Meet our Leadership Team
Ruth Meriki
Founder & Executive Director
Our Founding Director, Ruth, is passionate and enthusiastic about creating and building agencies for adolescent girls and boys as well as the general well-being of her community. Having been raised and grown up in a Maasai community, Ruth has first knowledge about many of the issues EPN deals with today. In addition to her lived experience, she worked as Team Leader and Assistant Project Evaluator for a 5-year African Initiative program targeting quality education in six districts of the Maasai Community, and other pastoralist regions.
As a result of her leadership and involvement in different projects, Ruth had the opportunity to interview hundreds of students, government and education officials, social workers, parents, and community members about the reasons that so many Maasai children were dropping out of school and failing to complete even primary school. That broad research base informs Elle Peut Naidim’s high-impact programming today.
Ruth recieved her Masters in Business from East and Southern Management Institute, Tanzania.
Flora Nevava
Monitoring & Evaluation Lead
Flora holds a Bachelors in Participatory Project Planning and Management from Tengeru’s Institute of Community Development.
She has worked for a number of NGOs and initiatives in Tanzania to assess their program’s efficacy, including working for EPN’s research team before being promoted to our Monitoring and Evaluation Lead.
Hawa Kipilili
Co-Founder & Lead Educator
Hawa is a passionate educator with nearly 10 years’ teaching experience in both government and international schools.
She is passionate about imparting teachers with effective tools to create impacting relationships and learning experiences.
She received her B.A. in Education from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and her Post Graduate Degree in International Education from the University of Nottingham, England.
Hafsa Mussa
Program Coordinator
Hafsa oversees all things organizational and logistical for the team.
She ensures that our programs are operating in concert and compliance with local government, and oversees consent attainment for all programming.
During class, she acts as an assistant to our Monitoring and Evaluation team.
Hannah Erickson
Program Designer
Hannah has worked as a program designer and project leader for education programs operating in under-resourced environments for 10 years. To date, her work has been focused in the United States and East Africa.
She is invigorated by excellence, and by unshakable optimists driven to make positive change in the world.
She received her BAs from Wichita State University in Analytic Philosophy and International Relations, and her MA in Philosophy and Education from Columbia University’s Teachers College.
Johanna Torell
Graphic Designer
Johanna is a graphic designer extraordinaire. Each and every one of EPN’s graphics has been curated and designed by her.
She is based out of Petaluma, California.
Alex Gingerella
Curriculum Advisor
Alex has worked with young people for over 8 years, most recently as a gender and sexuality educator in New York City. She received her Master in Public Health focusing on sexuality, sexual and reproductive health. She is passionate about all things reproductive justice, and is driven by a desire to empower all people to make the decisions best suited for them to live healthy lives. Alex enjoys reading, biking, spending time in nature and cooking and sharing meals with those in her community.
Jaime Gilliland
Monitoring & Evaluation Advisor
Jaime is a research associate for the Center for Applied Research and Evaluation at Wichita State University’s Community Engagement Institute. She is passionate about the stories data can tell and how they can impact communities in positive ways. She earned her B.A. in Systemic Global Issues and the Community Dynamic from Metropolitan State University of Denver and her M.A. in Medical Anthropology from the University of Colorado Denver. Her ragdoll cat, Frankie, is her best companion when she isn’t traveling, and she is always trying to perfect a new baking recipe.