LESSONS FOR MICROFINANCE FROM THE U.S. SUBPRIME FINANCIAL CRISIS

FEBRUARY 4, 2009, 4: 30PM

LECRAW AUDITORIUM, GEORGIA TECH COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT, 800 WEST PEACHTREE STREET NW, ATLANTA, GA, 30308

The Georgia Tech Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship presents Deborah Burand of the University of Michigan Law School.  This event is free and open to the public.  Immediately following the presentation, join Women Advancing Microfinance (WAM) Atlanta for a reception from 5:30pm – 6:30pm to meet the speaker and network with WAM members.

About the Speaker

Deborah Burand recently joined the faculty of the University of Michigan Law School to direct the launch of the International Transactions Clinic, a training ground for highly qualified lawyers who gain experience in representing their clients in an increasingly globalized world.  Ms. Burand’s history in microfinance includes serving as the Executive Vice President, Strategic Services, of Grameen Foundation and co-founding Women Advancing Microfinance (WAM) International, an organization that supports the advancement of women in microfinance through education and training.  She also sits on the investment committee of a $75 million microfinance investment fund managed by Deutsche Bank, and on the Advisory Council of MicroVest, a specialized fund investing in microfinance.

Prior to entering the microfinance industry, Burand worked in both the public and the private sectors.  She spent five years at the Federal Reserve Board where she was a senior attorney in the international banking section of the legal division, and three years with the U.S. Treasury Department as the senior attorney for international monetary matters.  In the private sector, Ms. Burand practiced with Shearman & Sterling, a New York law firm, during which time she provided pro bono support to Conservation International and represented bank advisory committees in restructuring the sovereign debt of Brazil, Peru and Vietnam, among others.

Ms. Burand earned her B.A., cum laude, from Depauw University and a joint graduate degree, JD/MSFS with honors, from Georgetown University.  In 1993-1994 she was an International Affairs Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations.  During her fellowship she was seconded to the International Monetary Fund and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. She now is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.  She also is a member of the bars of New York and the District of Columbia.