ATTENDEE BIOS
Half-sat Ab-ee-oh-lah, she/her
Project Dandelion Co-Founder
Hafsat Abiola, an economist with degrees from Harvard and Tsinghua, is a fervent advocate for climate justice. Her personal journey, marked by the loss of both her parents in the struggle for democracy, has galvanized her commitment to this cause. At the heart of her efforts within Connected Women Leaders is Project Dandelion, the world's first women-led campaign for climate justice. This groundbreaking initiative represents a pivotal moment in the push for a climate safe world, with women leading the way. In addition to her climate justice work, Hafsat serves as one of the 50 Councilors of the World Future Council, a Special Envoy to Africa for Women Political Leaders, and is a member of the BMW Foundation's Responsible Leaders Group, Vital Voices 100, and an alumna of the World Economic Forum's Community of Young Global Leaders. Her unwavering dedication to climate justice is a testament to her enduring commitment to a climate safe future for all.
Wen-dee An-der-son, she/her
Co-founder and Investing Partner, The Case for Her
Wendy Anderson is a Co-founder and Investing Partner at The Case for Her, where she works at the intersection of capital and advocacy to address underfunded women's health issues. She brings over a decade of experience in business analysis and project management in financial services, a foundation she has carried into impact and philanthropic investing. Wendy serves on the board of Be Girl and on advisory boards for the Sanitation and Hygiene Fund, Greenwood Place, and the Center for Intimacy Justice, and is a member of the Maverick Collective.
Ee-reh-neh Ah-too-hah-ee-rweh, she/her
Country Director, Uganda, Seed Global Health
Irene Atuhairwe is a registered nurse and public health leader with 15 years of experience in health programming across Uganda, working at the intersection of nursing and midwifery, maternal and newborn health, and care for marginalized communities. As Country Director for Seed Global Health, she leads country program, administrative, and operational integrity while representing the organization with key government and institutional stakeholders. Her career spans Catholic Relief Services, the Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau, and Peace Corps Uganda, where she built and led programs in HIV care, community health, and health workforce development. Irene holds a bachelor's degree in nursing and a master's degree in public health from Makerere University.
Ron-duh Car-nuh-gee, she/her
Project Dandelion Executive Director & Co-Founder
Passionate about leading movements to inspire change, Ronda Carnegie ihas built and transformed global brands from The New Yorker to TED among others. Her role as part of the original executive team at TED led to unprecedented growth in TED's history from a single conference to a media company. She founded the TED Institute during her tenure, which helps organizations unlock institutional knowledge and surface innovative thinking. She co-founded TEDWomen, both new ventures for TED, while building a portfolio of assets to drive the impact mission and revenue growth for the brand overall. As the Co-Founder of Connected Women Leaders and Project Dandelion, Ronda has dedicated herself to the climate and gender movements. Eager to contribute to dynamic working groups focused on world-changing ideas, Ronda sits on the Board of GOOD/Upworthy, a media company. She also serves on the advisory board of Giide, an interactive audio technology company, and The Omega Institute.
Nya-goo-the-eh Cheh-geh, she/her
Chairperson, Board of Directors, The Green Belt Movement
Nyaguthii Chege is a social sector executive with over 25 years of experience in strategic and mission-driven leadership across international development, environmental conservation, and human rights in Africa. As Chairperson of the Board of Directors at The Green Belt Movement, the organization founded by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai, she brings deep expertise in governance, stakeholder engagement, fundraising, and scaling programs for social impact. Her career spans work with governments and diverse partners to advance gender equity, climate justice, and sustainable livelihoods across the continent, with a particular focus on mobilizing resources and building partnerships that deliver on the ground. She is a passionate advocate for environmental justice and the rights of marginalized communities, and brings both the strategic reach and the local rootedness that systems change requires.
Brit-nee Col-inz, she/her
Operations Lead, Project Dandelion
Brittany Collins is an Atlanta-based educator, coach, and creative entrepreneur whose work centers on empowering women and building community. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Integrated Studies from Kennesaw State University and is certified through the National Federation of High School Coaches. Brittany spent five years teaching elementary special education, where she developed a deep commitment to inclusive learning and advocacy. She later co-owned a photography education business that helped women launch and grow their own ventures, hosting more than 20 retreats across the United States. For the past two and a half years, she has worked as an executive assistant for Pat Mitchell and, over the last year, with Project Dandelion, supporting initiatives that elevate women’s leadership and collective impact worldwide.
Lor-ah Cook, she/her
Global Director, Policy & Narrative, Project Dandelion
Laura Cook is a communications strategist and researcher with over 20 years of experience working across third sector communications, international development, climate advocacy, humanitarian aid, and ocean conservation. As Global Director of Policy & Narrative at Project Dandelion, she leads the organization's communications-led approach to systems change — translating complex ideas into narratives that shift culture, expand legitimacy, and move people to act. Laura has deep experience facilitating participatory, cross-cultural projects designed to amplify the voices of underrepresented communities. She is also a founding member of Women Beyond Walls, a global collective working to end the mass criminalization of women, as well as Girls Interrupting, a global community for women and girls with Dyspraxia.
Teh-rah Dan-yel, she/her
Associate Director of Policy, WEDO
Tara Daniel is a policy strategist and advocate working at the intersection of gender, climate, and reproductive rights. As Associate Director of Policy at WEDO, she leads the organization's work on gender-responsive climate finance, integrating sexual and reproductive health and rights into climate policy, planning, and programming, and supporting civil society observers across multilateral climate processes. She currently serves as a CSO Active Observer to the Green Climate Fund, coordinating its observer network of civil society organizations, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities, and co-coordinates both the Women and Gender Constituency's climate finance working group and the SRHR and Climate Justice Coalition. A leading contributor to the Women Delegates Fund, Gender Climate Tracker, and Gender Just Climate Solutions Scale Fund, Tara brings deep expertise across the full arc from grassroots advocacy to global policy. She holds an M.S. in Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology, an M.P.P. with a specialization in Environmental Policy, and a B.S. in Biology from Rhodes College.
Reh-son kan-tie Duff she/her
Director of Portfolio Funding, Maliasili
Resson Kantai Duff is the Director of Portfolio Funding at Maliasili, where she works to raise both the funding and influence of local conservation organizations across Africa. With over fifteen years in the environmental and conservation space, her work as a community conservation advocate centers on co-creating and advancing a community-led narrative — one where Africans reclaim their sense of ownership over wildlife, culture, and land. She has shared these ideas as a TED speaker, calling on the world to support local conservation efforts. Resson is a Women for the Environment (WE Africa) Founding Fellow and a National Geographic Explorer. She holds a Master's in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management from the University of Oxford and an undergraduate degree in Zoology from the University of Nairobi.
Mee-gun Fah-lone, she/her
CEO & Co-Founder, Step Up Advisors
Meagan Fallone is a social entrepreneur and strategic adviser working at the intersection of climate, technology, and economic justice, with a particular focus on the Global South and emerging economies. As CEO and Co-Founder of Step Up Advisors, she guides high-growth organizations through scale, bringing expertise across nature-based solutions, regenerative agriculture and food systems, digital technology, and education. She works to align the full spectrum of philanthropic and investment capital behind systems change partnerships that drive meaningful, measurable impact. A leadership coach and strategic thinker, Meagan is committed to transformational leadership rooted in equity, dignity, and the regenerative economics needed to maintain planetary boundaries.
Ah-less-SAN-dra Gah-lee-EH, she/her
Team Leader, Gender & Principal Scientist, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
Alessandra Galiè is a gender researcher and scientist with over twenty years of experience at the intersection of agricultural development, women's empowerment, and livestock systems. As Team Leader for Gender and Principal Scientist at ILRI, she leads research that examines how power, equity, and gender dynamics shape agricultural outcomes — from genetics and forage to human nutrition and seed systems. She developed the Women's Empowerment in Livestock Index (WELI), a widely adopted framework within and beyond the CGIAR, and has designed pioneering projects to pilot gender-transformative approaches including women-led livestock businesses. Her published work spans gender-transformative governance of seed systems, foundational frameworks for gender integration in livestock breeding, and the relational nature of gendered power. Alessandra holds a PhD from Wageningen University and an MA from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
Sah-lah Goss, she/her
Chief Program Officer, Skoll Foundation
Salah Goss is a strategic advisor, angel investor, and financial inclusion expert with a demonstrated track record in technology and digital solutions across North America and emerging markets. Her work sits at the intersection of commercial sustainability and social impact — building the public-private partnerships that allow innovative financial solutions to scale. A World Economic Forum Schwab Foundation Intrapreneur of the Year and recipient of the 2022 Women in Payments Community Impact Award, she brings both the recognition and the on-the-ground experience that systems-level change requires.
Meh-reh-dith Hess (she/her)
Strategic Development Lead
Meredith leads strategic development and grants management work for Project Dandelion and is a dynamic nonprofit operations professional, researcher, and project manager. Her experience spans the research, humanitarian, and development sectors and she has built a career working on issues of climate adaptation, energy access, and water security. She has held positions with Mercy Corps, the World Resources Institute, and Habitat for Humanity International where led project implementation, facilitated strategy development processes, created systems fit for decision-making, and contributed to high-impact research products.
Wahn-jee-roo Kah-mah-oo Roo-ten-berg, she/her
Africa Managing Director, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT
Dr. Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg is a food systems leader, scholar, and institution builder whose career spans agricultural research, social inclusion, and African politics. As Africa Managing Director for the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, she brings a food systems and social inclusion lens to addressing climate change across the continent. She is the founder of Akili Dada, a leadership incubator investing in high-achieving young women from under-resourced families, and founder and president of Black Women in Executive Leadership (B-WEL). A White House Champion of Change honored by the Obama Administration, she has been recognized among the 100 Most Influential Africans and received the United Nations Intercultural Innovation Award, among many others. Dr. Kamau-Rutenberg holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Minnesota and an honorary Doctorate from Whitman College.
Eye-reen Kah-rah-nee, she/her
Climate Change Specialist
Irene Karani is a climate and natural resource management expert with over 30 years of experience across more than 13 African countries, spanning academia, civil society, and international development consulting. Her career has moved fluidly across policy development, programme implementation, and monitoring and evaluation — working with governments, bilateral and multilateral agencies, civil society, and private sector clients across Africa, Europe, and the United States. A published researcher and co-author of peer-reviewed work on climate change and resilience measurement, she is a consistent contributor to global, regional, and national conversations on Africa's climate and development nexus, just transition, and adaptation.
Teh-mee-nah Lah-lah-nee Shuh-reef, she/her
Managing Director, Climate, Health & Development, Kinaura Partners
Temina Lalani-Shariff is a strategic leader with over 25 years of experience in international development, working across climate, agriculture, health, and nutrition with philanthropies, governments, NGOs, and private sector organizations. As Managing Director for Climate, Health, and Development at Kinaura Partners, she leads initiatives spanning advocacy, research, and program management — with a particular emphasis on collaborative design and implementation of strategies that improve lives and livelihoods globally. Previously, as Regional Director for South Asia at CGIAR, she developed partnerships and strategies to address regional sustainability and agri-food systems challenges. She brings deep expertise in strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and navigating complex, multi-sector environments toward equitable and sustainable outcomes.
Pat Mih-chell, she/her
Project Dandelion Co-Founder
Pat Mitchell is a lifelong advocate for womenʼs leadership who has used her diverse spheres of influence to elevate womenʼs stories and representation and to lead for a more just, equitable and sustainable world. Currently, sheʼs the Co-Founder of Connected Women Leaders, a collective problem solving coalition, spanning geographies and generations and the Co Founder and Partner of Project Dandelion, a global women led campaign to unify, amplify and activate womenʼs leadership as a pivotal accelerator towards a
climate safe future for all. She is also the Co-Founder and Editorial Director of TEDWomen. Mitchell's influence extends far beyond her professional achievements. She serves on the boards of the Sundance Institute, The Skoll Foundation, The Woodruff Arts Center, The Carter Center Board of Councilors, and the VDAY movement to end violence against women. As a member of CARE’s Global Advisory Council and Chair Emeritus of the Women’s Media Center, which has established an annual award in her name, her commitment is to optimize every platform and every opportunity to elevate women's stories, challenges and accomplishments. In her 2020 memoir. "Becoming a Dangerous Woman," Mitchell calls on us to speak up, stand up and show up to meet the challenges of dangerous times.
Lee-lee-ahn Mm-rahm-bah, she/her
CEO, Africa, Grassroots Business Fund
Lilian Mramba is a seasoned investment leader and business strategist with deep experience supporting small and growing businesses across Africa. As CEO for Africa at Grassroots Business Fund, she leads strategy, investments, and partnerships across the region, bringing a hands-on approach to portfolio performance and a long track record within the organization having previously led GBF's investment activities across the continent. She serves as a Non-Executive Director at M-Pesa Tanzania and as an Investment Committee member for IDH's Farmfit Fund. Her career began in public accounting at Moss Adams LLP, giving her a rigorous financial foundation that underpins her work at the intersection of investment and community impact.
Vah-ness-ah Nah-kah-tay, she/her
Project Dandelion, Global South Policy & Narrative Strategist
Vanessa Nakate is an Environmentalist and Project Dandelion Strategist for Global South Narrative & Policy. She is the author of A Bigger Picture, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and a member of the boards of the Malala Fund and Global Witness. The University of Edinburgh awarded her the honorary degree of Doctor of Science in Social Sciences. She holds a degree in Business Administration from Makerere University Business School and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Oxford. Her work is rooted in advancing climate justice, supporting grassroots activism in Uganda through the Tard Foundation, and advocating for girls’ education and women's empowerment.
Ree-mah Nah-nah-vah-tee, she/her
Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) Director
Reema Nanavaty has been working with self-employed informal women workers since 1984 when she joined the Self-Employed Women’s Association, the largest union of informal sector workers. In 1999, she was elected as SEWA’s General Secretary. Her key focus has been to provide full employment & self-reliance to the 1.7 million members of SEWA, where she oversees 4813 self-help groups, 160 co-operatives and 15 economic federations across India and in 7 South Asian countries. She also heads the ICT cell of SEWA, developing custom-designed mobile apps for women farmers and establishing linkages with online e-retailing platform to provide a broad global market access to the members of SEWA. She is currently member of the Advisory Council on Gender of the World Bank Group. She was also invited as a member of International Labor Organization’s High Level Global Commission on Future of Work. She was the only commissioner representing the informal sector workers, self-employed workers and the rural workers union in the entire commission. She has also been invited as a member of the UN High-level Dialogue`s Technical Working Group on Energy Action to Advance Other SDGs. In 2013, she received the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India for her distinguished contribution in the area of Social Services.
You-nees Nn-dee-rahn-goo, she/her
Dean, School of Nursing and Midwifery, East Africa, Aga Khan University
Dr. Eunice Ndirangu is a nurse, academic leader, and policy architect whose career has advanced the professional standing of nursing and midwifery across East Africa. As Dean of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Aga Khan University, she spearheaded the development of Scopes of Practice in Advanced Practice Nursing and Advanced Practice Midwifery in Kenya — the first such programmes by a university based in East Africa — and has positioned AKU as a regional leader in nursing and midwifery education. She chairs the Nursing Council of Kenya and leads the Technical Working Group for the National Nursing & Midwifery Policy, a initiative designed to enhance the professional standing of nurses in Kenya and replicate across Tanzania and Uganda. A published researcher across infectious disease, adolescent health, wellbeing, and higher education, she holds a PhD in Nursing Studies from the University of Nottingham and has been the recipient of multiple research grants advancing the breadth of nursing knowledge.
Glor-ee-ah Nn-deh-keh-ee, she/her
Executive Director, KEPSA Foundation
Gloria Ndekei is a transformational leader and development strategist with over 28 years of experience across government, the private sector, and international development, including 12 years with the United Nations. As Executive Director of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) Foundation, she leads the socio-economic transformation agenda for one of Kenya's most influential private sector bodies, with a particular focus on women's economic empowerment, SME development, and access to finance and markets. A recipient of the Presidential Order of the Grand Warrior in 2012 for her role in women's empowerment in Kenya, Gloria has built the capacity of women's business associations, initiated the private sector gender sector board, and reached over 19,500 women leaders directly — and 1.5 million indirectly — through a landmark political participation campaign ahead of Kenya's 2017 elections. She holds a Master of Arts in Armed Conflict and Peace Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work, and is certified in multiple ILO-accredited entrepreneurship development tools.
Jak-wuh-lin No-voh-gratz, she/her
Founder & CEO, Acumen
Jacqueline Novogratz is the founder and CEO of Acumen, a global organization that addresses poverty and builds dignity through patient investment in companies and leaders across Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and the United States. A pioneer of the concept of patient capital, she has led Acumen to impact more than 700 million lives, managing over $500 million in investments and training nearly 2,000 social innovators through Acumen Academy. A serial social entrepreneur, she co-founded Rwanda's first microfinance bank and founded both the Philanthropy Workshop and the Next Generation Leaders program at the Rockefeller Foundation. She is the author of "The Blue Sweater" and "Manifesto for a Moral Revolution," and has been recognized by Forbes as one of the 100 Greatest Living Business Minds. Jacqueline holds an MBA from Stanford and a BA from the University of Virginia.
Lin-zee Oh-jok, she/her
Associate Director & Curator, Skoll Foundation
Lindsey Ojok is a convener, network builder, and relational strategist whose work is animated by a single conviction: that durable change requires the kind of trust and connection that only deliberate relational infrastructure can create. As Associate Director and Curator at the Skoll Foundation, she designs and curates convenings — including the Skoll World Forum — that bring thousands of change leaders together to surface new questions, build peer knowledge, and strengthen the networks that sustain their work long after the room clears. Her twelve years of experience building relational infrastructure spans peer learning communities across the global peacebuilding field and networks of young leaders across East Africa. She holds a Master's degree in Conflict Resolution and Coexistence from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.
Kool-thoom Oh-mah-ree, she/her
PhD Candidate, University of Cape Town & Founder, Environmental Research and Policy Solutions (ERPS)
Kulthoum Omari is a PhD candidate at the University of Cape Town specializing in climate adaptation governance, and the founder of Environmental Research and Policy Solutions (ERPS), a Botswana-based consulting firm working across environmental management, water resources, biodiversity assessment, and community-based natural resources management. Her work sits at the intersection of environmental research and actionable policy — translating complex ecological challenges into governance frameworks and on-the-ground solutions across Southern Africa.
Suh-van-ah Roo-so, she/her
Deputy Director, Kinaura Partners
Savannah Russo is a policy, advocacy, and communications strategist with 15 years of international and cross-cultural experience working at the intersection of gender equality and global health. As Deputy Director at Kinaura Partners, she brings deep expertise in HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health and rights, with a track record of building the partnerships and narratives that advance equity-centered health policy globally.
Mahn-see Shah, she/her
Senior Technical Coordinator & Program Manager, Future of Work, SEWA
Mansi Shah has spent over 11 years at the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) working at the intersection of rural economic development and the future of work for women in the informal economy. As Program Manager for Future of Work activities, she has designed and led workshops and roundtable convenings with women workers from fragile and conflict-affected contexts across Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and multiple Indian states, centering their perspectives and lived experience in shaping what equitable futures of work must look like. Working under the guidance of SEWA Director Reema Nanavaty, she has helped build a body of knowledge that brings the voices of the world's most underrepresented women workers into global policy conversations. She has represented SEWA at the UN Commission on the Status of Women and holds a Master's degree in Structural Engineering, for which she was awarded a Gold Medal for academic excellence.
Dee-ah-nah Wah-ree-rah, she/her
Senior Program Officer, Women's Economic Empowerment, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Diana Warira is a public policy and communications specialist with a deep interest in the linkage between research and public policymaking. As Senior Program Officer for Women's Economic Empowerment at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, she leverages government relations and development communications to shape public policy across Africa — working to address intractable challenges and ensure communities enjoy the highest quality of life. She is a winner of the Africa Evidence Network (AEN) Africa Evidence Leadership Award 2021. Diana is an alumna of the Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding (SVNP) Africa Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., and of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) RCLAE. She is currently a postgraduate student in Development Communications at Daystar University in Kenya.