US HQ:
Jenny Koleth
Executive Director and Co-Founder: While trekking in the foothills of the Himalayas in Yunnan province, China, Jenny fell in love with the rich culture and stories of the ethnic minority groups of Dali and Lijiang (Yunnan has 51 different ethnic groups!). Since that trip many years back, she’s seized cross-cultural opportunities whenever possible, exploring Tibetan Buddhism, teaching in Afghanistan, and marrying an Indian man. Her professional experience includes 12+ years in the publishing industry. As the ED, she is responsible for the overall strategy and operation of Profugo’s staff, projects, and mission. She is passionate about people finding their “voice.”
Timilehin Adedokun
Program Development Intern: Timilehin is a 2nd-year master student at Drexel University, Dornsife School of Public Health, pursuing a degree in Community Health and Prevention. She is interested in global health, specifically maternal and child health. Her passion for making an impact and empowering communities aligns with Profugo. Timilehin is a Dornsife Global Development Scholar, which is Drexel University’s partnership with World Vision international, giving students the opportunity to participate in an international experience. She spent 3 months in Lesotho working with World Vision. Timilehin’s project in Lesotho was focused on Menstrual Hygiene and Health Promotion, where she conducted interviews and focus group discussions in communities and schools. Timilehin’s other interests include reading, traveling, writing, and cooking.
Allegra Condiotty
Program Development Intern: Allegra is in her 2nd-year as a student at Drexel University, Dornsife School of Public Health. Her concentration is in community health and prevention focusing on chronic health, global health, as well as public health program monitoring and evaluation. Allegra is pursuing her degree after she lived and worked in China, where she taught in universities in Hunan province for over two years. She is passionate about working with diverse communities and improving cultural competencies throughout the various aspects of public health. Outside of school, Allegra interests include traveling, cooking, language learning, trying new food spots, and visiting the array of museums in Philadelphia.
Priya Govil
Development & Communications Intern: Priya is a senior at Cornell University where she is pursuing a degree in Biology & Society as well as a double minor in Law & Society and Inequality Studies. She is very passionate about global development and advocacy, and she applies these passions to her work in managing the social media accounts for Profugo. After graduation, Priya hopes to pursue a career in policy analysis, but in the meantime she spends the bulk of her time learning, traveling, and reading.
Eszter Janossy
Program Development Intern: Eszter is a third-year Tourism and Hospitality Management undergraduate student at Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management. Eszter’s lifelong passion for cross-cultural understanding and community-based development inspired her to focus her studies on sustainable tourism. Seeing the harmful effects of mass tourism in her native Budapest sparked in Eszter a lifelong interest in the ways that effective tourism planning might circumvent the destructive cycle of overtourism. She is excited to bring these passions to Profugo, where she aims to create tourism initiatives that empower local communities. In her free time, Eszter enjoys writing, hiking, exploring new places, eating her way through said places, and petting adorable dogs.
Andrea Lloyd
Communications & Development Intern: Andrea is a PhD candidate in French and Francophone Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, set to defend her thesis at the end of April. She majored in International Development as an undergraduate at Tulane University before continuing her research in the field of postcolonial studies. Her research to date has centered on immigration tensions in France and their intersection with questions of representation, religion, women’s rights, and racism in French politics, media, and literature. Her dissertation in turn examines the long-silenced history of racialization and racism in “colorblind” France, focusing on how critical representations of racial stigma both uncover and push back against a society-wide stigmatization of people of color. Andrea also has a vested interest in the growing impact of climate change and its intersections with societal instability and inequality, and hopes to pursue a career with sustainable development or immigrant and refugee oriented non-profits. In her free time, Andrea figure skates at the rink in Ardmore and enjoys gardening, snowboarding, and hiking.
Emily Snowden
Development & Fundraising Intern: Emily is a first-year graduate student at Drexel University, Dornsife School of Public Health, pursuing a degree in Health Management and Policy. Emily is interested in nonprofit fundraising and development, which combines her passion for building relationships and advocacy to generate additional funding sources. During her undergraduate career at the University of Vermont, Emily served as an Alumni Association ambassador representing the University at networking and donor events. Additionally, she championed an innovative social fundraising campaign that helped raise significant funds benefiting the University’s athletic programs. Emily played Division I Field Hockey in College and has continued her involvement with the sport by coaching at a local hockey club, acting as the volunteer assistant coach for Drexel University and also by serving as the Director of Goalkeeping for Sport EuroTour, a nationally recognized leader in international field hockey programs. Emily has traveled extensively for both field hockey and personal enjoyment visiting nearly 20 countries.
India Center of Development Field Partner PROFUGO Social Ventures (P) Ltd:
TD Peter
Director, Profugo Social Ventures Private Limited: Having grown up in the rural and rainy environs of God’s own country, Kerala, Peter joined the Civil Services in 1985, and served at various locations across India. After over a decade of experience with a non-profit international agricultural research organization in Hyderabad, he has returned to Wayanad in Kerala to team up with Profugo and the marginalized rural community in Prasanthagiri and Valad, and to help them harness opportunities for a better quality of life, education, health, skills development, and sustainable natural resources management. He oversees and manages the Center of Development (COD) at Valad, and is responsible for planning, supervision, training, business development, operations and administration of various programs, projects and initiatives of Profugo. His other interests include reading, writing, music, and spirituality.
Abhilash V. Thomas
Program Coordinator: Abhilash was born and brought up in Wayanad, Kerala. Having majored in graduate studies with English from the University of Madras, he went on to earn a Diploma in Small Business Management from National Institute of Technology, Calicut, before signing up with Wayanad Social Service Society as Project Coordinator of Organic Farming and later as Purchase Manager of its Organic Spices Export Division. After a 5-year stint, he served briefly with ING Vysya Life Insurance Company, and then with Ashley Tea Estate as Assistant Manager. His love for English beckoned him to spend five years as a teacher at Al Buraimi Institute of Science and Technology, Oman. Family circumstances brought him back home in Wayanad, and that’s when he joined Profugo COD as Program Coordinator in early 2017. Abhilash helps with planning, launching, monitoring, and reviewing various projects that the COD rolls out from time to time to empower the rural community. He also supervises the Tailoring Unit and ELS Spoken English, besides Accounting and Book-keeping.
Gilgy Peruyaporathu
Operations Coordinator: Gilgy oversees the daily operation of the Center of Development, acts as the in-house handyman, and assists in all official matters. He and his family have a long history of farming.
Mary George
Program Associate: Mary is a daughter of the soil, hailing from Prashanthagiri Village where Profugo first set up its COD. She has, since then, been the king-pin of COD’s Tailoring Unit in her multi-hued capacities and responsibilities as the supervisor, tailoring training instructor, fabric designer and cutting-master, et al., in collaboration with team members and field volunteers. Other daily chores include management of the production center, book-keeping, quality checking, and dispatching. Mary started her career as a tailor at a local garments production center, then as Tailoring Instructor at a local institute, and later as center supervisor at a readymade nightie production unit run by the District Industrial Development Center.
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Friends of Profugo
We’d also like to mention the Friends of Profugo, who are an integral part of our team! They are the many dedicated and passionate volunteers who have helped Profugo become what it is today. They are not only a part of the Profugo community, but we consider them Friends of Profugo. We rely on their support and can’t thank these individuals enough for the commitment they have shown towards Profugo’s mission and making the world a better place. THANK YOU!!!
