Meet the Fellows

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Acumen Fund Fellows - Class of 2011

Bryan Farris
Bryan Farris will work in Lahore, Pakistan with Ansaar Management Company, which is a housing development and management company that provides an integrated approach to affordable, quality housing. Bryan is from the United States and is a management consultant for Bain & Company. He received his B.S. in Industrial Engineering & Operations Research from the University of California at Berkeley.

Mario Ferro
Mario Ferro will work in Nairobi, Kenya with Ecotact, which improves the urban landscape for low-income communities through environmentally responsible sanitation and housing. Mario is from Italy and works with NGOs in the post-earthquake relief effort in Haiti. He is a former management consultant with experience in the internationalization of Italian SMEs in China and received an M.S. in Development Management from the London School of Economics.

Chikako Fujita
Chikako Fujita will work in Mumbai, India with 1298 Ambulances, which focuses on providing affordable emergency medical response services. Chikako is from Japan and worked for SANYO on the company’s environmental initiatives. She also started an NGO’s rural electrification and development initiative in India. She earned an MEM from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

Shane Heywood
Shane Heywood will work in Kitale, Kenya with Western Seed, which develops and distributes high-quality hybrid seeds in East Africa. Shane is from Jamaica, and he has a background in the consumer goods industry as well as microfinance experience in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Shane received a joint degree in Business Administration and International Relations from the University of Western Ontario and an M.A. in Development Studies from the London School of Economics.

Khuram Hussain
Khuram Hussain will work in Bihar, India with Husk Power Systems, which uses innovative biomass technology to convert abundant rice husks into energy that provides power to Indian villages. Khuram is from Pakistan, is a consultant at TechnoServe, and formerly worked for Endeavor and JP Morgan. He earned an MBA from the Haas School of Business at University of California at Berkeley.

Elizabeth Maina
Elizabeth Maina will work in Nairobi, Kenya, with Global Easy Water Products, which provides affordable drip irrigation for small-scale farmers. Elizabeth is from Kenya and is a consultant for different companies in systems and process improvement. She has a BSc. in Information Systems and Technology from the United States International University in Kenya.

Bavidra Mohan
Bavidra Mohan will work in Shenzhen, China with D.Light Design, a company that makes low-cost solar lights that provide cleaner, safer, and cheaper lighting to families living at the bottom of the pyramid. Bavidra is from Sri Lanka/Canada and works as a corporate social responsibility consultant at Ethos JWT. Bavidra received an Honours Degree in Sociology from Queen's University, and an MA in Marketing from Kingston University.

Wendy Wallace
Wendy Wallace will work in Hyderabad, India with LifeSpring, which is a network of Maternity and Child Healthcare hospitals that provide vital reproductive and pediatric healthcare. Wendy is from the United States, currently works in consulting, and previously served as a field agent in Nairobi, Kenya with Renew Strategies. She has an MPP from Harvard University and a B.S. in Engineering Sciences and Astronautical Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Benje Williams
Benje Williams will work in Lahore, Pakistan with a company that provides access to drinking water for low-income, urban customers, and produces bottled water for middle-income customers. Benje is from the United States, is a management consultant for social enterprises and Fortune 500 corporations, and supported start-up SMEs in Nairobi. Benje holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley.

Brenda Williams
Brenda Williams will work in Andhra Pradesh, India with WaterHealth International, which incorporates technology and social marketing to increase access to safe, affordable water. Brenda is from the United States, is the president and CEO of GlobaLink Consulting, Inc., a private consulting company specializing in business development, microfinance and organizational management services. She earned an M.S. in Organizational Management from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, VT.

 


Meet all of the Fellows!

Class of 2011
Class of 2010
Class of 2009
Class of 2008
Class of 2007