Katarina Czarniak

Synergos Institute’s Global Philanthropists Circle

Katarina (Kate) Czarniak is Director for the Synergos Institute’s Global Philanthropists Circle, which supports leading philanthropic families and social investors to be more collaborative,inclusive, and systems-focused in their work.  She leads the GPC’s programming and family engagement in Asia and on the west coast of the United States.
Kate is passionate about improving livelihoods by bridging all manner of divides.  Prior to joining the GPC team she spent three years in the Kyrgyz Republic at the University of Central Asia (Aga Khan Development Network). As Deputy Head of Development, Kate led the university’s fundraising, program development, and partnership building efforts in the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Afghanistan.
Kate also worked for IREX in Washington D.C., where she managed an international exchange program for secondary school teachers. She also held program development roles at Syracuse University (USA) Abroad and the Council of Europe’s European Youth Centre in Strasbourg, France.
Kate holds a MA in International Relations from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and a BA from the University of Rochester. She lives in Santa Cruz, California, where she easily indulges her passions for hiking and vegetarian cooking.