2018 Board Biographies
DAVID TADDELE DESSI
Chair
David originally joined the UNKLESA Board in July 2017 and shorty thereafter joined the Executive Board as Secretary of UNKLESA. He was elected Chair of UNKLESA in October 2018. Prior to arriving in Nairobi, David was the Corporate Escalation Manager for Charter Communication for its south eastern division in US. David has over twelve years of experience in corporate, non-profit, and research institutions. He received his Master’s in Sustainable Development focusing on Development Management & Policy Analyses & Advocacy. David has worked with FAO and Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) to address regional institutional barriers for livestock development in East Africa and published a policy paper on Livestock Development.
As Secretary of the Executive Board, David has focused on UNKLESA’s 2018-2019 Sustainability Blueprint. David has been successful in developing and implementing UNKLESA’s fundraising drive effort to expand programming to UNKLESA members. His initial meetings with UNEP, UN - Habitat, UNON, UNHCR, and UNICEF have been very fruitful. He has also focused on expanding the UNKLESA Orientation Service to the 23 UN Regional Offices in Kenya. David is also involved in developing a new spouse induction program to be implemented by UNKLESA that is specifically tailored to the issue of relocation for the entire family. He was a key part of developing the UNKLESA summer internship program pilot during 2018 which is resulting in greater visibility for UNKLESA; an article on the UNKLESA summer internship program will be published in I-seek in Oct/Nov 2018.
As Chairman of the Executive Board, David will fully implement the 2018-2019 Sustainable Blueprint transforming UNKLESA into a solid data-driven innovative family mobility organization within the UN system supporting the 1,300 families in Nairobi- the largest family duty station in Africa.
ANN WELLER
Co-Chair
Ann joined the UNKLESA in April, 2018. Since then she has been active as an UNKLESA office volunteer, Coordinator of Networking Group and serving the Executive Board. Ann and her husband have just relocated to Nairobi from Washington, DC for their family’s very first UN duty station in April.
Prior to her relocation, Ann was the Director of Events for a global nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC. Ann has a master’s degree in Business Administration, concentrating in Marketing and a bachelor’s degree in psychology with minors in Business and Spanish Language. With a career spanning more than 15 years, she has had the opportunity to serve and engage with a diverse range of clients, including foreign dignitaries, government officials, celebrities, the international business community, corporations and individual funders.
As a Coordinator of the Networking Group, she has enacted a strategic plan to promote employment opportunities for UNKLESA members. Through this plan, she has initiated the update to the database of those members seeking employment which is distributed to all UN hiring managers. Under her leadership the Networking Group has participated regularly in the UN Human Resources Subcommittee monthly meetings to build awareness and stronger relationships with UN hiring managers. Each week, the Career Guide is being distributed to all UNKLESA members proving resources for training and employment opportunities along with links to job vacancies through the UN and other agencies. Her leadership of this group has engaged a broader awareness of the individual membership and work of UNKLESA within the UN.
She believes the opportunity to serve as the UNKLESA co-chair, will provide the leadership experience and positive personality to further enhance the important work UNKLESA does.
CHANDA CHRISTABEL GINSBERG
Secretary
Chanda joined the UNKLESA office team in January 2018 as an office volunteer. During this time, she has been a member of the Communication and Outreach Group. Prior to arriving to Nairobi with her family, Chanda worked as a Programme Consultant on Land Rights and as a Program Officer for International Rescue Committee working on Women Empowerment and Livelihood Projects. Upon arriving in Nairobi, Chanda volunteered as an Academic Advisor and Mentor for Kenyan youth enrolled in business programs from impoverished families. Chanda has more than 8 years working experience in marketing, project implementation and development both with the private sector and non-profit organizations in Africa and Europe. Chanda received her MBA in International Business from the University of Birmingham in the UK and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts in Boston.
Prior to becoming Secretary, Chanda has been active with UNKLESA focusing on creating and developing posters and flyers for communication purposes. She also took over the developing and publishing of the UNKLESA Newsletter.
As the UNKLESA Secretary, Chanda plans to engage all UNKLESA members to actively participate in the association and to increase the membership number by actively reaching out to UN employees. With her experience working with diverse teams, Chanda plans to actively engage all the office team members as well as ensure the smooth running of the office. Finally, Chanda plans to successfully implement all of UNKLESA’s strategies and goals by exploring new avenues of growth and development.
SARAH N. GIMSAY
Treasurer
Sarah joined the UNKLESA in April 2016 and since then has been part of the office volunteering team, Training and Skills Development working group as a trained trainer and Communications and Outreach working group. She also worked as a volunteer with World Food Programme (WFP) in Nairobi. Joining back to UNKLESA, she became more active and was elected as the Treasurer for UNKLESA Board in October 2017 and has been successfully serving the Board till now. She also showed her active interest to work with the Communications team towards publishing UNKLESA Newsletter and its website development.
Sarah is always ready to assist UNKLESA in any of its effort and development. As the Treasurer, Sarah will support UNKLESA Board by performing all the roles and responsibilities of the Treasurer, maintaining integrity, raising funds and checking upon mismanagement of resources.
GOHAR AYOUB
Family & Peer Support
Gohar joined UNKLESA in July 2017 and since then he has been paying very active roles in the organisation. Prior to arriving in Nairobi with his wife and two kids he was engaged in his family business. By profession, Gohar is a businessman and he deals with gemstones, jewelries, rugs, antiques and all kind of handicrafts. Besides business, Gohar also takes part in community services and voluntary work and he possess excellent networking skills.
As Coordinating Board Member: Family & Peer Support, Gohar plans to continue the good work of his predecessors and take on board other active and non-active members to come up with innovative ways to support family and peers. In addition, he plans to collaborate with other board members to ensure integration and effectiveness of all UNKLESA services.
ANWAR SUBRATTY
Advocacy
Anwar joined UNKLESA as a member since arriving in Kenya in March 2018. Since then he started volunteering at the UNKLESA office. His interest to serve as a UNKLESA coordinating Board member, stems from his conviction that he can put best use of his international exposure and experience in communication as well as his friendly and joyful personality to advance the causes of UNKLESA and its members.
Born and bred in Mauritius, he has lived, studied and worked in three different continents of the world including Africa, Europe and the US. Therefore, he is very much at ease in culturally diverse settings. Academically he has an engineering background and an MBA in Project Management. He has over twenty-five years of work experience in commercial operations and client management in the service industry. He was one of the founding members and an Auditor of a charity in Mauritius managing a day care and school for children with visual and multiple disabilities. When he moved to France with his spouse on an UN assignment in 2010 he also volunteered with the French Red Cross and encouraged his children to do so as well.
With a long-term experience in philanthropic activities, he takes a great interest in volunteer services. Moreover, UNKLESA has helped his spouse and himself transition smoothly upon arriving in Kenya. Helpful tips and guidance made a difference. He now, therefore, excited to take his engagement with UNKLESA as a weekly office volunteer to the next level. With support and collaboration from everyone, he is confident that he can facilitate and strengthen the UNKLESA networking and advocacy services to a great extent.
MORGAN BANEA
Communications & Outreach
Morgan joined the UNKLESA Board in November 2017 and since then has served as coordinator of the Communications & Outreach Working Group and, for a period, co-coordinator of the Family & Peer Support Working Group. Prior to arriving in Nairobi in 2017 with her husband and son, Morgan was an Executive Assistant with over ten years of experience in the academic and non-profit arena, most recently at the American Educational Research Association. She received her Master’s in International Affairs from American University in Washington, DC focusing on comparative and regional studies as well as cross-cultural communication.
Over the past year, Morgan has focused on reviving UNKLESA’s social media communication with members as well as maintenance of the UNKLESA website. She revived the UNKLESA Facebook group which allows members to post questions, events, and other relevant information amongst themselves. Morgan also served as co-coordinator of the Family & Peer Support group during the 2017-2018 year, organizing several coffee mornings.
As the Coordinator Board Member: Communications & Outreach, Morgan plans to continue supporting UNKLESA’s dialogue with members through an active Facebook presence, the migration and update of the UNKLESA website, as well as exploring new ideas for outreach. She believes that an active social media presence and effective communications are key to creating a vibrant, thriving community for UNKLESA members.
FABIAN LUETZIG
Training & Development
Fabian joined UNKLESA as the Training Coordinator in May 2018. Before coming to Nairobi with his wife, he practiced as a Leadership Coach in New York and as an HR Management Consultant in the Public Sector in Germany. He also supported the Accenture Foundation Germany for five years, collecting experience in training and NGO management. Fabian’s academic background is a Master’s in International Relations; he recently started a B.Sc. Program in Psychology.
As of September 2018, Fabian has facilitated two workshops for UNKLESA – “Secrets of a Life Coach” and “Networking Leadership” – both of which were met with great interest and feedback. He has also initiated, conducted and analyzed a survey of the members’ training interests, habits and needs. He shared the results in a Training Group meeting and on this basis has designed a Learning Community approach to UNKLESA’s training needs which will be piloted in October 2018. Outside the UN realm, Fabian is very involved with the local Coach community and is helping to educate Kenyan Coaches. He has a passion for sharing knowledge and for empowering people to take ownership over their lives. As UNKLESA is set to reach the next level, he plans to continue sharing that passion by growing UNKLESA’s training offering accordingly.