Hometown: Detroit
What is your role and what are some of your current projects? I am the head of business operations for Rwanda, so I oversee everything that goes on here. Right now, I’m working on updating our team’s strategic plans and working to get our pads approved by the Rwanda Bureau of Standards, as well as engaging partners for future collaborations.
What might (someone) be surprised to know about you? I can come up with haikus on command, about any topic. For example, here’s one for SHE:
This one’s for the girls:
Period’s no cause for shame.
Let’s break the taboo.
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Or your favorite snack?
I’m not a big dessert person, but I can’t resist Ben & Jerry’s Triple Caramel Chunk, which I think has a new name now. My favorite snack, though, is wasabi peas. Or wasabi peanuts. Or really anything coated in wasabi.
What was the last song you just listened to?
Embrace, by Goldroom
Why did you join SHE?
I joined SHE because it offers a market-based approach to a social problem, because it creates jobs and increases income for women all along the value chain, because it benefits women and girls, and because I couldn’t ask for a better team of people to work with.
What do you wish other people knew about SHE?
I wish other people knew that SHE is not a traditional charity but, rather, is investing in people and growing the economy here in Rwanda while breaking the taboos around menstruation and making it easier for women and girls to go about their normal daily lives while on their periods. In the long-term, operating as a business is a much more sustainable approach than relying on donations forever.