Tiffany Cheng Nyaggah | Executive Director, Co-Founder

Through her work at Dignitas Project, Tiffany has expanded the program from five school partners in Mathare Valley to more than forty schools. In the past two years, Tiffany and her team launched several new programs, including its flagship initiative, the Leadership Institute Program. Prior to Dignitas Project, Tiffany worked at Harvard University as a researcher with the Public Education Leadership Project studying leadership and organizational change in partnership with urban school districts. Her case studies on entrepreneurial efforts in the education sector have been published in books and currently used in graduate courses in business and education at Harvard and Stanford University. She began her career as a teacher, admissions counselor, and school developer in Oakland public schools and later worked in Boston public schools. She has consulted on a number of youth-led and faith-based organizing activities promoting education equity in urban communities. Tiffany holds an Ed.M in School Development from Harvard University and a B.A. in Cultural Psychology/Education from Wellesley College.

Amos Mwaura | Finance and Administration Officer

Amos Mwaura manages all finance and accounting, procurement, and business operations activities for Dignitas Project. In addition, he provides financial management coaching to school directors, principals, and school management committee members to improve planning and accountability among stakeholders. He is deeply motivated by the level of passion and dedication exhibited by students in Mathare. It is in light of this that Amos was drawn to Dignitas Project and their mission to improve education and opportunity for children and families in marginalized communities. Prior to joining Dignitas Project, Amos worked in various private sector institutions in finance-related capacities. Amos holds a Bachelors degree in Accounts from the University of Nairobi and is a Certified Public Accountant (K). He is currently pursuing MBA studies in Finance.

Carolyne Owala | Special Needs Teacher Leader

Born in Nairobi and raised between Nairobi and South Nyanza, Carol has experience working with children who have special needs. As a teacher leader, she advocates for early intervention and empowers teachers and families in order to address developmental and cognitive delays in students. Carol also provides coaching and professional development to preschool teachers to enable them create a nurturing environment for critical early year learning and development where all children work and play together. Prior to working with Dignitas, Carol worked with Little Rock Inclusive Centre in Kibera as a class teacher. She has also worked with Makini School as an assistant teacher. Carol holds a diploma in Early Childhood Education (Montessori Method) from Premise Africa and a certificate in Special Needs Education from Kenya Institute of Special Education.

Eugenia Lee | Program Quality Officer

Eugenia's work focuses on the continual improvement and development of programs and schools through field work, identifying promising approaches, and monitoring and evaluation. She has led two community-wide school mappings in Mathare Valley, conducted in-depth analyses of program impact, and contributed to the design and improvement of organizational programs. Eugenia has worked in low-income communities in Kenya, India, and the United States, participated in community organizing efforts, and has a special interest in addressing issues of urban poverty through ethnographic and community-oriented approaches. Eugenia holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Tufts University.

Rose Kavuli | Schools & Community Partnership Associate

Born and raised in Mathare, Rose has a deep passion for facilitating positive change and addressing social inequity in her own community. Rose's experience in planning, mobilizing and implementing programs for children, youth, teachers, parents, and other community stakeholders contributes to her goal of restoring dignity in marginalized communities. Rose is currently pursuing a BA in Sociology at Moi University.

Vincent Macharia | Field Assistant

Born and raised in Mathare, Vincent coordinates support to activities and projects in schools and the community. Currently, Vincent supervises Dignitas Project's Teachers' Technology Lab, an educational space for teachers and students in Mathare who use technology to illustrate key concepts and hone newly acquired computer skills.

Gloria Omuya | Program Assistant

Gloria provides critical support to program communications and administration. Prior to joining Dignitas Project, Gloria attended various short courses including peer counseling, HIV & AIDS sensitization, and trainings on creative arts and leadership management skills with Lepta Organization and I Choose Life-Africa. She believes that children in marginalized areas have a right to education and is proud to use her skills to support Dignitas Project's mission. A graduate of St. Teresa's Girls High School and resident of neighboring community Eastleigh, Gloria is currently a part-time student at the University of Nairobi pursuing a diploma in Public Relations.

Kimathi Kamencu | Trustee

Kimathi works as an independent consultant in the city of Nairobi. He is the Secretary of the Kenya Christian Lawyers Fellowship, and currently serves as its Acting Executive Director. He is also the Secretary of the Protecting Life Movement, which advocates for the upholding of the sanctity of life. He has participated in numerous community development and empowerment initiatives through advocacy and the provision of legal aid. He holds an LLB. (Hons) from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, and a Diploma from the Kenya School of Law.

Steve Kariithi | Trustee

Steve is the administrative pastor at Mathare Worship Centre, Naioth Ministries, which serves the people of Mathare as well as other parts of Kenya through its branch affiliates. He worked with Dignitas Project during its founding years as the Country Director and played an instrumental role in launching the organization's first program. With over ten years experience in the community development sector working in a variety of roles and organizations, Steve now heads a community-based organization that uses education, business, and prayer as tools to empower families and transform society in Kenya. He holds a B.A. in Community Development from Daystar University.

Smita Sanghrajka | Trustee

Smita is currently a consultant working in development with sixteen years of post qualification experience. She has had significant consulting success working with public sector, donor agencies, private foundations and non-governmental organisations. Smita has contributed to the progress and achievements of programmes and organisations in a variety of sectors including health, governance, land, urban development, human rights and community development. Before embarking on her independent consultancy career, Smita was a Director within KPMG's Public Sector and Development division in East Africa. Smita is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science and a qualified member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales.

Dr. C.S. Sheth | Trustee

Bio coming soon!

Wendy Robison | Member

Wendy Robison is an advanced doctoral student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Most recently, Wendy worked as the Director of Development Operations for Citizen Schools, where she helped design a national expansion strategy, conducted programmatic and financial sustainability assessments, and led the development of systems and operations for national and regional fundraising. Wendy's international work focuses on issues of educational access, teacher quality, and systemic reform in Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the Middle East. For three years, she helped manage a U.S. government-funded primary education program in Afghanistan. Wendy graduated with a B.A. in Foreign Affairs and Religious Studies with a concentration in the Middle East and Islam from the University of Virginia. She holds an Ed.M from the International Education Policy program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Helen Westmoreland | Member

Helen Westmoreland is the Director of Program Quality for the Flamboyan Foundation, a private family foundation based in Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., with the mission of improving educational outcomes for children in public schools and public charter schools. Her areas of expertise include evaluation, family engagement, out-of-school-time, community organizing, and systems-building. She recently spent two weeks with Dignitas Project on the ground in Nairobi to help develop an evaluation system linked to program outcomes. Helen received her master's degree in education policy and management from Harvard Graduate School of Education and her bachelor's degree in Spanish from Duke University.

Monica Higgins | Member

Monica Higgins joined the Harvard faculty in 1995 and is currently an associate professor at Harvard's Graduate School of Education (HGSE) where her research and teaching focus on the areas of leadership development and organizational change. Prior to joining HGSE, she spent eleven years as a member of the faculty at Harvard Business School in the Organizational Behavior Unit. While at Harvard, Monica's teaching has focused on the areas of leadership and organizational behavior, self-assessment and career development, entrepreneurship, and strategic human resources management. Monica lives in Lexington, Massachusetts with her husband, Michael, and three daughters, Sarah, Rebecca, and Mikayla.

Bobby Lee | Co-Founder, Chairman

Bobby has previously served as an executive pastor as well as a corporate executive of a manufacturing company. He is currently the founding/lead pastor of Convergence, a new church in Oakland, California. Bobby has extensive experience and education in leadership, strategy, and organization design. His passion is for leadership empowerment of the emerging generation. Bobby is pursuing an Master's degree in Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary and holds an MBA from University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business.

Tim Sesler | Member

Tim is a seasoned attorney with extensive regulatory skills from diverse in-house experience from the financial, insurance, and automotive industries. He currently works as corporate counsel at the Automobile Club of Southern California where he manages insurance marketing, privacy issues, and security breaches. Tim holds an MBA from the University of Southern California, a JD from UCLA, and a B.S. from Kansas State University. He and his wife live in Costa Mesa, CA, and have four daughters.

Min Tak | Member

Min is a former church planting pastor and has spearheaded non profit projects in Cambodia. He currently works as an attorney in San Jose. Min holds a B.A. from the University of Washington and J.D. from Loyola Law School. He lives with his wife and two kids in Fremont, CA.

Sean Carlson | Treasurer

Bio coming soon!