I am thrilled to announce that we have selected the 2016 team of Regional Ambassadors.
The NetSquared Ambassadors are a group of senior NetSquared leaders who offer their support to other Net2 co-organizers in their country/region. The Ambassador program has been instrumental in the growth of NetSquared. For 2016 we are expanding the program from four Ambassadors to eight. This will allow us to offer Ambassador support to almost all NetSquared organizers globally. :-)
Please say hello to:
- Anagho Emmanuel Anyangwe: West Africa
- Birgit Pauli-Haack: South-East and Central United States
- Chrispin Ochieng Okumu: East Africa: Kenya, North Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti and Ethiopia
- Ednah Karamagi: East Africa: Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique
- Maria Zaghi: Latin America
- Paul Webster: United Kingdom and Europe
- Roshani Kothari: North-East United States
I will be stepping in to support the West Coast of the United States and Canada from Vancouver and we will continue to draw on the expertise and connections of our Ambassador alumni and veteran organizers. Also, I’m am extending a huge thanks to all who applied and I encourage you to support your peer organizers and apply again next year.
Our Ambassadors, who are veteran community organizers, will act as regional leads for NetSquared organizers, strengthing the inter-group bonds between NetSquared groups and recruiting new NetSquared organizers.
The Regional Ambassador role has three elements:
- Ambassadors will offer regular mentorship and support to current and prospective organizers in their region via monthly communication
- Ambassadors will act as TechSoup’s eyes and ears in their region
- Ambassadors will help direct the development of the NetSquared community, ensuring that the TechSoup continues to improve our support for the NetSquared network
WHAT’S NEXT?
Regional Ambassadors have the following priorities:
- Determine how we are going to work together for the coming year
- Develop our monthly outreach plans for our cohorts
YOUR AMBASSADORS
Birgit Pauli-Haack
NetSquared Ambassador for the South-East and Central United States
Birgit Pauli-Haack is a web & mobile developer for Pauli Systems and Relevanza. She serves businesses, professionals and nonprofits with websites, and digital marketing. She just founded a new nonprofit NPTechprojects, assisting nonprofits with IT strateggy, project management and online learning spaces. In her spare time she supports the WordPress community as deputy and local meetup organizer. Since 2013 she is also a Techsoup / Netsquared organizer for Tech4Good SWFL . When she gets off the computer she plays tennis or goes for a run. Birgit has been happily married for 24 years and with her husband she loves to go to the movies and travel places.
Chrispin Ochieng Okumu
NetSquared Ambassador for East Africa: Kenya, North Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti and Ethiopia
Chrispine will be representing Kenya, where he has helped found 10 NetSquared sub-chapters. Chrispine is the Founder and Director of Muungano Development Gateways, a nonprofit organization working towards youths and ICT in agricultural sector in Kenya.
He is a member of: Mozilla Kenya, iEARN kenya, Internet Society - Kenya Chapter, Agrihub Kenya, Elimu Yeti Coalition, and the Board Of Directors Kenya Voluntary Development Association.
Ednah Karamagi
NetSquared Ambassador for East Africa: Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique
Ednah is the Executive Director of Busoga Rural Open Source and Development Initiative, a NGO that engages government, civil society & private sector in productive knowledge sharing for improved rural livelihoods using ICT. She is also a co-founder of Communications without Borders (CwBs), an initiative that strongly believes that the key to walking out of a wanting situation is “effective communication”. Also, she is a co-organizer for NetSquared Uganda. She strongly believes that “Open data, ICT, Web2 and Social Media are essential tools in uplifting our abject situations.”
“Emmanuel” Anagho Emmanuel Anyangwe
NetSquared Ambassador for West Africa
My names are Anagho Emmanuel Anyangwe, born in Bamenda Cameroon; Cameroonian by nationality.
I attended my secondary and high school at Government Technical High school Bamenda with a
Diploma in Surveys and Computer Technology. I then further my studies in computer and mobile phone programing at a home base institute commonly known as Global System For Mobile Communication, and graduated with an outstanding grades; diploma in Computer and Mobile Phone Programing. Thereof, I was employed to work in the same institute as a trainer/staff for two years where I developed incredible working experience from contributions for customer services.
During my services in this institution, I was not satisfied with the hierarchal approach to management, so I quit and decided to further my studies at the University of Yaounde II – Soa, Cameroon in the department of Economics and Management Sciences. During the process of studying I met former Net2 Ambassador Excel Asama (of blessed memory) while I was on an excursion in Douala. He told me of a great NetSquared event which we all participated in Kribi, Cameroon and I played a great role during this event.
Excell Asama then use this opportunity to encourage me to be the leader of Netsquared Yaounde, Cameroon. This great opportunity has changed my life because since then I began thinking like a leader with unlimited and outstanding aspiration that we can change the world and make it a better place than what I saw. Through NetSquared Yaoundé I envision a world where peace, unity, progress, security, love, and independence depends on each and everyone’s effort to make a positive change.
With NetSquared we will bridge the gap between solution seekers and solution providers. We believe that solutions can be provided to all our technological problems hindering global social, economic and political development in the years to come.
Maria Zaghi
NetSquared Ambassador for Latin America
Maria Zaghi, of Guatemala, has had over a 25-year experience in the implementation of projects and entrepreneur efforts related to ICTs in Latin America. She has been the leader for serveral ICT and innovation agendas in Guatemala including the e-Guatemala strategy as an resaercher of the Information Committee in the National Science Council, he National E-commerce and collaborates with the current Innovation National Agenda. She is a consultant and educator in several universities in Central America. She is currently involved in several projects related to e-commerce, commercialization and incubation of Infrormation Techncology companies based on Guatemala’s first technology park in the Central American region, Campus TEC.
Paul Webster
NetSquared Ambassador for the UK and Europe
My name is Paul Webster and I have over 15 years experience working with non-profits and technology. Currently I’m keep myself busy working on Connecting Care for technology charity Lasa. We help UK based non-profit social care organisations to use technology wisely, digital tools for social good and how seniors in residential care can live well using iPads and Tablet devices. I’m the joint organiser of @net2Midlands, many Social Media Surgeries and @VCSSCamp, which is an unconference for non-profit intermediary organisations. My wish for 2016 is that we focus more on people, their stories and the social good technology brings and less on the technology itself. I’m a Connector of People which is why I became involved in NetSquared and would like to see the network grow across the UK and Europe. I’m a trustee of my local Council for Voluntary Service and can usually found on Twitter - @watfordgap … or in a pub. Not a fan of Sweetcorn.
Roshani Kothari
NetSquared Ambassador for the North-East United States
Roshani Kothari is a digital strategist, influencer and connector with over 20 years of experience working with nonprofits and technology companies that focus on nonprofits. She is passionate about using technology for social change, and co-organizes NetSquared meetings in DC. She has extensive international experience in Africa, Asia and Latin America. She worked as a Peace Corps Intern in Thailand; a Catholic Relief Services Fellow in El Salvador and studied abroad in Bolivia and Zimbabwe. She is fluent in Spanish, and at an intermediate level in French & Portuguese.
The Pioneers
I’m am deeply grateful to the NetSquared organizers who helped us create the role of the Regional Ambassador over the last two years.
I will continue to rely on the connections and community-building expertise of our alumni.
2013–2014
- Maria Zaghi: Latin America and Spanish-speaking Net2 organizers (returning in 2016!)
- Excel Asama: Africa and French-speaking Net2 organizers
- Stephen Blyth: Australia and New Zealand
- Mel Findlater: Western Europe
2015
- Birgit Pauli-Haack: Eastern half of North America
- Excel Asama: West Africa and French-speaking Net2 organizers (continuing in his role)
- Rachel Kurzyp: Australia and New Zealand
- Robert Kibaya: NetSquared East Africa
- Siddharth Bannerjee: Western Europe and United Kingdom
With additional support from Emmanuel Anyanwe, Bashar Dimitry, and Cindy Leonard.