Raiza Kolia (Ph.D., LMSW, MBA) Co-founder and CEO of Reaching Across Borders
Dr. Kolia is a senior healthcare industry leader with more than 25 years of experience serving as both a hospital executive and healthcare consultant. Her expertise is centered on advancing health system operational efficiency and strategic performance across key domains including access to care, quality outcomes, value-based care, and performance improvement. In addition, she serves as an international Mental Health Consultant, providing strategic guidance on the design, implementation, and evaluation of mental health programs globally.
Most recently, Dr. Kolia served as Director of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Programs in Lebanon for a large U.S.-based nonprofit organization, while also advising its regional offices as a Mental Health Consultant. In this capacity, she led the design, advisory support, and evaluation of MHPSS initiatives across Jordan, Turkey, and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. She has also served as a consultant to the Government of New Zealand in the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque attacks, where she provided expertise and training to first responders and community leaders on addressing the psychosocial impacts of mass violence within affected communities.
Dr. Kolia is currently the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Reaching Across Borders (RAB), a U.S.-based humanitarian nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals and communities through social enterprise. By promoting sustainable economic opportunity, workforce skill development, and entrepreneurship, RAB supports individuals in breaking cycles of poverty and building pathways toward dignity, stability, and self-reliance. The organization’s community-centered approach fosters locally driven solutions that create sustainable and lasting impact.
A trained and licensed social worker and therapist, Dr. Kolia brings extensive experience working with disenfranchised individuals, families, and communities. She leads community organizing initiatives, develops and manages international development projects, and provides both individual and group counseling services. She is also a recognized expert in gender and development. Her doctoral research on gender equality and international development was informed by the United Nations World Conferences on Women of the 1970s and 1980s and focused on evaluating the impact of international development programs and policies on gender equity. Her academic scholarship includes publications on domestic violence, the role of culture in help-seeking behaviors and healing, and burnout among professionals in the helping fields.
Dr. Kolia served for 12 years as an Adjunct Professor at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service in New York, where she taught graduate-level courses in Crisis Intervention and Trauma Treatment, Domestic Violence and Empowerment, Coping with Death and Dying, and Human Rights, Advocacy, and Policy Practice.
Born in South Africa, Dr. Kolia completed her studies through the master’s level before relocating to the United States to pursue advanced graduate education. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Work and International Development Policy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA in Finance and Organizational Development from the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. She also holds a Certification in Change Management from Georgetown University.