Meet Our Team
Let There Be Light International’s Board of Directors is responsible for oversight and operations in the USA. Representing diverse perspectives, experiences and geographies, our Board is proud to participate in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals through innovative solar programming.
Let There Be Light International is also supported by three Energy Poverty Consultants, a Nursing Advisor, an Artist-in-Residence, and an SDG Fellow who provide invaluable on-the-ground expertise and implementation services in Africa.
Sarah Baird
Sarah Baird, MA, MPS, is the Founder and Executive Director of Let There Be Light International. She advocates for renewable energy access to be included in social safety net programming and is a member of international climate justice and clean energy action groups. Shine On!
David Baird
David Baird, LTBLI Board Member, has dedicated his career to early childhood education. Working as a classroom teacher focused on literacy, numeracy and community building, David is passionate about the universal need and importance of a safe and sufficiently lit living and learning environment.
Alissa Benchimol
Alissa Benchimol, MS, LTBLI Board Member, works at the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute and is an expert in Sustainability and how access to energy intersects with basic human rights. Originally from Brazil, Alissa’s firsthand knowledge about energy poverty drives her commitment to LTBLI’s mission.
Joanne Goldblum
Joanne Goldblum, MSW, LTBLI Board Member, is the Executive Director of the National Diaper Bank Network and the founder of the Diaper Bank, organizations dedicated to child and family welfare in the US. Joanne is an expert in nonprofit development and management and has helped to grow LTBLI over the past 7 years.
Rubens Mukunzi
Rubens Mukunzi, LTBLI Board Member, is the Founder and Executive Director of Karibu News and Madiba Janitorial Services. Originally from Rwanda, Rubens came to the US as a refugee and has firsthand knowledge of Energy Poverty. Rubens is a proud Rotarian and is passionate about helping others.
Thatcher Mweu
Thatcher Mweu, LTBLI Board Member, is based in Nairobi, where she is the Chief of Staff at Sendy. Thatcher has volunteered with LTBLI for 4 years and has expertise in organizational performance and growth strategies. She is passionate about economic development including health, education, and women’s empowerment.
Shreya Nathan
Shreya Nathan, LTBLI Board Member, recently completed a joint MBA/MPA at the Wharton School and Harvard Kennedy School and is now a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group in San Francisco. In 2020, she led an MBA team to Uganda to conduct M&E assessments of LTBLI’s Safe Births + Healthy Homes program.
Jamie Perry
Jamie Perry, LTBLI Board Member, is a Senior Operations Manager for Landmark Health. Jamie has broad expertise in outreach, community engagement and organizational management. Jamie has volunteered with LTBLI for 5 years and is the mother of two young children and an active Rotarian.
Rachel Stukenborg
Rachel Stukenborg, M.Eng., is an engineer with a focus in sustainable energy for development. She is passionate about increasing awareness on the relationship between poverty and energy access and carries out data-driven outreach and education for LTBLI.
Solar Health Uganda
Solar Health Uganda is LTBLI’s primary Distribution Partner, implementing many of LTBLI’s programs in Uganda including our signature maternal and infant health project, Safe Births + Healthy Homes. LTBLI supports 3 Energy Poverty Consultants and works closely with the team to develop programs, collect data, and improve programming through iterative and collaborative processes.
L-R: GeorgeMike Luberenga (SHU Consultant), John Bosco (District Health Officer), Sarah Baird, Siriman Kiryowa (SHU Consultant), Caroline Mwebaza (SHU Consultant), and David Derrick Luwaga (ED of KACCAD and Solar Health Uganda).
Senyondo Gabriel
Artist in Residence
Senyondo Gabriel, aka WingsPanic, is a self-taught artist who lives in Bulenga, Uganda, on the outskirts of Kampala. Gabriel supports Let There Be Light International’s mission and advocacy by photographing our solar projects in the field and depicting how solar lights change lives through his drawings and paintings.
Charity Twesige
SB+HH Nursing Advisor
Nurse Midwife Charity Twesiga is the head of Maternity services at Kikonda Health Center III, one of LTBLI’s Safe Births + Healthy Homes (SB+HH) sites in Uganda. As our Nursing Advisor, she trains and mentors data collectors and Village Health Teams and works on program refinement and modifications.
Help us keep the light shining.
Your donation provides light to communities in need and furthers the global Sustainable Development Goals.