"Most of the world will make decisions by either guessing or using their gut. They will be either lucky or wrong"
-Suhail Doshi, CEO of Mixpanel
Aleta Starosta is a leader and strategic thinker with a proven record for helping diverse clients apply rigorous research evidence to learn what does and does not work to improve people’s lives in the majority world. In her 13 year career, Ms. Starosta has developed and managed a diverse portfolio of evidence and learning related advisor services for clients including USAID, MCC, World Bank, and FCDO.
Aleta lead the Global Development Practice Area at The Cloudburst Group from 2017-2025. Her work included serving as Chief of Party on multiple USAID research and evaluation awards. Her methodological expertise includes impact evaluations, performance evaluations, assessments, and monitoring and evaluation. She is passionate about data-driven decision making, and excels at translating technical research concepts to a policy audience.
She is a thought leader in the evidence utilization space, and has led numerous workshops, presentations, and studies related to how policymakers can better incorporate evidence into their decision. Her work has resulted in bureau-wide changes to how evaluations are planned for, conducted, and dissemination at USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG). She brings significant business development experience, particularly in government contracting, and rich relationships with funders, implementers, and government agencies across numerous sectors and geographic regions.
Aleta is based in Lusaka, Zambia, and has considerable expertise in Southern and Eastern Africa.