Jim Bellis (co-founder):
While working as a Communications Technology Specialist (2003 – 2017), I realized how siloed USAID was. So many of us were ships-in-the-night to one another. This, along with my penchant for reading and discussing interesting ideas with interesting people, was the impetus to launch the Bungee Book Club with Wade Channell. Over the years, many USAID staffers have connected with people who they would have never met outside of The BBC.
I consider The BBC one of my most gratifying USAID undertakings. I delight in knowing it continues to provide current and former USAID staffers the opportunity to meet, share the enjoyment of exceptional books and grapple with important ideas stemming from these readings.
In 2009 I relocated to Israel making me an early poster child for remote work which was a rarity at that time. I returned to Washington a few times a year for extended on-site work engagement.
I continue to reside in northern Israel with my wife where I joyfully tend my garden of olives, oranges, lemons, tangerines, pomegranates and grapes. My current professional pursuits lie in the realms of Data Science and Machine Learning with the aim of applying them to projects of social good.
Wade Channell (co-founder):
Wade worked with or for USAID for almost 30 years, before retiring in 2021. Along the way, he and Jim discovered a common interest in mind-stretching ideas and turned their extensive reading lists into common ground for a book club. In the early years, each read at least four or five different books as potential selections, which both satisfied an intense love of reading and kept the book market alive. BBC became a place where friends could gather to talk openly and honestly about the challenges and opportunities of development, working at USAID, and life in general. Wade, like Jim, considers the BBC one of the most important things he accomplished while at USAID.
Wade is often mistaken for an economist, but is actually a recovered lawyer. He has worked in more than 60 countries on issues such as economic growth, business regulation, rule of law, secured lending, and gender equality. As a retiree, he continues to travel (visiting his one hundredth country (Guatemala) in December 2022), but is also working through Damn Fool Productions (his NGO) to support the development and dissemination of media that promote healthy masculinity and gender equality. When not traveling, he can often be found in Silver Spring, Maryland, where he lives within walking distance of his granddaughter.
Clare Ignatowski (Executive Board Member):
Needless to say, I love to read! In my decade of reading with the BBC, many of our books and discussions shifted my thinking and behavior in innumerable and often subtle, yet profound ways. BBC authors helped me to be more intentional and purposeful in my professional life, allowed me to see the forest for the trees, and gave me the confidence to say: We need to do things differently, and here’s why!
A cultural anthropologist by training, I published an ethnographic book and later, brought my skills to USAID where I served for 12 years in the Center for Education. Today I am an independent consultant in international youth development, and serve as a senior advisor at Creative Associates International in the Washington, DC area.
Interns
Miranda Farrow (intern):
As a senior studying English Literature and International Studies at Macalester College, I’m deeply interested in using current literature to continue education and foster community at the Bungee Book Club. As a BBC intern, I plan to write blog posts and build community in and outside of book club meetings.
Mickey Lin (intern):
Studying Political Science and East Asian Studies at Yale University, I hope to engage curiously in the BBC community bridging intellects from varying professional and personal aspects. I am excited to learn more about USAID and how the books we are reading will impact our daily interactions and in international relations as well.