The Team
Sasha Fisher moved to East Africa in July 2010 to develop the Spark MicroGrants model. Her previous experiences in South Sudan, South Africa, India, and Uganda have led to her passion for community-led development. Sasha holds a BA from the University of Vermont in Studio Art and a self-designed major of Human Security, a paradigm for development that recognizes the rising legitimacy of non-state actors in securing basic human needs.
Mike Burshteyn joins Spark after four years at a Connecticut-based hedge fund. He is excited to leave behind his cubicle for the beautiful hills of Rwanda and looks forward to leveraging his experience to build out Spark’s financial capacity. Mike is a graduate of Tufts University where he majored in Quantitative Economics. When he isn’t poring over Excel spreadsheets, Mike likes to read, cook, play soccer, and hang out with his Rwandan pup, Kumoka.
Lili Chargin brings over five years experience working in the non-profit and advocacy world, most recently in fundraising and public relations at a national community development finance organization in New York City. She became passionate about locally led development during a recent trip to Malawi, where she observed the power and potential of community decision-making and accountability. Lili is an active NYC public high school mentor, and holds a BA in Women’s Studies from Barnard College, Columbia University.
Neal is the Chief Strategy Officer at Dimagi and a computer scientist with field experience in applying information technologies to help organizations address poverty in low-income regions. He has published and lectured extensively in data visualization, data mining, and automated planning and logistics. He has developed medical record and analysis systems for Partners in Health, the government of Rwanda, and a large AIDS treatment program in Tanzania, and worked with many other Universities and NGOs. He is coordinating a Harvard-funded research project in South Africa. Neal holds a PhD in computer science from the University of Washington and a masters degree in global health from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Teddy Svoronos conceived of microgrants as a Fulbright Scholar in Tanzania working with health workers in a rural clinic. Their ingenuity, drive, and intimate knowledge of their environment left a deep impression on him, and he has since worked to tap into that knowledge and energy around the world. Teddy holds a Masters of Public Health from Columbia University, and is currently a PhD student in Health Policy at Harvard University studying evaluative sciences & statistics.
Eamon Penney joined Spark MicroGrants’ team in East Africa in 2012 with the aim of increasing Spark’s operational capacity. After nine months on the group, he moved back to the States and is working with Medicines San Frontiers in New York, but is still actively involved in the evolution of Spark’s programs. Eamon had previously spent two years living and working in Tanzania, and has experience with microfinance and community organizing. He graduated in 2009 with a degree from the University of Vermont’s Department of Community Development and Applied Economics.
Andy Pritchard has worked on community health programs in resource-scarce settings both domestically and abroad. His main areas of focus are program design and evaluation. His work with Spark MicroGrants includes developing and coordinating Spark MicroGrant’s outreach program.
Andy has a Masters of Public Health in Health Management and Policy from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. He also has certificates in Global Health and Community Based Participatory Research.
Natasha Frosina became interested in community led developed when she first traveled to Rwanda and Uganda in the fall of 2010. In the summer of 2011, she returned to Rwanda to intern with Spark MicroGrants and has continued working on Spark MicroGrant’s communication outreach since. In June 2012, she returned to Rwanda to complete follow-up work with communities. Natasha’s previous experience includes working at a policy think tank, in the U.S. Senate, and on a Congressional campaign. Natasha holds a BA in International Affairs from The George Washington University and is currently a masters student at the African Studies Centre at the University of Oxford.
Aime Nahayo is graduating from the Kigali Institute of Education in Summer 2013 with a major in Drama Education. While in school, Aime was involved in organizations using theatre as a tool for community development, and he has been teaching drama to secondary school students at GS Rugarama for the past year. As a facilitator with Spark, Aime has helped conduct various surveys in past and present communities around Rwanda, and is now coordinating projects in the South and the North. Aime is passionate about working with and energizing local communities.
Ernest Ngabonzima is a journalism student at The National University of Rwanda with a passion for community driven change. He has been central in building the Rwanda programs, including follow up mechanisms and facilitator trainings. In the past Ernest has worked with the cultural tourism board in northern Rwanda and other non-governmental organisations to support local development initiatives.
Aloys Gashema is Rwandan by nationality but was born in Masisi, DRC. He began working as a Facilitator with Spark MicroGrants in March 2012, and has a passion to work with communities. In 2012, Aloys graduated from the National University of Rwanda in Journalism and Communication. During university he was the Vice President of the Students’ Club for Unity and Reconciliation, attended the Do-No-Harm approach training & Leadership Development Training. In 2007, he attended the International Youth Conference on Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution & Peace Building/ Great Lakes Region.
Consolee Umwiza holds a Bachelors Degree in Biotechnology from the National University of Rwanda, where she volunteered with Rwanda Village Concept Project (RVCP) as the director of the women’s empowerment program. RVCP’s main goal is to work with underprivileged communities to provide sustainable improvements in their living conditions. Comprised mainly of university students, RVCP also aims to develop the skills and knowledge of their student-staff. Passionate about brining change to her community, Consolee also invested her time and effort in young people, as a trainer of peer educators on HIV/AIDS and behavior change with PSI Rwanda.
Sydney Kornegay’s passion for community empowerment stems from her experiences both locally and abroad. She has spent five summers working as a volunteer coordinator for an NGO in Malawi, and has studied community health issues in India, Guatemala, and Haiti. Most recently, she has served as a high school teacher in Bronx, New York, where she started a Community Service Internship program for inner-city youth. Sydney holds a BA from Davidson College in Political Science.
Aileen Palmer is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where she majored in Health and Societies. She has a range of experiences working in the public health field, from interning at Genetic Alliance in Washington, D.C. to working as a research assistant with Guatemalan Health Initiative. Her work with Spark MicroGrants will focus both on monitoring & evaluations and communications.
Alex is originally from the Mount Elgon region of Uganda and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Development and Social Work from the Uganda Christian University. Alex previously worked for various non-governmental organizations, including Childfund International as a Community Development Officer and Management Sciences for Health as an Administrative Assistant. She has also served in numerous capacities for the local government, and most recently as a Community Development Officer in her home district of Manafwa. Alex has a deep passion for communities and helping others improve their own lives and is pursuing her post-graduate studies in Non-Profit Management at the Uganda Management Institute.
Liz McKenna’s interest in community organizing arises from her professional experiences in international development and national politics. Before joining Spark MicroGrants, Liz served as the Campaign Manager of the Truman National Security Project’s Make US Strong campaign. In this position, Liz led a nation-wide advocacy movement focused on the importance of international development programs to our national security. Previously, Liz served in political campaign and constituent service capacities for Congressman Scott Murphy, Senator Edward Kennedy, and for a Member of Parliament in England. She also recently spent five months traveling in West Africa and teaching English and math to HIV/AIDS orphans in Ghana. A proud native of Lake Placid, NY, Liz received her B.A. in History and Government from Skidmore College.
Allen is originally from the Mbale region in Uganda. She recently graduated from Kyambogo University, where she received her Bachelors Degree in Social Work. Prior to joining Spark MicroGrants, Allen served in multiple volunteer capacities for the Mbale Area of Federations of Communities as well as for Alive Medical Services. Allen is currently completing her her post-graduate studies in Nonprofit Management this fall.
Fred is a social worker by profession and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and Social Administration from Makerere University in Kampala. Previously, Fred worked as Field Officer with The Hunger Project, as Project Officer for the Friends of Canon Gideon Foundation, and volunteered with the National Forum of People Living With HIV/AIDS Network. Fred is currently facilitating microgrants in eastern Uganda.
Andy Bryant is the Executive Director of the Segal Family Foundation. At the Segal Family Foundation he oversees over 120 grantees in Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to joining the Segal Foundation, he worked with TechnoServe in India and Tanzanian Children’s Fund in rural East Africa. Andy is a graduate of Syracuse University where he completed a Masters in Public Administration and International Development, and a BA from Princeton University where he focused on History, African Studies and Environmental Studies.
Allison is a seasoned social enterprise leader with extensive experience in international business, economic development, and corporate social responsibility. She’s dedicated her career to creating sustainable opportunities for underserved populations, and creating a positive future for workers and their families. Most recently, Allison was Executive Director of StreetWise Partners. Prior to this, she managed business development for Verite, a recipient of a 2007 Skoll Award that helps corporations find innovative solutions to workplace problems in over 70 countries. She also held senior management roles at the Center for Women & Enterprise, MusicMatters, and CitySoft Inc., a recipient of MIT’s Socially Responsible Business Award. Devore began her career as a consultant for Accenture and KPMG’s communications and technology strategy practice. She monitored the 1999 elections in South Africa and was a fellow in McKinsey & Co’s nonprofit initiative. She has been an advisor to Investing in Media that Matters – at Sundance, America Forward, and the U.S. State Department’s President’s Interagency Council on Women, Opportunity Nation among others. She received her B.A. in Economics from U.C. Irvine and Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Ranu Dhillon, M.D. has worked with and founded organizations to develop leadership potential in youth, during medical school he founded Roses from the Concrete, a project geared towards developing leadership potential among inner city and immigrant youth in Philadelphia. He was Health Coordinator at MVP Rwanda and led Harvard based projects.
Founder and CEO of Dimagi, Jonathan Jackson is an entrepreneur and innovator with extensive health technology expertise in both developed and developing countries. He is the Founder & CEO of Dimagi and leads several efforts to build software engineering capacity in low-resource countries through partnerships and collaboration. Jonathan earned bachelors and masters degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Jonathan also co-founded Cogito Health, a pioneering company using speech analytics for depression management, and Doctor Kares Hospital, a low-cost orthopedic surgical hospital in New Delhi. He is also a visiting scientist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Decision Systems Group, and a lecturer at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.
Anders Jones is Chief Operating Officer and co-founder at Zirtual, a San Francisco-based start-up that provides virtual executive assistants. He is also a director of Exiles Network, a sports technology company and a partner in Global Gateways Ventures, a Caribbean outsourcing company.
Previously, Anders was a general manager at Rapleaf/LiveRamp, a big-data enterprise technology company, where he was responsible for several business units over a three year period. He is also the founder and former CEO of Teens for Technology, an NGO that puts computers in school in poor countries.
Anders is a graduate of Stanford University, and holds a B.A. in International Relations.
Neal is the Chief Strategy Officer at Dimagi and a computer scientist with field experience in applying information technologies to help organizations address poverty in low-income regions. He has published and lectured extensively in data visualization, data mining, and automated planning and logistics. He has developed medical record and analysis systems for Partners in Health, the government of Rwanda, and a large AIDS treatment program in Tanzania, and worked with many other Universities and NGOs. He is coordinating a Harvard-funded research project in South Africa. Neal holds a PhD in computer science from the University of Washington and a masters degree in global health from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Grace is the Chief Operating Officer at Rwanda Works and the Access Project in Rwanda, where she manages program implementation, strategic development, and provides technical assistance on a range of projects. Previously, she worked on women’s health and reproductive rights policy in Washington, DC and as a community organizer in rural North Carolina. A graduate of Wesleyan University with a degree in Sociology, Grace was the recipient of the Anna Julia Cooper Prize for overall academic, moral, and intellectual excellent and work against discrimination.
The 2011 summer intern class:
Natasha Frosina (George Washington University), Christine Kelly (University of Vermont), Annie Whalen (University of Vermont), Shareef Ghanem (Johns Hopkins University)
The 2012 summer intern class:
Dennis Wang (Yale University), Kate Stanley (University of Virginia), Sophia Michelin (Tufts University), Emily Nuss (Middlebury College), Sarah Nuss (Duke University)
The 2013 summer intern class:
Zara Riaz (Davidson College), Talya Lockman-Fine (Yale University), Anna Watt (Vanderbilt University)
Research Interns: Arielle Robin (London School of Economics)
Social Media Intern: Elizabeth Kim (University of Pennsylvania)
