Aaron Kyle Dennis
Practical data systems; social development; development finance.

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

PROFILE
Aaron Kyle Dennis works on practical data systems, social development, and development finance. His career has followed a main thread: data management systems and information and communication technologies can help people see shared problems, coordinate action, and collectively shape a better world. Social development has been the domain where that interest has had room to grow, especially through the practice of development finance.

CURRENT ROLES
Senior Environmental & Social Specialist, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, Dec 2023-present.
Director, Solutions Engineering, categori.se, May 2025-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.
Independent Consultant to Asian Development Bank, Jul 2016-Apr 2017.
Manager of User Services, Bard College at Simon's Rock, Aug 2015-Jun 2016.
Director, Business Development & Research, Cross-Cultural Consulting Services, Jun 2005-Mar 2015.

CORE COMPETENCIES
Practical data systems; data management; information and communication technologies; social development; development finance; environmental and social due diligence; IFC Performance Standards; MDB safeguards; Indigenous Peoples policy; FPIC; involuntary resettlement; stakeholder engagement; grievance redress; portfolio monitoring; GESI; data visualization; knowledge management; capacity building.

EDUCATION
Master of Science, Asian Studies, Lund University, 2007-2011.
Bachelor of Arts (Honors), Anthropology; minor in German, Pacific Lutheran University, 2000-2004.

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

PUBLICATIONS
2022: Inclusive Community Energy Resilience in Bangladesh, ADB South Asia Working Paper Series No. 86, lead technical editor and supervisory peer reviewer.
2015: Practicing Social Development: Navigating Local Contexts to Benefit Local Communities, with Gregory Eliyu Guldin.
2014: Country Profile: Indigenous Peoples of the Russian Federation, with Gregory Eliyu Guldin and Nicolas Perrin, World Bank Group.
2008: Social Assessment: In Search of Good Practice, with Gregory Eliyu Guldin.
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 Context in Social Assessment, with Gregory Eliyu Guldin.