Board of Directors

Dr. Ashley Noelle Biser, Board Chair | Columbus, Ohio

Ashley N. Biser is an Assistant Professor of Politics and Government at Ohio Wesleyan University. She shares with Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg a desire to extend the incredible educational opportunities that have been afforded her to women in underprivileged areas around the globe. As an alumna of a women’s college, Ashley has been lucky to have a great many strong women as her role models and mentors. Ashley was born in Rochester, NY and earned her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College. She met Wanjiru while studying for her Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Minnesota, where her dissertation focused on the complex intersections between science, technology and politics. As co-founder of a mentoring program for incoming students in the U of M Political Science department, Ashley has a long-standing interest in mentoring and is excited to work with Akili Dada to ensure that our students are connected to equally amazing women in their communities. In her current position at Ohio Wesleyan, she teaches political theory and is currently experimenting with pedagogical models for developing the skills of democratic citizenship. This spring, she will be incorporating this project into a travel-learning course on Global Citizenship as part of the Ohio Wesleyan Sagan Fellows program. In her free time, Ashley plays the violin and can be found rowing on the Scioto River, as a member of the Greater Columbus Rowing Association.

Maureen Babu | Kampala, Uganda

Maureen Babu is best described as a lover of nature and the outdoors. She holds an MSc degree in urban management and development from Erasmus University, The Netherlands. She has experience working with international non governmental organizations, media and consumer industries in Eastern Africa region, focusing on programme management & coordination, monitoring & evaluation and administration/operations management. In her most recent assignment as consultant, she served on interim basis at Akili Dada Kenya Office, as the pioneer Head of Office and Programme Coordinator. Maureen has a keen interest to promote sustainable development through participatory urban and environmental management, including community development. Her commitment to giving back to society has included opportunities to serve as a youth coordinator in a welfare committee of her residential area in Nairobi, Kenya. Maureen has been involved as a volunteer in schools in the rural and urban areas in Kenya, including the Netherlands as a youth motivational speaker/mentor. She shares our vision for Akili Dada and is passionate about empowering young African women.

Jebet Chemng’orem Ahluwalia | Nairobi, Kenya

Jebet is the founder and Managing Director at GreyOwl Limited – an indigenous fast growing brand design agency with an aim to deliver growth and value to businesses in Africa and around the globe. After graduating from the Surrey Institute of Art and Design, she earned her first professional position as creative director for Watch Magazine in Britain. She returned to Kenya and joined Ayton Young & Rubicam (A global agency) from Art Director to Acting Creative Director for the Silver Bullet, a division of the Group. In her work, Jebet slowly turned to Integrated branding as an approach to solving business problems. She left AY&R end 2003 to start GreyOwl and in 5 years, has re-engineered businesses to success using brand management as an approach. GreyOwl’s portfolio includes a diverse range of businesses by sector, varying from the start-up, government to blue-chip firms. Jebet is also Chief Editor and Publisher of “The Exchange” Magazine, a stock markets publication (The Exchange is the official East African Securities magazine owned by the East African Stock Markets; NSE – Kenya, USE – Uganda, Rwanda’s CMA – Rwanda and DSE – Tanzania) with a slant for the economies & dynamics of the region and is circulated within Africa. The company intends to be one of the most influential companies globally by identifying real growth areas and taking full advantage of them in consideration of a sustainable future – financially, environmentally & socially. Jebet also serves as an advisor on the boards of Kulwant Kenya – an online marketing firm and Domaine Kenya – a global importer of wines and spirits and is an Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Panelist.

Dr. Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg, Founder and Executive Director | Belmont, California and Nairobi, Kenya

Dr. Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg is Founder and Executive Director of Akili Dada, Wanjiru is also an Assistant Professor in the Politics department at the University of San Francisco, where her research and teaching interests center on the politics of philanthropy, gender, Africa, ethnicity, and democratization, and on the role of technology in social activism. Originally from Kenya, she earned a B.A. in Politics from Whitman College and Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Political Science with concentrations in African Studies and Gender Studies from the University of Minnesota. In her dual roles, Wanjiru divides her time between the U.S. and Kenya, where Akili Dada is based. Working at the intersection of academia and social entrepreneurship, Wanjiru is passionate about the synergy between rigorous academic analysis and committed social activism.

Marisella Ouma | Nairobi, Kenya

Marisella Ouma is the Executive Director of the Kenya Copyright Board and an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya. She holds a Doctorate in Law from Queen Mary University of London, a Masters in Intellectual Property Law from Stockholm University and an LL.B from the University of Nairobi. Dr. Ouma has consulted widely in Africa and beyond on copyright, industrial property, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions. She is a Senior Research Fellow with Copyright Africa and has taught intellectual property at the University of Nairobi. She was the lead researcher in Kenya for the ACA2K project and has published widely. Her other interests include mentoring young people, especially girls from disadvantaged backgrounds in Kenya.