Kāvya Raman
Kāvya Raman believes design is the use of power to shape what’s possible. She designs and facilitates spaces for change with organizations, movements, governments, and communities learning how to become good future ancestors. Her work focuses on shaping strategies, practices, and ways of working that help people and institutions cross thresholds with care, courage, and imagination. Over the past fifteen years, Kāvya has lived and worked across war zones and megacities including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Turkey, Jordan, Haiti, Egypt, Italy, and the United States, navigating cultures, languages, and ways of knowing, being, and belonging. Her experience spans social impact design, facilitation, coaching, organizational leadership, and program strategy with nonprofits, foundations, international organizations, and governments, including collaborations with The International Rescue Committee, The Gates Foundation, Oxfam International, Global Affairs Canada, and the U.S. Department of State. Her superpower is adaptation.
Regina Rabenhorst
Regina Rabenhorst, owner of and consultant for Triple Crown Results, is a Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) with over twenty years of experience in instructional design, facilitation, change management, coaching, and organizational development. She is an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF) providing management and leadership, executive, and career coaching for clients. She has worked both in the US and around the world with numerous international project staff, in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Clients include federal government agencies such as USAID, Department of Education, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Department of Defense, National Security Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Department of Labor, as well as private and non-profit contractors and implementing partners, including the Walmart Foundation, Chemonics International, RTI, FHI360, Social Impact, AECOM, Urban Institute, and Helen Keller International, among others. Regina holds a Master of Arts in International Training and Education from American University and a Bachelor of Science in Latin American Economic Development from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Regina has a passion for helping individuals and teams leverage their strengths and maximize their potential.
Dylan McKenzie
Dylan McKenzie helps people learn, create, and take action by translating complexity into engaging, practical learning experiences. He has spent over a decade designing programs that connect creativity, education, and business, empowering people to build sustainable practices and unlock new opportunities. Dylan co-founded the NYU Game Center Incubator, where independent developers launched successful games and learned how to sustain their creative work. During his tenure, he helped grow the NYU Game Center from a two-class pilot into the world’s top-ranked game design program. At Teamshares, he led education for a national network of employee-owned small businesses, designing and scaling a learning system that supported over $4 million in wealth transfer to blue-collar workers. Now, Dylan is developing Project Rhythm, a music-learning game that helps beginners bridge the gap from curiosity to creating their first track. His consulting work spans clients such as ESPN, the Canadian Consulate, and the Sloan Foundation, with projects ranging from product exploration to curriculum and grant design. As a facilitator and program designer, Dylan centers his practice on clarity, creativity, and collaboration, helping technical and non-technical teams alike learn by doing and turn ideas into meaningful impact. He holds an MA in Arts Entrepreneurship and a BS in Media, Culture, and Communication, both from New York University.
Ciku Kimeria
Ciku Kimeria is an author, journalist, communication and strategy specialist, adventurer and travel writer. She writes both fiction and non-fiction focusing on African stories that need telling. She is the current Quartz Africa Editor and a longtime contributor to Quartz, having authored almost 60 articles for the site, on topics as wide-ranging as the perils of traveling with an African passport to the optimism inspired by Africa’s first non-fungible token (NFT) art collections. She is the author of two mystery novels (Dance of the Monkeys and Of goats and poisoned oranges), and has written for a variety of outlets, including African Arguments, OkayAfrica, and The Africa Report. Ciku has a wealth of communication and project management experience, having worked for and served as a communication advisor to Dalberg Advisors, Open Society Initiative of West Africa, and The Africa Agriculture and Trade Investment Fund. She has traveled to 56 countries, 23 of them in Africa. She has a bachelor of science degree in management from MIT and speaks English, Swahili, and French.
Victor Udoewa
Victor Udoewa is a Principal Service Designer in the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology at the CDC and a Senior Fellow at the International Computer Science Institute. Before that, he was the Chief Technology Officer, Chief Experience Officer, and Service Design Lead of the NASA Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (SBIR/STTR) Programs. Before NASA, he was Director of Strategy at 18F, a civic consultancy for and inside the federal government. He started the education business unit, developed a line of educational products and services, directed strategy, managed the digital strategists’ practice, and served as a designer and strategist on partner projects. Previously, as a Global Education Instructional Designer and Training Development Specialist at Google, he designed learning experiences for people in low-to-middle-income countries around the world. The education could range from experiences covering how to develop web applications and how to use the internet to improve teaching and learning, to experiences exploring how to use internet technologies in post-disaster emergency response situations as well as global digital literacy. As a part of that work, he also advised Google in global energy and access work. Prior to Google he served at USAID and DHS as a science & technology policy advisor and development engineer focusing on infrastructure, post-disaster reconstruction, climate neutrality and global health. Building on his time teaching in secondary schools, he sometimes teaches teachers as an educational specialist and adjunct professor of education focusing on science and math education through classes, workshops, and video series. He still conducts and publishes engineering, design, or education research and is a certified health crisis and trauma counselor focusing (HIV/AIDS, miscarriage, etc.). Pre-COVID, he enjoyed singing in his male a cappella group and teaching salsa classes on the weekend. He still enjoys time with his wonderful family and his local choir.
Aparna Shekar
Aparna Shekar is a passionate and highly experienced soft skills trainer and leadership coach with over 20 years of experience designing and delivering learning programs that support both individual growth and business transformation. Her work is rooted in the belief that strengthening people’s capabilities leads to better outcomes, and she brings this to life through interactive, insight-driven workshops and one-on-one coaching engagements with clients across the world. With a background in marketing, education, and facilitation, Aparna partners with organizations in sectors such as banking, technology, automotive, consulting, and education to help leaders deepen emotional intelligence, build resilient teams, and lead with clarity and purpose. She is especially skilled at facilitating learning for culturally diverse groups and is known for creating high-energy, inclusive learning environments both online and in person. As a certified coach and master trainer, Aparna is consistently praised for her engaging facilitation style and her ability to foster meaningful connection. Her areas of expertise include leadership development, communication, coaching and mentoring, emotional intelligence, influencing without authority, and managing uncertainty with resilience. She has led programs for organizations such as Microsoft, UBS, Mastercard, Deloitte, Intuit, Skoda Auto, Thoughtworks, and many others. Outside of her professional work, Aparna is a trained classical singer and dancer, a curious and enthusiastic home gardener, and a passionate storyteller. She has won awards for her writing and creativity and brings warmth, curiosity, and care into every space she enters. Whether she is coaching a senior leader, designing a team workshop, or simply listening deeply, Aparna remains committed to helping people show up with intention and grow with confidence.
Sarah Ellison
Sarah Ellison is a seasoned facilitator, strategist, and organizational development leader with over 18 years of experience working in 18 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and South Asia, the Middle East, and North America. She has lived and worked in Benin and Malawi, bringing a deep cross-cultural perspective to her work. With a BA in History from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an MA in International Development from American University, Sarah has designed and led strategic planning sessions, leadership retreats, network convenings, and high-impact learning events for community-based organizations, national NGOs, social enterprises, global philanthropy, and the United States Government. Sarah’s facilitation style is grounded in evidence-based approaches and shaped by her passion for community-led development, network weaving, and capacity sharing. She has a proven track record in guiding complex, multi-stakeholder processes, fostering collaboration, and helping teams align around shared goals. Her commitment to building stronger, more connected communities extends beyond her professional work. She co-founded Local Pivot, which mobilizes pro bono expertise to support local nonprofits, and contributes actively to the Local Systems Community. In her own neighborhood in Maryland, she continues her lifelong practice of service through volunteering and community engagement.
Megan Smith
Megan Smith is a leadership coach and facilitator with over 20 years of experience designing and leading retreats, workshops, and culture-building sessions for mission-driven organizations. As an expert in leadership development and executive coaching, Megan supports leaders and teams in reaching their goals and fostering more creative, energized, and resilient work cultures. She has lived and worked in Mexico, Brazil, Ireland, Timor-Leste, and Cambodia, designing and delivering leadership programs for more than 1,000 leaders from over 100 countries. Megan holds an MA in International Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a BA in History from Rice University. She is a Certified Professional Coach (iPEC) and a Certified Play Facilitator (Barometer XP). Raised in Texas, she now resides in Washington, D.C.
Raleshaba Moeng
Raleshaba Moeng was a co-founder of CVC Africa, a company which specializes in assisting entrepreneurs to grow their innovative ideas into viable business ventures and startups. He is currently a director of Bayhead Capital – leading teams that provide transaction support services to the mergers and acquisitions industry globally. Raleshaba has been previously exposed to a number of industries in his capacity as a consultant for the Johannesburg office of McKinsey & Company including mining, oil and gas, financial services and energy. Raleshaba has vast technology sector experience – notable roles include IBM South Africa in the area of software support; and DELL-EMC in the role of pre-sales and consulting. He was also a software developer for First National Bank in their ATM network. Academically, Raleshaba has completed a BSc in Computer Science, Informatics and Finance and he has also completed an MBA with a specialization in Entrepreneurship. More recently, he has completed the Executive Development Programme (EDP) with the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. Raleshaba has corporate governance experience and expertise, serving as a member of the Board of the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC). He also served as a member of the Social and Ethics Committee (SEC) of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency of South Africa (GGDA). He also has public sector experience with the Trans Calledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA), a division of the South African government’s Department of Water Affairs. Raleshaba continues to serve as a mentor and facilitator for a number of entrepreneurship programs and other clients. He was a part time faculty member of the University of South Africa (UNISA) and adjunct faculty at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) enterprise development academy where he lectures on the topics of entrepreneurship, business models and problem-solving methodologies including design thinking. Notable facilitation clients he has served recently include USAID; the Mastercard Foundation; the Young Africans Leadership initiative (YALI); as well as the Allan and Gill Gray Philanthropies.
Micheline Ntiru
Micheline Ntiru is an impact leader with over 20 years of professional experience across Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the United States. She has held leadership positions with multinationals and leading NGOs such as Nokia and Care International respectively, as well as with startups and academia. Fluent in nine languages—including Swahili, French, Spanish, and Portuguese—Micheline considers herself a global citizen and delights in working across diverse cultures. Micheline currently serves as a senior facilitator, leading strategic workshops for senior C suite founders and leaders as well as managers of non for profit organisations globally. As facilitator with Stanford Unversity, she led over 90 workshops for founders and C-suite leaders across 20 countries in Africa and India. Workshop topics included strategic leadership development, change management, crosscultural communication, human centric design, corporate governance, innovative finance approaches and impact investment, among others. Furthermore, Micheline is a certified executive coach, offering executive coaching to corporates, small businesses, and non-profit professionals from Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. Most of her coaching relates to helping leaders cultivate confidence and authority to enhance their impact within their organizations as well as improving self-awareness, empathy and wellness. Key clients for her coaching include Yale University, Stanford University, One Acre Fund, Care International KCB Bank as well as The Gates Foundation. Micheline is also a public health specialist and has deep technical expertise as an operator in the healthcare and agribusiness sectors with UNICEF and in development finance and impact finance with the International Finance Corporation (IFC). She has led this work across 40 countries in Africa and 15 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Additionally, Micheline serves as a keynote speaker and moderator at prominent forums such as the UN General Assembly, COP, Africa Tech Summit and Women Who Build Africa among others. Micheline is a Venture Partner with the impact funds Delta 40 and eHA Impact Ventures (EIV), where she focuses on advising startups in the agricultural, green energy and health sectors. Driven by her entrepreneurial spirit, Micheline co-founded “We Three Queens of Africa,” a women’s social enterprise and multimedia platform dedicated to empowering and mentoring women while showcasing African narratives. Her insights into social enterprise and business have been featured in BBC Africa, New Vision, and the Stanford Review. She is also an experienced board member andserves as a non-executive director of E Health Group, I&M Bank Uganda, among other organizations. Micheline holds an MBA from the University of Cambridge, UK and a BSc from Mt Holyoke College and is passionate about education, south-south partnerships, wellness and empowering young girls and women.