Nonprofit Technology Fellowship

Sarah has 20+ years of proven results in being a business and technology change agent at scale, starting with coding IBM’s first e-commerce website to digitizing the $860 million Girl Scout Cookie Program for 2.1 million girls and adults. The launch of “Digital Cookie” garnered 4 billion media impressions with Sarah quoted in the NY Times, Forbes, and more, as well as recognitions that included a place in Fast Company’s Top 10 Most Innovative Nonprofits. Following Girl Scouts, she joined Year Up as CIO to empower young adults to reach their potential through careers and higher education and was recognized as InspireCIO of the Year for human-centered design and data-driven outcomes. Sarah is passionate about making the world a better place and was honored with a U.S. Congressional Award for her work with underserved youth. Believing that every child deserves a future, she took the next step in this journey and joined Save the Children as CIO where she is inspiring breakthroughs in the way the world treats children that achieve immediate and lasting change.

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Edwin Goutier is a nonprofit innovation facilitator and consultant. He is the Vice President of Innovation at United Way Worldwide, where he creates and executes United Way’s innovation strategy while developing a portfolio of social innovations and business model changes that reimagine how nonprofits improve lives in communities around the world. Part of Edwin’s role is acting as Executive Director for the forthcoming Barnes Family Foundation Center for Social Innovation at United Way, where he is able to explore his passions at the intersections of data, technology, community-led solutions, and equitable advancement for all.

Edwin is a proud graduate of The University of Florida with a degree in Sociology. He has training in human-centered design and product management and is deepening his learning in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Beyond work, Edwin is a husband, musician and father of two (the youngest born in March 2021). He credits all his success in life to his parents, his Haitian-American upbringing, and his incredible wife Eileen.

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Francis serves as Managing Director of Technology Services at Tech Impact, a nonprofit on a mission to use technology to better serve the world. In this role he oversees the delivery of all technology infrastructure projects and cybersecurity, compliance, and support services, and leads a team of engineers and analysts supporting the work of thousands of nonprofit staff and volunteers across hundreds of organizations nationally. Through managed IT, cybersecurity, consulting services, unbiased research, and educational resources, Tech Impact has partnered with thousands of nonprofit organizations since 2003.

Francis hails from The Gambia in West Africa, where he managed an Internet café in his youth before moving to the U.S. to study computer science at Eastern Mennonite University. With over 14 years of nonprofit experience, he is extremely passionate about helping nonprofits build their technology and operational capacity to serve more constituents and communities efficiently and securely, and is constantly seeking new ways for organizations to fully adopt cost-effective technologies that strengthen their missions.

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An “Accidental Techie”, since 2011, Aine has been working at the intersection of nonprofit management and cloud computing. She has led charity website audit research, technology audit and recommendation programs, delivered dozens of workshops and webinars, and co-hosted a highly rated podcast about issues facing small nonprofits. Aine is dedicated to showing small nonprofits - who constitute the vast majority of organizations in Canada - how they can do big things with cloud computing. Aine is a course developer and instructor at Humber College in the Fundraising Management Program. 

Aine is committed to closing the nonprofit digital skills gap by teaching people how to leverage and integrate low and no-code cloud tools to meet the expectations of 21st century stakeholders. Aine is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and holds a PhD from the University of Toronto with a focus on global activisms, gender and storytelling and as such, her methodology is grounded in equity and social justice.

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Khuloud Odeh is vice president for technology and data science and chief information officer (CIO) at the Urban Institute, where she leads the strategic planning and implementation of research, operations, and communications technology. Odeh is not your typical technologist: she brings a unique blend of education, IT organization leadership, change management experience, and understanding of global and local sustainability challenges. Over the course of her career, she has helped various organizations develop and implement strategic IT roadmaps that align with and support business process improvements, innovation, and organizational growth. Before joining Urban, Odeh was IT director for the Grameen Foundation, a global poverty- fighting organization. She served previously as the CIO of CHF International (now Global Communities) and as senior IT advisor to Jhpeigo’s Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program.

Odeh has a BS in computer science from the University of Jordan in Amman, Jordan; an MS in computer science from American University; and a PhD in information technology from George Mason University, where her research focused on the social, environmental, and economic sustainability of an IT organization’s practices. She also has a master’s degree in strategic leadership toward sustainability from the Blekinge Institute of Technology in Karlskrona, Sweden.

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There is never a problem that doesn’t have a solution in Information Technology and that is why I have dedicated my career to this fascinating industry. The core of my work is to build out enterprise systems that impact an organization’s innovation and growth by helping peer leaders leverage IT to drive business decisions while streamlining their processes.

Eight years of IT consulting, as well as, over two decades working in corporate environments has allowed me to have my hands on a variety of organizations, both local and international.

I have cultivated and led teams of innovative humans in technology in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors under the ethos of developing simple, high impact systems across the hemispheres. I am known for leading my team to be empowered and equipped problem solvers that ultimately drive innovation and productivity within the team, and the organization at large because of the systems my team implements.

I am a distinguished speaker and conscious leader. Currently, I am developing a Zero Trust security framework at DonorsChoose.

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In his role as Global IT Services Delivery Manager, Zerom Tesfay manages a team of regional technical advisors to ensure that all Mercy Corps team members have the skills, connectivity, infrastructure and support they need to achieve their maximum impact. His work brings him to some of the world’s most difficult places and emergencies. Zerom has nearly two decades of experience in a broad range of technical roles across the humanitarian sector and United Nations agencies. His diverse background makes him a valued member of the Mercy Corps IT leadership team, where he is instrumental in developing IT strategy and setting priorities. He serves as a mentor to younger IT workers across the globe, developing their skills and helping to find them opportunities for growth. Zerom is a native of Eritrea, and now resides in Kenya with his growing family. 

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Amy (they/she) is driven by a belief that the nonprofit technology community can be a movement-based force for positive change. Their prior experience in direct service, policy, philanthropy, and capacity building organizations has fueled Amy's work to create meaningful, inclusive, and compassionate community engagement and educational opportunities for organizations around the world.

As the CEO of NTEN, Amy inspires the NTEN team and global partners to believe in community generated change. Amy believes technology can help nonprofits reach their missions more effectively and equitably, but doing so takes intention and investment in training, access, and collaboration. Starting in elementary school, Amy has always enjoyed a deep passion for community centered action, including volunteering, organizing protests and canvas efforts, and serving on advisory committees, nonprofit boards, and as a commissioner for the Open and Accountable Elections Commission in Portland. 

Offline, Amy is hiking, biking, or exploring with the most supportive partner, most adventurous child, and very muppet-like dog, with a preference for Oregon’s coast or wine country. Amy is also known to give excellent hugs.

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I’m a techie from Nairobi and I’ve been building tech solutions in East Africa and beyond. I co-founded and serve as the Chief Technology Officer at Afya Pamoja, a GovTech non-profit that is elevating the voices of Tanzanian citizens to improve the quality and delivery of essential healthcare services. In my role, I oversee all aspects of technology within the organisation, this primarily relates to the development of the core technology enabled feedback platform and an intimate engagement with the government and development partners to understand their requirements.

My profession has led me through various industries including education, agriculture, oil & gas and now public health where I have built transformational tech platforms. I am an alumnus of Strathmore University and I have a Bachelors in Business Information Technology. I hold a Masters in Strategic IT Management.

In my free time, I dabble in music with the Nairobi Music Society, I play social field hockey and I’m on a training regime for an 1000 kilometre bike ride.

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Michael Boeglin is the Chief Information Officer at Mercy Corps. A librarian by training, he has held IT Leadership positions in several large NGOs, including IRC and PATH. Prior to that, Michael held technology positions in private equity, public television, telecommunications and e-commerce. He holds a Master of Library Science degree from Indiana University as well as an undergraduate degree in Anthropology. In recent years, he has become passionate about how to create successful transformation by incorporating people, process and technology in all of his team’s projects. Michael lives in southern Washington with his extended family, three dogs and two cats.

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A seasoned innovator with over 20 years of experience, Poesy is a results-oriented leader with a proven track record of delivering game-changing results in technology. She is a passionate advocate for women in technology and a champion for helping nonprofits with technology and innovation. She has successfully delivered results in a wide range of markets from nonprofits to international brands. Poesy currently chairs Mobile Pathway's advisory board and leads its innovation practice developing solutions to help the much under-serviced immigration and asylum seeker communities to navigate complex legal systems.

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Virginia Dotson (she/they) has dedicated their career to demystifying technology and simplifying operations for nonprofit organizations. With a lifelong interest in solving problems, Virginia began their career at Blackbaud, a leading software company focused on social good, before rolling up their sleeves and moving onto the nonprofit side with a small organization that serves children with complex medical needs. Since then, Virginia has held roles of increasing scope and responsibility at Teach For America, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, and The Door.

Virginia is the Chief Operating Officer at Anthos|Home, an innovative nonprofit organization that aims to reduce homelessness in New York City by transforming the way housing subsidies are utilized to locate and rent available housing. Anthos|Home is working to streamline the apartment search, approval, and move-in processes, and fill in gaps in the current NYC voucher housing market process.

Prior to their role at Anthos|Home, Virginia served as the Senior Director of Data, Business Operations and Information Technology at University Settlement, the nation’s oldest settlement house and a comprehensive social services agency that forges partnerships between New York City neighbors to build stronger communities. University Settlement fights poverty and systemic inequality with responsive programs including early childhood education, youth development and college access, mental health and wellness, adult literacy and civics education, healthy aging, eviction prevention and benefits assistance, arts programming, and community centers.

As a member of the queer community, Virginia believes that visibility matters. Virginia lives in the Hudson Valley of New York with their wife and two children where they are an active volunteer and coach youth soccer. Virginia earned a BFA from the College of Charleston and is currently pursuing an MBA at the University of New Hampshire.

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I taught mathematics at community colleges for 13 years, but today I am a full-stack software engineer. Over the years, I’ve worked on software covering quite a variety of fields, including medicare and medicaid reimbursement for health care professionals, real estate, car dealer inventories, and design and construction of reusable rockets. At present, I am working on software that empowers survivors of sexual assault.

I have a vision of a world where sexual assault is rare and survivors receive the support they need. This not only drives the work I do at Callisto, but also led to me creating a team called End of the Innocence in 2017. End of the Innocence is dedicated to changing the culture around sexual violence through conversation and education.

In my current position as Lead Engineer at Callisto, I not only maintain our proprietary web applications, but also coordinate with management and advisory boards to determine what features and priorities we will focus on and how to implement them.

My goals for the fellowship are to learn how to better communicate what we do, find other applications for the technology we use at Callisto, and network with other professionals working in the tech-for-good space.

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Melanie serves as Director, Nonprofit Technology Solutions at Tech Impact, a nonprofit that leverages technology to advance social impact. In this role, Melanie counsels and educates nonprofits to incorporate and use technology and the data that technology generates to evaluate organizational systems and processes, make better operational decisions, and serve and engage with their clients, communities, and funders. Melanie’s work is grounded in the belief that innovative technology solutions advance nonprofits in achieving their missions when leaders (a) imagine how to better serve constituents; (b) outline a future for greater social impact; and (c) make financially responsible technology choices.

Melanie has served 20+ years inside nonprofit organizations, serving in a variety of capacities. She understands how nonprofits work (operate, measure, communicate, and serve), allowing her to quickly recognize challenges and opportunities, and translate them into technology and business solutions that work for all stakeholders (executive teams, staff, constituents, board members, donors). Melanie’s approach is to understand the organization’s mission and strategy, assess current and desired states, and guide decision making to help organizations to maximize their strategic and financial success.

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Joel has actively worked in the information technology service management, governance, and operations domains for the past 16 years at private, public, and not-for-profit institutions. He has worked for 8 years at Catholic Relief Services and is responsible for strategic oversight of global information security, data protection, the digital workplace, infrastructure, networking, communications, end user device management, and the global service desk. Previously, Joel was a technology consultant at Deloitte Consulting in Washington, DC, and a Business Process Improvement Engineer and Data Center Manager at GoDaddy.com in Scottsdale, AZ. He received a B.A. degree in Communications from Michigan State University and an M.S. in Information Management from Arizona State University.

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HURIDOCS is an international NGO that helps human rights groups to gather, organize and use information to create positive change in the world. Since 2019, she has served as Product and Research Lead of Uwazi, HURIDOCS' flagship document and entity management software, and Director of Programmes.

Driven by fortitude and equal opportunity, she strives to remain true to her activist roots and has been an evidence-based movement builder for over 23 years. Prior to joining HURIDOCS, she worked across the United States and globally as a consultant to numerous rights-based organizations, helping nonprofits to integrate community-driven and participatory action research with more rigorous methods of data collection, analysis and cartography to inform and support advocacy campaigns.

As both a steward and a custodian of hard-fought data, Nancy believes deeply in responsible technology and building open-source software for human rights defenders and the wider Commons to use towards strengthening their social justice aims and impact.

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