Impact Stories from Professional Development Policy Area

Mentor to help lead largest river renewal effort in U.S. history

Fellow(s): Gwen Santos

Country:

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

Mentor to help lead largest river renewal effort in U.S. history

As part of a decades-long effort to save an imperiled ecosystem, mentor Gwen Santos will help lead the restoration efforts for the largest dam removal and river renewal project in U.S. history as the project’s Lead Ecologist. The Klamath River Renewal Project, a multilateral, cooperative initiative, led by the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, was approved this fall by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Gwen has served as the Lead Ecologist on the project for the past 3.5 years while also performing her duties as Resource Environmental Solutions’ (RES) Western Region Senior Wetland Ecologist and Ecology Team Lead. Stemming from her work on the Klamath project and other endeavors on the West Coast, Gwen was Recently promoted to Director of Ecology & Regulatory for the Western Region. As the Klamath Project’s Lead Ecologist, Gwen, along with Restoration Program Manager, Dave Coffman, and Lead Fisheries Biologist, Dan Chase, will help oversee the resource protection measures during dam removal, the flora propagation effort and restoration of the former reservoir footprints, which aims to restore the degraded Klamath River ecosystem in the Northern California and Southern Oregon region. The water quality has been decimated by aging hydroelectric dams that have prevented threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead fish from reaching more than 400 miles of historic habitat in the upper river basin. The project, Gwen shares, is “vital to the future of several imperiled salmon populations on the West Coast” and has involved the propagation of “billions of native seeds and tens of thousands of native oaks and shrubs.” The Klamath River Renewal Corporation was appointed to oversee the removal of these four dams and implement a settlement agreement signed by more than 40 entities and stakeholders, including the States of California and Oregon, Tribal nations, PacifiCorp (the dam owner), irrigators, and several conservation and fishing groups.

Report Date...: 1/16/2023

FINOMENA co-organizes WomenInCtrl hackathon

Fellow(s): Nadiah Sabaneh (2015)

Country: Palestinian Territories

Cohort: 2015

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

FINOMENA co-organizes WomenInCtrl hackathon

FINOMENA (Female Innovators & Investors of MENA), an initiative founded and led by fellow Nadiah Sabaneh (Palestinian Territories, 2015) recently co-organized the allwomen hackathon “WomenInCtrl” which took place during Global Entrepreneurship Week at Intersect Innovation Hub in Ramallah. The hackathon was an opportunity for ambitious and techsavvy women to create effective tech-driven solutions and to cultivate powerful partnerships between female entrepreneurs and investors, with the goal of moving towards a more inclusive and sustainable innovation-based economy. The WomenInCtrl Hackathon featured a wide range of workshops and mentorship opportunities, covering business development, marketing, technology and economics. Participants also had the opportunity to pitch their

Report Date...: 1/16/2023

New fellow wins Tech Sis of the Year Award

Fellow(s): Oluwatobi Otokiti (2022)

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development

New fellow wins Tech Sis of the Year Award

Shortly after returning home from completion of her TechWomen program, fellow Tobi Oluwatobi (Nigeria, 2022) was given the honor of the Tech Sis of the year award by the Art of Technology Lagos (AOTLagos). She is recognized as one of the top 10 female product management leaders in Africa, a product mentor at Google Launchpad, and the founder of ProductDive, the largest product management community and school in Africa. Her recent induction as a Techwomen fellow also contributed to the win. When I heard my name being called on the stage,” Tobi shared, “I was astounded by the love…I’m dedicating this award to any female whose ever desired to get into and thrive in Tech. You can become a Tech Sis, too.”

Report Date...: 1/16/2023

Fellow gains recognition as local data science trailblazer and mentor

Fellow(s): Fellows gain recognition as national trailblazers and mentors

Country: Zimbabwe

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development

Fellow Henrica Makulu (Zimbabwe, 2022) was recently featured in a news story recognizing her rising profile as a pioneer in data analytics in her country. Titled “34-year old shining in tech world,” the story highlights Henrica’s recent nominations as a finalist for the WomenTech Mentor of the Year and WomenTech Community Award for 2022. “This is super-significant because Loveness [Nleya] and I are the first Zimbabweans to get this far in these global awards,” Henrica shared. Henrica credits her recognition to her work as founder of HM Digital data consulting, through which she has impacted over 3,000 people with training, mentorship and advising in digital literacy and data analytics. In November, Henrica accepted the role of Senior Specialist Consultant of Business Intelligence at Medscheme Holdings. She was also featured, along with fellow Wadzanayi Kimberley (Zimbabwe, 2022), on the cover of the inaugural issue of “25 Women in STEM Magazine,” which seeks to spotlight Zimbabwean women trailblazers in STEM. There, Henrica shared that she believes “stories are just data with a soul” and that she is passionate about providing data insights that inform business decisions in her community.

Report Date...: 1/9/2023

Fellow shares journey on Startups Arabia podcast

Fellow(s): Fellow Afnan Ali shares journey on Startups Arabia podcast

Country: Jordan

Cohort: 2011

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

Fellow Afnan Ali (Jordan, 2011), a member of the inaugural TechWomen cohort and founder of Eureka Tech Academy, was recently interviewed on “Startups Arabia” to discuss her journey from electrical communications engineer to founder of one of the earliest programs in Jordan dedicated to engaging youth in tech innovation and entrepreneurship. Eureka Tech Academy has provided useful, basic technological education to thousands of children with the aim of sparking the next generation of engineers, innovators, inventors and tech entrepreneurs. Among other topics, Afnan discusses the founding of Eureka Tech Academy, adapting to a post-COVID world and meeting Queen Rania of Jordan during a program visit in 2017. She also recalls her acceptance of the UN’s UNCTAD award for best female tech entrepreneur in 2020 when she said, “starting a new project does not necessarily need a business plan, but having an unshakeable belief of the ‘why’ behind this project is a must.”

Report Date...: 1/9/2023

Fellows team up on women’s panel for Arab EmTech

Fellow(s): Fellows team up on women’s panel for Arab EmTech

Country: Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellows Diala Al Samarani (Lebanon, 2022), Roshaan Sheikh (Pakistan, 2022) and Rahma Tizzane (Morocco, 2022) recently collaborated with fellow Eman Herawy (Egypt) as panelists to support her “Towards More Women in Tech” event during the Arab EmTech & Startup at Arab Blockchain Week in November. Eman is a leading blockchain developer in Egypt and the founder of Arabs in Blockchain, which seeks to empower the Arab blockchain community through the transfer of knowledge, elimination of language barriers and global and local community connection in Blockchain. She also co-founded NoonDAO which is an Arab women-led decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) advocating for Arab women’s empowerment.

Report Date...: 1/9/2023

Fellow startup wins #WeAreTogether International Prize

Fellow(s): Fellow startup wins #WeAreTogether International Prize

Country: Pakistan

Cohort: 2020-2021

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development

Fellow Nida Farooqui (Pakistan, 2020-2021) recently accepted the “Good Deed of the Year” award and #WeAreTogether International Prize in Medicine and Lifestyle at the International Forum of Civil Participation in Russia on behalf of startup Sehat Kahani, where she serves as Chief Technology Officer. Sehat Kahani is a woman-founded and led digital telehealth platform that connects medical doctors to patients in hard-to-reach and underserved areas of Pakistan. As stated on the website of the International Forum of Civil Participation, the #WeAreTogether prize is intended to “recognize and support the leaders of socially significant initiatives aimed at helping people and improving the quality of life in Russia and the world.” Sehat Kahani is recognized for making a significant impact during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing access to telemedicine professionals and prescriptions at a period when traditional brick and mortar healthcare centers were understaffed and undersupplied. Today, Sehat Kahani has hosted well over a million telehealth consultations with its portfolio of nearly 40 clinics in Pakistan and a network of over 7000 healthcare professionals worldwide. Nida accepted the historic awards as the representative of Sehat Kahani and spoke on several panels during the event

Report Date...: 1/2/2023

Fellow Ayeni Olamide wins spot in SIBC for green startup that transforms waste into furniture

Fellow(s): Fellow Ayeni Olamide wins spot in SIBC for green startup that transforms waste into furniture

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2017

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

Fellow Ayeni Olamide (Nigeria, 2017), founder of green tech company Pearl Recycling, was recently selected among 45 social entrepreneurs for the Social and Inclusive Business (SIBC) Camp 2022. The SIBC’s mission is to support young African entrepreneurs in scaling up and building lasting stakeholder connections through innovative educational methods and networking with mentors, other startups and potential financiers in their ecosystems. Pearl Recycling “transforms municipal solid waste into environmentally friendly furniture for everyday use,” it reads on Ayeni’s SIBC profile. “To date, the company has already recycled more than 52,000 tons of waste.” Ayeni founded the company in 2016 to creatively and concurrently address the issues of waste and unemployment in Nigeria. “The SIBC has helped me connect with other changemakers across Africa and build a lifelong relationship that will lead to collaborations,” Ayeni shares in an Africa Business article on the event.

Report Date...: 1/2/2023

Fellow selected as L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science Young Talent

Fellow(s): Fellow selected as L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science Young Talent

Country: Jordan

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Professional Development

Fellow Dua’a Abuarqoub (Jordan, 2022) was recently recognized in a broadcast ceremony for winning a L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science 2022 Young Talents award (30:45—31:20) for the Levant – MEA region. She was awarded this distinction for her work in developing a new cell-based therapeutic approach to treating diabetes. The program “aims to promote and encourage young women researchers who represent the future of science [by] helping them to pursue their research in institutions at home or abroad.” Dua’a is an Assistant Professor at Petra University, Jordan with a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences-Stem Cell Technology.

Report Date...: 1/2/2023

Fellow-founded STEMi Makers wins spot in HundrED’s Top 100 global innovators

Fellow(s): Fellow-founded STEMi Makers wins spot in HundrED’s Top 100 global innovators

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2022

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

STEMi Makers, an organization founded by fellow Amanda Obidike (Nigeria, 2022), has recently earned a place among HundrED’s top 100 most impactful innovations that are changing the face of education in a post-COVID world. HundrED is a mission-driven global organization based in Finland that seeks to recognize and amplify the visibility of global educators who are making a positive impact on global K-12 education through impactful and scalable innovations. STEMi Makers was selected as a top 100 finalist among nearly 3500 applicants reviewed by a committee of academics, educators, innovators, students and leaders from 113 countries. Founded in 2018, STEMi Makers is a platform that works to improve African students’ digital literacy, future-focused skills and employment outcomes by training their educators in how to adopt new competency-based skills and knowledge. They achieve this by hosting bootcamps and partnering with companies and organizations that can provide resources, training and learning opportunities for targets across the African continent. “Our future economic growth,” Amanda states, “depends on an aligned education & future-focused system that supports developmental efforts in generating talents needed to become self-reliant & problem-solvers using STEM.”

Report Date...: 12/26/2022

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