International Management Team
Samantha Rayner
Sammie Rayner implemented the pilot micro-credit program for Lumana Credit in 2008 and has been lead organizer for the organization's strategic expansion since. In just one year, Sammie has expanded the US team to nine active members, hired three part time and one full time employee in Ghana, raised the loan funds for Lumana's 30 existing clients and developed strong relationships with several local and international partners.
Chad Skeers
Chad Skeers is a software developer and open-source enthusiast. He is responsible for implementing Lumana's technological projects and designing future programs. He believes that accessible mobile technology will revolutionize the global development industry. When he isn't working with Lumana he volunteers for Open Data Kit and is the Lead Engineer for software development projects at Birds Eye Media.
Eric Appesland
Eric Appesland specializes in finance and information systems management and has experience in international management for Washington Mutual in the Philippines. He has worked in the finance department of Citi Smith Barney and is a start-up member of the Montlake Consulting Group. Eric has received several awards for his work in strategic consulting at international case competitions at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand and Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.
Karin E. Avellaneda
Karin Avellaneda graduated with a BA in Business Administration from the University of Washington. Upon graduation she spent five months in Atorkor, Ghana mapping the processes and systems to achieve Lumana's expansion goals and to facilitate management from overseas. She is known for her focus on process improvement and controls and enjoys working directly with clients to create strategic and sustainable business solutions. As a business consultant to client entrepreneurs, she learned about the creative financial habits and resourcefulness of the rural poor in an environment with very limited cash-flow. Back in the States, Karin continues to oversee the operations and maintenance of Lumana’s programs in Ghana and is responsible for the Fellowship Program in the US. Her bilingual, bi-cultural experience has been an important addition to her development as a leader and she is committed to socially responsible business endeavors.
Maresa Lennebacker
Maresa Lennebacker works with Lumana on the development of business strategies and the implementation of new programs. Maresa has experience doing on-the-ground anthropological research in Sierra Leone, West Africa, and Maresa worked in Ghana this past summer to analyze the social, economic, and cultural trends of Atorkor and its surrounding villages. She helped to administer community surveys, teach employees and clients, and assess surrounding villages for expansion feasibility.
Alex Berg
Alexandra Berg (Foster BA ’09) has experience studying corporate social responsibility and global development in South Africa, Thailand, and Cambodia, as well as experience in sustainable development consulting in Panama. She specializes in communicating the mission, vision, and impact of Lumana Credit across all medias. She organized Lumana Credit's Seattle launch event in July 2009 and helped coordinate and manage donors for Lumana's holiday gift-giving campaign. She was in Ghana this summer capturing video and photo media, and oversees the development of the communication and social media strategy.
Cole Hoover
Cole Hoover works as Lumana's Outreach Coordinator to build Lumana's partnerships on the ground, in Ghana and abroad. Recently he is working with our partners to develop agricultural initiatives that disseminate education to rural farmers and pair their crops up with relevant markets. This past year Cole lived in Atokor our pilot village for two months working to implement a community needs assessment geared towards gauging financial need and collecting relevant health demographic information for our development partners. When Cole is not working with Lumana to develop programs he working doing business development for Birds Eye Media.
David Almeida
David Almeida has experience studying international business and corporate social responsibility in South Africa, and currently serves as the president of the Social Entrepreneurship Club at the University of Washington. He has worked with Lumana Credit on fundraising strategy and operations, and is currently working on scaling Lumana's holistic community development approach to other regions of Ghana.
Lindsey Engh
Lindsey Engh Lindsey works in designing and implementing various methods of evaluation for Lumana, specializing in rural development analysis and social impact evaluation. Last year she developed the prototype for the first Needs Assessment Survey that Lumana used during their pilot project in 2009. Lindsey has also been involved in several other evaluation methodology projects at the Evan's School of Public Policy at the University of Washington, including social enterprise evaluation with the Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition. Lindsey graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in Linguistics in 2009.
Abigail Pearl
Abigail Pearl graduated from the University of Washington in June 2010 with a BS in Public Health and a BA in Women Studies. She has past experience with Planned Parenthood working on health and women-centered development projects in South Africa and working with USAID in Indonesia. From these experiences she brings both a feminist lens and knowledge about large international NGO’s and Donor organizations to the Lumana team. In Seattle, Abigail works on organizing the internal management structure of Lumana and on-boarding new fellows/team members, however she greatly looks forward to her upcoming trip to Ghana, where she will spend eight months working on the ground expanding and strengthening Lumana’s microfinance operations and International Fellows Program.