School of International Cooperation
OUR FACULTY
The School staff comprises qualified professionals with extensive field experience, bringing practical insights into the classroom.
Roberta
Castelli
In 2002, Roberta began her career as a humanitarian worker dealing with human resources management for an Italian NGO.
Since 2006, she has undertaken missions in Africa, Latin America and Asia, with international NGOs working in emergency and development contexts. She specialized in administration and finance, logistics and human resources.
Roberta joined COOPI’s Human Resources staff in 2008, where she is in charge of recruiting, in particular, administrators and logisticians.
Her expertise in Personnel Selection is complemented by her experience in the for-profit sector, where she worked in commercial and HR roles for a leading Italian industry for 10 years.
Alessandro
Cerri
Alessandro began working in the cooperation for development sector through civil service with a small NGO based in Livorno in 1996.
After a few years in the for-profit sector, he returned to cooperation in 2007, primarily serving as a Finance Coordinator in West Africa. Currently, he is the Regional Operation manager of CESVI for North Africa. Alessandro holds a degree in Business Administration, but he has also trained as a coach manager and in neurolinguistic programming, enhancing his skills in team management.
His extensive experience includes all aspects of economic and financial management, interdepartmental collaboration, and project economic financial management.
Marco
Faragutti
Marco began his humanitarian career in 2013. He has been project manager – and in some cases country coordinator – in Nepal, Haiti, Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan. Since 2019, he has led the Logistics and
Procurement Office at COOPI headquarters, supporting foreign branches in procurement procedures, management software use, and logistics personnel selection. His expertise in project management and human resource management is complemented by his practical field experience.
Efrem
Fumagalli
Efrem’s journey started as a volunteer in 1987. He later worked for 10 years as the head of environmental geology at the local health authority of the Province of Como.
Joining COOPI in 1996, he held numerous positions, including area manager for various countries in the English-speaking area of Africa, the Middle East and Asia, head of the Activities Office in Italy, head of the Emergency Office, and head of the Control and Quality Office, which later became Control, Monitoring and Audit.
Currently, he leads the Development and Management Office, ensuring administrative quality and project compliance with donors’ rules through management control and internal audits.
Cristiano
Gavarini
With a master’s degree in International Relations and an MBA from the University of Turin, Cristiano began his career in business internationalization,with experiences in Russia and Brazil.
In 2009, he transitioned to the nonprofit sector, serving as Finance Manager VIS in Sudan. He has collaborated with various Italian and international organizations and studied Development Management at the London School of Economics.
Cristiano is a certified Color Accounting instructor, known for his intuitive approach to teaching accounting. Currently, he is the Deputy Finance Director at INTERSOS.
Giulia
Gemelli
Giulia holds a bachelor’s degree in International and Diplomatic Sciences from the University of Bolognaì and a master’s degree in Conflict Studies from the London School of Economics. She has conducted research on sub-Saharan African states at a London think tank, and joined INTERSOS in 2017.
Giulia has held roles as Assistant to the General Manager, Quality Controller, and MEAL Advisor, specializing in Information Management assessments and systems. She supports the establishment and operation of national MEAL systems.
She regularly travels to all humanitarian missions where INTERSOS operates, working together with technical and program units on the continuous improvement of activities and projects.
Paolo
Gioffreda
Paolo began his career as a financial analyst for a leading multinational company before transitioning to humanitarian work in 2003 as a senior project administrator in the Middle East, Central, East and Southern Africa.
Since 2007, he has been involved in Project Reporting for COOPI, providing training and support in project administration and accounting. Paolo is an expert in management control and technical tools.
Damiano
Lotteria
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Giuseppe
Matarazzo
With a degree in International Relations and a second-level master’s in Humanitarian Aid, Giuseppe beganworking in international cooperation in 2011.
He was on the field in Senegal, Mali, the Central African Republic, Palestine and Tunisia, specializing in financial reporting, internal audits, and accountability.
Giuseppe has worked for COOPI – International Cooperation, Oxfam and ACRA, and currently serves as Senior Administrative and Logistic Expert at We World.
Francesco
Matera
Francesco graduated in Economics and worked in administrative, accounting and tax consulting for 11 years before joining COOPI in 2018.
In the Administration and Budget Office, he handles financial and foreign accounting aspects. Francesco has also been serving as a Budget Deputy in a municipality in Northern Milan since 2014.
Matteo
Mazzoleni
Matteo started in international cooperation in 2017 after brief research experiences in Tunisia and Palestine.
He studied International Relations in Italy and then in Surrey (UK), and is currently pursuing a master’s in Data Science.
Specializing in monitoring and evaluation, Matteo has worked forCOSV and CESVI in Lebanon, and for People in Need in Syria. He is now a MEAL Expert at Save The Children.
Uberto
Pedeferri
Uberto earned his Master’s degree in Cooperation and Development from the University of Pavia in 2000.
He has extensive field experience in Honduras, where he spent 5 years, Lebanon and Ecuador, where he served as head of mission for 3 years. Since 2009, he has worked at COOPI’s Emergency Office, eventually becoming the Operational Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East, Southern and Eastern Africa.
He specialized in project, process and team management.
Augusto
Prete
Augusto began his career managing donor-funded projects in the Biotech sector, before transitioning to international cooperation with a Master’s degree in “Project cycle management”.
He worked as a project administrator in the Central African Republic and joined COOPI’s Audit Department in 2020.
He specialized in documentary, administrative and financial control and analysis, as well as procurement planning.
DOCENTE | Marco Faragutti
Gaspare
Rinicella
With 16 years in relevant companies and public agencies, Gaspare joined COOPI in 2006. He has carried out missions in DRC, CAR, Chad, Niger, Palestine, and Sierra Leone as a project and country administrator.
At COOPI Headquarters, Gaspare leads the Organizational Innovation Unit, focusing on improving economic sustainability.
His lectures cover administrative and financial management, project coordination, cost analysis, quality control and anti-fraud measures.
Italo
Rizzi
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Isabella
Samà
Isabella specialized in Nonprofit Marketing and Communication and began working in the sector in 2004, working on events, press office and fundraising for significant civil society organizations.
Since 2008, she has been working for COOPI, strengthening relationships with individual and institutional donors, focusing on project communication and visibility plans.
Isabella supports project managers in designing, drafting, implementing and reporting on project communication and visibility plans.
Nella Scuola di Cooperazione Internazionale il coordinatore didattico gestisce le piattaforme di apprendimento, supporta i docenti nella strutturazione e impostazione metodologica dei corsi, ed accompagna i corsisti dalla fase di assessment all’erogazione dei moduli, fino agli esami finali.
Claudio
Polini
Claudio is an expert in adult learning methodologies and digital soft skills.
Since 2017, he has developed in-person and online training courses for the nonprofit and corporate sectors.
With 15 years of experience as a media educator, Claudio manages the learning platforms at the School, supports teachers in course structuring, and accompanies trainees from assessment to final exams.
