Violeta Manoukian is the Founder and CEO of Collaboration Works International, a consulting and training firm based in Nova Scotia, Canada. Prior to launching Collaboration Works International 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 in participatory approaches that bring together a broad spectrum of stakeholder groups including international development donor institutions, federal and municipal local governments, communities, NGOs, academia, and the private sector. 

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. Participatory research, participatory project/program design, and participatory monitoring and evaluation are among her specialties.