Navigating Job Market

Jennifer Pohlhaus
Chief Operating Officer

How did you join Ripple Effect? 

After my AAAS Science & Technology Policy fellowship, I was looking for my next career step. A colleague mentioned that I should talk to Amy Bielski from Ripple Effect, a company I had heard positive things about. I contacted Amy and we hit it off right away. I started off by managing an NIH contract that Ripple Effect had recently won, and after that project was over, there was always another new and exciting challenge to overcome—that satisfied my need for learning and achieving.

What do you think is your biggest strength as a leader? 

When I took the CliftonStrengths assessment, I was a little surprised by the results. My top five strengths are Achiever, Relator, Responsibility, Harmony, and Learner. My husband says I have the most patience of anyone he knows and I think that comes from the Relator and Harmony strengths. I’ve learned that taking the time to understand and see situations from multiple perspectives is key to connecting with others and solving problems.

What do you do in your free time? 

I don’t have a lot of free time since most of my time outside of work is spent taking care of my kids. But I make time every morning to be active—I’m an avid runner and I do yoga on the weekends. 

What are you proudest of in your career? 

I am proudest of what Amy and I have built at Ripple Effect. We’ve created a place that welcomes diversity and values lifelong learners who always want to find better ways to do things. 

Timothy La Rose
Director of Communications & Outreach

Timothy La Rose was, most recently, the Senior Communications Manager for the USAID/RTI International ENVISION project which seeks to end neglected tropical diseases in 19 countries. He has more than 20 years of communications experience in both the private and public sectors. Previously he worked as the Chief of Communications for UNICEF Guinea, where he led communications before, during, and after the 2014 Ebola outbreak.

Timothy has served as Chief of Communications for the United Nations Office on Children and Armed Conflict, led digital communications for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and worked on internal and external global communications projects at UN Headquarters. Earlier, he worked in the private sector at Citibank and Sony where he led small a digital communications team that won a patent for a content management system.

He has worked in: Washington D.C.; New York, NY; Conakry, Guinea; Vienna, Austria; Nairobi, Kenya; and Doha, Qatar. Throughout his career, he has managed communications teams covering diverse topics including: children, education, health, human trafficking, transnational organized crime, conflict, international development, child protection, and the music industry. Timothy lives in Silver Spring, MD with his wife and son, loves the outdoors, and speaks German and French.