Team

Barbara Atukunda                                                                                                   Operations Coordinator

Barbara began with Educate! in 2008 as a Mentor and the office administrator. During this experience, she takes pride in the fact that she has learned from the best team imaginable. She is now in charge of accounting and office management. She is glad to be part of a movement that transforms communities and empowers youth to better their lives and those around them.Barbara graduated from Kyambogo University with a B.A in Guidance and Counseling.

Boris Bulayev
Co-founder and Executive Director 

A 2007 alumni of Amherst College, Boris has been working with Eric Glustrom on Educate! since the beginning of his sophomore year of college in October 2004. During the summer of 2007, he spearheaded the development of Educate!’s new leadership program and made connections with countless individuals in the government, non-governmental organizations, and schools.  After spending the first two years post-college working on Educate! in his free time, Boris jumped back into the organization full time in November 2009.  In his role as Executive Director, Boris works on fundraising, board development, strategy, monitoring & evaluation, finance and things related to people. 

Boris was born in Latvia, and lived there until the age of 7, when he moved to San Francisco.  He is currently based in New York, but also spends time in Uganda and San Francisco.  Before coming back to Educate!, he worked at start-up incubator Loeb Enterprises. 

Contact Boris: boris@experienceeducate.org

Libby Daghlian                                                                                                       Monitoring and Evaluation Manager

Libby Daghlian hails from the smallest state capital—Montpelier, Vermont and graduated from the University of Vermont in 2010 with a B.A. in Anthropology. During her junior year, she lived in Accra, Ghana for eight months through the Trent University International Development Studies program. There, she took classes at the University of Ghana, Legon and interned with the Society for Women and AIDS in Africa. This experience, in conjunction with the two years she spent working with youth at Edmunds Middle School in Burlington, VT, inspired her to move to Uganda and work with Educate! where she could combine her interests in youth and development!

At Educate!, Libby is the Alumni Project Manager. Working in close partnership with Solomon Kayiwa, Libby is helping to develop and implement the Alumni Program to offer continued support, mentorship and resources to our amazing students!

Maya Ellman
Director of U.S. Operations & Communications

Maya helps spread the word about Educate! through media, social media, and community events. She also manages the U.S. interns, the U.S. fundraising and the Educate! Annual Report and mailings. Before joining Educate!, Maya worked as a journalist and then as a publicist. Feeling that something was missing from her career, Maya was excited when her father (U.S. Advisory Board Member, Jim Ellman) introduced her to Educate!. She immediately got involved- first as a volunteer- and then as an official part of the team. Educate! was the missing piece in her career. She now does what she loves AND empowers others.

Maya was born and raised in Boulder and graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. She resides in Denver where she also teaches yoga. She has traveled all over the world- including beautiful Uganda!

Contact Maya: maya@experienceeducate.org

Eric Glustrom                                                                                                   
Co-founder and President

Eric started Educate! in 2002 after traveling to Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Uganda to create a film about the life of refugees.  There he met Benson Olivier, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Eric was inspired to start Educate! after seeing the potential in Benson and so many other youth to become the leaders who would bring solutions to the challenges facing Uganda and beyond.  Eric graduated from Amherst College in 2007 with a degree in biochemistry.  He likes skiing of all kinds, tennis, running with his dog, discussing social change, and is reportedly very good at catching food in his mouth.

Contact Eric: eric@experienceeducate.org

Charlotte Iraguha                                                                                                 Program Coordinator                                                                                    

Charlotte graduated from Kyambogo University with a B.A in Education. She started with Educate! in 2008 as a Mentor for the Kawempe cluster of schools.  Currently, Charlotte empowers four Mentors working 11 schools. She is also in charge of media (stories, blog, profiles) and photography.  She believes in youth empowerment as the only way to eradicate poverty in Uganda. Before joining Educate!, she worked as a high school teacher for two years and she is glad to be part of a movement that seeks to create change in Africa. 

James Katumba                                                                                                 Program Development Coordinator

James graduated from Makerere University with a B. A. in Education. He started with Educate! in 2008 as a Mentor for the Wakiso cluster of schools. James now empowers four Educate! Mentors working in 10 schools. He also helps lead the development of new programs for Educate! and conducts the Educate! Teacher Training and Mentor Induction. His mission in life is inspiring transformation, conserving nature and pursuing joy.

Solomon Kayiwa                                                                                                   Alumni Program Coordinator

Solomon, a social worker by profession, is a motivated and enthusiastic leader who is also a network weaver. After graduating from Makerere University he worked for Lutheran World Federation and the National Forum of People Living with HIV/AIDS Networks in Uganda. After joining Educate! in 2008, Solomon worked for two years as a Mentor with Educate!’s Hoima schools. Now, as the Alumni Program Coordinator, Solomon weaves our alumni network.  The Alumni Program Solomon leads brings together approximately 400 young leaders and entrepreneurs from across Uganda and neighboring countries to provide training, mentorship, a supportive peer network and access to capital to help youth turn their ideas for positive change into a reality.

Agnes Kyesubire                                                                                                   Public Relations Manager

Agnes (lovingly known as Aggie) began with Educate! in 2008 as a Mentor for Makindye cluster where she oversaw the graduation of over 80 Educate! Scholars.  She is now the Public Relations Manager – working with media, funder, and organization partnerships.  In addition, she does publicity for the Change Makers’ Association (a coalition for organizations and individuals working with communities to create positive change.)

Costence Mpirirwe                                                                                                   Procurement Manager

Costence graduated from Makerere University in 2008 with a B.A in Psychology. She started with Educate! in 2008 as a Mentor in the Busiro cluster of schools. Now she is the Procurement Manager, equipping everyone in Educate! with materials to empower the Scholars. The most interesting part of her job is creating powerful relationships with service providers.

Esther Nakiirya                                                                                                           Program Coordinator

Esther graduated from Makerere University with a B.A in Adult and Community Education. She started with Educate! in 2008 as an upcountry Mentor for the Mbale cluster of schools. Currently, Esther empowers four mentors working in 9 schools providing them with training and mentoring.  She is also in charge of partner school relations and recruitment.

Maggie Sheahan                                                                                                           Program Director

Maggie Sheahan is the Program Director for Educate!, and has been working in Uganda since 2009.  She is inspired most by Educate!’s proactive approach:  “We all know about the problems that challenge our world, most especially Africa. I love Educate! because it empowers young people to think about solutions!”  After graduating from Pomona College in 2008 with a degree in Religious Studies, she lived in Denver, Colorado working with homeless youth.  There, she discovered the vibrancy and hopefulness that shines from youth.

Her work for Educate! has included writing Transform Uganda, a handbook for our scholars to become Changemakers, launching the Change Makers Association, and providing continued teaching support for our Mentors. She is currently facilitating the Educate! Teacher Training Course as well as implementing the Educate! program.

Contact Maggie: maggie@experienceeducate.org

Brendan Sullivan                                                                                                         Senior Manager of Micro-Technology Institute                                                                                

 Brendan graduated from Hamilton College in 2006. After college, he spent a year in Shanghai, China working as an English teacher for a small after school program. Brendan then went on to spend a year working as an Americorps Fellow in Massachusetts. The majority of his work focused on yourth empowerment and creation of new youth city initiatives. 

At Educate!, Brendan works directly with 6 of our mentors in 8 schools. He is also writing an environmental manual for students, as well as experimenting with new technologies for the students.

Angelica Towne 
Co-founder and Country Director

Angelica, who graduated from Middlebury College, brings a creativity and passion to Educate! that is expressed in the curriculum she has designed for the socially responsible leadership course. Her experience designing curricula in Jamaica and the US gave her a foundation.  Now, by synthesizing resources and advice from our partner organizations and contacts in Uganda and elsewhere Angelica has put together an innovative, trend setting course that changes the face, and enhances the purpose, of the Ugandan education system. As Country Director, she enjoys leading the staff and Mentors in Uganda.

In her words: “I know firsthand what it means to be literally saved by nonprofit organizations that embody creative solutions to society’s opportunity gaps. At Kyangwali Refugee Camp, Benson Wereje, Bahati and I swapped stories of how we all received “sponsorship” or scholarships to attend university and how it changed our lives forever. I felt such a beautiful solidarity with our students and reaffirmation of the necessity of this work.” 

Contact Angelica: angelica@experienceeducate.org

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Educate!’s Mentors

Bulamu Angella

Jacqueline Aparo

Richard Luuba

Violet Matinyi

George Mugenyi

Hawah Nabbuye

Christine Nagawa

Lillian Nakalyowa

Phiona Nakyaze

Carolyne Namuisisi

Emmanuel Ngobi

Gerald Otim

Godfrey Suuna

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Interns and Volunteers

Shaelee Huck (US) - Development

Shauna Davidson (US) - Development

Marissa Hallo (US) - Development

Alfred Roosevelt (US) - Development

Laura Uhls (US) - Event Planner Extraordinaire

Linda Schutter (US) - Event Planner Extraordinaire 

Andy Segoshi (US) - Graphics Guru

…Not to mention, many volunteers, student club leaders, and student club members across the world without whom everything Educate! has done would not be possible.