Management Team
Co-Executive Director - Kenya
Mercy Kamau, MPH
Ms. Kamau is a public health and gender specialist, and an ardent champion of right-based approaches to health and development.
For over twenty years, she has worked closely with scientists, researchers, policymakers, and strategic partners at national, regional, and international levels to increase demand, access, and utilization of high-quality public health services, products, and technologies. She is a seasoned visionary, and a high-performing, result-oriented leader committed to the attainment of public health rights and gender equality for all through the implementation of science, research, and advocacy.
Previously she worked for eleven years with Jhpiego Kenya where she offered strategic leadership and management of various projects that included Jilinde, Champions for Change, and Tupange projects among others. She also has served as Workplace Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Gender Advisor for the Federation of Kenya Employers; Social Behavior Change Coordinator for Doctors of the World USA; and Health and Nutrition Coordinator with ADRA Kenya.
She earned a Master of Public Health degree from Kenyatta University and will complete a PhD in Reproductive Health in 2024.
Advisors and Consultants
Daria Sievers, LCSW
Trauma-Informed Program Development
Crosby and Kaneda, CPAs
Oakland, CA
Volunteers
Medha (Mayura) Khatavkar
Administrative Assistant and Salesforce Administrator
Medha holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from ICFAI University India, and a Master Certificate in Strategic HRM from Michigan State University US. She is a Certified Professional Scrum Master & Certified Salesforce Administrator.
She has a positive attitude and ability to accomplish goals with strong problem-solving skills. She is self-motivated, detail-oriented, passionate about her work, and always willing to learn new skills & technologies.
Medha is also enthusiastic about supporting and contributing her time for a social causes and is a resourceful ally.
Co-Executive Director - US
Victoria M. Tswamuno, MSSW;MHRM
Victoria served on WCI's Board of Directors for three years before becoming ED.
Previously, she was a Specialized Crisis Counselor for Vibrant Emotional Health
(formerly Mental Health Association of New York) and also served as a Program Coordinator, Columbia School of Social Work Action Lab for Social Justice.
Victoria founded Girls and Women Can and is co-founder of HOPE Zimbabwe Food Beyond Borders. Her career centers on identifying and dismantling obstacles that hinder the success of women and girls. Continuing to exert substantial influence, Victoria is actively involved in various projects in different African communities. Her primary focus remains identifying holistic ways to empower women and girls as they form the bedrock for sustainable community development. Victoria's unflagging dedication to gender equality and mental health advocacy renders her an indispensable catalyst for positive change both within Africa and on a global scale.
Notably, Victoria firmly believes in fostering connections between and among diverse cultures and strengthening the bonds that unite us all.
Susan Burgess-Lent
WCI Founder and Consultant
Ms. Burgess-Lent founded WCI in 2011 and served as Executive Director through March 2024.
She began her career in humanitarian relief and development in 1994 and has worked extensively in East Africa. She is the former Program Director of Darfur Peace and Development Organization (DPDO), responsible for the funding and operation of Kassab Women’s Center, the model on which WCI's work is based.
She worked for many years in television news in San Francisco and Washington, DC.
In 2019, she published the non-fiction book Trouble Ahead: Dangerous Missions with Desperate People, about her work in Africa.
She has presented speeches for many organizations about the impact of war and poverty on women, and solutions that must be implemented for their benefit.