About Us

Civitas ID builds digital credential infrastructure for people to prove who they are, and what they have done, wherever they are.

The systems that govern access to work, banking, healthcare, and education were built for permanent residents with proven evidence of their identity. Institutions struggle to recognize the documentation and history of forcibly displaced people and people with missing or irregular documentation. These institutional gaps, not individual capability, are what keep qualified people locked out of the formal economy.

Civitas ID is working alongside partners to break down this documentation barrier and unlock the enormous human and economic potential of those trapped behind it today.

Board of Directors

Colin Walsh

Founder and Board Chair

30+ years of leading businesses in the Financial Services industry, and most notably, as founder, board director and former CEO of Varo Bank, one of the world's largest digital banks focused on financial inclusion and economic opportunity. Colin also serves on the board of MoneyGram, acts as a Senior Advisor to McKinsey and is a Volunteer Advisor to the UNDP. He is deeply committed to making a positive impact through his work as a founder, board director, strategic advisor, and active participant in mission-driven businesses, industry think tanks, and non-profit organizations.

Ademide Adefarasin

Ademide contributes deep expertise in strategic design and social impact. As Design Director at IDEO.org, she leads initiatives that blend human-centered design with systems thinking to address complex challenges in governance, financial inclusion, and public service. With a background in international development policy and management, Ademide is committed to empowering displaced communities by restoring access to essential services and fostering inclusive systems change.

Mykola Klymenko

Mykola brings a diverse range of experience, including serving as Co-Founder of Wisetack and Varo Money Inc., and as a Technology Advisor in the FinTech space. A dedicated engineering executive and entrepreneur, Mykola is committed to leveraging technology and innovation to drive inclusive economic opportunity and create lasting social impact. Originally from Ukraine, he understands the importance of building solutions to help individuals and families forcibly displaced due to conflict.

Clinton White

Clinton is a distinguished, strategic, mission-driven C-suite executive with more than 25 years of experience scaling global programs, strengthening international partnerships, and driving sustainable impact. Previously, Clinton served as the Counselor for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and a Senior Foreign Service officer with a proven track record of leading cross-cultural teams, securing multimillion-dollar funding, and advancing human rights, climate, and education initiatives across the Caribbean, Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Recognized for organizational transformation, financial stewardship, and commitment to equity and inclusion.

Vera Zakem

Vera is a globally recognized executive leader on democracy, human rights, and responsible and effective deployment and governance of emerging technologies, including AI and digital identity solutions. Vera has worked in Silicon Valley, academia, government, and helped launch global nonprofit organizations. Vera was the first ever Chief Digital Democracy and Rights Officer at USAID, leading on responsible technology, governance, and democracy, in partnership with government, industry, and nonprofit leaders in over 100 countries worldwide. She has served as a member and co-lead on the technology agenda for the Bipartisan Task Force on Democracy. Currently, she is the first woman to serve as the Chief Technology Innovation Officer of California, leading on effective and responsible technology, digital identity, and digital service delivery. She holds an MA from Johns Hopkins University.

Leadership Team

Colin Walsh

Founder and Board Chair

Nick Mason

Product and Technology

Nick is an entrepreneur and commercial leader with expertise in digital identity and financial crime across fintech, travel, healthcare, and government. He is Co-Founder and CEO of ProofSpace, an award-winning identity platform that streamlines credentialing and builds trusted data ecosystems. Before that, he worked in impact investing, co-founding a charity that was later acquired and leading BeyondMe's partnership portfolio. Nick sits on the board of Street Child, serves on the advisory council for Ayra (formerly Global Acceptance Network), and holds an Executive MBA from Oxford University.

Viktor Radchenko

Technology

Viktor is a technologist with more than two decades of experience spanning software architecture, embedded systems, product development, and engineering leadership. He was Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of ProofSpace, an identity platform that streamlines credentialing and builds trusted data ecosystems. Earlier in his career he co-founded and led Garuda.AI as CEO, and held product, architecture, and technical leadership roles at JetBeep, Playtech, Leantegra, and Tapru. He has built and led engineering teams across gaming, IoT, and decentralized identity, and began his career as a scientist and R&D engineer at ISS, a Motorola subcontractor.

Aditya Khurjekar

Development

Aditya is a seasoned entrepreneur and strategic leader with nearly three decades of experience spanning semiconductors, software, mobile, fintech, and artificial intelligence. He has successfully founded and led two companies through acquisition, and is known for applying scientific thinking to drive creative disruption and scalable innovation. Aditya brings deep expertise in strategic development, global market expansion, and building high-impact partnerships. He has a consistent record of solving complex challenges and delivering meaningful, real-world impact.

Juan Carlos Lopez Gutierrez

Country Director, Colombia

Juan Carlos is a strategic leader with more than three decades of experience as an entrepreneur, official representative of international economic development agencies, and promoter of high-impact economic, environmental, and social initiatives across Latin America. Throughout his career, he has played a pivotal role in strengthening ties between organizations in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, fostering sustainable growth and development opportunities in the region. His work has been fundamental in expanding international organizations and companies into emerging markets, advancing the application of emerging technologies in education and industry, shaping strategic trade and investment frameworks, creating high-impact partnerships, and implementing innovative solutions that drive economic and business growth.

Andrea Fuller

Communications

Andrea is a seasoned corporate communications executive with over 15 years of experience leading strategic communications for cutting-edge technology companies. She specializes in translating complex technological breakthroughs into compelling narratives that drive market adoption and stakeholder confidence. As VP Communications at Varo Bank, she positioned breakthrough fintech innovations and AI-powered banking solutions for one of the world's largest digital banks focused on financial inclusion, developing strategic narratives around serving underbanked and excluded populations. Andrea brings deep expertise in mission-driven technology communications across highly regulated industries and understands the communications challenges of building trust and achieving adoption for innovative solutions serving underrepresented communities. Andrea holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Global Advisory Council

Matthias Braeunlich

Matthias is an experienced partnership developer, fundraiser, networker, and communications lead with deep expertise in innovative finance. A seasoned professional in international development and humanitarian aid, he has a demonstrated record of success in both headquarters and field operations. Matthias brings a comprehensive understanding of the global development system, with a focus on the Africa and MENA regions.

Ana Carcani Rold

Ana brings two decades of diplomatic experience as the CEO and Founder of Diplomatic Courier. Throughout her career, she has been committed to amplifying the voices of changemakers and thought leaders across global affairs. Her expertise in international relations, strategic communications, and thought leadership has established her as a respected voice in advancing dialogue and collaboration on critical global issues.

Ambassador Ashraf Haidari

Ashraf is a seasoned diplomat, educator, and thought leader with over 15 years of expertise in international security, foreign policy, and public diplomacy. He is the founder and president of Displaced International (DI), a global organization dedicated to advancing advocacy, policy, and support services for displaced populations worldwide, including refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons. Ashraf is deeply committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of vulnerable communities through innovative solutions and sustained advocacy.

Sarah Davies

Sarah is an accomplished executive leader with extensive experience in analytics, banking, and the airline industries. Known for her strategic vision and data-driven approach, she has led high-impact initiatives that blend innovation with operational excellence across complex, regulated sectors, including the development of the VantageScore in the U.S. Sarah brings a strong commitment to leveraging data and technology to improve systems and create meaningful, scalable solutions.

Alex Vogenthaler

Alex is an accomplished economist and product leader whose career spans from his early role as an Assistant Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to his recent leadership as General Manager for Payments, Connect, Global, and Consumer at Stripe. With deep expertise in financial systems, technology, and global markets, Alex brings strategic insight and a data-driven approach to innovation and growth.

Chuck Muckenfuss

Chuck brings over fifty years of senior leadership in the financial services industry. A widely recognized expert in financial institutions supervision and regulation, he has been instrumental in shaping critical regulatory frameworks over the course of his career. Chuck is deeply committed to advancing a more transparent, resilient, and equitable financial system through principled governance and strategic insight.

Randeep Sidhu

Randeep is a recognized leader in artificial intelligence, with a focus on driving innovation in healthcare, regulated industries, and emerging startups. He is an experienced advisor and public speaker, and formerly served as a director at Babylon Health, where he played a key role in scaling digital healthcare solutions across the UK, Canada, and the United States. Randeep's work reflects a commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to improve systems, access, and outcomes at scale.

Laura Meissner

Laura brings nearly two decades of expertise in international humanitarian response and development. She has devoted her career to supporting crisis-affected populations, with a particular focus on economic recovery and resilience-building. Laura served for over 15 years at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), holding senior roles including Senior Economic Recovery Advisor in the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and Technical Advisor in the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, where she led critical efforts to design and implement effective, evidence-based interventions in complex emergencies.

Bob Trojan

Bob is a global advisor and transformational leader with an unparalleled network, widely recognized for his expertise in FinTech and RegTech. He has served on United Nations commission working groups and advises emerging nations, leveraging deep industry knowledge and strategic vision to drive high-impact, scalable solutions. Bob is committed to advancing responsible innovation and inclusive growth across global financial ecosystems.

Michael Sikorsky

Michael is a visionary technology entrepreneur and CEO who co-founded Robots and Pencils in 2008, building it into a leading firm that has created over 250 apps used by 77 million people worldwide while pioneering AI and machine learning integration. Currently serving as CEO of Copia Wealth Studios, Michael brings nearly two decades of experience in operationalizing frontier technologies with a proven track record of helping major brands innovate through strategic technology partnerships.

James Curtis

James has a wealth of experience in the humanitarian field, specifically dealing with migrants and displaced persons. James serves as the Executive Director of the Africa East and Great Lakes Region for the Danish Refugee Council (DRC). Previously, he was the Regional Director of North Africa based in Tunisia, Regional Director of Ethiopia and Djibouti, and Country Director of South Sudan. Prior to joining the DRC, James spent nearly three years in Afghanistan as the Country Director of Welthungerhilfe.

Amit Sharma

Amit brings deep experience that intersects financial markets, social enterprise and impact, risk management, international security, and development. He is currently head of digital products at IDEMIA. Previously, he developed FinClusive Capital, a digital financial services platform serving the financially underserved, leveraging blockchain technology, advanced analytics, and global standard-based risk and compliance tools to drive financial inclusion, build economic resilience, and protect financial system integrity. Prior to FinClusive, Amit co-founded Empowerment Capital, a strategic advisory and impact investment company assisting early stage commercially scalable social ventures.

Jodi Kaelle

Jodi is a global executive with over two decades of experience shaping transformational leadership across North America, the UK, and EMEA. As Co-Founder and Managing Partner of MontaRosa, a premier executive search and advisory firm, she has led more than 600 C-level and board placements, driving strategic growth, succession, and operational excellence for scaling organizations worldwide. Renowned for her cross-border leadership and board advisory expertise, Jodi has built and led distributed global teams, managed complex P&Ls, and guided clients through IPOs, M&A integrations, and sponsor-backed growth. Earlier in her career, Jodi held leadership roles at Heidrick & Struggles and Bank of America (Montgomery Securities), worked in international development at The World Resources Institute in Washington, DC, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cameroon.