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 Matt Mitro & Friends
Matt continues to push forward Indego Africa's founding vision of using the power of social enterprise to transform the lives of economically-vulnerable but highly-skilled artisans in Africa. Matt has a longstanding interest in African development, stemming from his six years living in Nigeria and his personal experience with African women - those who support families and survive in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Matt is currently a Fellow of the Wittenberg Center for Global Ethics and the StartingBloc Institute for Social Innovation, where he focuses on social entrepreneurship in Africa. Matt has spoken about Indego Africa's innovative model to a variety of groups, from the World Affairs Council and Center for Unconventional Security Affairs to the African Social Enterprise Forum and Boston University. Matt's professional training includes three years spent as a practicing attorney in the United States coordinating the legal aspects of financing large-scale infrastructure projects in developing countries such as Bolivia, Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Matt also has spent time working in the U.S. Department of State and Department of Justice on international legal issues. He has conducted published legal research on the topic of combatting exploitative child labor through the global trading system (click here) and is conversational in French & German. Matt graduated magna cum laude from American University's Washington College of Law in 2003 and holds a bachelor's degree in economics and history from Washington University in St. Louis. Visit Matt's LinkedIn and Facebook pages and follow him on Twitter.
Benjamin D. Stone: Senior Vice President & General Counsel
 Ben Stone
Ben has spoken about leadership, Africa, the law, and social enterprise at various conferences and academic institutions - including Harvard Business School, NYU School of Law, Columbia Law, School and Boston University's School of International Relations - and hopes to convey the promise of Rwanda through his photos of the women partnering with Indego Africa. From June through July 2010 Ben was honored to attend Stanford Business School's Executive Program in Social Entrepreneurship. Visit Ben's LinkedIn and Facebook pages and follow him on Twitter. Ben currently lives in New York City. Conor French: Chief Financial Offier In July 2010, Conor French joined Indego Africa as its Chief Financial Officer. Prior to coming onboard, Conor was a transactional attorney in the New York City and Los Angeles offices of Latham & Watkins LLP. His practice focused on the representation of public and private companies, investment banks, private equity firms and investors in a wide range of leveraged finance and capital markets transactions. Conor received a B.A. in History and English from Georgetown University in 2003 and a J.D. from New York University School of Law in 2006, where he was an editor of the Journal of International Law and Politics. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Red Hen Press and is a member of the Microfinance Club of New York. Conor is qualified to practice before the New York, California, District of Columbia and Massachusetts bars. Visit Conor's LinkedIn and Facebook pages. Sarah Dunigan: Rwanda Program Coordinator
Armed with an MBA in Sustainable Management and years of experience in commercial real estate and financial analysis, Sarah leads Indego Africa's operations in Rwanda and is an invaluable contributor to Indego Africa's mission. Jean de Dieu Niyomugabo ("Jadot"): Rwanda Operations Manager
Born in Gisenyi, Rwanda, Jadot is a 2008 graduate of the Faculty of Law at the National University of Rwanda. Prior to coming to work at Indego Africa, Jadot participated in Mobilizing for Life with World Relief: Rwanda. Other work experience includes working as a teacher in Gacuba II/A Primary School in 2003, which he himself attended from 1989-1996, and working as the research partner of a Fulbright Scholarship candidate from 2006-2007. Ellie Kates: Senior Designer & English Literacy Director After graduating from the University of Virgina in 2006 with a B.A. in Political and Social Thought, Ellie worked extensively in Central America helping develop business and art education programming for indigenous women and their children. Upon returning to the U.S., she helped immigrants in the NYC region start and maintain agricultural businesses and markey their products in NYC farmers markets. She now leads Indego Africa's design and production process in Rwanda and leads its English Literacy training programs. Alex Kennedy: Senior Entrepreneurship Officer Prior to joining Indego Africa in late August 2010, Alex spent three years in the Investment Banking Legal team for Goldman Sachs in London, England where she worked on a variety of debt and equity capital markets transactions. Alex graduated with an Honors degree in Religious Studies and African Studies from Smith college in 2005 and received her Masters degree from the University of London in African Economic and Political Studies in 2006. Manica Piputbundit: VP of Sales & Marketing Manica is a former financial services technology professional in New York and Hong Kong and a current MBA candidate at NYU Stern School of Business. Manica is currently a team leaders for NYCares's tax program and a business consultant for Accion USA. Manica joined Indego Africa as a Spring 2010 Sales & Marketing intern and has not been able to leave. ADDITIONAL MEMBERS OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS  Tom Mitro
 Byron Townsend  Lyse Hunger  Karol Boudreaux Mr. Reichel is a trial attorney for the United States Department of Justice, working in the National Criminal Enforcement Section of the Antitrust Division in Washington DC. Before joining DOJ, he was in private practice, focusing on antitrust and complex civil litigation matters. He earned his J.D. in 2003 from the University of Virginia, where he was named to Order of the Coif, was a member of the Virginia Law Review, and served as the managing editor of the Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law. Mr. Reichel earned his A.B. cum laude in government from Harvard College in 1998. Prior to commencing his legal career, he taught high school government and world history in Peachtree City, Georgia. REGIONAL BOARDSRyan Lester is an attorney in the New York office of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, where he represents domestic and international clients in complex litigations and arbitrations involving a range of legal matters, including product liability, commercial disputes, and governmental and regulatory affairs. Before joining Orrick as an associate, Ryan worked with several international governmental organizations devoted to international lawmaking, governance and enforcement. In 2001, Ryan interned as a legal advisor to the United Nations Liaison Office of CARE International in New York. In 1998, Ryan was a research fellow at the Center for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in New Delhi; later that year he was seconded by the U.S. State Department to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, where he served as an assistant to the OSCE's Coordinator of Economic and Environmental Affairs. In 1997, Ryan interned as an Economic Section officer at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan. Ryan received a B.A. with highest honors in Political Science and Film at Vassar College in 1997; an M.A. in International Affairs at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs in 2001; and a J.D. at Stanford Law School in 2002, where he served on the Executive Board of the Stanford Journal of International Law.
Jake Beinecke | Aaron Bourke | Becca Brennan | Victoria Burr | Rishona Fleishman | Mike Foresta | Colleen Galbraith | Diana Gauvin | Ali Grant | Omar Haroun | Dan Hennes | Rachael Honowitz | Richard Jacobsen | Viraj Kamdar | John Kansfield | Tracy Klein | Zain Koita | Roni Laserson | Ryan Lester | David Levin | Diana Maislen | Marni Merksamer | Lyndsay Marie Nester | Beth Packman | Melissa Persky | Keren Raz | Joseph Rubagumya | Paul Sayegh | Hillary Shankman | Zack Shankman | Anouk Soufer | Renee Soufer | Lee Stasiulis | Morgan Steele | Naomi Sugar | Brian Tilker | Jason Walls | Danielle “Dani” Weinstein | Michelle Witten | Sonia Yeo Daniel Sacks graduated McGill University with a B.A. (Hons) in Political Science. He spent two years as a research associate at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, studying economic development policy in Africa. He conducted fieldwork in Nambia, Kenya and Malawi, studying issues of wildlife conservation and agricultural development. Daniel has published papers on a variety of development issues, with a focus on enterprise-based solutions to poverty. A native of Vancouver, BC, Daniel has traveled to six continents and still has not picked a favorite. Areaya Abebe | Rachel Askarinam | Brian Athey | Kristin A. Bennett | Amy Mitro Briley | Vadim Brusser | Ashley Cahill | Nathan Cherry | Charles "Chuck" Cummins | Rajeev Darolia | Andrew Donor | Laura Donahoe | Mike Englert | Kriten Farrell | Jorie Feldman | John Gardner | Steve Grothouse | Vanessa Harbin | Laura Herring | Julianna Hutchins | Greg Jacob | Lauen Janosy | "Jean-Pierre" Yohani Kayinamura | Peter Lallas | Amy Martin | Jackson Mvunganyi | Ambica Prakash | Janet Rabin | Renuka Rayasam | Daniel Sacks | Andrew Satter | Marc Schloss | Rachel Shachter | Dominique Strickland | Nora von Ingersleben | Erin Yeagley Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Josh Lebowitz learned the value of helping others very early in life. Through community service with his family, school, and synagogue Josh came to appreciate and look forward to contributing to communities of peers and strangers alike. During his early adulthood, Josh was fortunate enough to travel through Western Europe and the Pacific Rim, which opened his eyes to foreign cultures and peoples and intensified his desire to give back. Josh attended Washington University in St. Louis (B.A. Psychology, Business minor) with Matt Mitro and Ben Stone. After college introduced Josh to the Midwest, he made Chicago his home and has resided there ever since, pursuing a career in creative marketing. Having fueled consumerism for some six years, Josh now enjoys using his marketing skills to spread awareness and drive support for the women of Indego Africa. In January 2009, after being an Indego Africa enthusiast for some time, Matt and Ben asked Josh to chair the Chicago board. He now looks forward to pushing Indego Africa onwards and upwards for years to come. In his spare time Josh enjoys biking, traveling, reading and photography. Jon Floss | Colleen Fahey | Kate Arnold | Jackie Schubert | Alexis Worley | Ariana Vargas | Casey Brazeal | Emily Fiffer | Gabe Greenbaum | Galen Graham | Guy Lakonishok | Joey Shapiro | Josh Gad-Harf | Kristen McCullough | Lauren Haefner | Michelle Weed | Robert Holst | Robin Murphy | Sarah Belleau | Smith Schwartz As the daughter of an airline pilot, Lindsay has been fortunate enough to fly all over the world. Her interest in foreign cultures began at an early age with trips not only throughout the United States but also to Europe and South America. Although she graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a business degree, she was most passionate about her second major, Cultural Anthropology. Lindsay's interest in Africa began as a college student and was highlighted by a three week trip to Kenya and Tanzania in 2003. Not only was she mesmerized by the beauty of the continent, but she was touched by the generosity, friendliness, and heart of its people. As a crafty woman
in the business world, Lindsay can't help but appreciate the hardwork and dedication that is so prominate in the Rwandan women of Indego Africa. She could not be any prouder to be a part of the work that the organization has accomplished and looks forward to her continued involvement in the years to come. Lindsay recently completed her Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Administration from California Lutheran University. Currently residing in Ventura, Lindsay continues to enjoy traveling as well as cycling, knitting, and sewing. Eric Mills | Julia Rose-Fischer | Sara Kirsner | Chris Poynter | Maureen Maulder | Johan Torroledo | Daniel Osweiler | Danielle Sherman | Elias Jabbe Will Craven has become a committed Indego supporter because he can feel in almost all of his efforts that he's only two degrees removed from Indego's female partners in Rwanda: "I've never visited the continent of Africa, much less met our partners there. But we're in touch with the same people every day, we handle the same products, and I think we're all inspired by the uniquely 'close' international experience that is Indego Africa." He serves as Media Officer for ForestEthics, a nonprofit environmental organization which specializes in shifting US consumer demand to protect Canada's most precious lands and resources. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, coffee and records.  DC Regional Board at Ibirori 2009 MAJOR VOLUNTEERS
Ambica Prakash, born in New Delhi, India, holds a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees from both the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana and the College of Arts in New Delhi, India. She has taught a variety of graphic design courses at University of Wisconsin-Stout and American University, including Introduction to Graphic Design, Branding, Typography, Publication Design, Senior Capstone, as well as Art & Design Perspectives to Northern India, an international study abroad course. Ambica’s design work has won many coveted awards. Her project with the Center of Sustainable Living in Bloomington, Indiana won the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Design Show Award in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She also received the Indiana Campus Compact Award and a Faculty Research Initiative Grant, which funded her research into the intersection of civic responsibility and graphic design. Ambica has presented her ideas about socially-responsible graphic design in speeches and on panels at various conferences. Her innovative professional and student work has also been covered by the media, such as CNN’s “Be The Change,” and published in books and magazines. Ambica is currently a Graphic Designer in Washington, D.C. with a focus on socially-responsible design. She is writing a chapter on Graphic Design for an Interior Design book to be published by Wiley Higher Education in 2009, and will soon be publishing a book entitled, “So Far, So Good,” which documents her students’ experiences during their study abroad in India.
Mr. Grandy has a strong history of IT management and software development. His three years of technology consulting provided experience in solving technology problems using a wide variety of solutions. As a high school physics teacher he led technology training sessions for colleagues and experimented with new technologies in the classroom. Ten years of software development experience enable him to design custom solutions for any problems that arise unique to Indego Africa. But with a strong interest in open source technologies and deep current knowledge of open source tools, he can leverage the value of publicly-available software. His formal training includes coursework at the undergraduate level and a masters degree (in progress) in computer science from Oxford University.
Viraj Kamdar graduated from Washington University in 2000 with a degree in English Literature, Psychology and Philosophy. He went on to pursue a Interdisciplinary Masters in 20th Century American Literature and Continental Philosophy at NYU's John W. Draper Program in the Humanities and Social Sciences; writing his thesis on Deconstruction and the Semiotics of Presence in Faulkner. In 2003 he was accepted into the New York City Teaching Fellows Program and began teaching High School English for emotionally disturbed adolescents in the Lower East Side of Manhattan while pursuing his second Masters in Education at Brooklyn College. In 2006 he became an Academic Intervention Coordinator developing literacy, after school and honors programs for at-risk teens. In 2009 he developed an Adult Literacy Program for Indego Africa in cooperation with UNESCO, The Ministry of Education in Rwanda (MINEDUC) and The National Center for Curriculum Development (NCDC). Viraj is a proud resident of Brooklyn, New York.
Ms. Mitro has lived in Africa for over 11 years and been affiliated with innumerable community projects in Angola and Nigeria, including orphanages, churches, senior citizens’ homes, prisons, hospitals, small businesses and womens’ groups. She served on the board of directors for a project to provide mosquito nets to communities in Luanda, Angola. Ms. Mitro has been a tireless advocate of economic development and a source of support to those struggling to lead a more prosperous life. For 12 years, she worked as a full-time elementary school teacher and has taught English classes to young children in Angola. Ms. Mitro currently serves as a volunteer at the MD Anderson Cancer Hospital in Houston.
Mr. Brusser is an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of New York and the District of Columbia. He is currently an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of the law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. His primary practice areas are mergers and acquisitions and litigation. Prior to joining Weil, he was an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission, where he litigated violations of federal antitrust laws. In 2003 he received his JD from of the American University, Washington College of Law.
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