Who We Are
Christine Denning-Garde - Founder & CEO
Christine is the Founder and CEO of CouldYou?, working in Mozambique since 2007. Christine brings 25 years of experience designing, assessing, and implementing youth, adult, family and community based social and economic programs. She has worked as a fundraiser and coordinated urban, community and outreach programs. Christine has a passion to nurture purposeful living in the philanthropic community so as to alleviate poverty in a meaningful way.
Christine holds a BA in International Management from Pace University and a certificate in Community Economic Development from San Diego State University. In 2016 Christine was chosen as one of the forty over 40 women who are reinventing, disrupting and making an impact globally.
Geri Beaty - Board Chairman
Geri Beaty, Founder/President Event Innovations. Geri has over eighteen years experience in publishing and more than twelve years experience in event production and management. In 2002 Geri began her own consulting and management company and has been working successfully as an outsource consultant to both for profit and nonprofit organizations. Event Innovations focuses on assisting organizations with event growth and/or change as well as streamlining processes and collaborating with internal management to ensure all goals are achieved. Geri joined the CouldYou? board in 2016 to lend her expertise in helping non-profits get to the next level.
Stephen Hagerman
Stephen is the Founder at ES Capital, LLC. He led the acquisition and disposition of $900 million of distressed residential real estate in California, Arizona, and Texas and the structure and placement of over $1 billion of debt and equity transactions involving all major property types: Office, Industrial, Retail, Multifamily, Residential, Land, and Hotels.
He was the co-founder and Chief Investment Office of Aslan Residential, Genesis Realty, Covenant Escrow, and Cornerstone Financial businesses. Mr. Hagerman began his career with Buchanan Street Partners, a commercial real estate private equity firm based in Newport Beach, California. While at Buchanan he was involved in the structure and capitalization of over $1 billion worth of residential, multi-family, retail, office, industrial, and hotel transactions.
He was the co-founder and Chief Investment Office of Aslan Residential, Genesis Realty, Covenant Escrow, and Cornerstone Financial businesses. Mr. Hagerman began his career with Buchanan Street Partners, a commercial real estate private equity firm based in Newport Beach, California. While at Buchanan he was involved in the structure and capitalization of over $1 billion worth of residential, multi-family, retail, office, industrial, and hotel transactions.
Stephen received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Kansas and is a licensed California Real Estate Broker. He is actively involved in a number of charitable organizations including The Village of Hope (Orange County), and Big Brother, Big Sisters (San Diego). Stephen joined the CouldYou? board in 2013 to focus on fundraising and strategy for CY’s long-term financial sustainability.
Kari Byrd
Kari comes to the CouldYou? board with 16 years of experience in Corporate Event Planning and Business Development. Some of her past projects have included the Moet Hennessy USA National Distributors Meeting and President’s Award Dinner, The United Nations Association Global Leadership Award Dinner, The National Committee on American Foreign Policy Gala, and The Wharton Business School’s Joseph Wharton Awards Dinner.
Her main focus has been on corporate communications, but Kari also spent three years in the non-profit sector at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), headquartered in Washington, DC. She ran the satellite development office in New York City, with a focus on fundraising events. Kari’s tenure at NCMEC resulted in her developing a specialty in corporate sponsorship acquisition. In 2013 Kari joined the CY Board wanting to lend her expertise in corporate sponsorship to strengthen and grow the organization.
Kari holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from SUNY Geneseo.
Andrew Ripley
Andrew Ripley is Co-Founder and CEO of PurposeMatch, a software that helps people discover purpose and design a life and career that makes a social impact. Prior to that, his background is in business development, both with large enterprise companies like IBM and fast growing software startups. Along the way, he also co-founded a fitness app called FitFuse. Andrew is a fearless business builder with a relentless work ethic and uncompromising integrity. His commitment to living a purpose-driven life, connections and network within the social impact space, and his “do whatever it takes attitude” make him a natural fit for the team. He brings to CY expertise in business development, sales and start-ups. Andrew joined the CouldYou? board in 2017 to lend his expertise with a focus on strategic partnerships and fundraising.
Peggy Nohdomi - In-house creative
Peggy has been working for leading design studios in New York City for over 20 years. Her work has been recognized by various design awards. Peggy has a passion to come alongside projects with purpose and is responsible for the Brand and campaign creation of the CouldYou? menstrual cup.
Melissa Barker
Melissa Barker is a South African grant and audit expert
Lissandra Ertel
Andrew Ripley
Andrew Ripley is Co-Founder and CEO of PurposeMatch, a software that helps people discover purpose and design a life and career that makes a social impact. Prior to that, his background is in business development, both with large enterprise companies like IBM and fast growing software startups. Along the way, he also co-founded a fitness app called FitFuse. Andrew is a fearless business builder with a relentless work ethic and uncompromising integrity. His commitment to living a purpose-driven life, connections and network within the social impact space, and his “do whatever it takes attitude” make him a natural fit for the team. He brings to CY expertise in business development, sales and start-ups. Andrew joined the CouldYou? board in 2017 to lend his expertise with a focus on strategic partnerships and fundraising.
Andrew Ripley
Andrew Ripley is Co-Founder and CEO of PurposeMatch, a software that helps people discover purpose and design a life and career that makes a social impact. Prior to that, his background is in business development, both with large enterprise companies like IBM and fast growing software startups. Along the way, he also co-founded a fitness app called FitFuse. Andrew is a fearless business builder with a relentless work ethic and uncompromising integrity. His commitment to living a purpose-driven life, connections and network within the social impact space, and his “do whatever it takes attitude” make him a natural fit for the team. He brings to CY expertise in business development, sales and start-ups. Andrew joined the CouldYou? board in 2017 to lend his expertise with a focus on strategic partnerships and fundraising.
Manuel Jeque Francisco
Andrew Ripley
Andrew Ripley is Co-Founder and CEO of PurposeMatch, a software that helps people discover purpose and design a life and career that makes a social impact. Prior to that, his background is in business development, both with large enterprise companies like IBM and fast growing software startups. Along the way, he also co-founded a fitness app called FitFuse. Andrew is a fearless business builder with a relentless work ethic and uncompromising integrity. His commitment to living a purpose-driven life, connections and network within the social impact space, and his “do whatever it takes attitude” make him a natural fit for the team. He brings to CY expertise in business development, sales and start-ups. Andrew joined the CouldYou? board in 2017 to lend his expertise with a focus on strategic partnerships and fundraising.
Andrew Ripley
Andrew Ripley is Co-Founder and CEO of PurposeMatch, a software that helps people discover purpose and design a life and career that makes a social impact. Prior to that, his background is in business development, both with large enterprise companies like IBM and fast growing software startups. Along the way, he also co-founded a fitness app called FitFuse. Andrew is a fearless business builder with a relentless work ethic and uncompromising integrity. His commitment to living a purpose-driven life, connections and network within the social impact space, and his “do whatever it takes attitude” make him a natural fit for the team. He brings to CY expertise in business development, sales and start-ups. Andrew joined the CouldYou? board in 2017 to lend his expertise with a focus on strategic partnerships and fundraising.
Andrew Ripley
Andrew Ripley is Co-Founder and CEO of PurposeMatch, a software that helps people discover purpose and design a life and career that makes a social impact. Prior to that, his background is in business development, both with large enterprise companies like IBM and fast growing software startups. Along the way, he also co-founded a fitness app called FitFuse. Andrew is a fearless business builder with a relentless work ethic and uncompromising integrity. His commitment to living a purpose-driven life, connections and network within the social impact space, and his “do whatever it takes attitude” make him a natural fit for the team. He brings to CY expertise in business development, sales and start-ups. Andrew joined the CouldYou? board in 2017 to lend his expertise with a focus on strategic partnerships and fundraising.
Andrew Ripley
Andrew Ripley is Co-Founder and CEO of PurposeMatch, a software that helps people discover purpose and design a life and career that makes a social impact. Prior to that, his background is in business development, both with large enterprise companies like IBM and fast growing software startups. Along the way, he also co-founded a fitness app called FitFuse. Andrew is a fearless business builder with a relentless work ethic and uncompromising integrity. His commitment to living a purpose-driven life, connections and network within the social impact space, and his “do whatever it takes attitude” make him a natural fit for the team. He brings to CY expertise in business development, sales and start-ups. Andrew joined the CouldYou? board in 2017 to lend his expertise with a focus on strategic partnerships and fundraising.
Kofi K. Nyanteng
Sefakor Dotse
Penny Phillips Howard
Penny Phillips Howard is considered the world’s leading researcher on menstrual health in Rural Africa. She is from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and has worked with 8,000 girls in Kenya proving that the menstrual cup is the safest, greenest and least expensive menstrual health solution. Her findings show that the FDA standard medical grade silicone lasts for a minimum of 10 years and does not require water.(Girls can remove it in a public toilet, or latrine, empty it and replace it without any health risk as long as they have clean hands)
Wynde Kuehn
Passionate about bridging the gap between vision and execution as well as using business as a force for good, Whynde is the founder of two companies, S2E Consulting Inc. and Metanoia Global Inc. S2E is a consulting firm accelerating successful business transformations—with a focus on Fortune 500 companies. Metanoia helps social entrepreneurs and initiatives to start, scale, replicate and sustain, leveraging a strong foundation of skills from the business world. Whynde’s focus has evolved over time from traditional business, to sustainable business, to social business, as have her clients, which range from start-ups to Fortune 50 companies and everything in between. She has architected many major corporate change initiatives and was a key player in one of the largest business transformations in the world. Whynde is a former consulting practice leader and an industry expert and educator in business architecture and transformation. Through her work with Metanoia, her pro bono efforts and the non-profit boards that she serves on, she demonstrates how business can focus on purpose as well as profit, and how enterprise can be a solution to poverty.
Leonardo Simao
Dr Simao is a Mozambican politician. Simão joined the FRELIMO government in 1982 as the Director of Health in Zambezia. In 1986, he became the Minister of Health until 1994 when he became the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Mozambique under Joaquim Chissano. He remained in that position until February 2005. He has been appointed as the EDCTP High Representative South with special focus on Africa and is the Chairman of Focus Africa. He is currently the Executive Director of the Joaquim Chissano Foundation and is also the Chairman of the SADC Mediation Reference Group, and Chairman of the steering committee of the Business Environment Support Fund in Mozambique, a development initiative funded under Denmark’s development cooperation activities.
Rick Little
Rick Little is a “serial social entrepreneur,” having created numerous initiatives to promote hope and economic opportunity for millions of young people – now operating in more than 100 countries. He is founder of the ImagineNations Group, and developer of Silatech (in the Middle East) where he currently serves as Chairman of its Executive Committee and a member of its Board of Trustees. He founded the International Youth Foundation (IYF), created Quest International and was founding President of America’s Promise. His innovations have been featured in many publications and books, including the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul. In 1996, Mr. Little was chosen as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum, and in 1997 received the Robert W. Scrivner Award from the Council on Foundations. He was co-chair of the United Nations’ High Level Panel of the Youth Employment Network. He received an Honorary Doctorate degree from Anderson University and was named an International Fellow in Applied Developmental Science at Tufts University in 2001. Mr. Little serves on several boards and international advisory councils, including Mercy Corps, Nike Foundation, and the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy.
Tracey Webster
Tracey is a South African social entrepreneur and CEO of the Enterprise Room which is committed to economic growth in South Africa through entrepreneurship, and building sustainable and profitable businesses, focusing on the success of small black owned businesses. Tracey was the CEO for the Branson Center for Entrepreneurship. Tracey was also a founding member and CEO of the Starfish Greathearts Foundation, South Africa. Under her leadership, Starfish supported 22,000 orphaned and vulnerable children across South Africa. Prior to Starfish Tracey worked for Deutsche Bank London as an Investor Relations Specialist. In 2004, Tracey was selected as a “Real Hero” to carry the Olympic Torch for South Africa. Other achievements include: attending the G8 Summit in 2005 giving voice to the plight of orphaned and vulnerable children, being chosen as a Cosmopolitan Awesome Woman for 2006 and an Archbishop Tutu Fellow in 2008. Tearfund, a global development organization, has selected Tracey as an Inspired Individual. Tracey is the former Executive Director of the African Leadership Institute and the Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu Fellows. As a consultant, she is working with young leaders from all sectors of the economy and from all over the continent to express their views on key African issues, and to create a vehicle through which their views and “agenda’s for change” can be heard and acted upon.
Christine Denning-Garde - Founder
Christine is the Founder and CEO of CouldYou?, working in Mozambique since 2007. Christine brings 25 years of experience designing, assessing, and implementing youth, adult, family and community based social and economic programs. She has worked as a fundraiser and coordinated urban, community and outreach programs. Christine has a passion to nurture purposeful living in the philanthropic community so as to alleviate poverty in a meaningful way.
Christine holds a BA in International Management from Pace University and a certificate in Community Economic Development from San Diego State University. In 2016 Christine was chosen as one of the forty over 40 women who are reinventing, disrupting and making an impact globally.
Geri Beaty - Board Chair
Stephen Hagerman
Kari Byrd
Andrew Ripley