Meet the team

KAREN YELICK
CEO

SAPNA SHAH
COO

MODESTE NGABONZIZA
COUNTRY DIRECTOR (RWANDA)

LOUISA ADU
COUNTRY DIRECTOR (GHANA)

CHANTAL MUSABIMANA
PRODUCTION MANAGER

MARGARET ACKAH-YENSU
WHOLESALE ACCOUNT MANAGER

GODWIN MUSONERA
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION MANAGER

EMELIENNE NYIRAMANA
PRODUCTION ASSOCIATE

YVES NSHIMIYIMANA
EDUCATION ASSOCIATE

SOLOMON TANDOH
COUNTRY ASSOCIATE

DIMPLE MAE SILVESTRE
FULFILLMENT ASSOCIATE

GIFTY ANYOKA
PRODUCTION INTERN
Board of Directors
Matt Mitro is currently the global head of campus recruiting at Citadel which he joined in August 2020. In this role he takes responsibility for driving the firm’s strategy to find, engage and recruit exceptional student talent globally. Matt served in a similar role at JPMorgan Chase from 2017-2020 where he led innovations related to diversity recruiting and the use of neuroscience assessments. From 2011 to 2017, Matt led a variety of university recruiting and programmatic efforts at Google that focused on technical and non-technical students throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas. During his time at Google, Matt also oversaw the software engineering intern program and Google’s signature partnerships with HBCUs. Matt’s career also included time spent as a social entrepreneur and attorney. In 2006, Matt founded Indego Africa. Matt began his professional career as a practicing attorney in Washington, DC where he advised on infrastructure projects in developing countries. Matt graduated with a law degree from American University and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and history from Washington University in St. Louis.
Lindsay Abrams is an experienced sales and merchandising professional with a background in the fashion industry and nonprofit sector. She currently leads sales and outreach for the Little Market, a nonprofit fair trade shop featuring ethically sourced, artisan-made products. Lindsay also serves as Executive Director of the Bruce C. Abrams Foundation which is dedicated to supporting mental health research and development worldwide. She holds a Master of Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business as well as a BA in Human and Organizational Development and English from Vanderbilt University.
Chris Birosak has over 30 years of Investment Banking, Leveraged Finance, and Private Equity investment experience. He currently serves as the Vice Chairman of Indego Africa's Board of Directors (August 2017-present) and a Senior Advisor and Investment Committee member of Star Mountain Capital, an investment firm focused on growth capital investments in small and medium sized US businesses. His career includes former work as Managing Partner of North Cove Partners and as Managing Director of Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity where he served on the investment committee and was responsible for investments in the Health Care and Energy sectors. Across his career, Chris has worked with early-stage businesses, middle-market companies as well as Fortune 500 companies having completed over 150 transactions. In addition to his corporate board experience, Chris has extensive experience in the non-profit sector and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York and the Board of the Student Partner Alliance, an organization enabling inner-city youth to attend parochial schools. As a long time resident of Summit, NJ, Chris formerly served on the Board of the Summit Area YMCA and was a former President and Board member of the Summit Educational Foundation. Chris graduated from Wayne State University with a BA in economics and from the University of Detroit Mercy with an MBA in finance.
Steve Foresta is a partner at McGuireWoods LLP in New York. Foresta joined McGuireWoods from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, where he led its global business litigation unit from 2011 to 2016 and chaired its life settlements working group. Steve also devotes a substantial amount of time working with community service organizations. During the summer of 2009, Steve traveled to Rwanda with his son Michael to work with Indego Africa’s staff, artisan partners, and Generation Rwanda interns, and he’s been a devoted Indego Africa supporter ever since. Steve also serves as Chair of the New York Board of Advisors of Disability Rights Advocates. Steve graduated from Fordham University School of Law in 1987 and received his undergraduate degree in 1984 from the University of Virginia, where he was an Echols Scholar.
Conor is in his second invigorating decade of being a business lawyer, social entrepreneur, and policy wonk. He currently serves as General Counsel at Zipline International, the world’s first commercial drone delivery system to operate at a national scale in both Rwanda and Ghana. Conor previously led legal, regulatory, and government affairs as GC of Funding Circle, the world’s leading lending platform focused exclusively on small business. Conor also spent four years helping to build and scale Indego Africa, where he served in various roles as CFO, COO, and eventually CEO. He began his career as a corporate finance attorney at Latham & Watkins LLP. Active in the policy community, Conor is a Presidential Leadership Scholar, Truman Security Fellow, and has helped found the Marketplace Lending Association (a trade association supporting responsible financial innovation), the Responsible Business Lending Coalition (which authored the Small Business Borrowers’ Bill of Rights), and the Alliance for Artisan Enterprise (a global initiative supporting the artisan sector). He currently serves on the alumni board of NYU Law and the financial institutions committee of the CA bar, and was recently recognized as 2017 Bay Area Corporate Counsel of the Year. Conor received his JD from NYU Law and his BA from Georgetown. He is admitted to the CA, DC, MA and NY bars.
Alex Kennedy is a vice president in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs. She currently serves as the secretary to the Goldman Sachs Firmwide Commitments Committee, the committee which approves and oversees underwriting and distribution activities with respect to equity and equity-related products, and sets and maintains policies and procedures designed to ensure that legal, reputational, regulatory and business standards are maintained on a global basis. Previously, she worked in the Compliance and Legal Divisions of Goldman Sachs. From August 2010 to June 2011, Alex worked in Rwanda as in-country coordinator for Indego Africa. Alex graduated from Smith College with a BA in African Studies, The University of London with a MA in African Studies and holds a JD from The Ohio State University.
Ryan is a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, where he currently serves as the Americas Head of the Regulatory Practice Group - Securities team. Based out of New York, Texas, and Utah, Ryan's team manages the firm's interactions with its non-prudential regulators, such as regulatory exams and inquiries. Before joining Goldman, Ryan practiced law with the Litigation Department of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in New York. Prior to joining Orrick, Ryan worked with several international governmental organizations devoted to international lawmaking, governance and enforcement, including the United Nations Liaison Office of CARE International in New York, the Center for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in New Delhi, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna. Ryan holds a B.A. from Vassar College, an M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, and a J.D. from Stanford Law School.
Elizabeth Lynch is Executive Director of the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs at JPMorgan Chase & Co. where she supports the firm’s investments to champion veteran employment, talent development, and small business growth. She has worked for over 20 years in mission-driven organizations, with a focus on empowering women and generating wealth for low-income households. Prior to joining the firm in 2017, Elizabeth served as the Head of Executive Coaching and Mentoring for Creative Metier, a UK-based consulting firm. Her work focused on leadership development and coaching for senior leaders in the East African financial sector. Elizabeth also held a variety of roles at Women's World Banking (WWB), one the largest global microfinance networks, most recently as the Head of the Center for Microfinance Leadership, where she was responsible for WWB’s global work in leadership development. Elizabeth holds an MA in International Affairs from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and a BA in History from Haverford College. She lives in New York with her husband and two daughters.
Puneet Mansharamani has more than 15 years of investment experience. He has served as a Partner and Portfolio Manager at LSV Asset Management since 2006 and a Quantitative Analyst since 2000. As part of the quantitative and implementation team, Puneet is responsible for the day-to-day data management, portfolio implementation and ongoing enhancement of LSV's models and systems. He earned a B.S. in Engineering from Delhi University, Delhi College of Engineering and an M.S. degree in Engineering at Case Western Reserve University, Case School of Engineering.
Joe comes to Indego Africa after over 30 years at American Express where he held leadership positions in finance, business transformation and reengineering, and revenue development. Most recently, he was Vice President, Strategic Transformation for American Express Global Business Travel, one of the largest corporate travel management companies worldwide. Prior to that, Joe was CFO of Global Business Travel. He has held cross product line CFO positions in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. During his career with American Express, he has lived in Bangkok, Rome, London, Frankfurt and Miami, as well as his base in New York. Joe holds an MBA in finance and accounting from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University, and a BS in Economics from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Joe is an active member of the alumni board of the Owen School at Vanderbilt. He resides in Brooklyn.
Selom is a Vice President in the Technology Division at Goldman Sachs Asset Management. He has extensive experience in management consulting having served clients for Ernst & Young LLP, Capgemini and Deloitte Consulting LLP. His industry experience spans across Financial Services, Technology, Healthcare, Energy and Consumer Business advising and executing on Transformation and Integration initiatives. A native of Ghana, Selom has always had a keen interest in giving back to his country and the continent as a whole and brings a unique perspective to programs and strategy. Selom obtained a BSc. in Computer and Electrical Engineering, an MSc. in Electrical Engineering from the Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science and an MBA from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University.
Leveraging a 24-year career with Merrill Lynch, Karen joined Indego Africa in March 2012 as Chief Financial Officer, assumed the Chief Operating Officer role in June 2012 and was promoted to CEO on January 1, 2014. Karen was drawn to Indego Africa for both its mission, which intersects with her passion for education and helping women achieve financial independence, and for Indego Africa’s entrepreneurial culture. Karen was Managing Director of the US Business Selection and Conflicts group within Investment Banking at Merrill Lynch. Previous roles at Merrill included debt markets finance, investment banking business management and corporate budgeting. Karen received an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia and her B.A. from the University of Michigan.
Emeritus Advisory Board
Brand Advisory Board
Karen Yelick
Chief Executive Officer
Leveraging 24 years of experience at Merrill Lynch, Karen drives Indego Africa forward with her keen business acumen, energy, wisdom, and vision. She was drawn to Indego Africa for both its mission - which intersects with her passion for women’s education and economic empowerment - and its entrepreneurial culture. Karen received an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia and her B.A. from the University of Michigan.
Deirdre King
Design Director
Deirdre received a B.A. in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia in 2007 and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 2010. After graduating law school where she focused on women's and refugee rights in Africa, Deirdre joined Indego Africa and took the reins of Indego's growing sales department as Creative Director. As Design Director, Deirdre designs Indego's product line and works on all things brand related. Deirdre has spoken at Parsons the New School for Design, Princeton University, FIT, NYU Stern, and Columbia Law on global markets, fashion as a social venture, ethical design, and sustainable sourcing. While at Indego she has managed partnerships with large designers and global brands such as Eileen Fisher, JCrew, Madewell, Anthropologie, Goop, Jonathan Adler, Target, and Google.
Louisa Adu
Country Director (Ghana)
Louisa Adu graduated in 2011 from University in Tamale, Ghana and in received a Masters Degree in Public Health from the University of Tampere in Finland. A women’s empowerment and health care advocate, Louisa has worked as a trainer for socioeconomically marginalized women in Ghana’s northern region, teaching soap-making, sewing, and entrepreneurial skills. Additionally, she has held roles as a Junior Nutrition Officer at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and as a Field Officer for Development Studies in a rural Ghanaian community.
Chantal Musabimana
Production Manager
Chantal Musabimana joined Indego Africa in July 2015 as its new Production Manager. Previously, she worked for two years as the president of Ibyishimo Cooperative, one of Indego's partner co-ops, and also served as the Business Development Officer at Inkomoko Business Development. She holds a BSc. in Business Information Technology from the National University of Rwanda.
Brittany Barb
Brand Director
Brittany is a design-driven change-maker. She plays a pivotal role in Indego Africa’s branding strategies and communications, combining her innovative and vibrant design aesthetic with her commitment to empowering African women artisans. She holds a B.A. in Communications and Digital Media Art from Manhattan College.
Modeste Ngabonziza
Country Director
Modeste joined Indego Africa in June 2013 as the Kinyarwanda trainer for Ejo Hazaza cooperative. In February 2015, Modeste assumed the role of Education Associate, serving as a Teaching Manager at the Leadership Academy and the Head Teacher for all of Indego Africa's basic training programs. Prior to joining Indego, he worked for UAP Insurance Rwanda Ltd as a Marketing Executive for the Direct Sales Unit. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Kigali Independent University.
Shelby Quackenbush
Development & Communications Director
Shelby plays a central role in developing Indego Africa’s communications content and executing its fundraising and evaluation strategies. Prior to joining Indego Africa, Shelby worked for a variety of human rights organizations and women-focused
nonprofits where she developed a passion for youth education, grassroots activism, and international development. Shelby is a City Year AmeriCorps alum and holds a dual B.A. in Journalism and Women's Studies from the University at Albany. She
earned her MPA with a concentration in International Policy and Nonprofit Management from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University in 2016.
Godwin Musonera
Finance & Administration Manager
Godwin joined Indego Africa in January 2016 as a trainer for the Basic Business Training program at AJ Cooperative before working as a Finance Intern at Indego Africa’s Kigali office. Today, Godwin oversees the organization's financial and administrative operations in Rwanda. Prior to joining Indego Africa, Godwin worked with FAO, Laterite, Sanejo, and Kepler. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Statistics.
Margaret Ackah-Yensu
Wholesale Account Manager
Margaret is originally from Ghana. She holds a BA in anthropology and a MPA in public policy administration, both from New York University (NYU). She is passionate about supporting women gain economic agency through access to the global markets while preserving their traditional crafts and is excited to bring forth her creative and retail experiences to Indego Africa.
Emelienne Nyiramana
Production Associate
Emelienne is one of Indego Africa’s first artisan partners, the founder of Cocoki Cooperative, and a former Education Associate at our Leadership Academy in Kigali. She is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Initiative, a Peace Through Business business plan competition winner, and an influential mentor and leader in communities across Rwanda.
Yves Nshimiyimana
Education Associate
Yves joined Indego Africa in 2013 as a teaching intern for Ejo Hazaza Cooperative before finding employment with Cogebank. He rejoined Indego in 2015 as a full-time Education Associate, providing business instruction and guidance to our artisan partners and students across Rwanda. Yves holds a Bachelors Degree in Business and Economic Studies with a specialization in Accounting from Kigali Independent University. He also holds a secondary school certificate in trade and accounting.
Solomon Tandoh
Country Associate
Solomon studied at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. Before joining Indego Africa, he worked with the Forest Services Division in Sunyani as a Field Personnel. Solomon also served as a Delivery Officer at Vodafone Ghana for two years. In March 2016, Solomon joined Indego as a Production Intern in Kumasi and was quickly promoted to Country Associate in which he assists with all production and education projects in Ghana.
Mandela Musabo
Education Associate
Sapna Shah
Chief Operating Officer
Sapna comes to Indego Africa with over 15 years of experience spanning the luxury accessories industry and global artisan economy. She is a driven, multifaceted designer whose expertise extends into development, production, operations, as well as brand and sales strategy. Having co-founded Khokho in 2014, an artisan accessories social enterprise in Eswatini that partners with women weavers from rural communities, Sapna understands the importance of preserving traditional crafts, while creating relevance and access within global markets. After cutting her teeth at Coach and Calvin Klein, and then launching the handbag collections for Rag & Bone, Eddie Borgo and recently Rosetta Getty, Sapna leverages her broad industry experience to help build capacity and impact for artisans around the world.
Kayla Lopez
Logistics & Social Impact Associate
Kayla is driven when supporting market access and economic opportunities for women, indigenous, and black-owned enterprises. Originally from Belize, she understands the need and challenge of creating responsible supply chains for artisans in the handmade sector. Before joining Indego Africa, Kayla was Center Leader at Project Enterprise a nonprofit organization that provided microloans to small businesses in under-resourced communities. As an AmeriCorps Fellow, she provided resource development and capacity building to the network of immigrant and refugee advocacy groups at The New York Immigration Coalition. Kayla was also a Visual Merchandising Intern at the social enterprise Shop Housing Works where she supported in-store branding and e-commerce. She has a Bachelor’s in Merchandising and Women’s Self-sufficiency from the CUNY School of Interdisciplinary Studies and a Master’s Certificate in Community Leadership from the CUNY School of Labor & Urban Studies.
Gifty Anyoka
Production Assistant
Gifty is based in the north of Ghana and works closely with our team in Kumasi, following production orders and conducting quality control with the artisans collectives in Bongo and Bolgatanga. Gifty comes from Kassena - Nankana District with Navrongo as its capital. She attended the University of Cape Coast (Distance Learning) and graduated in 2019. She holds a Diploma in Basic Education. Gifty is interested in teaching and does farming at times to support her family.