RELATED PROJECT
Faith in Action: Empowering the Poor to Reach Universal Energy Access
Access to safe and reliable sources of modern energy is crucial for achieving sustainable and equitable development for the world's poorest (and often energy deprived) citizens. Without electricity, students have no light for studying at night, hospitals cannot store lifesaving vaccines, and...
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Practitioners and Faith-Inspired Development
"What is the role of faith in your work?" This series of more than 200 interviews, made possible through the support of the Henry R. Luce Foundation, asks this fundamental question of leaders in the development field. The assembled in-depth conversations with activists and policy specialists...
AT THE CENTER
ALL INTERVIEWEES
> Abdikadir Hussein Mohamed> Mohammed Abu-Nimer
> Agnes Abuom
> Swami Agnivesh
> Diane Aker
> Milton Amayun
> Wisdom Shelter Ameku
> Husnul Amin
> Hady Amr
> Joan Anderson
> Agnes Appiah
> R. Scott Appleby
> Luis Arancibia
> Mona Atia
> Moulana Abul Kalam Azad
> Oscar Azmitia
> Roksana Bahramitash
> Douglas Balfour
> Kingsley Bangwell
> Fayyaz Baqir
> Marguerite Barankitse
> Douglas Bassett
> David Beckmann
> Noureddine Benmalek
> Ela Bhatt
> Alejandro Bilbao
> Andrea Blanch
> Welmoet Boender
> Maha Sangharajah Thipati Bour Kry
> Virginia M. Bouvier
> Phil Bowden
> Barrett Brenton
> Patrice Brodeur
> Nhek Buntha
> Gideon Byamugisha
> Omer Caha
> George Carey
> Stephen Carr
> Keshab Chaulagain
> Tariq Cheema
> Sarah Chhin
> Agatha Chikelue
> Joan Chittister
> Amadou Boubacar Cissé
> Jose Luis Clemente
> Denise Coghlan
> Mvume Dandala
> Agneta Dau Valler
> Sylvia Dávila
> Etienne De Jonghe
> Patricia DeBoer
> Robin Denney
> Marie Dennis
> Visaka Dharmadasa
> Frank Dimmock
> Jacques Dinan
> Phramaha Boonchuay Doojai
> Deborah Dortzbach
> Joyce Dubensky
> Haidy Ear-Dupuy
> Aicha Ech-Channa
> Hany El-Banna
> Scilla Elworthy
> Ashley Evans
> Father Enrique Figaredo
> Emily Fintel
> Mari Fitzduff
> Kpakilé Félémou
> Rajmohan Gandhi
> Thomas Getman
> Ulrike Gilbert-Nandra
> Mario Giro
> Marc Gopin
> Peter Grant
> Audu Grema
> Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda
> Olcott Gunasekera
> Peter Gyallay-Pap
> Francis Halder
> Michiel Hardon
> Muhammed Haron
> Susan Hayward
> Heng Cheng
> Qamar-ul Huda
> Samia Huq
> Adam Hutchinson
> Saad Eddin Ibrahim
> Dekha Ibrahim
> Barbara Ibrahim
> Gabriel Byong Young Je
> Ari Johnson
> Thomas Laird Jones
> Ayse Kadayifci-Orellana
> Musimbi Kanyoro
> Kim Hourn Kao
> Azza Karam
> Ted Karpf
> Ashima Kaul
> Suhrob Khaitov
> Rob Kilpatrick
> Tatiana Kotova
> Kathleen Kuehnast
> Carol Lancaster
> Nigussu Legesse
> Jørn Lemvik
> Pakorn Lertsatienchai
> Emma Leslie
> John Lewis
> Bernhard Liese
> Maryann Cusimano Love
> Gerlinda Lucas
> Lyn Lusi
> Richard Marsh
> Valeria Martano
> Maguid A. Maruhom
> Rabia Mathai
> Theodore McCarrick
> Patrick McDonald
> Marilyn McMorrow
> Dena Merriam
> Ruth Messinger
> Heng Monychenda
> Abdul Mukti
> Andrew Natsios
> Zilda Arns Neumann
> William O'Keefe
> Thoraya Ahmed Obaid
> Olusegun Obasanjo
> Filiz Odabas-Geldiay
> Jacqueline Moturi Ogega
> Ted Olbrich
> Dele Olowu
> Manal Omar
> Robert Paarlberg
> John Padwick
> Prom Pauv
> Dominique Peccoud
> Ana Victoria Peláez Ponce
> Marie Juul Petersen
> Kathryn Poethig
> James Pond
> Cedric Prakash
> Alvaro Ramazzini
> Mamphela Ramphele
> Amina Rasul-Bernardo
> William Recant
> Patrick Reese
> Gene Reeves
> Albeiro Rodas
> Elana Rozenman
> Sam Ruteikara
> Mohamed Sahnoun
> Trihadi Saptoadi
> Muhammad Amjad Saqib
> Shanti Sattler
> Theary Seng
> Bedreldin Shutta
> Wihane Sibounheuang
> Juan Silva
> Emmy Simmons
> Baba Iqbal Singh
> Sulak Sivaraksa
> David Smock
> Farina So
> Jeffrey Solomon
> Cornelio Sommaruga
> Hoeurn Somnieng
> Loun Sovath
> Gunnar Stalsett
> David Steinberg
> Helen Sworn
> Afeefa Syeed
> Elías Szczytnicki
> Homa Sabet Tavangar
> Lim Teck Ghee
> Schuyler Thorup
> Karen Torjesen
> Wendy Tyndale
> Farida Vahedi
> Richenda Van Leeuwen
> Rosalina Tuyuc Velásquez
> Corina Villacorta
> Robert Vitillo
> Kim Vuth
> Mark Webster
> Stephen Weir
> Fadlullah Wilmot
> Carolyn Woo
> James Wuye
> C.M. Yogi
> Yos Hut Khemacaro
> Hasan Ali Yurtsever
> Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf
> Batir Zalimov
> Paul Zintl
> Gerrie ter Haar
> Lisette van der Wel
Richenda Van Leeuwen
Richenda Van Leeuwen is the Executive Director of the Energy and Climate team, Energy Access Initiative and leads the United Nations Foundation's work on energy access. She joined the UN Foundation in 2010 from Good Energies, a global renewable energy investment company. A sought out speaker on energy access and poverty issues, she has over 20 years of executive management experience with the UN, private sector, and non-profits on several continents. Ms. Van Leeuwen has a range of expertise encompassing not only emerging markets commercial investment in renewable energy technologies, but also the application of a range of renewable energy technologies for poverty alleviation, including business, financing and impact investment to support scaling of Base of the Pyramid markets in developing countries. She also has many years of experience leading micro, small and medium sized enterprise investment activities and projects in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, with a focus on gender equity, as well as experience in refugee issues and post-conflict reconstruction particularly gained in SE Asia and the Balkans. She currently serves on the board of SELCO India, a leading renewable energy social enterprise focusing on affordable energy solutions for poor families in India.
INTERVIEWS
A Discussion with Richenda Van Leeuwen
September 14, 2012
Background: This conversation took place by telephone on September 14, 2012 between Michael Bodakowski and Richenda Van Leeuwen. Ms. Van Leeuwen described her work at the intersection of development, finance, coordination, and energy access, which includes leadership in forming the UNF’s Energy...