Impact Stories from Professional Development Policy Area

SP ‘22 Team Lebanon brings light to Lebanon with TAQA

Fellow(s): Dana Abdel Khalek, Diala Al Samarani, Ghiwa Haddad, Miriana Itani, Saria Cheaib and Zeina Farah

Country: Lebanon

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

Spring ‘22 Team Lebanon is bringing light to Lebanon with TAQA

Fellows Dana Abdel Khalek, Diala Al Samarani, Ghiwa Haddad, Miriana Itani, Saria Cheaib and Zeina Farah of Team Lebanon Spring 2022 have officially launched the first application cycle for TAQA, their seed grant-funded impact initiative that is working to provide renewable energy solution to family-owned businesses impacted by 2020 Port of Beirut explosion.

Benefactors of TAQA, funded by angel investors on a greatest-needs basis, will gain access to renewable energy from sources such as wind turbines and solar panels. This will allow them to continue running their businesses throughout the ongoing recovery of the national economy and power grid, which were devastated by the catastrophe that caused over 200 deaths, 7,000 injuries, 300,000 cases of homelessness and 15 billion dollars in property damage.

Report Date...: 01/15/2024

Fellow leads Youths Without Borders entrepreneur camp

Fellow(s): Nesrine Ben Yahia

Country: Tunisia

Cohort: 2023

Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Fellow leads Youths Without Borders entrepreneur camp

Inspired by her TechWomen experience, fellow Nesrine Ben Yahia (Tunisia, 2023) recently spearheaded, ‘Entrepreneurial Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities & Challenges,’ a two-day training session and entrepreneurship competition in collaboration with Jeunes Sans Frontières (JSF, Youths Without Borders) of Matouia.

Nesrine served as a mentor, introducing the basics of artificial intelligence and its potential uses to boost entrepreneurship. She then provided design thinking and pitch coaching to prepare the youths for the entrepreneurship competition, which took place before a jury of judges. The training concluded with awards and certificates of participation.

“TechWomen helped me build skills that have made me stronger and more community-minded,” shares Nesrine, a professor of computer science at the National School of Information Sciences (ENSI). She also serves as the head of the Information and Decision Systems department and a senior research at the RIADI Laboratory.

Report Date...: 01/08/2024

Fellow featured in Logitech’s #WomenWhoMaster series

Fellow(s): Ainura Sagyn

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2017

Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

Fellow featured in Logitech’s #WomenWhoMaster series

Fellow Ainura Sagyn (Kyrgyzstan, 2017) was recently featured in an article, “Revolutionizing Recycling: Meet Two Women Breaking Barriers in Science and Sustainability,” as part of Logitech MX’s #WomenWhoMaster series. In the profile, Ainura describes her nearly tech-free childhood in a small town, her early career as a developer, the catapulting effect of her TechWomen experience, the establishment of “Coding Caravan” for Kyrgyz girls, and how she ultimately co-founded Tazar, a waste management mobile application with worldwide potential.

“Solving problems in a creative way is really the top skill,” Ainura offers as advice for young entrepreneurs. “It’s better not to focus on the technologies, frameworks, or different instruments. Instead, get the skills for creative solutions.”

Report Date...: 01/08/2024

speakers and moderators for Wspark Women in Tech forum with USAID

Fellow(s): Elnura Kassymov, Aknur Karabay, Asem Tazhieva, Ayimzhan Baytureeva, Azhar Mambetova, Elena Chigibaeva, Ksenia Tsyganova, Munira Begmuratova,Natalya Klimenko

Country: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan

Cohort: 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development

Central Asian fellows collaborate as leaders, speakers and moderators for Wspark Women in Tech forum with USAID

Fellow Elnura Kassymova (Kazakhstan, 2016), founder and CEO of Wspark Women in Tech, enlisted a multitude of fellows to collaborate as talent in a recent forum for Central Asian women in IT.

Fellows Aknur Karabay (Kazakhstan, 2022), Asem Tazhieva (Kazakhstan, 2019), Ayimzhan Baytureeva (Kazakhstan, 2023), Azhar Mambetova (Kyrgyzstan, 2019), Elena Chigibaeva (Kyrgyzstan, 2018), Ksenia Tsyganova (Kyrgyzstan, 2022), Munira Begmuratova (Uzbekistan, 2016) and Natalya Klimenko (Uzbekistan, 2018), served as speakers and moderators for the Wspark Women in Tech Forum, which took place on December 13. 2023 with support from the USAID Entrepreneurship and Business Environment Development Project event.

The successful completion of the forum advances WSpark’s educational programming mission to promote regional gender parity and expand the economic rights of women in the Information and Computer Technology (ICT) sector. It provided a platform for leaders to share inspiring success stories, offer expert career advice, promote useful learning programs and network with potential mentors, mentees and partners. In total, over 35 panelists, speakers, moderators and trainers took part in the event, which included an opening greeting from Michelle Yerkin, U.S. Consul General in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Report Date...: 1/1/2024

Fellow wins Best Young Manager Award 2023 from CJD

Fellow(s): Amani Mansouri

Country: Tunisia

Cohort: 2018

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development

Fellow wins Best Young Manager Award 2023 from CJD

Fellow Amani Mansouri (Tunisia, 2018), CEO of the startup Dabchy, recently won the Best Young Manager Award 2023 at the Center for Young Managers (CJD) Business Awards ceremony. The event was hosted by CJD Tunisia, in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, to spotlight entrepreneurs, managers and young leaders across various sectors who have demonstrated leadership, innovation and creativity in business development.

Dabchy is a user-to-user online fashion sales platform that merges community with social networks to empower its members, known as “Dabchouchas,” to utilize multimedia and interaction to buy, sell, and exchange new and bespoke garments and accessories online.

Report Date...: 1/1/2024

Fellow leads 3rd place win at UbuntuNet hackathon

Fellow(s): Yollanda Washaya

Country: Zimbabwe

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development

Fellow leads 3rd place win at UbuntuNet hackathon

“We came, we CODED, we conquered,” shared fellow Yollanda Washaya (Zimbabwe, 2022) in a recent post celebrating the victory of Team Kusha from Africa University in Zimbabwe, who won third place out of 300 applicants continent-wide at the first-ever UbuntuNet Alliance Women Hackathon this fall. Held in advance of the UbuntuNet-Connect 2023 Conference in Uganda, the initiative was created to champion gender equality in STEM fields.

Yollanda serves as the Head of Innovation at Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe. Her team has recently developed an AI-powered authoring tool called KUSHA “in our quest to make educational articles more palatable,” she wrote in another recent post showcasing the AI’s generative abilities.

Report Date...: 12/25/2023

Fellow wins prestigious Ericsson Top Performer Award

Fellow(s): Natalya Tyudina

Country: Tajikistan

Cohort: 2018

Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Professional Development

Fellow wins prestigious Ericsson Top Performer Award

Fellow Natalya Tyudina (Tajikistan, 2018) was recently selected as one among 100 employees for Ericsson’s Top Performers Award, their most prestigious annual distinction, during this fall’s annual Performance Conference. Selected from a pool of 105,000 employees, the Top Performers Award recognizes standout individuals in innovation, operational excellence and sales.

Natalya, a Cloud Technology Developer, was recognized in the Innovation of the Year category for her and her team’s work on the Holographic Communication project, which enables 3D video calls using current telecommunications technology.

Report Date...: 12/25/2023

Mentor(s): Page Crahan

Company: Tapestry

Mentor Type: Impact

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

Mentor attends COP28 in Dubai to showcase gains with Tapestry’s electric grid virtualization technology

Mentor Page Crahan recently attended COP28 this December in Dubai to showcase Tapestry, the electric grid division of Google’s X the moonshot factory. As the General Manager and leader of Tapestry, her visit focused on their progress with Chile’s national grid operator, Coordinador Electrico Nacional (CEN), which is the first national system operator to employ Tapestry’s grid virtualization technology as the country moves towards its 2030 goal for a clean energy transition. Tapestry’s tools allow CEN grid planners to run 30 times more scenarios than they can with their current platform, vital to a country with the second longest national electric grid in the world. Key COP28 highlights for Page also included speaking on a panel, “Unlocking Innovation to Lead in the Energy Transition: COP 28 Energy Day” and being invited by Chilean Minister of Energy Diego Pardo to join one of his COP sessions, where he unveiled a new video showcasing the progress of their partnership with Tapestry since 2021.

“It was the first time global leaders took stock of the progress we’ve made since 2015’s landmark Paris Agreement and the report card is discouraging,” Page wrote in a recent blog. “Still… I’m confident that with the right policy initiatives, visionary organizations, and people dedicated to tackling the climate crisis—and their collective willingness to take bets on new technologies and partnerships—we’ll get on track towards living in a clean, vibrant world powered by renewables.”

Report Date...: 12/11/2023

Fellow speaks on DEIA panel at the UK House of Lords

Fellow(s): Oluwatobi Otokiti

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development

Fellow speaks on DEIA panel at the UK House of Lords

Fellow Oluwatobi Otokiti (Nigeria, 2022) spoke this December at the House of Lords in London’s Palace of Westminster for a Global Reputation Forum panel discussion entitled “Exploring Intersectionality: Navigating the Complexities of Diversity in the Modern Workplace.”

There she discussed strategies that organizations can employ to foster inclusion among employees with intersecting identities across diverse geographical locations.

“For many years, I’ve participated in monthly town halls where colleagues come together to share their culture,” she shared in a recent post. “People feel heard and then begin to have a sense of belonging to the organization, which in turn drives ownership of initiatives.”

Tobi is the founder of Product Dive and a product management leader at Flutterwave. She is also a member and writer for the Forbes Technology Council.

Report Date...: 12/11/2023

Fellow sponsored by two fellowships for MBA at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business

Fellow(s): Hana Kerkebane

Country: Algeria

Cohort: 2020-2021

Policy Area(s): Professional Development

Fellow Hana Kerkebane (Algeria, 2020-2021) is currently on track to graduate from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business Class of 2024 with a Master of Business Administration. She attends the program with support from the university’s Forté Fellowship, which awards partial to full scholarships for diverse candidates who demonstrate exemplary leadership and dedication to advancing women in business. She is also funded, for the second year in a row, by the International Fellowship of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), which awards funding to exceptional candidates in their pursuit of academic or community projects.
With a B.S. in mining and mineral engineering, Hana has eight years of experience in the oil and gas industry with roles ranging from field engineer to software and cloud services business developer. She also has extensive experience as a blogger, podcast host and TV host. This summer she served as a product marketing manager at Microsoft in Seattle, Washington.
“I realized that the skills I used the most were my communication skills and the leadership aspect of how to work effectively in a team environment,” she shares of her experience with Microsoft, where she intends to return following the completion of her MBA to join the OnRamp rotational program in cloud marketing.
Outside of her studies at Faque, Hana is serving as a marketing club mentor, energy club cabinet member and co-president of Muslims in Business.

Report Date...: 12/04/2023

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