Kristin Girvetz is an agricultural development professional with more than 18-years of experience working to transform the sector in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.  She is the founder and director of AgThrive, a Nairobi-based consulting firm that leverages partnerships, data, analytics and advisory to bridge the gaps and forge relationships between diverse partners in agriculture and livestock. The focus is on building bridges and growing collaborations to drive sector change and achieve equitable and climate resilient agriculture and livestock sector growth. Areas of expertise include livestock and crop market systems, agribusiness SME investment and advisory, digital agriculture, climate smart agriculture and donor and investor strategies. AgThrive is the owner and operator of the African Agribusiness Directory (www.africaagridirectory.com), is leading the Livestock Solutions Exchange on behalf of ILRI, and is partnered with the World Poultry Foundation on poultry sector assessments and business partner identification in 8 countries in Africa.  Kristin was formerly a Senior Agriculture and Climate Advisor for Mercy Corps AgriFin. She also worked as a Senior Program Officer for Agricultural Development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where she managed a $100 M grant portfolio and co-led the development of the foundation’s livestock strategy, which resulted in a tripling of the budget and doubling of staff.  Kristin holds an MSc in International Agricultural Development from the University of California at Davis and a BA in Anthropology and Environmental Studies from Grinnell College.