Team
Our team combines expertise in management, technology, finance, and development logistics.
Board of directors
Michael Faye
Director (US)
Michael Faye is the President and co-founder of GiveDirectly, which has been ranked a top international charity by GiveWell. Michael’s work on international development has been published in the American Economic Review, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Foreign Affairs, and he’s spoken extensively on development and philanthropy. In 2020 he joined the World Economic Forum’s community of Young Global Leaders. In addition, Michael’s a term member of the Council of Foreign Relations and was named one of Foreign Policy’s 100 leading Global Thinkers in 2013. He holds a Ph.D in Economics from Harvard, where he also studied Math and Classics.
Concurrently Michael is the co-founder and CEO of Taptap Send, a direct-to-consumer remittance platform focused on emerging markets. He also served as the CEO of Segovia Technology, which he also co-founded, until its acquisition in 2018.
Full bio and press & speaking requests
Jacquelline Fuller
Director (US)
Jacquelline Fuller leads Google.org, which provides more than $100 million yearly to support tech innovators making transformational impact in areas such as education, development and renewable energy. She previously served as Deputy Director of Global Health at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she was a member of the senior management team for eight years and helped launch a $300 million initiative in India. She received her BA in political science from UCLA and a master's in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Jacquelline currently serves on the board of the Eastern Congo Initiative.
Aly Jeddy
Director (US)
Aly Sheezar Jeddy is a Director at McKinsey & Company. He has led the Firm's Private Equity & Principal Investing Practice for the Americas as well as the Strategy Practice on the U.S. East Coast. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Dalton School, the Board of Overseers of the International Rescue Committee, the board of the Aziz Jehan Begum Trust for the Blind, and the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Jeddy's experience includes work at the War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the Office of the Prosecutor, at the World Bank, and with the leading human rights lawyer in Pakistan, advising the Prime Minister on advancing gender equality.
Paul Niehaus
Chairman
Paul Niehaus is co-founder and chairman of GiveDirectly, currently the top-rated nonprofit by GiveWell and ranked among the 25 most audacious companies (Inc) and 10 most innovative companies in finance (Fast Company). GiveDirectly is a recognized leader in the use of modern technology to transfer funds directly to the extreme poor, and in the use of rigorous scientific methods to document its impact. Paul is also a co-founder of Segovia, which builds enterprise technology for the management of social programming in the emerging markets. He holds an academic appointment in the Department of Economics at UC San Diego, where he works with governments in India to improve the implementation of social programming. He is a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), a Junior Affiliate at the Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD), an Affiliate of the Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), and an Affiliate at the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA). He holds a PhD in economics from Harvard University and is a National Science Foundation Fellow and a Sloan Fellow. In 2013 Foreign Policy named him one of its 100 leading "Global Thinkers."
Rohit Wanchoo
Director (US)
Rohit is a Principal at a private equity firm in New York. He previously worked as a Research Analyst for the United Nations Millennium Project (UNMP), a group headed by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, tasked with preparing a plan for low-income countries to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Prior to his work at the UN, Rohit worked in finance as an investment banker for Lehman Brothers in New York. Rohit holds an MBA from MIT Sloan and an MPA in International Development from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Country office boards
Samuel Mwamburi Mwale
Director (Kenya)
Samuel Mwamburi Mwale is Founder & CEO of Farasi Strategy Advisors Ltd, a firm that provides investment and strategy advice to public and private sector clients. He has served in senior positions in the Government of Kenya in the last 9 years, having served for five as Principal Administrative Secretary & Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, in the Cabinet Office, Office of the President. Previously he served as Economic Secretary to the Presidency at State House and as Economic Advisor to Ministry of Planning & National Development and National Economic & Social Council. Mr. Mwale holds a master's degree in agricultural economics from University of Oxford, a Postgraduate Diploma in Development Economics from University of East Anglia, a Bachelor of Science in Range Management from University of Nairobi, and has attended executive training on policy analysis at Stanford University and leadership at Harvard University.
Rachel Sibande
Board Member (Malawi)
Rachel Sibande is a Digital Development Specialist. Ms. Sibande established Malawi's first technology and innovation hub; mHub. The hub provides digital skills training, financing and investment readiness support for emerging innovative entrepreneurs.
Rachel currently serves as Senior Director at the United Nations Foundation. She leads Big Data for development and Digital Transformation work in Africa.
Rachel has over a decade of extensive experience managing development projects in more than 16 countries cutting across digital financial services, public health, agriculture, disaster management and elections monitoring.
She became a Google Scholar in 2015, being a recipient of Google's Anita Borg Award for outstanding computer science students from around the world. Rachel has been listed twice by Forbes as one of Africa's 30 under 30 entrepreneurs in 2016 and as a new wealth creator in 2019.
In 2018, Ms. Sibande won the Climate Smart Innovation pan African competition of the Next Einstein Forum after inventing a thermal chemical plant that produces light and gas from maize cobs for mini grids to power rural households in Malawi.
Rachel completed a PhD in computer Science at Rhodes University in South Africa. She read Cyrptography and Coding Theory for her Masters degree from the Mzuzu University and holds a Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Malawi.
Kamau Wairuri
Director (Kenya)
Kamau Wairuri is the founder of Lotus Consulting and previously worked for McKinsey & Company. He is an experienced analyst and strategist who has advised many business and political leaders on various matters. He has also worked a contracted columnist for one of Kenya's national newspapers, commenting on political and policy matters. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Nairobi and an MSc in African Studies from the University of Oxford. He is currently pursuing a PhD as the University of Edinburgh.
Advisors
Paul Brest
Paul Brest is Professor Emeritus (active) at Stanford Law School, where he joined the faculty in 1969 and served as Dean from 1987 to 1999. He is also a lecturer at the Graduate School of Business and a faculty co-director of the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society. He served as president of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation from 2000 to 2012. A leading scholar and teacher of constitutional law, Paul now focuses his teaching and writing on public policy, judgment and decision making, and philanthropy. He is co-author of Problem Solving, Decision Making, and Professional Judgment (2010) and Money Well Spent: A Strategic Guide to Smart Philanthropy (2008).
Joshua Rugema
Joshua is currently the managing director at H2O Venture Partners, providing leadership for the firm's Africa operations. H2O Venture Partners is an investment firm that is building and investing in profitable, high-growth, high-impact, agricultural ventures in East Africa. Joshua has spent the last decade in private equity and investment management in the US.
Dhruv Singh
Dhruv is Managing Partner at DEWS Holdings, an investment firm that founds tech companies, buys small businesses, and invests in high-growth companies. Dhruv is (co)founder/owner of Aktivate, Bezant Technologies, Bonfare Provisions, Exubrancy, Panier and Savory; board member/observer to five venture-backed companies; and shareholder in 25+ venture-backed companies. Previously, Dhruv was a management consultant at McKinsey (New York). He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and Choate Rosemary Hall. He lives in Tuxedo Park, NY with his wife Elizabeth (who is also an entrepreneur!) and daughter Emilia "Milly" Wilkes Singh.
Hemant Taneja
Hemant is a managing director at General Catalyst, where he invests in early stage technology companies. Hemant has spent the last decade partnering with great entrepreneurs to build technology companies that can transform industries. Before joining General Catalyst in 2002, he was the founder and CEO of Isovia. Hemant is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning an M.S. in operations research, an M.Eng. in electrical engineering & computer science, a B.S. in mathematics, a B.S. in electrical engineering & computer science, and a B.S. in biology & biomedical engineering.
William Meehan
Director Emeritus
William F. Meehan III is the Lafayette Partners Lecturer in Strategic Management at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a Director Emeritus of McKinsey & Company. Mr. Meehan is a regular writer, speaker, and advisor on nonprofit strategy, governance, performance measurement, and philanthropy. At Stanford, he is a founding member of the Advisory Council of the Center for Philanthropy and the Civil Society, a faculty member of the Public Management Program and the Center for Social Innovation, and a member of the Arts Initiative Council. During his 30-plus-year tenure at McKinsey & Company, Mr. Meehan worked with chief executives in technology, private equity, retail, financial services, and media on topics of top management strategy, organization, and leadership.
Staff
Jamila Abass
Country Director, Morocco
Jamila is one of the champions of AgTech revolution in Africa. She founded M-Farm - a company that helped smallholder farmers trapped in subsistence agriculture move into commercial farming by leveraging available mobile technology to provide needed real-time information and take informed decisions, resulting in improved farm productivity and access to market. She joined GiveDirectly from Wefarm where she was the Head of Growth and Country Manager.
Jamila is a 2017 Young Global Leader, an Ashoka Fellow, Aspen New Voices Fellow and a Quartz Africa Innovator.
Lucy Abulo
Uganda Human Resources Manager
Lucy has worked within government and non-governmental organisations in Uganda. She joined GiveDirectly from Uganda National Health Consumers' Organisation. She previously worked with Posta Uganda and EMS Couriers as a manager. Lucy holds an MBA from Makerere University.
Ivan Awoli
Uganda Associate Field Manager
Ivan joined GiveDirectly in 2015, from DFCU Bank where he held a managerial role managing staff across four DFCU bank branches. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Agriculture from Gulu University. Additionally, Ivan is a founder of RichMindsAfrica an organization that has empowered over 1000 young people through tailored motivational lectures, seminars and training across institutions of learning and communities in Eastern Uganda.
Concy Ayet
Uganda Office Administrator
Concy has over five years of experience working with different international non-governmental organizations in operations and program support. Before joining GiveDirectly, she worked with Mercy Corps and Invisible Children Uganda. She holds a postgraduate diploma in project planning and management from Uganda Management Institute and a bachelor's degree in procurement and supply chain management from Makerere University.
Olu Babalola
Chief Operating Officer
Olu Babalola currently serves as GiveDirectly’s Chief Operating Officer. In this role, she oversees GD’s operational functions responsible for delivering cash grants directly to the world’s poorest and neediest efficiently. She joined GiveDirectly from Bridge International Academies where she was responsible for setting up Bridge’s first schools in Nigeria and launching flagship government partnerships managing over 1200 government primary schools across 2 states. Prior to this, she was a Strategy and Operations management consultant with Deloitte Consulting. She holds a B.A in Economics and Art from Smith College, and an MBA from UCLA.
Ben Bakkum
Data Associate
Ben comes to GiveDirectly from J.P. Morgan, where he worked on the Private Bank Chief Investment Officer's team. He holds a B.S. in Commerce with a concentration in Finance from the University of Virginia, graduating with highest distinction in a second major in History. He has passed all three levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst exams.
Chisomo Banda
Associate Field Manager
Chisomo Banda holds a Degree in Information and Communication Technology from Mzuzu University. She has experience in field operations management, software development, software and hardware troubleshooting, database administration as well as networking. She enjoys using her skills to contribute to exciting technological advances and educating others on using progressive systems and applications. She is obsessed with all things tech-related. Prior to joining GiveDirectly she worked with the National Statistic Office as an IT Assistant.
Yazmin Baptiste
Data Coordinator
Yazmin Baptiste joins GiveDirectly from Lafayette College where she graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Among other activities, she served as a Posse scholar, Resident advisor and Alternative School Break Leader.
Kim Belk
Senior Manager of Compliance and People
Kim joins GiveDirectly from the Fund for Public Health in NY, a not-for profit focused on public health initiatives in NYC. She has experience in domestic and international project and grant management, compliance oversight and policy work. Kim holds an MPA from the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
Mouna Boujmal
Morocco Program Manager
Mouna joined GiveDirectly from MIT D-Lab, where she worked as the Co-Design Summit Manager in Morocco. Prior to that, she has worked for nine years to develop and execute programs that enable strong entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship ecosystems in Morocco, India, and Egypt. Mouna is an Atlas Corps Fellow, and an IDEX accelerator Fellow.
Mitchell Browne
Associate Field Manager
Mitchell Browne, Sr. holds Bachelor’s Degrees in Business Administration from the United Methodist University, Liberia and a Bachelor of Education from University of Education, Winneba, Ghana. He Joined GiveDirectly from both the public and private sectors with over nine (9) years of professional work experience in the areas of administration, advocacy, information management and analysis, data collection with strong emphasis in project management and evaluation.
Anna Cerf
Business Development Manager
Anna joins GiveDirectly from EF Education First, where she worked as a Product Manager focused on developing and growing international education opportunities. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Middlebury College with a B.A. in Geography and Environmental Studies.
Driss Chaouki
Morocco Associate Field Manager
Chaouki Driss holds a master’s degree in banking and financial markets from the Francois Rabelais university of Tours. He joined GiveDirectly in March 2020. He has six-year experience within international organization, Chemonics International, FHI 360, School To School International and Social Impact, a private international development company working for bilateral, multilateral donors and the private sector to manage projects in developing countries. To illustrate some of his duties, he oversaw the operation structure of the project, moreover he was in charge of the technical management of the project by providing support to the various specialists within his team, such as the monitoring and evaluation specialist, and facilitating the work of the technical and operations teams.
Sara Chedad
Morocco Office and Procurement Manager
Sara holds a masters degree in Management control, planning and risk management. Sara joined GiveDirectly from a non profit organization FHI 360, where she was working as contract and procurement manager for USAID projects. She has over seven years of experience in administration and procurement serving in international organizations.
Han Sheng Chia
Vice President of Innovation
Han Sheng Chia is Vice President of Innovation at GiveDirectly. He leads the organization's investments to drive step function change in cash delivery to the world's poorest. He previously led GiveDirectly’s Humanitarian practice, growing programs from $1M in seed funding to more than $100M. He has run programs ranging from COVID-19 responses in Uganda and Togo, to emergency hurricane responses in the Carribean. Han Sheng previously held roles in management consulting and tech. He is a graduate of Brown University.
Michael Cooke
Research Director
Michael holds a B.A. in experimental psychology from Oxford University and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from King's College London. Prior to joining GiveDirectly, he spent six years at UK healthcare charity Marie Curie in impact evaluation, data analysis, and strategic development. He is also a Clore Social Leadership Fellow.
Namita Desai
Country Director, Liberia
Namita holds a B.S. in Business Economics & Public Policy and a B.A. in Hispanic Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Namita joined GiveDirectly from the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency, where she worked as a project lead to design and operationalize public programs serving smallholder farmers. Prior to that, Namita was a consultant at Oliver Wyman.
Katie Donley
Chief Growth Officer
Katie joins GiveDirectly from Tictail where she was the Director of Growth. She has experience in data-driven strategies in organic, paid, and product-driven growth, specializing in shopper acquisition and retention. Katie holds a Bachelors of Economics and Bachelors of Psychology from Yale University.
Hamza Ezzaim
Morocco Associate Field Manager
Ezzaim Hamza holds a bachelor's degree in management and finance. He joined GiveDirectly from Webhelp, a French company specializing in call center operations, customer experience management and business processes, where he was attached to the WorkForce Management Division as flow manager of a project with more than 300 employees having as skills the design of reports, the analysis of the figures and the critical eye, the management of flows on the voice e-mail channels and mail by optimizing the operational management of resources.
Michael Faye
President, Co-founder
Michael Faye is the President and co-founder of GiveDirectly, which has been ranked a top international charity by GiveWell. Michael’s work on international development has been published in the American Economic Review, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Foreign Affairs, and he’s spoken extensively on development and philanthropy. In 2020 he joined the World Economic Forum’s community of Young Global Leaders. In addition, Michael’s a term member of the Council of Foreign Relations and was named one of Foreign Policy’s 100 leading Global Thinkers in 2013. He holds a Ph.D in Economics from Harvard, where he also studied Math and Classics.
Concurrently Michael is the co-founder and CEO of Taptap Send, a direct-to-consumer remittance platform focused on emerging markets. He also served as the CEO of Segovia Technology, which he also co-founded, until its acquisition in 2018.
Michael Fisher
Flex Senior Manager Malawi/Uganda
For the past 9 years, Michael has worked between South Sudan and Uganda managing food assistance programs. Most recently he was in Juba with the World Food Programme leading the digitization of WFP's registration and transfer management system. He has been a cash advocate since piloting a cash for milling program for Sudan refugees in 2012 and rolling out cash transfers in Uganda's refugee settlements in 2015. He likes working in fast-paced changing environments where he can connect on a personal level with his colleagues.
Becca Frank
Director of Field Technology
Prior to joining GiveDirectly, Becca was the Vice President of Engineering at Ketra, a startup making LED lights. Following that, she served as a Foster America fellow, where she spent two years working with Denver Human Services to build their client-facing technology roadmap for their anti-poverty programs. She holds a B.S.E. in Computer Engineering from University of Michigan.
Jeff Garcia
Senior Finance Manager
Jeff comes to GiveDirectly with over 6 years of Nonprofit Finance & Accounting experience. Prior to GD, Jeff served as Senior Accountant of Sponsored Projects & Funds at the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors for 2.5 years. He began his career with Calibre CPA Group, a D.C. based public accounting firm specializing in the nonprofit sector. One of his proudest achievements was joining Goodwill to support the launching of the Goodwill Excel Center, a tuition-free adult charter high school. Jeff holds a B.S.B.A in Accounting from the University of Richmond and a M.S. in Nonprofit Leadership from Fordham University.
Shaunak Ganguly
Country Director, Malawi
Bringing in close to a decade of experience in engaging with public-sector agencies to position and implement programs aimed at maximising revenues through focussed high-impact technology interventions in Africa, Shaunak Ganguly joins GD to expand his portfolio to craft innovative strategies in the development sector.
Schooling and growing up in Africa has enabled him with a deep appreciation of the unique challenges and potential the continent offers, which gives Shaunak the edge when it comes to designing solutions to address core problems facing the region.
With a vibrant mix of leadership skills, business acumen, eye for detail and people management, Shaunak looks forward to channel his strengths in an exciting stint at GD as the Country Director for Malawi.
Esnatt Gondwe-Matekesa
Program Manager
Esnatt Gondwe-Matekesa is a development practitioner that has over 11 years' experience in implementing development projects sponsored by USAID, UNICEF and Global Affairs of Canada. Esnatt has had extensive training in leadership and management through professional fellowships with Global Health Corps and George Washington University.
Simon Grinsted
Research Manager
Simon joins GiveDirectly from New York University, where he was a Research Director in the Department of Applied Statistics. He previously worked as a Research Associate at Innovations for Poverty Action in Manila, and as an Analyst at BlackRock in London. He holds a BSc in Economics & Politics from the University of East Anglia, an MSc in Political Economy from the London School of Economics, and an MSc in Applied Statistics from New York University.
Tyler G Hall
Director of Communications
Tyler joins GiveDirectly after a six year stint working in late night television as a director, producer, and writer. In 2017, he was nominated for an Emmy for his work on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee's Hurricane Maria Relief Special. He graduated from Harvard College with a BA in Sociology.
Melissa Harpool
Outreach Coordinator
Melissa holds a bachelor's degree in organizational communication from the University of Central Florida. She has experience in managing account relations for companies ranging from small private businesses to global industry leaders. She previously worked at McKinsey & Company as an Executive Assistant to top level management.
Stephanie Hill
Vice President of People
Stephanie joins GiveDirectly with over 12 years of recruitment and talent development experience. Most recently, she was at the NYC Department of Education, where she was responsible for the recruitment of the city's 5,000 annual teacher hires. There, she founded the New York City Teaching Collaborative, an innovative teacher recruitment and training program, and launched NYC Men Teach, a comprehensive initiative to improve the diversity of NYC's teaching force through partnerships and programming, leadership development and mentoring.
Heidi Hirvonen
People Engagement Manager
Heidi joins GiveDirectly from Good Eggs, where she helped to scale a variety of acquisition funnels, from email to partnerships to referral. She is passionate about growing socially-impactful organizations taking unusual approaches to affecting real change. She holds degrees from Wesleyan University in government and English and is a graduate of the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs.
William Howe
Liberia & Morocco Finance Manager
William holds a BBA in Accounting from the University of Liberia and he is also part-qualified ACCA. He has extensive experience with both the private and public sectors in accounting, auditing, finance management as well as private consultancy. He joined GiveDirectly from his private consultancy work with small/medium sized businesses and local NGOs. Prior to private consultancy and his over two years with Checchi Consulting (a US based firm implementing USAID project in the judiciary sector), he was a Financial Analyst for five years and Chief Accountant for two years with USAID / Liberia.
Joe Huston
Managing Director
Prior to being Managing Director Joe was GiveDirectly's CFO, before that Joe spent 3 years managing operations for GiveDirectly in Kenya and Uganda. Joe joined GiveDirectly after working in the research and trading departments of the asset management firm, Bridgewater Associates. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College.
Salome Hussein
Kenya Field Manager
Salome holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a Diploma in Project Management and is currently enrolled for a master's degree in Sociology at Maseno University. Salome has over 10 years of experience working in Research and Development projects where she has served as a Research Coordinator, a Project Officer and a Deputy Project Manager. She has been privileged to work at CARE Kenya, SWAP and the Aquaya Institute.
Sarina Jain
US Manager
Prior to joining GiveDirectly, Sarina worked in Ghana as a Senior Research Associate with Innovations for Poverty Action and, before that, as a Research Analyst with the Global Poverty Research Lab at Northwestern University. She holds a B.S. in International Economics from Georgetown University.
Jendayi Jones
Donor Relations Coordinator
Jendayi graduated from the University of Chicago with a double major in Biology and Public Policy. She joins GiveDirectly after a year as an English Teaching Assistant in Brussels, Belgium through the Fulbright Program.
Said Juma
Kenya HR Manager
Said Holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce and a Higher Diploma in Human Resource Management. He has over six years of experience of working in the market research, education, logistics, and forestry industries. He is currently pursuing a certified human resource practitioner certificate. He joined GiveDirectly from Komaza Forestry Limited where he was a Human Resource Specialist.
Omalha Kanjo
Malawi Senior Manager
Omalha holds a Bachelors degree in Education Science from the University of Malawi. She has 10 years of experience in Field Operations from Major FMCG companies such as Airtel and Carlsberg Malawi. She joins Give Directly from One Acre Fund where she was a Program Associate in field operations in charge of Marketing and enrollment.
Alia Karim
Partnerships Manager
Alia is an international development professional with extensive experience working in education across Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. She's worked on early grade literacy, play based learning, partnerships, and mobile data collection platforms with UNICEF, Right To Play International, the Earth Institute and Vera Solutions. Alia has a Master's degree in International Education from Columbia University and a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology and Mass Communications (double major) from UC Berkeley.
Sibongani Kayola
Liberia Program Manager
Sibongani is a mental health and international development professional interested in understanding the interaction between psychosocial factors and financial behavior. Sibongani holds a B.A in Psychology from the University of Zambia. Prior to joining GiveDirectly, Sibongani worked with innovations for Poverty Action (IPA).
Raissa Kalinganire
Rwanda Human Resources Manager
Raissa Kalinganire holds a masters in business administration with a specialization in human resources from Oklahoma Christian University. She has experience in human resources working with various Columbia University projects in Kigali, Rwanda. Prior to joining GiveDirectly, she worked in the HR Department at Ecobank Rwanda.
Bienvenu Kamana
DRC Field Manager
Bienvenu Kamana holds a Bachelor's degree in Information and Communication Science with a specialisation in Communication of Organisations from the Christian and Bilingual University of Congo .He has experience in the management of commercial companies. He also worked as a humanitarian, in advocacy of women's rights and managed the research and investigations with many NGOs in DRC. Prior to joining GiveDirectly he worked in the Tushiriki wote projects (Peace building through the strengthening of the economic movement and the empowerment of women) with International Alert.
Annie Kartheiser
Data Associate
Annie comes to GiveDirectly after 2-years as a consultant in IBM’s Digital Strategy and Financial Services practice. Prior to that, she worked at Endeavor Argentina on the operations team and at the Danish Institute for Human Rights as an analyst in the business and human rights group. Annie graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton University, with a B.A. from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy and International Affairs.
Faustah Kago
Kenya Office and Procurement Manager
Faustah joined Give Directly from Evidence Action, where she served as an associate office administrator. She has over ten years of experience in administration, serving in the private sector and in non-governmental organizations. She is currently pursuing a degree in procurement and contract management from Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology.
Michael Kayemba
Country Director, Uganda
Michael joins GiveDirectly after consulting and entrepreneurial roles. He was a process innovation advisor at CVS Health on operational efficiency and cost reduction projects. Prior, he worked at Public Consulting Group advising state governments on improving social services programs. He graduated a Morehead-Cain scholar from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with Biology and Public Policy degrees. Michael runs UZURI, a healthcare startup.
Stephen Kalungu
Kenya Senior Manager
Stephen holds a B.Sc. in foods, nutrition and dietetics from Egerton University and is currently a MPH student at Nairobi University, majoring in biostatistics. Prior to joining GiveDirectly he was a research analyst with IPA Namibia on the community-based rangeland and livestock programme. Previously he worked with IPA Kenya as a research coordinator in the Wash Benefits study. Prior to joining IPA Kenya, he worked as community research coordinator in an exclusive breastfeeding RCT with the universities of Egerton, Emory, and Toronto.
Ariana Keyman
Partnerships Director
Ariana holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from McGill University and a Master of Global Affairs from the University of Toronto. Prior to joining GiveDirectly, she was a Director at the Busara Center for Behavioral Economics in Kenya, where she led growth through expanding the organization’s funder base, driving strategic direction, and leading international expansion across 10 countries. She has also consulted for several international development organizations, including for Building Markets and the MIT GOV/LAB, on program management and evaluation.
Peter Kibet
Kenya Associate Field Manager
Peter holds a bachelor's degree in Applied Statistics with Information Technology from Maseno University, Kisumu. Before coming to GiveDirectly, he worked for Innovations for Poverty Action Kenya as a data entry officer, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics as a data entry clerk and the International Center for Reproductive Health Kenya as a county resident enumerator supervisor.
Lilian Kimuya
Kenya Finance Manager
Lilian holds a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from the University of Nairobi and is a Certified Public Accountant of Kenya(CPA-K). Prior to joining GiveDirectly, she worked at KPMG Kenya for four years; specialized in the Public Sector and Development unit.
Doug Kirke-Smith
Regional Director
Doug has been working for NGOs in East and Southern Africa since 2008. His NGO experience spans 11 African countries working in Agriculture, Health, Child Protection, Education and Research. Prior to joining GD, Doug was the Country Director for Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) in Rwanda. Doug is an FCA Chartered Accountant with a BSc in Economics.
Victoria Allen Kumukyaya
Uganda Field Manger-Special Projects
Victoria holds a bachelor's degree in social work and social administration from Uganda Christian University and a postgraduate diploma in project planning and management from the Uganda Management Institute. She has over five years of experience working with international nonprofit organizations in Uganda focusing on project planning, fundraising, and policy formulation. Prior to joining GiveDirectly, she worked for the Prisons Fellowship – Uganda Chapter, Watoto Child Care Ministries, and Oasis Uganda in various management roles.
Leila Lahlou
Morocco Associate Field Manager
Leila Lahlou has a master's degree in auditing and management control. Her professional experience in the field of sustainable economic development is divided between the International Cooperation and the public sector. This rich experience has enabled her to acquire skills in the field of support to economic and social development, including monitoring and evaluation of projects, strategic planning, multi-actor coordination, and administrative and financial management. This experience has also allowed Leila to travel the rural world and to know first hand the economic and social development challenges of communities living in poverty.
Miriam Laker
Research Director
Miriam Laker is a Medical Doctor with specialist training in Tropical Medicine, International Health, and Research Methods. Before joining GiveDirectly, she was a Senior Researcher in the United States East Africa HIV-associated Malignancies Research group: a collaboration between the Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University, Uganda, and the University of California, San Francisco. She also heads the Client Welfare and Development Board Committee of Reach Out Mbuya Community Health Initiative which serves the urban poor in Uganda. In 2016 she was named one of Uganda's top 40 women under the age of 40.
Linda Lamya
Malawi Associate Field Manager
Linda holds a Bachelor’s degree in Aquaculture and Fisheries from the University of Malawi. She previously worked with ADRA Mw as a Project Manager where she led the implementation team and contributed to the strengthening of community’s resilience to climate change. Linda is an alumni fellow of the YALI RLC SA, as well as the Community Solutions Program.
Kristen Lee
Data Associate
Kristen holds a B.A. in Food Studies and Urban Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Previous to GiveDirectly, she worked with students at the National Outdoor Leadership School and with crisis response and preparedness at the United Nations Development Programme.
Garrison Lovely
Growth Data and Analytics Associate
Garrison joins the Growth team from Enigma Technologies, a data startup, where he worked as a field product manager. He previously was a consultant at McKinsey & Company. Garrison graduated from Cornell University, where he co-founded the Prison Reform and Education Project. He is passionate about Effective Altruism and is a co-organizer of New York's EA chapter.
Alexandra Mackenzie
Country Director, DRC
Alexandra joined GiveDirectly from primary research firm Third Bridge, where she was Vice President of Operations for European Private Equity. Prior to this, she managed their francophone research team, responsible for growth in France & Benelux. Alexandra holds a B.A. in Modern Languages at The University of Manchester.
Bennis Dahn Madave
Associate Field Manager
Bennis holds Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and Mass Communications from the United Methodist University. I joined Give Directly from the private sector working for the Danish Refugee Council. I am experienced in protecting, empowering and monitoring the social well being and livelihood of vulnerable people through community and individual engagement.
Violet Magoba
Government Relations Manager
Violet holds a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and Media Studies, with a major in Broadcast Journalism and more than eight years of advanced knowledge and experience in both public and private sectors. Prior to joining GiveDirectly, she was a project specialist at One Acre Fund. She has also worked as the Lead Research Assistant for the Rotary Club of Nairobi and the University of Denver in the global WASHES program in Kenya.
Edwin Monda
Treasury & Roving Finance Manager
Edwin holds a certification from the Institute of Certified Public Accounts Kenya (ICPAK), and Bachelor of Commerce in finance from KCA University. He joined GiveDirectly from the Nairobi Hospital, where he was a credit officer in the credit control department.
Leonard Moragia
Kenya Field Manager
Leonard holds a Bachelor of Commerce in finance from KCA University and is currently pursuing CPA (Certified Public Accountant) Part III. He has experience in Research, Monitoring and Evaluation. Prior to joining GiveDirectly, he worked with Innovations for Poverty Action Kenya as a Research Associate.
Chikondi Mphonde
Human Resources Manager
Chikondi Mphonde holds a Bachelor or Arts Degree from the University of Namibia in Industrial Psychology and Communications. She joined GiveDirectly from the private sector working for Nedbank. She has experience in People management and Learning and Development.
Rudy Mudakikwa
Rwanda Finance Manager
Rudy holds a Masters in Business Administration with specialization in Project Management from Oklahoma Christian University. He has been working with NGOs for the last 10 years with extensive experience in financial management. Prior to joining GiveDirectly, he worked at Society for Family Health Rwanda (SFH) as the organization accountant.
Grace Mwihia
Malawi Senior Finance Manager
Grace holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Statistics and is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Project Planning and Management. She is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA-K). Prior to joining GiveDirectly, Grace worked at KPMG Kenya for 5 years.
Yvette Izabayo Mukagaju
Rwanda Associate Field and Government Relations Manager
Yvette holds a bachelor's of science in economics from the College of Business and Economics in the University of Rwanda. Yvette has knowledge and leadership skills acquired through training in Uganda, Kenya, and the USA. Before joining GiveDirectly, Yvette was working with a data, research, and advisory company called Laterite Ltd as an enumerator.
Alex Nawar
Director, Humanitarian & US Operations
Alex holds a B.A. and an M.A. in Political Science from Boston University. Prior to joining GiveDirectly, Alex managed the Basic Income project at Y Combinator Research. He previously worked as a research associate at Innovations for Poverty Action.
Gloria Ngabire
Rwanda Field Director
Gloria joins Give Directly from the fields of IT Systems Integration and Internet Service Provision where she held executive roles and spearheaded nation-wide scale initiatives. She brings a 10 year track record working with the Rwandan private sector as a project manager, a sales and marketing director and a business entrepreneur. She holds a diploma from the School of ICT at the University of Rwanda, is ITIL certified, and is also currently pursuing a Portfolio Management Professional Certification (PfMP) with the Project Management Institute.
Jerome Ngoga
Rwanda Call Center Associate Field Manager
Jerome holds a B.Sc. in agricultural economics and agribusiness from the National University of Rwanda. Prior to joining GiveDirectly, he was a seed sector consultant and researcher at Center for Development Innovation, Wageningen University.
Cedric Ntwali
Rwanda Associate Field Manager
Cedric Ntwali holds a bachelor's degree in banking and finance from Mount Kenya University. Cedric joined GiveDirectly as a field officer and was recently promoted to associate field manager. Prior to GiveDirectly, he was working with Laterite Ltd., a research and advisory company based in Rwanda.
Ivan Ntwali
Country Director, Rwanda
Ivan holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and an associate's degree in microfinance from Uganda Martyrs University. Prior to joining GiveDirectly he was the sales and marketing manager at Mobisol where he joined from Bharti Airtel retail and corporate manager at Bharti Airtel. Prior to that, he was operations manager at Hass Petroleum and supplies officer at Total Uganda.
Patience Nuwagira
Rwanda Office and Procurement Manager
Patience has a Degree in Finance and five years’ experience in administrative operations in NGOs. Before GiveDirectly, she was Administrator at WaterAid Rwanda and was also Finance and Administration Officer at Garry White Knight Audit Firm. Her skills include office management, customer care, logistics and general finance.
Zondwayo Nyirenda
Malawi Associate Field Manager
Zondwayo holds a Diploma in Environmental Management from Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources College. He has worked as a Field Director at One Acre Fund Malawi where he was responsible for contributing in planning of field activities.
Denis Nyanja
Africa Finance Director
Denis has a bachelor of science degree in information sciences from Moi University and is pursuing an MBA at Strathmore Business School. He is a certified and registered public accountant in Kenya. He joined GiveDirectly from Virunga Power, a renewable energy start-up where he was the Finance Manager. Prior to joining Virunga, he was a Senior Audit Associate at KPMG Kenya. He has extensive experience in financial accounting, reporting, financial controls, and compliance.
John Odero
Kenya Field Manager
John holds a bachelor's degree in business and economics with IT from Maseno University. Prior to joining GiveDirectly, he facilitated digital empowerment programs and provided support to social enterprises in business and technology at Digital Opportunity Trust Kenya. John has experience in capacity development, entrepreneurship, monitoring and evaluation, and IT.
Andrés Parrado
Data Associate
Andrés joins GiveDirectly from IDinsight in New Delhi, where he was a Manager in the financial inclusion team. He has previously worked in various research roles at MIT's Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), the University of Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government, and the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad. Andrés holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Princeton University and loves to learn new languages.
Farheen Rizvi
Senior Manager, Humanitarian
Farheen joined GiveDirectly from One Acre Fund, where she worked in Field Operations in Malawi and Tanzania. She was previously a management consultant at PwC and physics teacher with Teach For America. Farheen holds an M.S. in International Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a B.S. from the University of Michigan.
Harris Roberts
Senior Growth Marketing Manager
Harris focuses on organic traffic acquisition, conversion optimization, and donor retention. He joined GiveDirectly after working for three years as an independent marketing consultant. Harris holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Bryant University.
Tessa Robertson
Chief of Staff
Tessa joins GiveDirectly from Oliver Wyman Consulting, where she worked in healthcare and financial services across the US and Asia. She holds a B.A. in Government from Dartmouth College.
Caroline Teti
Director, Recipient Advocacy
Caroline holds an M.A. in development communication from Daystar University, a B.Ed. Arts English-major from Kenyatta University, and a diploma in gender and human rights from Uppsalla University. She joins GiveDirectly from Evidence Action where she worked as a Senior Program Manager of Kenya's National school-based deworming program. She has experience in program management and advocacy in government and NGOs in Kenya.
Graham Tyler
Data Associate
Graham followed his college baseball playing experience into a career in analytics and operations with the Tampa Bay Rays. He left the Rays after six seasons to spend 2019 exploring abroad, working primarily in Palestine and Kenya. After returning to the U.S., he volunteered for a 2020 political campaign and for GetUsPPE prior to joining GiveDirectly as a Data Associate.
Winnie Vivian
Kenya Field Manager
Winnie holds a bachelor's degree in education from Moi University and is currently pursuing a CPA. Prior to joining GD, she worked at Nyamonye Girls' High School in Bondo where she taught and headed the counseling department, working hand in hand with the Impact Research Organization to ensure the quality of students' education and opportunities.
Rachel Waddell
Director, European Partnerships
Rachel joined GiveDirectly from the Overseas Development Institute where she was Head of Strategic Partnerships for governance and climate change. Prior to this, she worked on climate change and sustainable development in strategy and partnerships roles with the New Climate Economy, the Global Green Growth Institute and the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change. She holds a BA from the University of Nottingham and an MA from the University of Leeds.
Lydiah Wangechi
Kenya Country Director
Before joining GiveDirectly Lydiah was the Interim CEO at Ongoza - an accelerator for early-stage, growth-oriented young entrepreneurs in Kenya, providing a blend of tailored technical assistance, peer community, and investment readiness support. She has extensive experience in international development throughout East Africa with specialties in fundraising & partnerships, start-up coaching, program design and product development.
Through her leadership, Ongoza has served over 500 entrepreneurs across sectors in Kenya this year with revenue growth of up to 2,100%.
Lydiah is passionate about nurturing high potential young women leaders of impact and is an alumni of The Coaching Fellowship and Perennial Fellowship.
John Wanjau
Kenya Field Manager
John holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry from Egerton University, and is currently pursuing a Project Management certificate at Kenya Institute of Management.
He joins GiveDirectly from Innovations for Poverty Action where he worked as an Associate Field Manager on the impact evaluation of Smallholder Horticultural Farmers Empowerment as well as Universal Basic Income programs. He has also worked with Georgetown University Initiative for Innovation, Development, and Evaluation.
Ron Wilson
Liberia Operations Manager
Ron holds a B.Sc. in Accounting from Cuttington University in Liberia and is currently pursuing an MBA (General Management). He has over nine years of professional experience focused in General Support Services. Before Ron joined GiveDirectly, he worked with Concern Worldwide as the Country HR Supervisor. Prior to that Ron, was Head of Field Office for Danish Refugee Council in Northern Liberia.
Catherine Wu
Director of Product
Cat joins GiveDirectly from Google where she spent 5 years as a Product Manager on Google Docs, Maps, and Data Privacy. She holds a B.S.E in Computer Science from Princeton University and is passionate about bridging technology and social impact.
Julie Xia
Software Engineer
Julie joins GD after 3 years at Google working on cross-platform support for the Bazel build system. In that time she took a 6-month sabbatical to work with Google.org on GD's data-driven recipient targeting for post-natural disaster humanitarian response. She graduated from Amherst College with a BA in Computer Science and Environmental Studies (go mammoths!)