John Shema is the Grants and Contracts Associate for the Global Restoration Initiative. This position will be embedded in the Grants & Contracts department and work closely with Global Restoration Initiative’s Operations and Management team to support the delivery of funding to local restoration practitioners, with an initial focus in Africa.

With over 14 years of experience in finance and grants management of donor-funded programs, Shema is a seasoned international development professional with a proven track record of effectively managing multi-donor fund portfolios for various international development organizations.

Prior to joining WRI, John held the position of Finance & Administration Manager at Interpeace, supporting Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region. prior to that Shema was respectively a Grants and Compliance Manager at both Swiss Contact and Palladium International. There, he supported the implementation and financial management of Grants and Contracts (GUC) portfolios for the FCDO’s agricultural programs in Rwanda. He has also served as the Senior Specialist in Grants and Sub-awards units at both Research Triangle Institute (RTI) and CARE International USA. Throughout his career, Shema has successfully managed projects funded by prominent clients such as FCDO, USAID, the EU, Sida, and USG.

John holds a BBA in Finance from the University of Rwanda College of Business and Economics and a Master of Science in Project Planning and Management (MSc. PPM).

In his spare time, John is an avid football fan.