Rebecca Davis

In founding and serving as the Executive Director of MindLeaps, Rebecca is responsible for the strategic direction, fundraising and management of an organization currently operational in six countries and with headquarters in New York City.

Prior to MindLeaps, Rebecca worked for The Carter Center (Atlanta, USA & Conakry, Guinea), Stage Holding Russia (Moscow, Russia), and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (New York, USA). She ran a professional dance company and a pre-professional training program in Philadelphia for five years known as RDDC: Rebecca Davis Dance Company. Rebecca graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelors of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship from Temple University, and she holds a Masters in International Relations with a concentration in Peacekeeping from American Military University. She received a post-graduate certificate in Ballet and Choreography Studies during her Fulbright Graduate year in Russia. In 2012, Rebecca received a second Fulbright scholarship to teach American Dance Culture in the Crimea shortly before it was annexed.

Rebecca has been recognized for outstanding leadership and MindLeaps’ potential to scale an innovative solution: how to achieve and quantify behavioral change through movement. She was a Carl Wilkens Fellow, a Truman Security Fellow, and a Gratitude Network Fellow. A sought-after speaker whose accomplishments are frequently noted in various news media, Rebecca has most spoken at The World Bank’s Human Development Week (2019), Segal Family Foundation’s Annual General Meeting (2019) and various universities. In 2023, Rebecca won the United Nations Federal Credit Union Foundation’s Women Empowerment Award.

Bashir Karenzi

Bashir, originally from Rwanda, currently serves as Africa Director at MindLeaps based in New York City. He started dancing in 2008 in the Inshoza Contemporary Dance Company. Bashir holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the National University of Rwanda and is fluent in English, French, Luganda, Kiswahili, Kinyarwanda and Kisoga.

He has been working with MindLeaps since 2014 and launched the 2018 program with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Rwanda. Bashir served as the Assistant Director of MindLeaps in Rwanda before becoming Director of Strategic Partnerships in 2019. In that role, he launched MindLeaps’ project serving vulnerable children across Rwanda’s six refugee camps. He trained and managed a team of 36 youth refugee trainers to implement the program. In 2020, Bashir moved into the role of International Coordinator in which he worked to standardize operations across the continent of Africa and launch a MindLeaps Virtual Academy to build leadership skills in African youth.

Bashir has had speaking engagements at Rahway High School (USA), World Outside My Shoes (Global) and the upcoming Together We Remember Vigil (Global). Bashir’s media appearances include TV21 in North Macedonia, and interviews with Budd Mishkin, Together We Remember and Russian Pointe’s 5-6-7 EIGHT podcast.

Olivier Twagirimana

Olivier graduated from Mount Kenya University Rwanda with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Mass Media, and Communication. He is fluent in English, Kinyarwanda, and conversant in French and Kiswahili. Since 2015, he has been a MindLeaps staff member. In 2017 and 2018, Olivier worked with the MindLeaps International Team in Uganda. In 2019, he assisted the training of a team of 36 young refugee trainers to implement MindLeaps’ program in Rwanda in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In 2021, Olivier led the Train The Trainer program for three months in Conakry, Guinea, to develop an extension program of MindLeaps in the country. In 2022, Olivier became the International Coordinator, helping to manage MindLeaps’ programs across Africa.

Yves Bisina Akonkwa

Yves is the former Program Coordinator of MindLeaps’ largest program by number of children: Dance & Data and School Sponsorship in Oruchinga Refugee Settlement (Uganda). He moved to Uganda as a Congolese refugee and spent over 10 years in the settlement. He speaks English, French, Swahili, Luganda, Lingala, and other local languages.

In August 2023, Yves and his family were resettled to the USA by the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR). He is now living in Providence, Rhode Island. In September, MindLeaps USA hired Yves as our Office Assistant, and he is working hybrid for the organization’s headquarters.

Aissatou Diallo

Aissatou was promoted to Senior Finance Officer managing MindLeaps’ Global accounting in 2023 upon her move to Canada. Previously, she served as MindLeaps Guinea’s Finance Officer based in Conakry, Guinea. Aissatou holds a BBA in Finance from University of Moncton, New Brunswick (Canada). Before joining MindLeaps, she held a variety of finance jobs in Canada and in Guinea, including at Capital One, MK Leading Solutions Guinea and Groupe Kallan International.

Martha Bua Peace

Prior to MindLeaps, Martha worked as a social worker and an NGO administrator in Kampala, Uganda. She was Field Coordinator of Uganda Youth Empowerment. She has worked at Refuge and Hope International as a social worker in a shelter for female survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. She was also the Psychosocial Program Manager at Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS). Martha worked as a consultant for Playing to Live on the Care for Caregivers’ program aimed at addressing psychological wellness needs for front-line staff working in refugee settlements in the West Nile Region of Uganda. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Gender Studies at Makerere University with a special interest in Gender and Forced Migration.

Vedaste Ndayambaje

Vedaste, originally a Congolese refugee, is the Country Director of MindLeaps Rwanda. Vedaste joined MindLeaps as a dance trainer in 2019 and was the lead trainer at Kiziba Refugee Camp. In 2021, he became the Education Coordinator at MindLeaps in Kigali. He graduated from the Southern New Hampshire University Kepler Program in 2020 with a Bachelors Degree in Communication with a Concentration in Business.

Emmy Turikumwe

Emmy was the first sponsored MindLeaps child to graduate with a university diploma! His journey began back in 2009 before the organization was officially named MindLeaps, and he graduated with a Diploma in Information, Communication & Technology in 2019 from Rwanda Polytechnic IPRC Kigali. Upon graduating, Emmy was invited to join the MindLeaps Rwanda team in Kigali and was promoted to manage the Refugee Program in 2022.

He is fluent in Mandarin along with Kinyarwanda, English and a working knowledge of French. In addition to being a dancer, in 2018, Emmy was selected by the Government of Rwanda to travel to China and participate in a martial arts training program.

Martin Mamadouno

Martin was born in Boké, Guinea, where he completed his primary and college education. He obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics at Kipé School in 2010. In 2013, he graduated with a degree in Mathematics from Gamal Nasser University of Conakry. In 2014, he completed internships at the National Institute of Statistics and at the National Agency for Agricultural and Food Statistics. Before joining MindLeaps as Assistant Director, he worked with Direct Dialog Media & Marketing services. He previously volunteered with the NGO Hope of Guinea and collaborated with MindLeaps on its Guinea Edugrade and Ruben’s Shoes partnership.

Moussa Cissokho

Moussa is the Protection Coordinator for MindLeaps in Mauritania. He was selected to travel to Rwanda in January 2020 where he completed specialized training in project management and the MindLeaps methodology to protect and empower children. He is fluent in English, French and Hassaniya. Moussa was originally a dance trainer and was promoted to Coordinator in 2022.

Alioune Dioum

Alioune is the Education Coordinator for MindLeaps in Mauritania. He lives in El Mina close to MindLeaps’ partner organization SOS Pairs Educateurs. Alioune is fluent in English, French and several local languages. Alioune was originally a dance trainer and traveled to Guinea in 2021 to co-run the Train The Trainer program.

Ena Bendevska

Ena serves as the program lead at MindLeaps North Macedonia. She graduated with a Masters of Arts in Conflict, Security & Development at King’s College in London and was a Chevening Scholar. She holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors from the University College Maastricht in the Netherlands. Prior to joining MindLeaps, Ena served as the Communications Coordinator for Meduza and Project Coordinator at the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Skopje, North Macedonia.