Joan holds a Masters of Science in Engineering Mathematics with a specialization in Optimization from the prestigious Chalmers University of Technology Sweden. During her career she has led successful million-dollar projects with Kenya Airways and has worked as the Head Coach for the Princess Princessa program by Alabastron Network Trust, co-authoring the manual Girls New Cool; Confident, Focused, Beautiful, and Fun. She is passionate about the development of inspirational programs for young women and girls and believes in coaching them with enthusiasm and joy to make responsible and discerning decisions. Joan is currently a growing entrepreneur in the hospitality industry as she runs the Maiyan (luxury homes within a country resort) and the Falcon Heights Hotel, both located in Nanyuki.

Brian Muriuki is the Strategy Advisor in the State Department of Petroleum, Ministry of Petroleum and Mining. Prior to this, Brian was the Country Manager for Royal Dutch Shell in East Africa, overseeing Upstream exploration activities for Kenya, Somalia and Zanzibar. Brian also currently sits on the Skills for Oil and Gas Africa (SOGA) Steering Board and is a board director of the British Chamber of Commerce Kenya. Prior to his appointment in Kenya, Brian worked in Iraq and the UAE as the Commercial Manager for Shell’s Exploration and Production businesses in Iraq. Before the posting in Iraq, his career has spanned various positions in Shell including Field Operations, Venture Management, Asset Commercial, Economics, Strategy, and Corporate Planning in the United Kingdom and Norway.

Jenni founded Daraja Academy with her husband, Jason, in 2009. She designed many of the programs that make Daraja so unique, and plays a critical role each year in choosing the next class of Daraja girls. Jenni wrote the W.I.S.H. (Women of Integrity, Strength, and Hope) curriculum, a 4-year series of women’s empowerment classes which have been enormously popular with the Daraja students. The Doherty family, including their toddler, has alternated between living in the Bay Area and on the Daraja campus in Kenya. While in the U.S., Jenni works with donors to provide continued support for Daraja Academy. While in Kenya, Jenni further develops Daraja’s programing and spends as much time with the girls as she can. Jenni holds a B.A. in English Literature from Sonoma State University. She is very passionate about women’s rights, and strongly believes in the power of educating girls.

Alli was born and raised in Kenya. She went on to study Physiotherapy in the United Kingdom where she had a full and varied career as a physiotherapist, including 8 years as a commissioned officer in the British Army. Alli fulfilled her dream to return home to Kenya in 2004, bringing her family with her to manage the beautiful Sasaab Lodge in Samburu. During that time, she become heavily involved with the local Samburu people. She was then asked by her company director to develop the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility as the Community and Conservation Manager. It was during this time that she was introduced to Daraja Academy and developed her passion for girls’ education by stepping onto the DKI board.

Latifah Ngunjiri is Group Production Director at Royal Media Services Limited and has been with the company nearly 20 years. She Founder and Director of Africa Film & TV Talent Training Institute that offers training in production, cinematography, scripting, acting, post-production, and graphic design since 2015. She is currently the Executive Director of Triple Edge Media, Ltd., an integrated communication, marketing, and advertising company. But her passion is girls’ education. She’s supported Daraja Academy since its inception from donating biscuits and sanitary towels to school to chairing the fundraising committee. She exemplifies the quote, “She believed she could, so she did!”

I am an astute, hardworking, and innovative lawyer with 15 years of working experience in the legal profession. My main areas of competence include undertaking legal research and due diligence, providing transaction advisory on banking and finance, intellectual property rights, real estate, and infrastructure development, energy oil and gases, mergers and acquisitions. I am also experienced in commercial/corporate law practice, employment and labor relations, advising boards and management of corporations/nonprofits, civil and commercial litigation, project management, international development, and legal practice management. Passionate about promoting responsible business and sustainable development (SDGs).

Angela is a Coach and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion specialist who works to support organizations, leaders, and individuals on the journey to build more inclusive societies. Currently, Angela is the Head of Transformation and Inclusion at Girl Effect where she leads the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) agenda and activities, facilitating discussions and interventions from a Governance, Leadership, Project, Employee and External Stakeholder perspective. She is also the Founder and Lead Consultant at Triple Bottom Line Associates, a boutique coaching, talent strategy, and DEI Advisory firm. Previously, she served as the Africa Talent Manager at Dalberg Advisors, Chief Talent Officer at Seven Seas Technologies (Kenya), People & Change Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers (Kenya). Angela is an ICF Certified Professional Coach and a Genos Emotional Intelligence Certified Practitioner. She is a Board Member of InAble – an NGO that exists to empower the blind and visually impaired students in Africa through assistive computer technology; and is a New Faces New Voices Champion– a network established by the Graca Machel Trust to expand the representation and participation of women in various corporate spaces. Angel holds a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) with a focus on International Policy and Management, from New York University – Wagner School of Public Service; and a BA-Hons in Sociology and Political Science from the University of Western Ontario (Canada).

I am a seasoned business executive with a medical professional background and over 16 years of experience bringing extensive executive Leadership for various Multinational Pharmaceutical companies in Africa serving South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Djibouti, Namibia, Botswana, Ghana, Nigeria, French Speaking Africa, and Indian Ocean island cluster countries. I consider myself a transformational and versatile leader who effectively manages cross-cultural teams, oversees multiple workstreams, businesses and creates a holistic working environment. I have in-depth experience in driving AFRICA acceleration focus that looks beyond access to quality innovative biotechnologies of novel medicines on to positioning AFRICA as a manufacturing HUB and the next frontier for emerging markets. The access to innovative medicines and gaining full government reimbursement for cancer care, Inflammatory & Metabolic diseases, and vaccines to the public patients across many countries is a highlight in my career. I consider myself a highly self-driven leader with in-depth competence, high learning agility, passion to create impact, a strong proven track record of performance, total commitment to developing the people I serve, and deploy resources with solid governance & compliance processes for sustainable success.

Dan is the East Africa General Manager for Branch International Ltd, a Silicon Valley-based Series C (growth phase) Fintech company operating in United States, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, and India. Branch’s mission is to deliver world-class financial services to the mobile generation. By leveraging the power of machine learning, Branch is building a modern full-service digital bank for emerging markets. Since its founding in 2015, Branch has raised US$250M in debt and equity capital from leading global institutional investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, IFC, Visa, Foundation Capital, B Capital, Formation 8, and Trinity Ventures. Prior to joining Branch, Dan had a 10-year international career with PwC (Kenya and USA) where he gained deep experience leading teams, managing complex multi-country projects, working with different stakeholders, and identifying and leveraging multimillion-dollar opportunities for top or bottom-line improvements for companies. His industry experience includes serving top-tier rated global organizations operating in financial services, technology, telecommunications, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, and media and entertainment. Dan holds an MBA degree from the University of California Berkeley, Haas School of Business, and a BA from Kenyatta University. He is a Certified Director with the Center for Corporate Governance (CCG), a member of CCG Alumni Network, Institute of Directors (Kenya), and Rotary Club of Hurlingham. Dan’s key competencies include C-Level Management, Strategy & Operations, Budgeting, P&L Management, Fundraising, Team Leadership & Management, Business Development, Mergers & Acquisitions, Business Reorganization, Financial Management & Control, Tax Planning & Structuring, and Relationship Management.