Global Board
These colleagues support Kectil’s work with young leaders — advising the program, opening doors across regions, and helping the mission travel farther.
- Colleagues
- 15
- Serving
- The Kectil Program
- Snapshot
- 2026
People supporting the program
Each person here helps guide Kectil’s work with young leaders around the world. Open a card for the public bio.
Sherry Knowles
Founder & Executive Director
United States of America
In 2015, Ms. Knowles created the idea of a non-profit foundation, “The Malmar Knowles Foundation” (“MKFF”) to provide mentorship to talented youth leaders (aged 17-26) in developing countries, with a focus on leadership, innovation, inventions and entrepreneurship, mental health, gender equality and environmental sustainability. MKFF was organized in the State of Georgia, U.S., and recognized by the U.S. IRS as a non-profit 501(c) organization in 2016. Now, ten years later, MKFF is working in over 100 developing countries globally to mentor, train, support and strengthen youth leadership. Over this ten-year period, MKFF has touched the lives of over 10,000 youth. The dream of creating a global network of youth leaders in developing countries for a better tomorrow is being realized by hard work, dedication, and a very active Kectil Global Board of proven passionate youth leaders and volunteer representatives in many countries.
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Ahmad Shah Nawazy
Global Board Member
Afghanistan · Cohort 2020
Ahmad Shah Nawazy is a passionate youth leader dedicated to empowering the next generation for positive change. As the Founder & CEO of an impactful initiative, he nurtures leadership and growth among Afghan youth.
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Ashwathy Venugopal
Global Board Member
India
Ashwathy is a social entrepreneur in the learning and development impact sector. She is Co-Founder and CEO of Avasarshala, a platform that connects students with competitions, scholarships, fellowships, and other opportunities beyond the classroom. She is a two-time TEDx speaker, hosts the Kectil World Youth Network podcast, and in 2024 was the lead organizer of the Kectil local meeting in Bangalore. On the 2026 Kectil Global Board she leads the Podcasts and KAI (Kectil AI) subcommittees and serves on Website Content for Kectil.com.
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Christelle Barakat
Global Board Member
Lebanon
Christelle Barakat is a Researcher on public policy at the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies (LCPS) and an incoming Schwarzman Scholar. She is a Lebanese Fulbright Foreign Student Program graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she earned an M.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies with a concentration in International Peace Development. She also holds a B.A. in Political Science and International Affairs from the Lebanese American University (LAU) where she was part of the Honors Program and earned three minors in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, Gender Studies, and Legal Studies.
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Danerine Mendvar
Global Board Member
Peru
Danerine is a Peruvian public policy professional, writer, and youth advocate currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Policy at Sciences Po Paris, specializing in Education and Research Policy. An Émile Boutmy Scholar, she has built an interdisciplinary academic and professional journey at the intersection of education, social impact, youth empowerment, civic engagement, and the arts.
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Edvard Grigoryan
Global Board Member
Armenia · Cohort 2024
Edvard Grigoryan is a conflict analyst and policy professional working at the intersection of diplomacy, peacebuilding, and regional security, with a particular focus on the South Caucasus and European foreign policy. He holds a Master's degree in EU International Relations and Diplomacy from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium, which he completed on a full European Commission scholarship, and a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from Yerevan State University.
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Goharik Grigoryan
Global Board Member
Armenia · Cohort 2022
Goharik Grigoryan is an educational leader and researcher with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a strong professional focus on education policy, governance, youth development, and international educational cooperation.
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Hein Htet Oo
Global Board Member
Myanmar · Cohort 2019
Hein Htet Oo is a strategy and policy executive with extensive experience spanning government, UN, and nonprofit settings — from leading operations of the New York City Department of Small Business Services Career Centres in Manhattan to serving as Advisor to the Ambassador of Myanmar's UN Mission. He holds an MBA in Sustainability from Bard College.
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Lennox Omondi
Global Board Member
Kenya
Lennox Omondi is a Global Award-Winning Entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of EcoBana Ltd, an enterprise that is pioneering sustainable solutions to tackle period poverty in Africa through manufacturing of biodegradable sanitary towels made from banana fibers.
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Mathias Charles Yabe
Global Board Member
Ghana
Mathias grew up in a farming community in Ghana's Ashanti Region. In 2021, during a volunteer visit to a tomato-farming community, a woman farmer walked him around her farm pointing at baskets of rotten tomatoes and describing everything she had done to grow them. That afternoon became AkoFresh.
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Mina Fangari
Global Board Member
Egypt
Mina Fangari is an international program manager, youth advocate, and community development leader with extensive experience across governmental, intergovernmental, and civil society organizations in Europe and the Mediterranean. Throughout his career, he has managed high-impact international youth programs focused on intercultural dialogue, youth diplomacy, good governance, climate action, economic development, employment, and entrepreneurship.
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Nabila Abbas
Global Board Member
Pakistan
Nabila Abbas is a dynamic global change-maker and STEM advocate who defied stereotypes, rising from the underprivileged area of Southern Punjab, Choti Zarin District Dera Ghazi Khan. In 2019, she made history as the first Pakistani delegate at the International Congress of Youth Voices USA among 130 delegates around the world where for the first time she advocated for rural women rights and their social participation beyond just farming or domestic work. Nabila, a national delegate delegate at the Commonwealth, shattered norms by pursuing a higher degree in aviation management at the University of Management and Technology, Lahore, becoming the first in her generation.
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Oleksandra Fomin
Global Board Member
Ukraine
Oleksandra Liachovic is a business consultant, project and program coordinator, entrepreneur, and mentor with 5+ years of experience in business development, project management, and international initiatives.
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Reminah Vincent
Global Board Member
Papua New Guinea
Reminah Vincent is a senior-year student at the University of Papua New Guinea pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. She is passionate about eradicating illiteracy in Papua New Guinea and has volunteered with various organizations and associations, including Checkmate Foundation Inc., where she served as Vice President in 2024 and successfully led a book donation project that supported five schools across Papua New Guinea.
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Rodrick Mutale
Global Board Member
Zambia
Rodrick Mutale is a Zambian entrepreneur, author, and youth advocate. He is Co-Founder and Country Director of the Kectil Centre for Youth Excellence-Zambia and a Kectil Global Board Member.
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