Our Team
With locally-led operations in Zambia supervised by a global board, we directly tackle the challenges of African subsistence farming.
Ackson Mwanza
As Technical Director, Ackson leads the technical functions of The Harvest Fund, delivering agricultural extension through a climate-smart lens. He holds a Master's in International Agriculture and Rural Development from Cornell University and a Bachelor's in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Zambia.
Michelle Kurian
As Executive Director, Michelle supervises the administrative, operational, and strategic functions of The Harvest Fund. Michelle holds a Master's in Business Administration from Columbia University and a Bachelor's in Economics from Duke University.
Namonje Namukonda
As Operations Manager, Namonje Namukonda manages all vendor relationships, agricultural input and equipment distribution, vegetable aggregation logistics, as well as curriculum implementation. She holds a Bachelor's in Community Development from University of Africa.
Natasha Gomani
As Administrative Manager, Natasha oversees all bookkeeping, accounting, finance, reporting, and loan collection functions. She holds a diploma in accounting.
Our Board of Directors
Our board of directors have experience in all regions of Africa and boast expertise across the social enterprise, NGO, and corporate worlds. Our directors bring invaluable perspectives and experiences to the table, with a particular focus on agricultural development, policy, and technology for smallscale farmers.
Trevor Maisiri
Trevor has 20+ years of international development experience and currently serves as the Vice President for Strategy, Planning, and Global Governance at Food for the Hungry. He was previously the advisor to the President and CEO of PACT, a non-profit working in 40 countries on solutions for human development. A native of Harare, he holds a Bachelor's from Zimbabwe's National University of Science and Technology and a Master's from University of Zimbabwe.
Martha Haile
Martha has more than 14 years of experience in building strategic partnerships, supporting new market entry, and managing multi-million donor funded programs. Most recently, she served as VP of Africa at WeFarm in Nairobi and was COO at Hello Tractor, two leading companies in the African agriculture technology space. She holds a Bachelor's from the University of Michigan and a Master's from the University of Maryland.
Jim Robbins
Jim is an expert in technology commercialization, business incubation, and entrepreneurial innovation. Since 1993, he has helped over 80 organizations with accelerators and regional innovation clusters. Jim has mentored over 250 companies, including social entrepreneurship projects in China, Uganda, Nigeria, Myanmar and Senegal.
Ogo Ibok
Ogo Ibok is the group CEO of SENCE Limited, an HR consulting firm; SENCE Agric, an agriculture consultancy firm; and Sophie & Grace, an agriculture distributor. Prior to SENCE, she was Pfizer's Regional Director for HR and Administration for East, Central, and Anglophone West Africa, overseeing 22 countries. She holds a Master's degree in Human Resource Management from the Middlesex University, UK.
William Chilufya
William Chilufya is Southern Africa Regional Africa Manager for Hivos, a Dutch NGO. As an authority on nutrition in Zambia, he is the former Country Coordinator of the Zambia Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition alliance, a global movement across 61 countries working together to end malnutrition. William has a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the University of Free States in South Africa.
Funding the Future
Our efforts are made possible by the generous contributions from the following donors, with special thanks to Santa Clara University's Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship for its in-kind support.
