Cynthiaās 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 Masterās degree in Biology and Ecology and a Bachelorās 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
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 farmersā income in Honduras, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Nepal by providing cost-effective power, water, and internet solutions.Ā Tyler holds a bachelorās degree in international politics with a focus on international development.
As Kupendaās 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
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 Masterās degree in Public Health and a Bachelorās degree in Writing.
As Kupendaās 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 organizationās capacity.
Read more about Jessicaās experience in herĀ LinkedIn profile here.Ā
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.
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, Kupendaās founder, which helps her relate to the parents of children with disabilities with whom we work. Sandra manages Kupendaās child sponsorship program and is responsible for the organizationās financial recording and reporting. She holds a Masterās degree in Gifted Education and a Bachelorās degree in Primary School Education.
Sandraās understanding of education, child development, financing, and bookkeeping making her uniquely qualified for Kupendaās 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 Sandraās experience in her LinkedIn profile here.
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