Solar Sister

Katherine Lucey, Founder & CEO

Solar Sister — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:20:33 +0000

Katherine Lucey is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Solar Sister. After a 20 year career as an investment banker with expertise in the energy sector, Katherine retired from banking and turned her attention to finding a sustainable solution to the energy poverty that causes suffering to a quarter of the world’s population. Katherine determined that a practical, grass-roots, locally generated solution was needed. In addition to Solar Sister, Katherine has served as Chief of Operations for Arzu, Inc., a non-profit organization working to empower women in Afghanistan by providing employment and social benefits. She currently serves on the board of Solar Light for Africa, a not-for-profit corporation that brings solar energy to rural communities in East Africa, as well as several local charitable committees supporting education and the environment. She holds an M.B.A. from Georgia State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia.

Neha Misra, Director of Programs & Development

Solar Sister — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 19:25:45 +0000

Neha Misra is an Energy Economist with extensive experience in the closely intertwined areas of energy security, climate change and human development. She is passionately committed to women empowerment and community mobilization for scaling innovative applications of solar power to address the energy access challenge in developing world. Neha has worked with The Energy and Resources Institute in India and the U.S. She served as the North America focal point for the Lighting a Billion Lives Campaign, a commitment with the Clinton Global Initiative to bring light into the lives of one billion people by replacing kerosene and paraffin lanterns with solar lighting devices. In this role, Neha helped build key partnerships, undertake education & outreach to diverse stakeholder groups and raise funds to light villages across India.

Neha holds a Master of Business Economics degree from the University of Delhi, India and a Bachelor of Science (honors) Physics degree from St.Stephens College, India. Her research focuses on a diverse portfolio of climate-energy policy issues including international cooperation frameworks for promoting clean energy, assessing the impact of power sector reforms on the poor and strengthening rural energization programs around the world. Neha’s favorite place on earth is the Sundarban (meaning beautiful forest) Islands in India – the world’s largest mangrove ecosystem – where solar women entrepreneurs are spreading the light!

Michael S. Kendall, Director

Solar Sister — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 19:23:37 +0000

The Ven. Michael S Kendall is the Archdeacon Emeritus of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. He served that Diocese as Archdeacon from 1984 to 2008.

During that time he was also Archdeacon of Mission and had responsibility for Diocesan Mission Partnerships in Africa, China, Korea, England, India, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. He served as the President of the Council of Churches of the City of New York and Chair of the Public Policy Committee of the Council of Churches of the State of New York.

Pior to serving as Archdeacon he was the Rector of St, James the Less in Scarsdale, New York and St. John’s Waterbury, Connecticut. Most of his ministry has involved combating poverty and global mission. He served as a Deputy to the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, Chaired the Global Episcopal Mission Network., The Episcopal Network for Economic Justice, The Standing Commission of the Church in Metropolitan Areas which created Jubilee Ministry, The Church and City Conference, and Co-Chaired the first Episcopal Urban Caucus.

He is currently the Secretary of the Advisory Council to the Anglican Observer to the United Nations. He was educated at Earlham College, Worchester College Oxford and the General Seminary.

Zuura, Uganda

Solar Sister — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 11:06:12 +0000

Zuura has been a Solar Sister since 2010.

Every Solar Sister has a unique story to tell. Solar Sister Zuura is a nurse in rural Uganda. She knows about the critical importance of midwives having access to light as they are attending women giving birth, saying that “light is life”. In this video clip you can hear from Zuura about how solar light can save people’s lives.

Location

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Voila, Uganda

Solar Sister — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 11:00:13 +0000

This is where information about Voila goes. Every Solar Sister has a unique story to tell. From Lydia, the first Solar Sister who embraced the opportunity to sell solar lamps to her community in our pilot project in a village in eastern Uganda to the most recent Solar Sister, every story is a tribute to the powerful combination of enterprise, solar technology and women’s ingenuity.

Voila’s Location

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John H. Forsgren, Director

Solar Sister — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 02:54:14 +0000

John Forsgren has been a leader in finance and corporate management. He has 35 years in large corporations in the field of corporate finance, most notably as Vice President and Treasurer of Sperry Rand Corporation, Vice President and Treasurer of The Walt Disney Company, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Walt Disney Europe, Managing Director, Chase Manhattan Bank, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Northeast Utilities, and Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Financial Officer, Northeast Utilities. Mr. Forsgren is currently serving on the following Boards of Directors- The Phoenix Companies, CuraGen Corporation, Trident Resources, Inc., and Duke Energy Corporation. Charitable activities have included the following: Georgetown University,The Nature Conservancy, and Solar Light for Africa. Mr. Forsgren has a Bachelor’s Degree from Georgetown University with a major in Economics, an MBA from Columbia University, and a Master’s Degree in International Finance and Management from University of Geneva, Switzerland.

Helen Wangusa, Advisor

Solar Sister — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 19:28:30 +0000

Hellen Wangusa is the Anglican Observer at the United Nations. Previous to her present position, she served as the United Nations’ Africa coordinator for the Millennium Development Goals. A native of Uganda, she worked as the National Women’s coordinator for the Anglican Church of Uganda and was responsible for developing national programs, fundraising, and managing a staff of 27. From 1997-2004, Wangusa was coordinator and one of the founding members of the African Women’s Economic Policy Network (AWEPON), a faith-based women’s organization in Africa that also coordinates the UN’s Millennium Campaign for Eastern Africa. On March 9, 2007, Wangusa was a keynote speaker at the TEAM (Toward Effective Anglican Mission) Conference in Boksburg, South Africa.

Greg Van De Kirk, Advisor

Solar Sister — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 19:27:20 +0000

Greg Van Kirk is an Ashoka Lemelson Fellow and the-co founder of The New Development Solutions Group. This includes Community Enterprise Solutions, Social Entrepreneur Corps and NDS Consulting. These are all ventures whose mission is to design and implement innovative responses to long-standing development challenges. He, co-founder George Glickley and their team are now focused on expanding the reach of their innovative “MicroConsignment Model” globally. Greg was recently chosen as a select member of both the “Ashoka Globalizer” and Ashoka/Siemens “Social Business Development Group”. He is also a member of the Clinton Global Initiative. Greg began working in rural small business development as a Guatemala Peace Corps volunteer in 2001. He has served as an economic development consultant for organizations such as USAID, Chemonics, Columbia University, VisionSpring, Soros Foundation, Church World Service, OneRoof, Fundacion Solar, Fundacion Paraguaya, IDB and Water4People. Greg worked in investment banking for five years before arriving in Guatemala. Two deals he led at UBS during this time won “Deal of the Year” honors from “Structured Finance International” magazine. Greg also works part time as “Social Entrepreneur in Residence” at Columbia University. Greg recently published the article “The MicroConsignment Model: Bridging “The Last Mile” of Products and Services for the Rural Poor” in Innovations Journal. Greg is a graduate of Miami University and currently lives with his family in New York City.

Proscovia Njuki, Advisor

Solar Sister — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 19:26:24 +0000

Proscovia Njuki is a Provincial Director of the Mother’s Union, The Province of Uganda. She was the first woman to earn an engineering degree in East Africa. She is the founder of the Association of Women Engineers, Technicians and Scientists in Uganda (WETSU). She remembers being teased about her choice to study engineering. “I was one woman in a class of 40 men at university.” When she reported to Nairobi University, most lecturers and students were excited to have her, except for one lecturer who was irritated by her inquisitiveness. When she asked questions, he would retort, “Women! Why are you in this class?” Now retired, Njuki feels that the greatest reward for having made this decision is it has opened doors for women into the engineering field. I am so proud when I see many girls at the technology faculty. And they are doing well,” she enthuses.

Sarah Kasule, Advisor

Solar Sister — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 19:24:42 +0000

Sarah N.M. Kasule is Director for the Mother’s Union of Uganda. Prior to her current position, she was Family Life Programme Officer, Mother’s Union, The Province of Uganda. Sara is a teacher by profession with a diploma and a first … Continue reading →