The 'Compact' in The DevDesign Compact reflects our belief that communities develop through the creation of, and adherence to, a social contract made between a diverse network that includes donors, practitioners, and community members. At the heart of this social contract is the shared commitment to mutual benefits. The DevDesign Compact strongly values the power of transparent and evolutionary networks, and has created a business model to capitalize on this ethic. The bios of the founding partners below represent only the front-edge of the people, experience and expertise that are part of the Compact we have made to creating positive change in the world.
Erik Froyd
Erik is a founding partner in The DevDesign Compact consultancy. He brings his experience in corporate operations, non-profit leadership and sustainable economic development to this practice. Erik has an MBA from the Presidio School of Management. His research includes an industry analysis of the microfinance industry, financial analysis for transitioning conventional agricultural practices in Rwanda to agroforestry, and a model for including small-holder agricultural producers from lesser developed communities in the global carbon markets.
For the previous six years Erik has pursued the design and implementation of a diversified, organic farm using primarily inputs available on farm or produced within the mountain valley where the farm is located. A section of the five acre farm was operated commercially from 2002 – 2005. The past two years have included a remodel of the old farm house into a “net-zero energy” home, and a transition of the farm production model from a commercial emphasis to one of subsistence. These endeavors have resulted in rich knowledge and hands-on experience for creating small-scale agricultural and household models that are self-sufficient, scalable and provide incredible security for households and the surrounding community.
From early 1990 until 2002 he was involved with the record-setting growth of Microsoft Corporation. His emphasis was on business process analysis, process re-engineering and management reporting. He left the company as Director of HR Operations. He has served as chairperson, president and treasurer for a local non-profit committed to the mission of creating and supporting sustainable economic development in Okanogan County, WA.
Erik lives on the organic farm outside of Winthrop, Washington.
Kenton Harmer
Kenton is a founding partner in The DevDesign Compact consultancy. His path to development came through emergencies and disasters, starting with his own. While living in Taiwan playing didjeridoo in a rock band, an earthquake brought down his apartment building and flattened the central region of the country. From this ad hoc introduction to emergency response and recovery, Kenton began augmenting his skills with formal training in many aspects of humanitarian project management.
From his time as Vice President of Program Design for Heroic Hearts Inc., a leading Canadian human performance consultancy, Kenton brought into the humanitarian sector an expertise in team process, communication and creativity. These skills, when applied to conflict, disaster and development settings such as Sierra Leone, Liberia, Uganda, Sri Lanka, and Louisiana have been instrumental in exploring more participatory, appropriate and effective responses.
With an MBA in Sustainable Management Kenton brings to The DevDesign Compact business and economics acumen, years of experience with the best and, sometimes, worst practices of the aid sector, and specific research into new models for development. The work has included creating a strategic plan for using international carbon market revenue to fund small-scale agro-forestry projects in Rwanda, an analysis of the market readiness for cargo-carrying bicycles in Kenya, and a new approach for delivering sustainable development in Afghanistan.
Kenton lives with his wife and didjeridoo in New York City.
