ABOUT
I am a pragmatic optimist that thrives on helping
people and organizations achieve their visions of change.
My formal education comes from the Executive Management Training Program at Harvard Business School and the Co-Active Training Institute, but in reality, mostly everything I know comes from over a decade of real-world experience, starting with co-founding two social ventures before I was 25.
I co-founded Innovation: Africa back in 2008, amidst a financial crisis. By the time I stepped down as Managing Director seven years later, what had started as just an idea to leverage renewable energy and agricultural technology in rural sub-Saharan Africa grew into an international organization that has since delivered clean water, improved education, proper medical care, and economic opportunity to over two million people. In doing this work, we were granted Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, I was published in Forbes, spoke at the UN, the Brookings Institution, the New York Stock Exchange, and more.
Needless to say, I learned a lot, and most of it I learned the hard way.
That’s what inspired me to launch my consulting practice in 2015. I wanted to offer others the support I wish I’d had in building my own organization. And so I began taking on clients both independently, and through WhyWhisper Collective, a strategy firm offering bold approaches to better our world, and a certified B Corporation.
I got my start in international development (a natural fit given my love of travel and my time living in West Africa), but since then I’ve worked with organizations on education, community organizing, the arts, the environment, leadership development, political campaigns, and more. At the heart of all of my work, regardless of the field, is a deep commitment to justice and equity.
When I’m not working, you’re likely to find me experimenting in my kitchen and garden, spending time in nature, reading, writing, and practicing yoga. These days I’m enjoying my new home in Portland, Oregon, where I moved with my partner and dog after spending 14 months on the road in an RV named Betty. To learn more about that crazy, wonderful adventure, click here.