Our Team

U.S. Leadership Team

Kupenda’s U.S. team of experienced professionals works closely with their colleagues in Kenya to oversee the organization’s strategic planning, operations, and program implementation and evaluation.

Cynthia Bauer, MS

Cynthia Bauer, MS

US CEO and Co-Founder

    US CEO and Co-Founder

    Cynthia’s work as a wildlife biologist brought her to Kenya, where she was inspired to start Kupenda. She was particularly motivated to do something to help children with disabilities after discovering that she might have been killed if she had been born in Kenya because she was born without her left hand. Cynthia has over 10 years of experience as a wildlife biologist with multiple nonprofit and government agencies, which provides her with an understanding of the biology related to many disabilities and the skills to manage this growing organization. She has also taught biology classes for over a decade, which gives her insight into education systems similar to those in which Kupenda works and helps her present difficult concepts to groups we work with in Kenya and the U.S. Cynthia has a Master’s degree in Biology and Ecology and a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Conservation.

    As Kupenda’s US CEO and Founder, Cynthia oversees the organization’s administration, programs and strategic planning. Her other key duties include fundraising, marketing, and community outreach. She reports directly to the Board of Directors.

    Cynthia also advocates for justice and inclusion of children with disabilities through her public talks, guitar performances, piano playing, writing, and by facilitating trainings and workshops to help individuals and organizations around the world become more inclusive.

    Read more about Cynthia’s experience in herĀ LinkedIn profile here.Ā 

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    Tyler Dingman

    Tyler Dingman

    Associate Executive Director

      staffAssociate Executive Director

      Tyler Dingman has spent 15 years equipping and empowering people around the world to solve their challenges from their own unique perspective. He lived in Lusaka, Zambia, for 10 years overseeing operations for nonprofits that served pastors and vulnerable children. This included building and maintaining schools, administering a lunch program for 11,000 students, and developing policies and procedures to steward resources and streamline operations. His experience living cross-culturally showed him the importance of knowing and understanding those who he is serving. He has worked to increase farmers’ income in Honduras, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Nepal by providing cost-effective power, water, and internet solutions.Ā Tyler holds a bachelor’s degree in international politics with a focus on international development.

      As Kupenda’s Associate Executive Director, Tyler provides oversight of our programs, operations, and finances to ensure accountability, transparency, and stewardship while providing administrative support to the U.S. team.

      Read more about Tyler’s experience in her LinkedIn profile here.Ā 

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      Jessica Charles Abrams, MPH

      Jessica Charles Abrams, MPH

      Development Director

        staff

        Development Director

        Jessica Charles Abrams is a global health professional with over 20 years of experience as a technical writer, communications specialist, project manager, and teacher trainer. She lived in China and Botswana for three years managing health and education projects and has supported field teams in more than 20 low- and middle-income countries implementing USAID, UNICEF, CDC, PEPFAR and privately-funded projects. Jessica holds a Master’s degree in Public Health and a Bachelor’s degree in Writing.

         

        As Kupenda’s Development Director, Jessica is responsible for developing and updating all of the organization’s marketing and training materials as well as its website and blog. She also led the organization’s Child Case Management mobile application development and is now supporting its testing and rollout in Kenya. Jessica is also responsible for increasing Kupenda’s operational efficiency, program monitoring and evaluation, engaging new donors, developing and implementing strategic fundraising plans, and expanding the organization’s capacity.

        Read more about Jessica’s experience in herĀ LinkedIn profile here.Ā 

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        Rebecca Heidorn

        Rebecca Heidorn

        Program Officer

          Program Officer

          Rebecca Heidorn is a current Master of Public Health student at Liberty University. She graduated from Gordon College in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, minoring in Psychology. As Program Officer, Rebecca manages our donor and beneficiary databases, interviews and oversees our interns, and produces all of our blogs, newsletters, and social media posts. She also leads all of our data collection, collation, and cleaning projects. She represents our organization at global conferences, meetings, and technical working groups and travels to Kenya to collaborate with our field team. She is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the work Kupenda is doing to serve children with disabilities in Kenya and around the world.

          Read more about Rebecca’s experience in her LinkedIn profile here.

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          Sandra Bauer, MA

          Sandra Bauer, MA

          Child Scholarship Coordinator

            Child Sponsorship Coordinator

            Sandra has three decades of teaching experience, 20 years of which she spent working with gifted children in need of specialized education. She also has two years of experience working for a tax preparation company and is the mother of Cynthia, Kupenda’s founder, which helps her relate to the parents of children with disabilities with whom we work. Sandra manages Kupenda’s child sponsorship program and is responsible for the organization’s financial recording and reporting. She holds a Master’s degree in Gifted Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Primary School Education.

            Sandra’s understanding of education, child development, financing, and bookkeeping making her uniquely qualified for Kupenda’s bookkeeper and child sponsorship coordinatorĀ positions. Her success in these roles is also driven her deep compassion for children in need of specialized assistance.

            Read more about Sandra’s experience in her LinkedIn profile here.

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            Board of Directors

            Leah BattilloĀ I Chair I MS, Applied Behavioral AnalysisĀ IĀ Special Education Teacher and Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA)
            Jeff GentryĀ I Vice Chair I M.Div.Ā IĀ Disability Services Director
            Patricia Prasada-RaoĀ I Treasurer IĀ MPHĀ IĀ Senior Consultant
            Beth MelilloĀ I Secretary IĀ MS, Industrial Organizational PsychologyĀ IĀ Organizational Development and Change Management Specialist
            Keita Rone WilsonĀ I Board Member IĀ MS and PhD, Special EducationĀ IĀ Speech Pathologist, Special Education Teacher, and Educational Consultant
            Daniel HussĀ I Board Member I Construction Supervisor
            Maddy UllmanĀ I Board Member I Writer, Photographer, and Storyteller
            Josh PeighĀ I Board Member I Leader, Activist, Communicator, and Pastor
            Lauren Blair I Ex Officio Chair I Policy Writer, Contractor, and Author

            Consultants and Interns

            Jialan Wang | Mobile App Development Consultant

            Stephen Kitsao | Disability Advocate and Journalist

            Julia Nash | Mobile App Development Consultant

            Stephen Abrams | Software Engineer and Architect Consultant

            Grace Santa | Kuhenza Intern

            Amy Allaire | Design Consultant

            Julie-Ann Burkhart | Design Consultant

            Phil Knowlton | Media Consultant

            Lauren Boswell Blair | Program Consultant

            Nicolette Elliott | Software Engineering Intern

            Sanjida Azad | Program Management Intern

            Sona Kalatardi | Program Management Intern