Grantee Spotlight
Join our Grantee Spotlight featuring Strategies for International Development
📅 Tuesday, September 1, 2026
🕜 12:00 PM PT/ 3:00 PM ET
A Virtual Series Connecting Grantees with Our GSB Alumni Community
This virtual event series consists of 60-minute interactive Zoom sessions, each featuring a Project Redwood grantee alongside their Stanford GSB alumni sponsor and community. You can expect to hear inspiring stories and learn about the significant impact of Project Redwood.
Join us for an afternoon of learning and conversation! Bring your questions, ideas, and enthusiasm to explore how Strategies for International Development (SID) supports coffee-growing communities in Guatemala, Uganda, and Tanzania through its work with smallholder farmers living in extreme poverty. Using its regional development model, SID helps farmers build successful agricultural businesses that increase their incomes while conserving the natural resources on which their livelihoods depend. SID also works to ensure that women have equal opportunities to participate in and benefit from these businesses.
Learn how Project Redwood’s support has enabled SID to expand its work, deepen their impact, and improve the lives of farming families through sustainable agricultural development.
Featured Grantee: Strategies for International Development
Charles Patterson, Co-Founder, and Judith R. Russo, Executive Director of Strategies for International Development (SID), will join one of SID’s Project Redwood sponsors, Kirk Renaud, MBA ’80, for a conversation about how SID helps smallholder farmers overcome poverty by building successful agricultural businesses that increase their incomes. They will discuss SID’s mission, its recent recognition as the recipient of the 2026 Charity of the Year Award from the U.S. National Coffee Association, and the impact of its projects, which also focus on preserving natural resources and ensuring that women have equal opportunities to participate and succeed.
Please register using the form below.
Featured Speakers
Kirk Renaud
MBA ’80
Project Sponsor
Kirk grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and started his working career there building cars on the assembly line. Those summer jobs paid for school at Williams College, where he studied architecture and environmental science.
After earning an MBA at Stanford University, he moved to Washington, D.C., to work on energy projects as a management consultant for McKinsey and Co. Since then, Kirk has held executive positions and Board roles in small businesses and startups ranging from biotech, solar energy, automotive products, and sporting goods.
Kirk is a founding member of Project Redwood, a board member and coach for a number of non-profit ventures, and an elected local government manager.
Charles Patterson
Strategies for International Development
Co-Founder
Charles A. Patterson co-founded Strategies for International Development (SID) and served as Executive Director for more than 30 years before recently becoming Program Director. Under his leadership, SID developed practical programs helping smallholder farmers increase income, restore natural resources, and expand opportunities for women across Africa and Latin America.
Charles began his career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania, then served as an Operations and Training Officer for Peace Corps programs in Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland. He later held leadership roles at Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planning Assistance, shaping the practical approach that has guided SID for three decades.
Charles holds a master’s in Economics, a Certificate in Economic Planning and Development, and a bachelor’s in History from New York University.
Judith Russo
Strategies for International Development
Executive Director
Judith Russo is the newly appointed Executive Director of Strategies for International Development (SID), leading the organization’s strategy, fundraising, and operations. She joined SID in 2010 as a Program Associate and rose through progressively senior roles over more than 15 years to reach her current position.
Judith has worked closely with field teams to design, monitor, and strengthen programs in Guatemala, Peru, Bolivia, Uganda, Malawi, and Tanzania, and has represented SID at industry events including the National Coffee Association Convention.
Judith holds a bachelor’s in International Affairs with a minor in Economics and a Certificate in NGO Management from James Madison University. She is committed to building partnerships that create more resilient, prosperous livelihoods for farming families.