Team

Our team combines expertise in management, technology, finance, and development logistics.

Board

Michael Faye

Director (US)

Michael Faye is the President and co-founder of GiveDirectly, which has been ranked a top international charity by GiveWell, recognized by FastCompany as one of the top 10 most innovative companies in finance, and was said to be “sending shockwaves through the charity sector” by the Guardian. He's also the CEO and co-founder of Segovia Technology, which is making it easier for organizations to pay anyone, anytime, anywhere in the emerging markets. 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. This year he joined the World Economic Forum’s community of Young Global Leaders. In addition, Michael is 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 PhD in Economics from Harvard, where he also studied Math and Classics.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Fabrice Adamo

DRC Office and Procurement Manage

Fabrice has over eight years of experience working with different international non-governmental organizations in administration, operations and logistics. Before joining GiveDirectly, he worked with Virunga Foundation as the Head of Logistics and Management Systems International as the Operations Manager in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He holds a postgraduate diploma in Rural Economy and Financial management from Goma University in the DRC.

Lydia Amali

Uganda Associate Field Manager

Prior to GiveDirectly, Lydia was an area manager at Bridge International Academies ensuring effective management and running of multiple academies in Central, Northern and West Nile regions of the country. She previously worked as a child sponsorship and development assistant in World Vision Uganda connecting children, their families, and their communities to work towards child well-being outcomes. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Development studies from Uganda Christian University and a Diploma in Secondary school education from Kyambogo University-Kampala Uganda.

Anne Aroka

Kenya Associate Field Manager

Anne holds a degree in social work and social administration from Uganda Christian University as well as a certificate in HIV counseling and testing. Prior to her work at GiveDirectly, she coordinated the implementation of HIV programs at Impact Research Organization and Kisumu District Hospital. Anne is currently pursuing a degree program at the University of Nairobi in sociology and political science.

Theodora Angeline Ariim

Uganda Associate Field Manager

Theodora holds a B.A in organizational studies and philosophy from Makerere University as well as a postgraduate diploma in monitoring and evaluation from the Uganda Management Institute. She joined GiveDirectly after providing MERL support at Restless Development Uganda. Prior to that, she managed field research teams at Economic Policy Research Center and provided administrative support at IVAD International. Theodora is involved in development work within her community where she co-founded a women's tailoring and design project and youth group with three livelihood projects to date.

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.

Genevieve Barrons

Malawi Country Director

Prior to joining GiveDirectly, Genevieve worked at the MIT Media Lab and the Open Society Foundations. She holds degrees in English Literature, International Relations and African Studies from the University of British Columbia and the University of Cambridge.

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.

Meylakh Barshay

Director of Technology

Meylakh holds an A.B. in computer science from Harvard University. Prior to joining GiveDirectly, Meylakh spent just over two and a half years working as a technology associate at Bridgewater Associates.

Ashley Beale

Communications Manager

Ashley holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College and an MA from Georgetown University. Prior to joining GiveDirectly she worked in policy communications and public opinion research for advocacy organizations and political campaigns.

Han Sheng Chia

Humanitarian Director

Han Sheng holds a B.A. from Brown University in international relations. Prior to joining GiveDirectly, he was a consultant at Keystone Strategy. He previously co-founded the social enterprise MED International and has worked for the Singapore Army as a military reporter.

Isobel Coleman

COO

As Chief Operating Officer, Isobel Coleman brings management, strategy and emerging market experience to GiveDirectly. A former diplomat, Isobel served as U.S. Ambassador for Management and Reform at the United Nations, where she focused on improving peacekeeping effectiveness in Africa. Prior to that, she was a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Her writings on foreign policy and economic development have appeared in publications such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and The Atlantic, and she has authored several books. Isobel was formerly a partner with McKinsey and co-founder and CEO of a start-up healthcare services company. She holds a Ph.D. in international relations from Oxford University which she attended as a Marshall Scholar, and a BA from Princeton 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.

Lakshmi Davey

Chief Of Staff

Lakshmi comes to GiveDirectly from the Strategy Team at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, where she spent 3 years working on local development projects. She previously worked in municipal finance at Morgan Stanley. Lakshmi graduated from Princeton University with an A.B. from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Namita Desai

Liberia Country Director

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

Director of Growth

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.

Michael Faye

President, Co-founder

Eric Friedman

East Africa Regional Director

Eric holds a B.A. in history from Yale University. He joined GiveDirectly from New Mountain Capital in New York, where he was a private equity associate. He previously worked in the financial institutions investment banking group at Credit Suisse.

Heidi Hirvonen

Growth Marketing 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.

Salome Hussein

Kenya Associate 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.

Omalha Kanjo

Malawi Program 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.

Gibson Nyirenda

Malawi Office Manager

Gibson Nyirenda joined Give Directly from Project Concern International, where he worked as Operations and Office Manager. He has over 10 years of experience in Office Administration, Contracts and Grants, Procurement, Logistics and Security. He has served in a number of different non – governmental organizations. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management, a Diploma in Business Administration and a Certificate in Corporate Finance. He is currently pursuing MBA from Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI).

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).

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.

Maya Handa

Data Associate

Maya holds a B.A. in Public Policy and Latin American Studies from the University of Chicago. Her thesis discusses the impact of Mexico's cash transfer program on women's empowerment. Prior to joining GiveDirectly, she worked for Accenture as a management consultant and the UChicago Urban Labs as a research assistant.

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.

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

CFO

Prior to heading GiveDirectly’s finance function, 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.

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.

Faustah Kago

Kenya Office Administrator

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

Uganda Country Director

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 Program 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.

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.

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.

Mark Laichena

Kenya Country Director

Mark is GiveDirectly's Kenya Country Director. Prior to GiveDirectly, he was a management partner in Kenya's Ministry of Health, supporting community health scale-up goals. He previously worked as a consultant with McKinsey, and as a operations transformation coach in New York's public hospital system. He has a BA in Peace, War and Defense from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead-Cain scholar.

Fiona Liao

Finance & Operations Manager

Fiona holds a B.A. in political science from Columbia University. Prior to joining GiveDirectly, she was a business analyst at Deloitte Consulting. She has experience working in consulting and law in Shanghai, New York, and Taipei, and in human rights at a nonprofit organization in Geneva.

Alexandra Mackenzie

DRC Country Director

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.

Sithembile Mkandawire

Malawi Call Center Manager

Sithembile holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Malawi. She joins Give Directly from One Acre Fund where she worked as a Project Specialist. She has experience in field operations management, strategy formulation and capacity development.

Edwin Monda

Kenya 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.

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.

Serge Musubao

DRC Program Manager

Prior to GiveDirectly, Serge was an Urban and Rural National Governance Projects Lead at the Center for Environmental Research, Governance, and Human Rights. He oversaw regional interventions to integrate participation and social accountability into public services management. He also served in both the public and humanitarian sectors, respectively as project and associate program manager. He holds a Masters’ degree in International Treaties Law from the Catholic University of Bukavu and a certificate in consulting from MDF Training & Consultancy and Inter-American Development Bank.

Grace Mwihia

Malawi 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 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.

Piali Mukhopadhyay

COO, International

Piali holds a master's degree in public administration from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and a bachelor's degree from MIT. She has extensive field experience working with non-governmental organizations in India, Nepal, Thailand, Zambia, and South Africa. Most recently, she worked for the Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) managing a large-scale randomized control trial on anti-corruption measures in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India.

David Namanjasi

Malawi Associate Field Manager

David holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences majoring in Economics from Chancellor College, University of Malawi. He has worked as a research coordinator at Kadale Consultants Limited where he led research, monitoring and evaluation assignments.

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

Rwanda Country Director

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

East Africa Director of Finance

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.

Brenda Onyango

Kenya Call Center Manager

Brenda joins GiveDirectly after working in Telcos and renewable energy industries. She has over 8 years experience in call center management. Prior to joining GiveDirectly, Brenda worked for M-KOPA Solar, heading a telesales team and helping M-KOPA improve the lives of low income earners. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Counseling Psychology and is COPC certified.

Mitch Riley

Regional Director and Evaluation Lead

Mitch holds degrees in economics and law from the University of Queensland and a master's degree from the University of Oxford. He joined GiveDirectly in 2015 as a field director in Kenya before moving to open the Rwanda office as country director. Before joining GiveDirectly, he was a litigation associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York. He has previously taught economics and worked in state politics and law in Australia.

Harris Roberts

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.

Gladys Sunda

Kenya Human Resources Manager

Gladys holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and a diploma in human resource management. She has over eight years of experience working in the IT, call center, and education industries in Kenya. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in human resource management. She joined GiveDirectly from Techno Brain Group where she was a Human Resource Manager.

Lydia Tala

Kenya Associate Field Manager

Lydia holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from Egerton University. Lydia is GiveDirectly's longest-standing staff member in Kenya and has made important contributions to the growth of its field operations since 2011. She previously worked with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission as Voter Registration Assistant and Support Elections Trainer. She has also done field work for ChildFund International and CARE Kenya.

Caroline Teti

Kenya External Relations Director

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.

Winnie Vivian

Kenya Associate 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.

Ron Wilson

Liberia Human Resources 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.