Our Team
The S.H.E. College Fund Team
Kim Rosen, Founder and President of the Board
Kim Rosen, M.F.A., has awakened listeners around the world to the power of poetry to heal and transform individuals and communities. In 2007 she spoke a poem to a group of Maasai girls in a safe house in Kenya, and the communion that followed was the seed of the Safe House Education (S.H.E.) College Fund. Today she is the founder, president and outgoing Executive Director of the organization. A graduate of Yale University with an M.F.A. in Poetry from Sarah Lawrence College, Kim is the author of Saved by a Poem: The Transformative Power of Words and co-creator of four albums of spoken word and music. Her writing has been published in The Sun Magazine, O Magazine,The Texas Review and Spirituality and Health Magazine, among others.
Sarah Degnan Kambou, Executive Director
Sarah is a global development expert with four decades of leadership experience directing gender equity and social justice initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia for the International Center for Research on Women, Care International and Boston University School of Public Health where she earned her MPH and PhD in international health policy. In 2012, President Obama appointed Sarah to the President’s Global Development Council. Also in 2012, former President Clinton tapped her to serve as an Advisor to the Clinton Global Initiative. Sarah’s contributions to the public good have been acknowledged by various awards platforms, such as, Top 100 Global Influencers in Gender Equality, 2019 and 2018 | Center for Nonprofit Advancement EXCEL Award, 2018, for exceptional nonprofit leadership | UNA Perdita Huston Human Rights Award, 2013.
Annie Lightbody, US/Kenya Program Coordinator
Annie spent years in New York City as the production manager for large-scale events and conferences including various fashion week shows and galas. She now owns and operates a remote billing company which allows her to travel as a stand up comedian and theater performer. She teaches yoga, hosts workshops and runs small tours. She has been with the S.H.E. Fund since 2017, assisting the Kenya team in their work.
Margaret Harding, Bookkeeper
Margaret Harding has worked with non-profit organizations, small companies, and individuals for over 20 years. A graduate of Kenyon College, she received her M.B.A. degree from Babson College. She has extensive experience with all aspects of finance and management, from paying bills to creating business plans. Margaret’s goal is to demystify finances for her clients.
S.H.E. Fund Kenya Staff
Jacinta Silantoi Meteur, Executive Director
Jacinta Silantoi Meteur earned her BS in Business, and is pursuing an MBA in Business Administration. She is now the Executive Director of the S.H.E. College Fund in Kenya. Jacinta is responsible for all of the operations, which include supporting S.H.E. students day to day in Kenya, helping them apply to colleges, teaching them about budgeting and communication, taking them to school, bookkeeping of expenses, responding to student requests, and maintaining frequent contact with all students and team members.
Emily Ketter, S.H.E. Fund Operational Support
Emily Ketter is manager of the Tasaru Rescue Center. She supervises schooling through secondary school and manages public events such as the Alternative Right of Passage. Emmy is a passionate champion for girls rights. With over 15 years of experience in community development, CSO network planning, and participating in policy formulation and development, she is a Gender Technical Working Group team leader for Gender-based Violence. Above all else, Emmy is committed to respecting the rights of women and girls and impacting their lives positively as they strive towards being the role models and agents of change that the world demands.
Linah Naisho, Support Staff
Linah Naisho, a S.H.E. student studying for her degree in Business, helps the Kenya Operations Director with daily tasks and with taking girls to school when they start college. Linah fled FGM in 2007 and arrived at the Safe House when Kim was visiting. At the time, she had never been to school and spoke only Maa, the indigenous language of the Maasai. Today she is a successful degree student at Maasai Mara University.
Phyllis Nailois Kamwaro, Support Staff
Phyllis Nailois Kamwaro earned her B.S. in Information Technology from Jomo Kenyatta University, Nakuru. She is married with five children. She currently works part-time for the S.H.E Fund.
Kenya Board of Directors
Agnes Pareyio, Founder, Tasaru Rescue Center
Agnes Pareyio is a member of the Kenya Parliament, and is known worldwide as an activist against female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/c). She is the founder of the Tasaru Rescue Center and has been the head of Kenya’s Anti-FGM board. She also produces educational events and Alternative Rites of Passage (ARP) for the Maasai community.
Hellena Moses
Hellena Moses is lead Teacher in the largest primary school in the Great Rift Valley. She is a founding member of Tasaru Ntomomok Initiative and the main teacher at the tri-annual Alternative Rites of Passage, which is given by Tasaru three times a year for young girls throughout Maasailand as an alternative to FGM. The girls are taught about the hazards of FGM, sexual education and their rights.
Christopher Murray
Christopher Murray is the CFO of the Tasaru Ntonomok Initiative. He also holds a government position in charge of the evaluation of primary and secondary school teachers in Narok County. Chris teaches in the Alternative Rites of Passage, has led many of the reconciliation ceremonies for the Tasaru girls with their families and been on rescue missions for girls endangered by EFCM.
Jacinta Meteur, Emily Ketter and Kim Rosen are also on the Kenya Board of Directors.
USA Board of Directors
Maya Maria Brown
Maya Maria Brown is an International Matchmaker, and Infertility Mental Health Expert. She has an MA in Counseling Psychology: Drama Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies and a BA from Tufts University. Maya previously worked as the Associate Director of the S.H.E. Fund and had an incredible experience in Kenya with the S.H.E. students and community in December 2022. Maya lives in Sweden with her husband, two sweet dogs, and a baby on the way!
Patti Cohn
Patti Cohn is passionate about human rights and particularly champions causes supporting women and children. Patti grew up in the NY metropolitan area, has called Marin County home since 1987 and has been a homeowner in Ross for 26 years. She enjoys traveling, entertaining, hiking, yoga, kayaking, enneagram exploration, deep inner work and inspiring others. And of course, her wide network of friends and family fuels her. She has been a top producing real estate broker in Marin County for 32 years.
Dr. Dawn McGuire
Dawn McGuire is a physician and a poet with a long and loving connection to East Africa. She is delighted to join the board of the S.H.E. Fund and honored to support the educational ambitions of Maasai girls.
Donna Paul
Donna Paul is passionate about human and animal rights and has supported both for many years. She is especially focused on empowering young women and has mentored several young women suffering from physical, mental and/or substance abuse. A graduate from UCLA with degrees in both Diversified Liberal Arts and English she has worked for several non-profit organizations, a lifestyle magazine, and a public relations firm. She finally settled into a successful 25+ year career in the field of Entertainment Business Management and remained in this field until retiring a few years ago.
Kim Rosen is also on the board and currently serves as President of the Board of Directors.
Karin Carrington, Board Member Emeritus
Karin Carrington is a founding member of the S.H.E. College Fund, and articulated its vision of fostering rich cross-cultural relationships between the students, funders and team. Now she spreads the inspiration of the S.H.E. Fund wherever and whenever she can. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area and is passionate about kayaking, yoga, poetry, writing, photography and her community of family, friends and students.
Board of Advisors
Patricia Daunas, COO, Together for Girls
With close to 40 years working in the global development sector, Patricia serves as COO at Together for Girls (TfG), a global nonprofit working to eliminating sexual assault and violence against children and adolescents with a special focus on girls. Patricia previously worked for fourteen years as COO with the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW). Throughout her career, Patricia has directed her energy towards improving the lives of women and girls. She ensures that operations enable programs to be efficiently executed while ensuring good stewardship of donor funds.
Elise Yéri Kambou, Senior Associate, Global Philanthropy, JP Morgan Chase
Results-driven professional with a strong background in corporate responsibility and community impact. Over 6 years of experience in managing corporate community involvement, partnerships, and philanthropic programs at both global corporations and non-profit organizations.
Manizha Nabieva, CFO, Federation of American Scientists
Manizha Nabieva is a highly experienced professional with over two decades of expertise in financial, operational, resource, and risk management across various sectors. As the current CFO at the Federation of American Scientists, she oversees finance, accounting, and audit activities, while also managing budgets, contracts, human resources, and information technology. With a strong background in financial management and strategic planning, Manizha collaborates with a diverse range of stakeholders to drive organizational success. Manizha is a Certified Accountant, and holds an MBA degree from George Washington University.
Jessica Ogden, Senior Consultant, Gender and Development
Jess Ogden is an anthropologist, writer, connector and leader, active in the gender and international development space for over 25 years. With a background in public health, Jess has evolved into a ‘gender generalist’, and has enjoyed working on both the technical and operational sides of the sector.
Sylvia Otieno, Development Officer, Lwala Community Alliance
Sylvia Otieno is a Kenyan-American, international development professional. She has experience in program evaluation and currently works as a Development Officer. Sylvia is passionate about working with community-driven initiatives.
Joe Shaffner, Communications Strategist, Senior Consultant
Joe Shaffner is a communications, marketing, and fundraising strategist with over 15 years of experience with agency, corporate, small business, and nonprofit organizations. He is a storyteller, team builder, and advocate for gender equity and social justice. He has recently been elected to the Board of the National Peace Corps Association.