Current Advsory Board

Sonya Thomas, Strategic Partnerships, is an experienced international development practitioner and businessperson. She has worked closely on-the-ground with women’s groups (e.g., SEWA) and microfinance institutions in developing countries, fostering skill training and economic program development along with the monitoring and evaluating of these programs. Sonya is a strategic management consultant at Bain & Company and has an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MPA in international development from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and a BA from Brown University.

Dr. Anuradha Naidu, Public Health Intervention, is an experienced public health field worker who concentrates in youth and gender issues. She has a track record of successful public health program development in the health commodities division of UNFPA with on-the-ground work in Ethiopia, Kenya, and the Caribbean. Anuradha is a doctor of medicine and has an MPH from Johns Hopkins University and a BA from Rosemont College.

Dr. Marni Sommer, Health and Education Specialist, is an Assistant Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. Her research interest focuses on the intersection of adolescent girls' menstrual and puberty experiences and schooling in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Sommer previously worked as a technical advisor on pharmaceutical management at USAID; on humanitarian relief in East Africa for Catholic Relief Services, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Eritrea. She is an RN and most recently earned a DrPH from Columbia University.

Kavitha Sekhar, Consumer Marketing and Distribution Specialist, focuses on the global marketing and distribution of consumer packaged goods for domestic and international consumption at Reckitt Benckiser. She has spent time working at PepsiCo developing branding strategies as well as at Underwriters Laboratories ensuring internal optimal efficiency. Kavitha has an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BBA from New York University.

Dr. Marian McCord, Textile Engineering expert, is an Associate Professor in the joint department of Biomedical Engineering with University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill and North Carolina State. She received her Ph.D. in textiles and polymer science at Clemson, also earning a Sc.B. in biomedical engineering at Brown and a M.S. in bioengineering at Clemson. Marian is leading researcher and practitioner in torsional properties in high performance fibers, barrier fabrics, and comfort textile materials.

Dr. Lucian Lucia, Pulp and Paper Science expert, is an Associate Professor at North Carolina State who has worked in a number of fundamental chemistry research aspects of wood pulping and bleaching during the last 10 years. He received a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Florida in 1996. He began his professional career as an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Paper Science and Technology at the Georgia Institute of Technology examining singlet oxygen’s (short-lived, energetic oxygen) basic interaction with lignin and cellulose as part of a broader array of oxygen delignification studies-all of which can be applied to SHE sanitary pad R&D.

Professor A'Kenga, Organic Chemist, is the Agricultural Director of the KIST Banana Fiber Technology Center and Associate Professor (Organic Chemistry-chemistry department) Kigali Institute of Science and Technology, (KIST), Rwanda. She specializes in synthetic organic chemistry, biodiversity-natural products chemistry, agricultural chemistry, pesticides and bio-pesticides, flavor and fragrance chemistry. She is currently involved in the innovative formulation, analysis and testing of bio-pesticides, anti-malarials and banana fiber textile technology.

Kathryn Corro, Business Strategist, is a Principal at Rockpoint Group, LLC. She overseas Rockpoint’s capital raising, new business development activities, as well as investor relations. Prior to Rockpoint, Kathryn focused on acquisitions, asset management and investor relations at Westbrook Partners LLC. Before that, Kathryn worked as a financial analyst at Banc of America Securities. She received a B.A. in Economics from Wellesley College.

Charles Glorioso, Legal Advisor, is a an Associate and a member of the Corporate Transactions and Securities Group in Alston & Bird's New York office. His primary focus is mergers and acquisitions and alternative investments, including hedge funds and private equity. He and his colleagues provide advisory services in organizational structures and IP, among other issues.