DOT | Digital Opportunity Trust

Eric Edem Agbana is a young Ghanaian education activist, social entrepreneur, and radio personality. He is co-founder of the United Volunteers Network, an organization that is working to make quality education accessible to rural children in Ghana. He has been recognized as one of Ghana’s top 60 rising young leaders.

Eric shares, “Being a member of DOT’s YouthLAB is a rare opportunity for me to represent the voice of young people. The youth bulge in Africa presents the continent with a surmountable challenge of driving youth-led initiatives to address the challenges that confronts us.”

Daliah Hasan Akileh is a young Jordanian who is passionate about empowering youth to reach their full potential. She is a chemical engineer, #DOTYouth alumni, and motivational speaker.

Daliah shares, “I am very excited to be a member of DOT’s YouthLAB, which will expand my knowledge and help me provide youth with the support they need to turn their ambitions into reality.”

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.”

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.”

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."

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.”

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

As a Project Manager at DOT, Masuma supports the implementation of multi-country, youth-focused development innovation projects, and works with DOT country teams to assist their program management efforts and strengthen their planning and management processes. She champions effective project management practices across the organization, providing coaching and introducing new project management tools and practices.

A certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with over 10 years experience, Masuma has had an eclectic career path well-suited for DOT's unique blend of youth-led innovative development in the digital space. She began her career with a degree in Computer Systems Engineering at Carleton University and two years as a developer at large high-tech organizations such as Blackberry. She then transitioned into the non profit space - as an IT advisor to local and international development clients before working as a consultant for Deloitte for 7 years. As a consultant, Masuma advised local and international public sector and private organizations on their information management and business transformation projects and programs.

Andres is DOT’s Director of Corporate Partnerships based in Ottawa. Andres joined DOT in 2014, and supports the management of DOT’s relationships with private sector partners such as IBM and Google. He manages the planning, implementation, and evaluation of private sector partnership projects in 17 countries.

Andres has a comprehensive understanding of the development sector in developing and emerging economies, with 12 years of professional work experience in Latin America, South Africa, and Central Asia. He is an experienced international electoral observer who has participated in more than 10 election monitoring missions as an observer, team leader, or mission management member.

Andres is native to Peru, and holds two Master's Degrees in International Development and Cooperation Assistance from Ruhr-Universtiaet in Germany and University of Western Cape in South Africa.

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.

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).

As DOT’s Digital Engagement Specialist, Sharon works with teams across the global network to build digital communities of youth in Africa, the Middle East and Indigenous Canada, and maintain online platforms.

Prior to joining DOT, Sharon was a social media manager for online communities in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Sharon comes from a social activism background, and has five years of experience writing and community organizing. She is a regular contributor to Rabble.ca, organized the Ottawa chapter of the global Bring Back Our Girls campaign, and has been a member of the board of directors at Amethyst Women’s Addiction Center since 2015, responsible for human resources and strategic planning. Sharon holds a BA in Communications and Post-Colonial African History from Carleton University.

Sharon continues to be active in community matters in her home community of Kakamega, Kenya, and consults with the county assembly on youth and women engagement.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Based in Istanbul, Turkey, Seda is DOT’s Program Manager for Turkey. She joined the DOT team in 2012, and manages private sector partnerships and community relations in Turkey, contributing to the deep community impact and success of programs.
Seda holds a Bachelor's degree in political science and international relations from Istanbul Bilgi University and a Master's degree in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. She has 10 years of experience in academia, non-profit, and private sectors in Turkey and USA.

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.

Paula de Leon Bernal is DOT’s Program Manager for Mexico and Argentina. Paula joined DOT in 2010 as Education Project Coordinator, coordinating a digital education project that integrated ICT into elementary and secondary public school classrooms to improve the digital skills of teachers and students. In 2012, she was appointed Program Manager, leading DOT’s private sector partner activities in Mexico.

Paula holds a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Business Administration and a Master's degree in Economics. She has worked for international non-governmental organizations in Mexico and abroad for 10 years. Paula has extensive experience in international project management, contributing to the deep community impact of DOT's partnership with IBM in Mexico and Argentina.

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.

Frank Shi is DOT’s Country Executive in China, with over 30 years’ work experience running international projects in both China and abroad, including as Trade Commissioner for Canada’s Ministry of International Trade in Southwest China. Frank led DOT China’s launch of ICT in Education programming in Sichuan Province in 2008, as well as the launch of DOT’s partnership with IBM in China in 2009. Over the past nine years, he has managed strategies, business development, and program planning and provided insights on China's development and social value to DOT’s private sector partners. Additionally, Frank leads public relations and community relationships for DOT’s private sector partners.

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.