Benjamin Feit

Benjamin Feit is the President and CEO of Panagora Group, a woman- and employee-owned social enterprise. He first joined Panagora Group as Chief Operating Officer in February 2024. During his tenure, he has helped drive Panagora’s continued growth and impact, co-leading strategic planning with Betsy, cultivating partnerships, and fostering innovation and learning. Ben is a seasoned international development professional with 30 years of experience working in Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia on development assistance programs funded by USAID, World Bank, State Department, EU, UN, and host country governments. During his career, Ben has lived for extended periods in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he served as USAID’s governance advisor supporting post-war reconciliation; Romania and Niger, where he managed and implemented multi-year democracy, rights, and governance projects; and South Africa, where he supported provincial governments in the more equitable delivery of education sector infrastructure to overcome the Apartheid legacy of ‘children learning under trees.’ 

For the past 15 years Ben has been in a variety of US-based positions with an emphasis on strategic leadership, business development, and driving next generation operating models for both international consulting firms and NGOs. Most recently, Ben was Chief Growth Officer for Creative Associates, responsible for the company’s business development, marketing and communications, and growth strategy amidst a shifting landscape in international development. Prior to Creative, he was Associate Vice President for CARE US, leading resource development with institutional donors.

Ben has also focused on establishing and leading impactful technical practices at top consulting firms. At Palladium, Ben was Director of Governance, with responsibility for strategy development, global coordination, business development and program delivery. At Deloitte Consulting he led the firm’s expansion to inclusive local governance in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Earlier, he served in a variety of senior-level roles at DAI, including as Executive Director (Vice President) of its South African subsidiary where he successfully built a new consulting division from the ground-up.

In addition to his work responsibilities, Ben was a member of the Board for the Society for International Development, United States Chapter (SID-US) from 2021 to 2023. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service where he taught graduate-level classes on development aid management and state institution building.  Most recently he designed and taught a new Master’s level class for Georgetown’s Global Human Development Program on the policy and practice of locally led development. Ben holds a MA in International Affairs from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and a BA in History from Tulane University.