, with Gregory Eliyu Guldin, Urban Anthropology 36(1-2): 9-37.