Youth Leadership Advisory Board (YouthLAB)
DOT’s YouthLAB is a group of young leaders from across Africa and the Middle East who play a key role in capturing new insight on youth realities. They help inform and guide DOT’s current and future programs.
Global Team
Country Leadership Team
DOT’s country leadership team leads operations in the countries and regions where we work. One of DOT’s core values is localization: we support local social innovators, local communities, and local staff.
Board of Directors
Caroline Somers is an investor and chair of an angel investor organization, the Capital Angel Network. She sits on the boards of the Ontario Centres of Excellence and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute. Caroline works as a coach for entrepreneurs as they grow their companies and overcome startup challenges.
Jean Schnob is the Regional Vice President for Eastern Ontario and an Assurance Partner at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton LLP. He has twenty-five years experience in assurance, tax and business advisory services and corporate transactions. He is a member of the Board of Governors of Grant Thornton International and many of its sub-committees. He is member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) and the Canadian Tax Foundation. He is also President of the Jean P. Dallaire Foundation and a part-time professor at the University of Ottawa and Universite du Québec.
Meg Beckel is the President & CEO of the Canadian Museum of Nature. She is the former Vice President of External Relations at the University of Waterloo and has held senior positions at the Bank of Nova Scotia, the Royal Ontario Museum and the University of Calgary, among others. Meg has also served as director on the boards of the National Ballet School of Canada and TheMuseum in Kitchener, Ontario.
Margo Crawford is the Founder, President and CEO of the Business Sherpa Group, a management consulting firm that specializes in small and mid-sized enterprise (SME) business services. She is a successful business leader with over 20 years experience in private, public and nonprofit environments. Margo is the co-founder of one of Ottawa’s most successful start-up companies, Meriton Networks, where she played an instrumental role in raising and closing over US $75 million in equity financing over eight years.
Justine Hendricks is Vice President of Working Capital Solutions (Guarantee and Bonding Programs) at Export Development Canada (EDC). Before joining EDC, Justine held a Senior Branch Manager position at RBC Financial group for more than ten years.
Justine is a graduate of the University of Ottawa's MBA program and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Carleton University. She has a Certified Financial Planner designation and is a recipient of the Trudeau Medal from the Telfer School of Management, recognizing her leadership, initiative and contributions to the business world and the community. Justine has been Chair of the Forum for Young Canadians since 2013.
Peter King'ori Mwangi is a Kenyan electrical engineer, accountant, and business executive. He is the current Group Chief Executive of UAP Old Mutual Group, which operates in six African countries.
Previously, Peter served as the CEO of Nairobi Securities Exchange Limited, and investment manager at ICDC Investments Co. and Centum, where he was also managing director. Peter began his career
Peter Lloyd has extensive experience as an executive in the public service of Canada. He worked primarily in the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, both as a diplomat and as the senior official in charge of communications. During that time, he served as Canada's Consul General in Seattle, and was the High Commissioner (Ambassador) of Canada to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Prior to his time in the public service, Peter worked for more than a decade as a print and television journalist on Parliament Hill. Today, Peter is an Ottawa-based consultant.
Dr. Dima Jamali is a Professor in the Olayan School of Business at American University of Beirut. She currently holds the Kamal Shair Chair in Responsible Leadership and serves as Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development. She has a PhD in Social Policy and Administration from the University of Kent. Her research and teaching revolve around Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and social entrepreneurship. Dima is the author/editor of four books (CSR in the Middle East – Palgrave, 2012; Social Entrepreneurship in the Middle East – Palgrave 2015; Development Oriented CSR – Greenleaf 2015; and Comparative Perspectives on Global Corporate Social Responsibility – IGI 2016), and over 65 international publications focused on CSR in developing countries and in the Middle East region.
Dima is the winner of the 2016 National Council for Scientific Research Excellence Award, the 2015 Aspen Institute Faculty Pioneer Award, the Shield of Excellence for the Arab Region, and was designated as Personality of the Year for CSR by the Arab Organization for Social Responsibility in 2015. In 2013, she was selected for the Eisenhower Fellows Program, joining a global network of leading professionals committed to collaborating for a more prosperous, just and peaceful world.
She has worked as an expert consultant for the United Nations on Social Policy and CSR as well as various projects funded by the World Bank, the US Agency for International Development, and major private and public firms in Lebanon and the region.
David Johnston served as Governor General of Canada from 2010 to 2017. Prior to becoming Governor General, David Johnston served as the President of the University of Waterloo, one of Canada's most innovative universities and a leading global institution in e-learning and information technology. A graduate of Harvard, Cambridge and Queen's Universities, his academic specializations are securities regulation, corporate law and information technology law. He has served on many provincial and federal task forces and the boards of Canada Trust, Alcatel, Seagram, EMCO, CGI and Lifestyle Furnishings. He has chaired the Board of Overseers of Harvard University, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, the Neuroscience Network Centre of Excellence, the Federal Government's Information Highway Advisory Council and its Blue Ribbon Panel on Smart Communities, the National Broadband TaskForce and the national e-Business Roundtable. David Johnston is a Companion of the Order of Canada.
Ethiopia Mekedes Bogale is a young Ethiopian with a background in law and community development. She is a #DOTYouth alumni who has trained hundreds of young men and women in her community in entrepreneurship and digital skills.
Mekedes shares, “As a DOT Youth and young person myself, I have first-hand experience with the issues young people face in my country. As a member of YouthLAB I plan to exhaustively use every opportunity to advocate for youth in Ethiopia, and help facilitate opportunities to bring about empowerment and enhance their socioeconomic engagement.”
Lebanon Marwa Harb provides digital skills and entrepreneurship training to youth and refugees in Lebanon. She works with DOT Lebanon’s Innovation Labs network, where she specializes in supporting community members to build mobile apps. She is a former math teacher and #DOTYouth alumni.
Marwa shares, “As a member of DOT’s YouthLAB, I will highlight the problems faced by youth in education and find solutions. Education is the pearl of society, and in making it available to everybody we can transform lives and the future.”
Tanzania Ng’walu holds a BA in economic development and currently works on programs to support adolescent girls. Ng’walu brings a critical gender-sensitive lens from her valuable experience working with vulnerable women and girls in Tanzania.
“As a member of DOT’s Youth Leadership Advisory Board, I hope to bring attention to the importance of youth voices. I have a passion for youth advocacy and engagement and I feel that with the resources I have from my generation, I can help youth further their participation in youth leadership.’
Uganda Samson holds a BA in computer engineering and currently works at Uganda’s Bureau of Statistics. Samson is passionate about using digital technology for social impact, especially in the area of agribusiness, where he has worked with youth and women to improve their livelihoods.
“Through my role on DOT’s Youth Leadership Advisory Board, I am most excited about the opportunity to conduct and produce research on youth issues.”
Kenya Kamau holds a BA in sociology and is earning an MBA. At Kuza Biashara, he builds partnerships with the private sector to empower youth and women livelihoods. Kamau is a social entrepreneur and founder of Kazi Chap Chap, a service that connects youth to employers.
“I am particularly concerned about the opportunities available to youth for decent employment. DOT’s Youth Leadership Advisory Board puts me at the centre of experiences around what can be done to tackle youth unemployment."
Rwanda Regine holds a BA in engineering and is currently earning an MSc in economics. She is an experienced facilitator in the areas of ICT and economic empowerment training. Regine has served as a youth leader through initiatives with Change Rwanda and Rwanda Youth Alliance for Climate Action.
“As a member of DOT’s Youth Leadership Advisory Board, I am excited to work on realities of youth in my community and uncover new truths from the research that I will be conducting.”
Kenya Rachel Okwar is a young Kenyan with a passion for youth issues. Rachel works in her local county government as a volunteer, leads digital literacy training in her community as a Mozilla Club Leader, and has worked in local prisons to teach digital skills to young women in rehabilitation programs. She is a member of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), and a #DOTYouth alumni.
Rachel shares, “The youth of Kenya have so much potential. My work as a part of DOT’s YouthLAB will enable me conduct research that will influence policy on issues that affect youth’s ability to not only grow but to thrive in their passions and interests."
Tanzania Frederick Semainda is the director and co-founder of Tanzania Youth Espouse for Gender and Development (TYEGD). He is a champion of the Sustainable Development Goals, and passionate about gender equality, peace, human rights, and justice. Frederick has trained hundreds of members of his community in entrepreneurship and digital skills as a #DOTYouth.
Frederick shares, “I believe young people are capable of bringing positive change in their communities if they have a sense of purpose, information, equal opportunities, and courage. As a member of DOT’s YouthLAB, I will advocate for equal opportunities for all young people.”
Canada Janet Longmore is the founder and CEO of Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) and a champion for technology-driven, community-owned, and youth-led solutions in rapidly developing regions of the world.
Under Janet’s leadership, DOT has developed a global network of thousands of young people who are invested in their communities as leaders of change and social innovators. In communities across Africa, the Middle East and Canada, these young people are creating solutions to local challenges, starting businesses, and creating jobs.
A passionate believer in the power and potential of youth and technology, Janet works tirelessly to promote respect for youth as an untapped source of creativity, innovation, and talent. As a member of the steering committee for the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Internet for All initiative, she shares insights on how young people can be champions of digital inclusion, driving social and economic change in emerging economies.
In 2016, Janet was decorated with a Meritorious Service Cross by the Governor General of Canada in recognition of her strong example of social innovation and leadership that brings considerable honour to Canada. In 2018 she was appointed to the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation's Business Leaders Caucus, through which she works to develop guidelines on how to best use public resources to engage the private sector in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
While guiding DOT’s steady growth, Janet has built long-term partnerships across private and public sectors, including with Cisco Systems, IBM, The MasterCard Foundation, and agencies such as Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and USAID.
Janet is a Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur and a Senior Ashoka Fellow; from 2014-2016 she was an active member on the WEF Global Agenda Council on Emerging Multinationals. Janet is a recipient of the CATA Alliance Sara Kirke Award for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (2011) and has been recognized as a Trailblazer and Trendsetter by the Women’s Executive Network Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada (2012).
Canada As ICT Officer at DOT, Mohamud Abdrirahman manages digital services and platforms for the global organization. He has a strong passion for digital development and helping youth in East Africa utilize technology to better their lives and is a volunteer with the local Ottawa Somali community, where he teaches high school students how to code.
Mohamud holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science from Carleton University. Prior to joining DOT, Mohamud worked as a Web Developer and a Digital Coordinator for the Liberal Party of Canada and in the startup sector. He brings an expertise in information technology, digital strategy, digital fundraising and running online campaigns.
Canada Drawing upon more than ten years’ experience living and working in Kenya, Liberia, and Ghana, Natasha brings hands-on experience managing and implementing programs in Africa. Most recently, she served as the Regional Program Manager of West Africa at Right To Play, where she oversaw a diverse range of programs addressing youth leadership, education, gender equality and child rights. In this role, Natasha supported the capacity development of country program teams in results-based management and reporting. She also has an extensive background in monitoring and evaluation, training, and community-based research. Having witnessed first-hand the energy and innovation of young people who are empowered to become agents of change in their communities, Natasha was excited to join the Program Operations team at DOT in December 2016. She holds a Masters Degree in Medical Anthropology from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia.
Lebanon Marianne is DOT’s Director of Operations for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), leading regional business development and forming new partnerships to support expansion. She is also DOT Lebanon’s Country Director, and has led its operations since 2010.
Before joining DOT Lebanon, Marianne managed operations at World Vision International and established World Vision Lebanon’s refugee program. With her extensive experience in NGO management, she has an impressive network within Lebanese and international civil society, and she is an expert in issues concerning refugee communities in Lebanon.
Marianne has a Bachelor of Agricultural Engineering from the American University of Beirut, a master’s in food science from McGill University in Canada, and a Master of Business Administration from Saint Joseph University/Paris Dauphine.
Canada Heather Gilberds is an international development expert with more than 12 years of experience helping organizations advance their research agendas and articulate the impact of their programs. She has sector experience in pandemic response, transparency and accountability, youth health and empowerment, social and behaviour change communication and ICTs for development, and has designed and led research projects in South Asia and throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Heather is in the final stages of a PhD in Communication at Carleton University, where she is exploring citizen feedback and aid accountability in the context of the Ebola pandemic in Liberia. Prior to joining DOT, she worked as a research consultant and program evaluator for numerous organizations throughout sub-Saharan Africa, including as the 2017 Freedom of the Press Report's expert for Liberia and Sierra Leone. She has presented and published her research widely in international journals and forums, and has been featured as a writer and contributor in the CBC, HuffPost, NPR and AllAfrica.
Canada Vaisnavi is an international development professional who has worked in both North America and South East Asia. She has experience in academic research and monitoring and evaluation for multilateral programmes. Vaisnavi enjoys working with qualitative and quantitative data to explore the means of improving the impact of programmes, and has monitoring and evaluation experience in programmes addressing the different elements of the Sustainable Development Goals including digital financial inclusion, health, poverty, and other social issues.
Canada Elizabeth leads business development for DOT, supporting multisectoral partnerships and funding growth for the DOT network. A passionate advocate for community-led development and gender equality, Elizabeth has worked for community organizations in Canada and abroad. Since joining DOT in 2011, she has worked to build innovative partnerships with key stakeholders in support of DOT's work to empower young people and transform communities. She also contributes to DOT's broader work in gender equality, strategic planning and communications.
She has an undergraduate degree in international studies from the University of Ottawa and a master's degree in international political economy from the University of Kent.
Turkey Jane is a dynamic executive with extensive experience in international development, corporate social responsibility, inclusive business and strategic partnerships in emerging markets. She has worked in over 40 emerging economies in her career and has been based in Turkey since 2005. Jane has held multiple management and executive positions in DOT since 2004, including development and oversight of DOT’s innovative corporate partnerships programs, business development, tri-sectoral collaboration initiatives and the MENA region. She is a former Canadian diplomat and holds an M.A. in International Relations.
Canada Christine has over 10 years of experience in instructional design working with a variety of organizations such as the Canadian Space Agency and the Canadian Wildlife Federation. In her role at DOT, she fosters the organization's global community of practice in learning experience design. As part of her role, she coaches the global organization on how to apply instructional design methods to design experiential learning. Christine champions human-centred design methodologies and co-designs learning experiences including DOT's Youth Leadership Program as well as DOT's Youth Unconference. She also develops experiential learning course content and works with learning consultants to grow DOT's learning catalog. Prior to joining DOT in 2015, Christine developed deep experience training a variety of audiences including astronauts, academics, pilots and the Canadian public. She is passionate about evidence-based design, research and creative communications.
Christine holds a Masters Degree in Educational Technology and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Concordia University.
Canada Heather has been working with DOT since 2008, originally as DOT‘s Executive Assistant and currently as the Senior Manager of Corporate Operations. Heather has helped manage the growth of the organization, and now takes on HR responsibilities for the DOT Ottawa team. Heather is passionate about international development and gender equality, and is inspired by the commitment to social innovation she sees in the DOT network.
Canada As a project manager, Elizabeth works with country teams to ensure the successful implementation of youth-focused innovation and entrepreneurship projects in East Africa. She also contributes to DOT’s broader work in the areas of gender equality, research, and project planning and design.
Elizabeth brings 10 years of experience that includes programming, research and analysis, strategic planning, and partnership building. She began her career in social change with an NGO in Guatemala City, helping families living alongside the Guatemala City Garbage Dump gain education and skills. Prior to joining DOT, Elizabeth served as the Executive Director of Ethiopiaid Canada, where she led the organization’s efforts to improve the lives of vulnerable women and girls in Ethiopia through projects and partnerships focused on maternal health, education, and skills development. She has also worked on various international development initiatives, including a water, sanitation and hygiene project with USAID in Ethiopia, assignments with the North-South Institute, and research projects exploring women's land rights in East Africa, a systems approach to reducing child, early and forced marriage, and the role of social capital in informal financial services. Elizabeth holds a Master’s Degree in Law and Diplomacy, with a specialization in International Development and Human Security from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University (Massachusetts, USA) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Government and Legal Studies from Bowdoin College (Maine, USA).
Canada Anne leads communications and digital engagement at DOT, overseeing strategy and coordinating teams across DOT’s countries of operation.
Working at the intersection of design, impact, technology, and solving complex social challenges, Anne has a strong blended background in international development, corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, and youth-led economic development as a strategist, experience designer, community builder, and storyteller.
Prior to joining DOT in 2010, Anne worked as a program manager and media liaison with the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton, leading its Geographic Information Systems (GIS) social enterprise, and with the Social Development Centre Waterloo Region as a social impact researcher. She was one of the founding editors of Popular Anthropology Magazine, and has been a consulting web developer, designer, and communications strategist since 2005, telling stories with data for non-profits and community-based organizations. Anne is a Technovation Challenge mentor, supporting teams of girls to develop apps for social good, and sits on the Board of Advisors of Keela.co. Her work and writing have been featured in The Guardian, CBC Radio, Globe and Mail, Huffington Post, Ottawa Citizen, Hamilton Spectator, and the Rwanda New Times. She is an alumna of the University of Waterloo.
Canada Donnalu is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), and has been a Chartered Accountant (CA) since 2000. During her nine years with KPMG in Ottawa, Donnalu worked extensively with non-profit organizations and registered charities. Donnalu joined DOT after five years as a Director of Attest Audit at the Office of the Auditor General of Canada. She has a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting with High Honours from Carleton University in Ottawa.
Canada Formerly DOT’s Vice President, Strategic Development, Grant continues to work closely with DOT as an Executive Officer and advisor. He is an experienced management professional with extensive international experience. He is a specialist in partnership and joint venture development and has been responsible for significant private and public sector investment in developing and transitional economies. Grant is a former executive in several IT companies, a partner in PriceWaterhouse, and he co-managed the Acacia Initiative in Africa for Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC). He has served on the board of directors of Precarn Incorporated, the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Systems, Willis College and TeKnoWave Inc.
Rwanda Violette has led DOT Rwanda since its inception in 2010. Prior to DOT Rwanda, she spent seven years at the Embassy of Rwanda in Washington DC, beginning as a policy analyst and rising to become a diplomat in the position of First Secretary. Upon completion of her mission, she was posted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kigali, in charge of Asia and Oceania.
Violette is involved in numerous youth and women’s economic empowerment and technology-fueled development initiatives. She is a mentor through the Imbuto Foundation, a member of the Africa Leadership Network and a recipient of the Change Agent ABIE Award from the Anita Borg Institute. In 2016, Violette was named one of Amazon’s Watch Magazine’s Top 25 Distinguished Women in Business Excellence in Africa for her work to economically empower young girls and women.
Violette holds a Master of Public Administration with a focus on International Development from Carleton University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Comparative Development from Trent University.
Canada Tony brings extensive professional operations and project management experience and a commitment to innovation within DOT's vision. Prior to joining DOT, Tony was a project manager with the Global Connectivity program at the International Institute for Sustainable Development. In 2007, Tony completed a master's degree in international development at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (Ottawa, Canada). Tony has also enjoyed over 10 years in the telecommunications sector, having worked in senior product management, technical marketing, and executive advisory roles.
Canada As a member of DOT's executive team and Vice President of Program Operations, Ivan contributes to DOT's overall strategic direction as well as the development and implementation of best practices. Ivan holds executive oversight of DOT's in-country operations and expansion partnerships and leads the operations, MERL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning), and program development teams.
For the past 15 years, Ivan has held senior field positions in organizations and countries spanning Libya, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, and Cambodia. Ivan joined DOT from Welthungerhilfe, where he worked as the Country Director in Khartoum, Sudan.
Lebanon Marianne is DOT’s Director of Operations for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), leading regional business development and forming new partnerships to support expansion. She is also DOT Lebanon’s Country Director, and has led its operations since 2010.
Before joining DOT Lebanon, Marianne managed operations at World Vision International and established World Vision Lebanon’s refugee program. With her extensive experience in NGO management, she has an impressive network within Lebanese and international civil society, and she is an expert in issues concerning refugee communities in Lebanon.
Marianne has a Bachelor of Agricultural Engineering from the American University of Beirut, a master’s in food science from McGill University in Canada, and a Master of Business Administration from Saint Joseph University/Paris Dauphine.
Kenya Esther Wanjiru Gathigi is passionate about empowering young and aspiring entrepreneurs to develop the skills and insights they need to transition their startups into high-potential business ventures.
Prior to joining DOT, Esther was the Executive Director for WECREATE Kenya, an initiative of the U.S. Department of State that establishes entrepreneurial community centers in safe and centralized locations for women to gain access to the essential resources required for starting or growing businesses. Esther has also worked in business development at NIC Bank. She has extensive experience in relationship management, project and operations management, and strategy mapping and implementation.
As a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, Esther collaborates with young business leaders in Kenya and abroad to impact the lives of others through projects in education, environment, and entrepreneurship. She also offers her expertise as a mentor with the African Entrepreneurship Awards, focusing on entrepreneurial capacity development. Esther believes in enhancing skills and knowledge of young entrepreneurs to transform the entrepreneurship landscape in Kenya, and to highlight success stories across the continent.
Jordan Noor has previously held several positions in key organizations in Jordan, working in economic and social development. She worked on community outreach programs at the Office of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, and focussed on youth and community development projects as the Director of Programs and Initiatives for the King Abdullah II Fund for Development.
UK Julia leads the advocacy, partnership-building and fundraising work for DOT UK in support of DOT's global vision and country programs. She has spent her career addressing the needs of young people through youth enterprise projects with major UK-based international youth organizations, and as International Director of The Prince’s Youth Business Trust and International Award Association. Julia has experience establishing and building the capacity of charities, and has more recently raised funds for charities addressing the needs of marginalized young people in the UK. Julia has spent time working in eight countries of Africa, India, Hungary and Russia.
Tanzania Diana previously served as a manager in the Chandaria Group of Industries at their sister company Tanpack, in the positions of Sales Coordinator and Sales & Marketing Manager. Diana has been with DOT Tanzania since 2013, previously serving as the Communications and Partnerships Manager.
Before taking on the Acting Director role, Diana also acted as DOT Tanzania's Senior Program Manager, incorporating her vast expertise of gender into her work overseeing the implementation, operations, and review of all DOT Tanzania programs.
Diana holds a Bachelor of Development Studies from Mbarara University of Science and Technology.
Ethiopia Solomon has several years of program development and project management experience in various organizations. He served as a project manager for Christian Children’s Fund of Canada and worked for Amhara Development Association as a deputy CEO and executive director.
Solomon has a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from Addis Ababa University and has extensive training related to his profession and expertise.
Rwanda Violette has led DOT Rwanda since its inception in 2010. Prior to DOT Rwanda, she spent seven years at the Embassy of Rwanda in Washington DC, beginning as a policy analyst and rising to become a diplomat in the position of First Secretary. Upon completion of her mission, she was posted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kigali, in charge of Asia and Oceania countries.
Violette is a member of the Africa Leadership Network (ALN) and recipient of the Anita Borg Institute Change Agent Award from the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. In 2016, Violette was named one of Amazon’s Watch Magazine’s Top 25 Distinguished Women in Business Excellence in Africa for her work to economically empower young girls and women. She is a mentor through the First Lady of Rwanda’s Imbuto Foundation and The MasterCard Foundation Young Africa Works, and is involved in numerous youth and women economic empowerment and technology-fueled development initiatives.
Violette holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with a focus on International Development from Carleton University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Comparative Development from Trent University.