CSR peer learning group

Leila and Zhanar Koshpanova will talk about why corporations get involved in the disaster relief work?

Leila studied in Almaty, Dijon, Geneva and Lugano, to become a teacher of English and specialist in cultural management and international development.  She worked as Arts Manager and Education Specialist, prior to joining Chevron as a Community Engagement and Social Investment Advisor, in 2011.  Enjoys traveling, new ideas and art.

Assem is an experienced humanitarian and disaster management professional with a strong background in emergency response, public health, and cash and voucher assistance programming. Her ares of expertise are strategic planning, risk assessment and coordination of humanitarian operations at both national and international levels. Assem is skilled in developing and leading rapid response teams, implementing community-based surveillance systems, and strengthening epidemic preparedness. She is adept at managing financial resources, stakeholder engagement, and designing evidence-based interventions for vulnerable populations. Assem was recognized for leadership in crisis situations, cross-sector collaboration, and capacity-building initiatives.

As director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan, Jeff works to improve the business climate for more than 200 member companies.
From 2019 to 2024, Jeff was a senior social performance advisor for Chevron, helping define and execute strategy for win-win engagements with stakeholders and communities in the United States and abroad. From 2014 to 2019, he was deputy head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation’s long-term mission in Ukraine, supporting a wide range of efforts across the OSCE’s political military, economic and environmental and human dimensions.
He first came to Kazakhstan in 1998 as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Baikonur. After, he joined the Eurasia Foundation and became president of the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia when it spun off. Jeff has also served on the boards of KIMEP, Spoon Foundation and the Kazakhstan Community Loan Fund. Before that, he worked as a journalist in Washington.
Jeff holds master’s degrees from the Fletcher School and the University of Massachusetts and a bachelor’s degree from The American University. He speaks Russian and some Kazakh, Spanish, Ukrainian and Thai.