Meet Violeta Manoukian (She/Her)
Violeta Manoukian is the Founder and CEO of Collaboration Works International, a consulting and training firm based in Nova Scotia, Canada. Prior to launching this firm, she was the Founder of IN-PACT Group (International Participatory Alternatives through Cooperation, Training, and Trade), a consulting firm based in Ottawa, where she helped grow the field of holistic approaches to sustainable development, fostering the participation of marginalized groups in projects and programs of international poverty reduction.
Violeta has experience bringing together a broad spectrum of stakeholder groups - including international development donor institutions, federal and municipal governments, communities, NGOs, academia, and the private sector - to create collaborative solutions that generate lasting results.
Her M.A. thesis, Participatory Development: Paradigm Shift in Theory and Practice, sparked her ongoing passion for creating spaces where she can apply collaborative approaches to bring about systemic change and yield optimal impacts. Building on more than two decades of experience in participatory development, Violeta now supports communities, organizations, and governments in collaborative local initiatives. She also brings her expertise to international trade, with a focus on connections between Atlantic Canada and Latin America.
She is currently enrolled in the International Business program of the Forum for International Trade Training and Export Development Canada and is a candidate for the globally recognized Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) designation, the highest accreditation for international trade experts in Canada.
Whether guiding enterprises into global markets or helping communities design inclusive initiatives, Violeta and Collaboration Works International are dedicated to turning vision into measurable, lasting results.
Education
FITT International Business Program
Ottawa, Canada
Carleton University
Ottawa, Canada
University of Colorado
Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.
Naropa University
Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.
2025 Candidate for International Trade Professional (CITP) designation (expected completion date 2026).
1990. M.A. in International Affairs, Development Studies.
Thesis: “Participatory Development: Paradigm Shift in Theory and Practice”, approved “With Distinction”.
1984. B.A. in International Affairs, Development Studies. Multidisciplinary program comprising economics, political science, sociology, and anthropology.
1984. Certificate from Ngeton School of Higher Learning
Publications
“Financing through PRSPs: A Gender Perspective”, UN Women, 2012
Realities of Women and Children in the Democratic Republic of Congo, UNICEF/Kinshasa, 2009.
A Sourcebook of Poverty Reduction Strategies, Vol. 1, “Chapter 10 – Gender”, The World Bank, Washington D.C., 2002. Show Publication ➾
Asian Development Bank User’s Guide to Participation, November 2001 Draft.
Participatory Development: A Brief Review of CIDA’s Experience and Potential, in Participatory Development: From Advocacy to Action, OECD Development Centre, Paris, 1995. Show Publication ➾
Liberation in Action – Brazil’s Christian Base Communities and their Relevance to Development, in Liberation Theology and Socio-Political Transformation: A Reader, Simon Fraser University Press, 1992. Show Publication ➾
Participatory Development: Paradigm Shift in Theory and Practice, M.A. Thesis, 1990, Carleton University, Ottawa. Show Publication ➾