WomenLift Health is about action
Action taken by women, men, organizations and societal leaders that, together, adds-up to transformative change.
Amie Batson
President
Shereen Bhan
Leadership Development & North America Director
Ling Liang
Operations Director
Lizz Ntonjira
Communications and Engagement Director
Edith Cadena
Operations Coordinator, Cross Regional
Sanaya Chandar
Senior Communications Coordinator, India
Rupinder Chawla
Operations Coordinator, Cross Regional
Rupinder is an experienced administrative professional with over two decades of Operations experience, including organising and coordinating corporate events. Rupinder has had an impressive career working with several Fortune 500 companies and International Organizations, where she not only provided operational support but also executed several end-to-end corporate events ranging from large scale international exhibitions to coordinating high-level visits to India by board members and dignitaries.
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Rupinder is a voracious learner who is constantly striving to improve her abilities in a variety of areas. She enjoys contributing to people’s well-being by inspiring and motivating them and spreading positive energy. She enjoys travelling, listening to music, and reading books.
Sanaya is a strategic communications professional, specialising in content creation, editorial planning, and social media. She has over four years of experience working in public relations, journalism, and development communications.
Prior to joining WomenLift Health, Sanaya worked as a Senior Communications Associate at J-PAL South Asia, where she helped formulate and execute the organisation’s communications strategy. Sanaya has worked as a reporter at Quartz India, covering the intersection of renewable energy and mobility in India as well as popular technology and new media trends in the region. She has also worked with Antenna Group in New York City, a public relations firm specialising in communications for cleantech, advanced mobility, and other smart technology startups in North America.Sanaya holds a double Master’s in Global Media and Communications from the London School of Economics and Political Science and the University of Southern California. She also holds a BSc in Economics from the Symbiosis School of Economics.
Edith Cadena is a spanish-bilingual professional with a strong background in community outreach, program coordination, and collaborative work. With over ten years of experience in the non-profit sector, Edith consistently demonstrates dedication to promoting inclusivity, equity, and sustainability in all aspects of her work
Prior to joining WomenLift Health, Edith made significant contributions at the San Francisco Marin Food Bank. She successfully developed and launched pivotal interventions, expanding food access points through strategic partnerships with public schools, community clinics, and the establishment of the first rural Mobile Pantry program.
She holds a BA in Feminist Studies, with a concentration in Science, Technology, and Medicine from the University of California Santa Cruz.Â
Neha Dass
Facilitator, India
Morgan Denno
Program Coordinator, North America
Avantika Dhingra
Senior Program Manager, India
Irene Gitonga
Senior Program Coordinator, East Africa
Lindsey Holliday
Digital Manager, Cross Regional
Lindsey brings a diverse working background and a decade of experience in digital communications. Before joining WomenLift Health, she worked in many industries including SaaS, travel, and law. She currently lives in Denver, CO where she devotes her time to many social justice movements including women’s rights and gender equality. Joining WomenLift Health and empowering women to step into their full, authentic selves is her passion and personal mission.Â
She has a Bachelors in Business with a concentration in marketing and media arts.
Neha is an experienced professional with over 18 years of experience in Leadership Development, Learning and Development and Talent Management.
She has worked with reputed IT MNCs, Media Houses and the Healthcare sector, leveraging end to end initiatives to strengthen the leadership pipeline, developing high potentials and other talent pools.
 An MBA specializing in Human Resources and Organization Behaviour, Neha is also a Psychometric Practioner, an Image Consultant and a Storyteller.
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Irene brings in nine years of program coordination experience; working with clients in the public, private and development sector. Prior to joining Womenlift Health, she was an associate program coordinator for a HR consultancy firm which specializes in organizational development capacity building. Irene was key in handling all logistic operations for participants from across Africa, UK, US and Indonesia.Â
Irene’s early career was as a program officer where she grew her passion in coordinating programs, developing leadership materials for teenage girls and organize leadership workshops for youth in low incomes areas.Â
In her spare time, she is engaged in different initiatives geared towards bringing awareness andÂ
advocating for children with special needs. She believes that changing society’s mindset towards this group will encourage others to treat them with dignity and respect and see them as equal to the task in contributing to the societyIrene holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management with a minor in Psychology. She is also a certified life coach and PAGS practitioner (a special needs assessment tool)Â
Irene believes in creating spaces for women where they can nurture their skills and meet with other like-minded women who are occupying spaces of key decision making like boards where they can make the change they want to see with boldness.Â
As the Program Coordinator, North America, Morgan supports the WomenLift Health North America Director and Program Lead to design, build, and implement the systems and processes to efficiently track and support the signature training program, The Leadership Journey. Morgan is incredibly passionate about inclusivity and derives meaning from her role, empowering incredible mid-career women leaders in global health in the U.S. and Canada. She enjoys creating a positive culture of kindness, is always on the hunt for process improvements, and strives to free up her team to focus on the work that they love most. Â
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Prior to joining WomenLift Health, Morgan worked in Coordinator roles and Assistant roles within diverse industries, including health, architecture, and engineering. She studied Journalism at San Diego State University and currently resides in Portland, Oregon.Â
Avantika has over 14 years of experience, most of which has been focused on human capital development.
Before joining WomenLift Health, Avantika was a Senior Manager at J-PAL where she worked on a national programme to build capacity and support career journeys of public officials using a competency-driven approach. Prior to that, she led the classroom instruction & practice team at Central Square Foundation, where she worked with private foundations, nonprofits and government institutions, to improve foundational literacy and numeracy outcomes for students.
Avantika holds a MA in Public Policy from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS.
Terry Kigundu
Lead Facilitator, East Africa
Liberty Kituu
Communications Manager, East Africa
Alistair Lindawson
Program Lead, North America
Johnasies McGraw
Operations Lead, Cross Regional
Audrey Muttimos
Operations Coordinator, Cross Regional
Johnasies brings over a decade of experience working with a number of community-driven organizations where he has held a variety of support roles.  Most recently he worked as Operations and Contracts Manager at MPact, Global Action for Gay Men’s Health and Rights (formerly the Global Forum on MSM & HIV), an advocacy organization based in Oakland, California that brought funding, policy, and research support to regional and in-country LGBT-led organizations across 62 countries. Prior to this role, he worked as an Operations Manager at Lotus Bloom Child and Family Center which provided child and family programs throughout Oakland, such as multicultural playgroups and nutrition workshops for families with children ages 0-5 .Â
Johnasies also spent the early part of his career working with commercial district revitalization programs and administering an AmeriCorps program that provided support to local community development corporations and other community-serving organizations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Johnasies has a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Urban Studies and continues to maintain his interests in community development and global issues.
Audrey is a veteran administrative professional with a decade-plus experience in executive office management and coordination. She is a natural organizer, an efficient and reliable team player who thrives on team success, has boundless energy, and has a relentless drive for continuous learning and development.
Audrey has led an impressive career working in the hospitality and FMCG industries. She was a finalist for the 2022 Office Management Awards – International Office Manager of the Year category, held by the UK-based Office Management Group. She is also a recipient of the 2020 ‘Be The Ultimate Assistant’ (BTUA) workshop scholarship in Paris, France, and a finalist in the 2019 East Africa PA Awards. While serving as the Executive Secretary at Radisson Blu Hotel, Upperhill Nairobi, Audrey played a role in championing a favorable environment for working mothers in the hotel.
Audrey holds a BSc degree in International Business Administration from the United States International University in Nairobi, where she was also the School of Business Representative for the class of 2004. She enjoys building bonds with family and friends, outdoor activities, and culinary tourism in her free time.
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Terry Kigundu oversees the instructional design cycle from training needs assessment, design, contextualization, implementation of WomenLift’s Leadership Journey and other leadership modules for mid-career women in Health in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.  She is an enthusiastic professional with over 15 years’ experience in coordinating development programs in both local and international liaisons in Kenya and Africa at large. She is a versatile trainer, with broad-based experience putting together needs based training packages, particularly targeting women in Africa. Terry is passionate about women leadership and decision making, mentorship and coaching and  women economic empowerment, all aimed at advancing Gender Equality.
Terry was formerly the Course Leader at the Africa Centre for transformative and Inclusive Leadership (ACTIL), an establishment between UN Women East and Southern Africa Region and Kenyatta University, Nairobi- Kenya. During her time at ACTIL she also led the design and implementation of Transformational Leadership journey for over 3,500 women and youth in over 60% of the countries in Africa in both Anglophone and Francophone.
Terry holds a Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies, Masters in Project Planning and Management, ongoing PhD in Gender and Development Studies. She is also a Certified Facilitator and Executive Coach.
Liberty is a multifaceted Communications Specialist with experience in the design and implementation of communications strategies, as well as the strategic use of multimedia channels such as print, radio, television, and digital to help organizations achieve strategic goals.
He has over ten years of experience in diverse industries, including mainstream media, civil society movements, local governments and international development institutions working in East Africa for the emancipation of girls and women’s rights organisations (WROs).
Prior to joining WomenLift Health, he worked as the communications lead at The Mawazo Institute, a women-led African organization based in Nairobi, Kenya, with a presence in the United States supporting early-career women researchers as they work to find solutions to local and global development challenges, and as a communications officer and strategist at the Community Advocacy and Awareness (CRAWN) Trust, a change catalyst that provides African women and girls with the tools, voice and platforms through which they can effect change. He has a BA in development communications, ongoing MA in diplomacy, development and international security.
Alistair brings ten years of experience working in global and public health. Most recently, she served as the Associate Director for Research Programs at the Stanford Center for Population Health Sciences (PHS) where she curated, managed, and evaluated PHS’ portfolio of sponsored research. Prior to her time at PHS, Alistair served as a Senior Program Manager at the UCSF Malaria Elimination Initiative (MEI) where she oversaw MEI’s engagement strategy with the Elimination 8 (E8) Regional Initiative, an eight-country initiative used for joint planning and accountability towards malaria elimination across southern Africa. Prior to joining UCSF, Alistair served as a Program Assistant for the U.S. Agency for International Development President’s Malaria Initiative (USAID/PMI) where she provided headquarter support to the PMI Uganda country team. Alistair holds an MA in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University in Washington, DC and a BA in International Studies from the University of California, San Diego.
Prachi Sharma
Program Manager, India
Rachel Knopf Shey
Instructional Design Lead, Cross Regional
Cassie Stoodt
Executive Assistant
NtombiZandile (Zed) Xaba
Facilitator, Southern Africa
Racheal Ouko
Senior Program Manager, East Africa.
Prachi comes with eight years of experience in program management, knowledge management, and advocacy. Her expertise range across several thematic areas including sexual reproductive health and rights, maternal and child health, violence against women and education across India and Africa. Prior to joining WomenLift Health, Prachi worked with Piramal Foundation on the Aspirational Districts Programme and The Tribal Health Collaborative where she extensively engaged with NITI Aayog, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the Government of India and various leading development partners. A proud feminist, Prachi was recognised as a young gender leader by the Swedish Institute in 2019.
She holds a master’s degree in Women Centred Social Work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and has also been a GRO GEST Scholar at the University of Iceland. Always on the lookout for crime thrillers, she is an avid consumer of cinema.Â
Rachel has spent her 15+ year career bridging public health theory and practice while working to achieve health equity. Prior to taking her dream job at WomenLift Health, Rachel was a clinician in the South Bronx where she worked holistically with an international population throughout the lifespan. Directing the public health program at The New School, she worked collaboratively to create and support a leadership program very similar to the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey: a cohort-based program with mentoring, coaching, peer support, alumni co-facilitation, and impactful leadership projects. As a founding member of The Faculty Center at The New School, Rachel supported a global faculty with an emphasis on compassion, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and foundational pedagogy.
Rachel earned her BS in Community Nutrition, and her MPH from the University of Michigan, has trained at the Women’s Therapy Centre Institute, is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, and practices mindfulness meditation.
As the Executive Assistant, Cassie provides administrative and operational support to the WomenLift Health President and contributes to the organization’s ambitious strategy and work program. Cassie is passionate about WomenLift Health’s mission of expanding the power and influence of women in global health and achieving gender equality in leadership.Â
Cassie has a BS in Education from Western Michigan University and brings over 15 years of experience across a variety of industries, including education, finance, philanthropy, and health. She likes a good challenge and is always looking for ways to improve efficiency and productivity. She enjoys contributing to a positive culture and being part of a dynamic team working together toward a common goal.
Cassie has a passion for health and fitness and enjoys lifting weights, running, boxing, HIIT, and going for walks with her family and two dogs.
Ms NtombiZandile (Zed) Xaba is an independent consultant, and a highly experienced Trainer and Facilitator with over 35 years training and facilitation experience. Zed is also a Conflict Coach and Mediator. She consults to national and multi-national business organizations, as well as to government and the non-government sectors.
Zed designs and facilitates Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) learning journeys in organizations, as well as trains trainers in the facilitation of DEI. She is passionate about race and gender issues and has designed and facilitated Women’s Leadership programmes at universities in South Africa, as well as for women leaders it the public sector.
Zed has facilitated conflict transformation sessions with many teams that are experiencing conflict. She also conducts individual conflict coaching and mediation between individuals.
As a black woman who grew up in South Africa under apartheid, Zed is passionate about reconciliation, and has been involved in this work on a pro bono basis with university students and community groups.
Zed designed and facilitated an Anti-Racism Allyship Programme for an international group of white people, and continues to partner with white people who strive to be allies. In 2017 Zed recorded a TEDx Talk on Internalised Oppression, and subsequently produced a mini-documentary on Internalized Oppression.
Zed holds a Masters in Conflict Facilitation and Organizational Change from the Process Work Institute, Portland, USA.
Racheal OUKO has over 10 years bilingual  English and French professional experience with various International and regional NGOs (Stichting Aflatoun International, PALU, Equality Now, KENWOG , AFDB)in gender, leadership and governance.  She has managed programs and projects in Africa, MENA, Asia and the Americas. She also has experience in movement building and solidarity for advocacy with women’s rights organizations in the region and globally. Prior to joining WomenLift Health, Racheal  worked at the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) as Bilingual Membership liaison lead, engaging with over 800 individual and organizational women’s rights organizations from 50 African countries and the diaspora. Racheal is passionate on women’s transformative leadership to create change within and without. Racheal was the program lead for the Women in Political Participation (WPP) Project implementing in 8 African countries. Ms Ouko is a script writer and an expert in using drama and theatre Arts as a tool for advocacy and development and a national adjudicator at the Kenya National Schools and Colleges Drama and Film Festival. Racheal holds a BED Arts French, a DALF C1 and a Post Graduate Diploma -Pro FLE from CNED – France. She is finalizing her MA in Diplomacy, Development, and International Security. Racheal is passionate on the gender agenda, solidarity and sisterhood.
Taylor Scult
Senior Program Manager, Cross-regional
Whitney Wanderi
Social Media Manager, Cross Regional
Annette Kote
Events Manager- Cross Regional.
Taylor is passionate about the implementation of equitable, sustainable, community-driven policy and programming at the intersection of health, environmental, and social justice. Spanning the private and public sectors, she has experience in program management, strategic planning, public speaking/facilitation, curriculum development, communications, and continuous process improvement.
Prior to working at WomenLift Health, Taylor served as the Program Manager for the “Women in Leadership and Learning (WILL)” program at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; worked as a Human Capital Consultant at Deloitte Consulting LLP in the Government and Public Services (GPS) sector; and served as a Teacher’s Assistant at Harvard Extension School for the course “Transforming the Built Environment for Sustainability and Resilience in Communities.”
Taylor received her BA in International Studies from Kenyon College and will be pursuing her Masters of Public Health (MPH) from Brown University.
Whitney is a creative Communications professional with an impressive career spanning over 6 years. She brings a diverse background and experience in designing and implementing digital communications strategies.
Whitney started her career in 2016, working as a Digital Content Creator at 4UP Digital and later, as a Content Writer at Opera News. She went on to co-found In-Mic Digital; an online video platform for musicians in Kenya, working as the Lead Producer and Video Editor.
Whitney devotes her time to social justice movements particularly, women empowerment and gender equality. In 2022, Whitney worked with UN Women, East and Southern Africa Office (ESARO), providing Communication support for the International Women’s Day and 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence social media campaigns.
Prior to joining WomenLift Health, Whitney worked as a Social Media Specialist at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), creating content for multiple social media channels, and supporting the implementation of the organization’s digital strategies.
She has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a concentration in Electronic Media and, a Minor in Psychology from Daystar University.
Annette possesses extensive expertise spanning more than 9 years in Communications, Project Management, and Operations Management.
Annette’s enthusiasm lies in the realm of overseeing projects and organizing events. She has amassed a wealth of proficiency in handling intricate projects concurrently fostering productive communication among internal and external teams and stakeholders. She takes pride in her adeptness at devising plans, coordinating efforts, and collaborating harmoniously with multifunctional groups to realize project objectives.
Prior to joining WomenLift Health, Annette worked as a Communications Associate, Internal Engagement and Coordination at Amref Health Africa. In this role, she took charge of mapping out, coordinating, and executing events and conferences, all while effectively supervising projects, formulating and executing strategies, and ensuring the streamlined management of operations.
Annette holds a Master’s degree in Project Planning and Management from The University of Nairobi, alongside a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Public Relations from Moi University.
Careers
Interested in joining the WomenLift Health Team?
View our open positions.
Mission
Our mission is to expand the power and influence of talented women in global health and catalyze systemic change to achieve gender equality in leadership.
Vision
Our vision is a world where diverse, accomplished leaders collectively transform global health outcomes.
Where we work
We are establishing partnerships to support Country Implementation Hubs, beginning with the United States and Canada, India, and East Africa.
