Board & Staff

Co-Chair

Dean Peacock has been involved in work for gender equality, violence prevention, and health equity for the last three decades. He is the co-founder and former executive director of Sonke Gender Justice, the co-founder and former global co-chair of the MenEngage Alliance, and the co-founder of the community of practice on men and feminist peace.

Dean is a commissioner of the Lancet Commission on Global Gun Violence and Health, an expert advisor to the Halving Global Violence Taskforce, an affiliated scholar at the Violence, Inequality and Power Lab at the Joan B Kroc School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego, an honorary senior lecturer at the University of Cape Town’s School of Public Health’s Division of Social and Behavioural Sciences, a Visiting Fellow at the Geneva Graduate Institute of International Development Studies, and an Ashoka Fellow. His writing has been published widely in many major news outlets, books, and academic journals.

In addition to serving as co-chair of the NMNW board of directors, Dean is a board member of Community Advice Offices South Africa,  an advisor to the Halving Global Violence Task Force and the Countering Backlash initiative. He previously served an advisor to former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on the implementation of the UNITE to End Violence against Women campaign, the Nobel Women’s Initiative on their campaign to end sexual violence in conflict, and a member of the jury of the International Gender Equality Prize awarded each year by the Office of the Prime Minister of Finland.

Co-Chair

Moitreyee Sinha is the CEO and Founder of citiesRISE, a global multi-stakeholder initiative on mental health. Before citiesRise, Moitreyee built the Beyond Health portfolio at the Global Development Incubator (GDI) to bring together social entrepreneurs and large institutions to address the root causes and complex interdependencies that stand in the way of healthy communities.

Moitreyee brings extensive experience in shaping multi-stakeholder initiatives on development issues at the crossroads of public, private and philanthropic sectors. She also led GE Foundation’s global health portfolio in 22 countries and shaped national programs for critical care for children, maternal child health, clean water, ICT, humanitarian relief and education.

She has extensive experience working across platforms related to children and young people globally. She has served as advisor to UNICEF’s Children’s Rights to Business, and helped shape UNICEF Innovation’s partnership development with the private sector.

Rachna Nag Chowdhuri is the Interim Director of Impact at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, where she focuses on driving evidence-based strategies for global development. Previously, she served as the Senior Vice President for Impact at the Global Innovation Fund, overseeing grants and analytics. Rachna has extensive experience in research, evaluation, and evidence-based policymaking across South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa, with expertise in social protection, gender, education, and health.  

Rachna co-chairs the Scaling Up Community of Practice Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group, which focuses on advancing best practices in scaling development interventions. She is also a co-founder of Neev, an organization based in Madhya Pradesh, India, that collaborates with village women in Shivpuri district to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities and improved access to essential services.

Laura Chyu, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Public Health at the University of San Francisco. As a health demographer, she studies how social contexts and chronic stressors are embodied physiologically and shape women’s health over the life course. She is also interested in the effects of positive and adverse childhood experiences on physical and mental health later in life. Dr. Chyu has taught extensively at the undergraduate and graduate levels and has developed and evaluated community-based initiatives for health equity and social impact. Her work has been featured in several leading academic journals, including Social Science & Medicine, Women’s Health Issues, Biodemography and Social Biology, and Psychosomatic Medicine. She completed her Ph.D. in Public Health at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, and also holds degrees in Anthropological Sciences (M.A.) and Human Biology (B.A.) from Stanford University. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the Cells to Society Center on Social Disparities and Health at the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University.

Treasurer

Amaka Dike is Managing Director & CFO, Registered Funds, at Oak Hill Advisors, L.P., a leading global credit-focused alternative asset manager. She previously was a Principal at The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm that engages in multi-product global alternative asset management. Prior to joining Carlyle, she held the position of Senior Manager at Ernst & Young, a “Big 4” accounting firm, overseeing audits of various public and private financial service companies. With over 14 years of experience, she is well versed in financial management and oversight.

Amaka has served in various capacities in non-profit organizations including roles as Treasurer and Financial Secretary. Her charitable interests include improving educational opportunities in the lives of impoverished children around the world, particularly in Africa.

Amaka holds a master’s degree in financial economics from Kent State University and a B.Sc. in Business Administration (Accounting) from West Virginia University. She is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the States of West Virginia and Texas.

Anuoluwa Ishola is the Director of Operations at Women’s Impact Alliance, a place for women in social and environmental change to advance their leadership and impact in the world. Previously she served as Sierra Leone Program Director for Last Mile Health, overseeing Last Mile Health’s work with the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health to support the country's community health workforce. Before joining Last Mile Health, she was the Executive Director at Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative (YEDI), a non-profit organization committed to introducing effective and innovative approaches to educating, empowering, and inspiring people and communities in Nigeria. She served as Chief Operating Officer at Unveiling Africa Foundation and a Global Health Fellow in Uganda at The AIDS Support Organization (TASO).

Anu is currently a doctoral student at the T. H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University. She holds a Master's in Public Health from George Washington University and a B.Sc in Biological Sciences from Bowie State University.

Carol Lloyd is Vice President, Editorial Director for GreatSchools, and an award-winning journalist and author. Carol was an award-winning weekly columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle for ten years and headed the education section as an editor at Salon.com. In 2009, she received a mini-fellowship on Global Health Reporting from the Kaiser Foundation for her coverage of neglected diseases published in the San Francisco Chronicle and Seed Magazine. Her journalism on culture, education and family life has been widely published and anthologized for the past 15 years, appearing in The New York Times Magazine, This American Life radio show, Salon.com, The Los Angeles Times, and the SF Weekly as well as being featured on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, PRI’s The World and KQED’s Forum and To the Best of Our Knowledge. Her bestselling book “Creating a Life Worth Living” was published in 1997 by HarperCollins.

Lisa McCandless is the Head of Philanthropy at GiveWell, a nonprofit dedicated to finding outstanding giving opportunities to help donors decide where to give. She has nearly two decades of experience building and leading social impact organizations working in Africa.

Before joining GiveWell, she was Executive Director of Living Goods, overseeing fundraising, communications, and advocacy. Under her leadership, Living Goods grew annual revenue tenfold to up to $30 million annually and increased the external affairs team from one person to 20+ people across four countries.

Prior to Living Goods, Lisa spent five years at Chemonics International Inc., where she led strategy, program design, and proposal development for large-scale development projects in Africa. As Director of Business Development, East Africa, she oversaw growth for the division, developing and managing a strategy to grow Chemonics’ portfolio in the region. In this role, she secured USAID funding opportunities up to $50 million in value. Previously, Lisa coordinated programs for PlayPumps International and Save the Children. Lisa holds a B.A. in International Development Studies from UCLA.

Veronica Rivas Mittino is a Senior Associate at Slater Slater Schulman LLP, a prominent national full service civil litigation law firm where she represents adult and child survivors of sexual abuse in civil litigation. A former criminal prosecutor turned civil litigator, Veronica brings extensive experience prosecuting and litigating sexual violence and related crimes — and a rare systems-level perspective to survivor-centered justice.

Prior to Slater Slater Schulman, Veronica was a prosecutor assigned exclusively to the Sexual Assault & Child Abuse Unit, where she prosecuted complex, multi-victim sexual assault and child abuse cases.  Veronica also clerked with the U.S. Department of Justice United States Attorney's Office. Her prosecutorial and civil litigation background gives her an intimate understanding of the barriers sexual abuse survivors face and a resolute determination to dismantle them.

Veronica's civil practice now focuses on accountability for the institutions, platforms, and networks that enable child sexual abuse and exploitation. She regularly engages legal, policy, and advocacy audiences on bridging prosecution, civil litigation, and survivor-centered frameworks, and has spoken at numerous academic institutions and  published in the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal. She holds board positions with the Federal Bar Association Inland Empire Chapter since 2020 and was appointed in 2025 to the Federal Bar Association's National Government Relations Committee, composed of members with substantial public policy experience.  Veronica engages with United States Congressional House and Senate offices advocating for national legislative priorities related to the federal judiciary, including matters related to judicial security and judicial funding. Veronica also serves on the board for the Claremont Educational Foundation and served as a Director of the Riverside County Deputy District Attorney's Association.

Veronica earned her B.A. in Legal Studies and Organizational Leadership from Brandman University and her J.D. from the University of La Verne College of Law. Prior to law school, Veronica served as the Director of Corporate Development for a fundraising consultancy firm assisting international NGOs and domestic non-profit organizations. Veronica is licensed to practice in California state courts and the Federal District Courts for the Central, Southern, Eastern, and Northern Districts of California.

Global Trainer

Amellia is a former Zimbabwe Women’s National Team soccer player who previously worked for an adolescent health organisation for 14 years as a youth mentor, facilitator, and trainer. Amellia is passionate about making a positive change and impact on the lives of vulnerable women and girls in underserved communities. She has facilitated activities on sexual reproductive health and rights, sexual violence, and challenging harmful gender norms with youth, parents, and the community as a whole. She has a passion for working with youth in order to increase health-seeking behaviours and decrease risks. In her spare time, she trains women and girls in soccer skills. As a part of the NMNW team, Amellia is super excited to play a part in ending sexual violence against women and children.

Partnerships Director

Katherine Daiss has significant experience in global youth development initiatives, behavior change communications, curriculum design, and impact research. She is deeply passionate about gender based violence policy, practice and research. Kat has spent the past decade living and working across Southern Africa and the US, and has engaged fluidly in private and public sector work, both domestically and internationally. She has designed and developed cutting edge HIV and sexual violence prevention curricula and training materials, led quantitative and qualitative research processes, and guided field staff to deliver high-impact front line work. She has a proven track record of mobilizing funding for sexual violence prevention, as well as managing awards to success, and is adept at developing high impact partnerships with a variety of stakeholders. As a founding member of NMNW, she is an important contributor to the growth strategy of the organization’s global work. Kat has a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, where she concentrated on adolescent health and violence prevention.

Global Trainer

Craig is a Zimbabwean-born public health and social justice activist. He spent over 8 years facilitating and developing psychosocial support interventions for adolescents living with HIV in 13 Sub-Saharan African countries. In these countries, he witnessed multiple injustices that young people face, which included high cases of sexual violence and forced teenage marriages that contribute to higher adolescent HIV prevalence in the region. Craig is a Senior Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Equity at the International Inequalities Institute. He holds a BSc. Psychology Degree from Midlands State University in Zimbabwe and an MSc. Inequalities and Social Science Degree from The London School of Economics and Social Science.

Curriculum & Training Specialist

Patrick holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Tai Solarin University of Education. With over 9 years of work experience in the NGO sector, he has spent the last decade working on youth development initiatives across his home country of Nigeria, and currently lives in Lagos. His work with Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative (YEDI) and Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF) has focused deeply on gender equality, Gender-Based Violence prevention, and aftercare services, Sexual reproductive health HIV and malaria prevention. With his high proficiency in training and development, he has supported and trained alongside Grassroot Soccer global master trainers in Cameroon, Ghana and Liberia. Not only is he a highly skilled facilitator and trainer of facilitators, but he has also supported the design and adaptation of cutting-edge behavior change curriculum, and contributed to successful youth-driven projects across West Africa. Patrick is passionate about promoting a gender-equitable society, positive masculinity, and youth development.

Curriculum & Training Manager

Hind is responsible for providing on-going empowerment self-defense (ESD) training for NMNW’s trainers and ensuring that NMNW’s curriculum and training materials are aligned with empowerment self-defense best practices. She also manages NMNW’s engagement and participation within the global ESD community, while also cultivating a learning network of NMNW curriculum practitioners in order to advance the ESD approach to preventing sexual violence worldwide.

Hind’s passion is to build safety and power for women and children by helping them tap into their inner strength and stand up for themselves and their communities against gender-based violence. Hind trains in Tang Soo Do Karate and received formal self-defense and by-stander intervention training from Defend Yourself and Malikah, where she has become an instructor. Hind is also a gender justice organizer and educator. She serves as Malikah DMV chapter regional director.

Hind previously worked as an adjunct teacher of Arabic at Montgomery College in Maryland and as a Communications Associate at KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights. Hind received a B.A. in English Language and Literature from Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco; a M.A. in International Studies and Diplomacy from Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco. She also  earned a certificate in nonprofit management from Georgetown University.

Executive Director

Kirk Friedrich is a social entrepreneur and non-profit executive who previously served as a co-founder and Executive Director of the award winning global adolescent health NGO, Grassroot Soccer. Kirk helped to lead Grassroot Soccer over a 16-year period from startup to scale, providing comprehensive health education for more than 2 million young people in 50 countries. Kirk has been a vanguard in the field of sport-based positive youth development, and is passionate about helping organizations develop their technical and operational skills to improve the lives of young people worldwide. Kirk serves on the Board of Directors of Youth Impact in Botswana and is Founder and Executive Director of Safe Roots Foundation.

For a closer look at Kirk’s path to NMNW, read about his journey here.

Managing Director

Leah has nearly 20 years of experience designing, managing and evaluating youth empowerment and development initiatives across the globe. Having lived in Southern Africa for many years, Leah works fluidly across different cultures and builds strong relationships based on friendship, trust, and mutual respect. She has a comprehensive understanding of non-profit management, and has helped NMNW define a unique growth strategy, build streamlined operational structures, expand partner and donor networks, and design sustainable social impact programs. Having raised more than $22 million for youth-focused development initiatives worldwide, Leah is accomplished at both fundraising as well as managing awards to success. She is also the co-Founder of Groundswell Education, a global consulting group that has been working deeply with NMNW since 2015.

Director of Communications

Molly McHugh is responsible for leading NMNW’s external communications, telling the story of the organization’s programs, impact, and people. Prior to joining NMNW, she spent a decade with global adolescent health organization Grassroot Soccer, launching the communications and marketing department and growing it to span a large portfolio of projects. Molly previously served as the membership director at the Global Health Council, engaging member organizations from around the world in sharing best practices and advancing advocacy initiatives. Prior to moving into the global health sphere, Molly spent over a decade as a collegiate rowing coach, while also implementing community-based rowing programs. Molly is passionate about using nonprofit communications to tell stories, raise funds, and advance causes.

Accounting Manager

Judy is a passionate and dedicated certified public accountant with over ten years of experience in the financial field. With a strong belief in gender equality and women's empowerment, Judy has actively sought opportunities to make a positive impact in the lives of girls and women. Beyond her professional accomplishments, her passion lies in contributing to social change. She firmly believes in the power of education and equal opportunities for girls and women to break out of traditional societal barriers. Her strong commitment to this cause has motivated her work with organizations devoted to ending gender-based violence against women and children.

Judy is excited to leverage her financial expertise to contribute to the organization's mission to create a safer world for women and children.

Global Trainer

Oladele acquired her Bachelor's degree in Sociology at University of Lagos. With over 6 years of experience, Oladele is passionate about working with youths, children and women. This was evident in her work with YEDI (Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative) and WARIF (Women At Risk International Foundation) where she trained, mentored and inspired youths on prevention of malaria, HIV/AIDS and Gender-Based Violence. She then proceeded to serve in the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development where she advocated for gender equality and women empowerment. Her drive for sustainable and economic development inspired her to volunteer at non-profit organizations like SFH (Society for Family Health) and AHI (Action Health Incorporated) to train youths on crafts and life skills. In a bid to impact more lives, achieve a healthy society and violent-free world, Oladele is beyond excited to join the NMNW team.

Global Trainer

Isaac was born and raised in Uganda, East Africa. He holds a Diploma in Business Administration from YMCA Comprehensive Institute Kampala and was trained as a No Means No Instructor in Uganda in early 2020. Isaac was a teacher in a small primary school in the slums of Kawempe, Kampala. He also worked with Raise All African Children Ministries (RAAC) that has helped to change many kids lives in slums of Kampala and many other villages around Uganda through training children how to live in a non-violent and Godly way of life. As a male No Means No Instructor he has been able to reach many young boys who have shared a lot with him about their experiences around gender-based violence, and he has also educated them on how to prevent engaging in GBV and avoid contracting HIV/AIDS.

Senior Data to Action Specialist

Danielle has multiple years of experience designing, managing and evaluating sexual and reproductive health, maternal and child health, and gender equity programs across the globe. She holds a Masters Degree in Public Health for Development from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Having lived in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, and North America, she works fluidly across cultures and loves bringing together diverse perspectives to create meaningful change. With a background in research, program management, and monitoring and evaluation, she is adept at leveraging data to ensure programs are sustainable, locally driven, and impactful. Danielle is passionate about empowering young people with the information and skills to stand up for themselves and their communities to end gender-based violence.