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’s health and protection issues, education, public 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 and is currently learning Spanish.
WHAT HAS WORKING IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WORLD TAUGHT YOU THAT HAS HELPED YOU IN YOUR CURRENT ROLE?
Working with people and clients has always been the best part of the job. Since I’ve spent most of my career immersed in cultures that were, initially, unfamiliar to me—or in languages I had yet to master, taught me empathy and humility. It also taught me that precision of language, even body language is essential to good communications. Back home in the US all of those lessons still apply. One of the greatest human challenges is communication. I hope that my time learning and understanding just a fraction of the millions of ways people communicate has increased effectiveness as a good communicator.
WHAT TOPIC ARE YOU MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT?
When you work in communications you end up learning about a variety of topics. I started my career communicating about music, and eventually started learning about human rights and advocacy. For the next 14 years or so, I felt very fulfilled telling the stories of the world’s most vulnerable people. Not only was I able to contribute to advocacy efforts for child soldiers, victims of drug trafficking, human trafficking, geocide, climate change, and sexual abuse, the extremely poor, orphans, marginalized people, refugees, and prisoners, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work directly with these affected children and families around the world. There is no greater honor than being able to amplify their words and stories. As Ripple Effect is a mission-driven company and many of our clients either directly or indirectly seek for real change for underserved people, I am most passionate about advocating for the work of our clients to improve the lives of those who need it most.
WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT OUTSIDE OF WORK?
I love the outdoors. I look forward every year to getting out in nature with my family, our dog, and our canoe. We love camping, hiking, and finding new places to explore. We also have a very musical household. I play guitar and my son is learning ukulele—but my wife is the real talent in the family. She plays classical piano, taught herself violin, guitar and ukulele in a matter of months, and is now working on mastering the cajón. We are passionate about all genres of music.
Finally, I am passionate about languages and cultures. At home, my family speaks German, English, and Spanish and regularly switch between them. We also speak French, but only when we don’t want our son to understand what we are saying. We have scoured the Washington, DC area for obscure Spanish and German dishes and
ingredients. Because we have lived in so many places we are also always on the lookout for authentic East and West African and Middle Eastern recipes.
