Our Team

Martin is KOMAZA's Field Director. His responsibilities include managing all Field Operations, strengthening and supporting the Field Extension Network, and helping form high level organizational strategy. Martin has seventeen years of work experience in corporate management and organizational development within the agricultural sub-sector. He has built high performing teams in both the public and private sectors, and has broad experience working with agroforestry. Prior to joining KOMAZA Martin worked in Nyayo Tea Zones Development Corporation, where he was in charge of the largest zone-based project activities of the Africa Development Bank sponsored Green Zones Development Support Project. Before that, he worked for Mastermind Tobacco (K) Ltd. as an Area Leaf Growing Manager, and for the Ministry of Agriculture as a Farm Management Officer. Martin has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics, and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Project Management. He is a certified ISO 9001:2008 Internal Quality Auditor, and is currently an MBA candidate with a focus on Entrepreneurship Development.

Kennedy has been with KOMAZA since its founding in 2006, and is currently serving as supervising Field Manager for plant operations. In this role, his responsibilities include coordination of social marketing and recruitment and oversight of new community plantings with KOMAZA field staff. He has previously worked as a supervisor on Kenya's National Youth Service Farm and managed his own successful independent farm business. Kennedy also has experience in engineering and has received training in business management.

Gibson is one of the original KOMAZA field staff and now supervises maintenance activities of all existing KOMAZA farms. In addition to managing field staff and consulting with farmers, Gibson's leadership and skills in community relations are an invaluable resource to smooth running of field operations. As a certified agriculturalist, Gibson brings years of farming experience and his bright green thumb to our team.

Mike supervises all business functions in Kenya and is working to formulate strategies and direction for substantial organizational growth. Mike joined KOMAZA in September 2009 as an Associate and worked to manage and develop all aspects of our tree planting and maintenance operations, as well as to grow and develop the head office Operations team. Prior to joining KOMAZA, Mike spent four years managing native plant restoration projects in Northern California with the National Park Service and several years with a land management contracting firm. Mike has significant research experience in tropical plant ecology and a degree in Biology from New York University. Read more about his work at KOMAZA here.

Alfred joined KOMAZA in early 2010 and currently works as a Field Manager on our Crop Production team. Prior to KOMAZA, he was a field extension officer for Mace Foods, where he was responsible for recruiting and managing a large network of outgrowers and supervising the production of food crops. Alfred also has significant experience working with international development organizations, including Plan Kenya, Heifer International and TechnoServe. Alfred holds a Certificate in Agriculture from the Kilifi Institute of Agriculture.

Janet is one of KOMAZA's very first employees and has played a vital role in the growth and establishment of the organization. From establishing KOMAZA as a registered organization in Kenya, to conducting the first social marketing campaign for farmers in Ganze, Janet's role has evolved to encompass overall administrative management of KOMAZA offices and properties, as well as the building of relationships in the community, with governmental bodies, District Officers and Chiefs, and NGO coalitions. Janet brings with her over 28 years of experience working in community development. She is a trained secretary by profession, and spent 21 years working as a secretary and credit officer for a large Christian NGO in Kenya, first in Nairobi and then on the coast. She was an entrepreneur in Mombasa, where she started her own company dealing with supplying food to hotels, schools, and government institutions in the city. Janet also has government experience as a clerk for Kenyan government elections over the course of 8 years, rising from the rank of registration officer to supervising all election administration in one area. Janet's knowledge of local infrastructure and resources is invaluable, and her ability to navigate the local cultures and institutions is impressive.

Juliet joined KOMAZA full time in early 2008 after earning a certificate in Pharmacy and a diploma in Community Development and Counseling from Mombasa Polytechnic. Juliet was actively involved in the school's Community Development Club and had significant experience working with community organizations in Kilifi, including the Kilifi District Hospital. She quickly earned several promotions to become KOMAZA's Procurement and Logistics Manager, and now runs procurement and supply systems for all of KOMAZA's field operations, managing field input purchases totaling of over $200,000 annually. She is also responsible for tracking KOMAZA assets and inventory. Juliet is continuing her education at Pwani University, where she will earn a BSc in environmental studies and community development in 2013. At Pwani University, she is an active member of Pwani University Environmental Club (PUEC) where she is involved in the initiation of an environmental students tree planting project for the promotion of forestry and economic development within the University. Read more about her work at KOMAZA here.

John Paul joined the KOMAZA team as a Data Analyst in May 2010. He works primarily for the Finance and Accounting team, recording and tracking all financial transactions in the organization. He also supports the Operations team in data related projects, recording GPS data for KOMAZA farms and ensuring that we have accurate information on all KOMAZA farmers and trees in our databases.

Prior to working for KOMAZA, John Paul worked as a field officer for Homegrown (K) Ltd. and as a data entry clerk for Longonot Horticulture. He earned an Institute for the Management of Information Systems (IMIS) certified diploma in Information Technology from the Kenya School of Monetary Studies.

Solomon joined KOMAZA in mid-2010 after spending two years helping to revamp the human resource management operations at SIFA International and China Petroleum Pipeline Company. He has over five years of experience coordinating micro-finance programs at small enterprises programs. Solomon is currently pursuing an MBA in strategic management at the University of Nairobi and has a post-graduate diploma in human resource management as well as an undergraduate degree in Economics, also from the University of Nairobi. At KOMAZA, Solomon is helping to enhance overall operations in the HR function and streamline local and regional external relations.

Arthurnas Ngalah Barawa joined KOMAZA in July 2010 and currently serves as a Field Manager, leading tree planting operations in rural communities in Ganze District. Prior to joining KOMAZA, Arthurnas worked as a primary and secondary school teacher and also served as a Demographic Surveillance Field Supervisor for the Kenya Medical Research Institute. He has professional knowledge and experience in agriculture from the Kilifi Institute of Agriculture and studied Project Planning and Management at the Kenya Institute of Social Work and Community Development. He also has completed coursework at the AMREF International Training Centre.

Philistine has worked in KOMAZA's accounting department since the organization's inception in 2006. She is from Kilifi and attended Mombasa Technical Training Institute, where she received Kenyan Accountant Technical Certification (KATC) in 2003 and also completed courses counting towards a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certificate. Prior to joining KOMAZA, Philistine worked as one member of a 3-person accounting team at Galaxy Distributors, an industrial paint distribution company in Kenya. There, she was responsible for overseeing over KES 2 million+ in transactions monthly (~$20,000), maintaining the organization's books, bank reconciliation, petty cash management, and invoice and debtor reconciliation. At KOMAZA, Philistine was responsible for transitioning all of the organization?s accounting functions from paper- to computer-based systems. She now oversees all Kenyan payroll, petty cash and bank transactions, legal reporting, and financial record-keeping. Philistine is planning to complete her CPA certificate next year.

Catherine joined KOMAZA in February 2011 as an Associate with the Organization Development team. With KOMAZA, Catherine will be helping to design and implement scalable systems and programs for talent management and HR processes. Prior to KOMAZA, Catherine worked in Human Capital consulting for a global services firm where she advised clients in large-scale systems transformation projects, focusing in areas of change management, communications, training, project management, and HR service delivery. Catherine graduated from Northwestern University where she studied Economics and International Studies.

Sabrina Manville joined KOMAZA in January 2011 as an Associate with the Finance team. She helps oversee accounting and finance operations for the organization and works to improve our systems for managing towards financial sustainability and growth. Prior to joining KOMAZA, Sabrina worked at ITHAKA, a New York-based non-profit supporting innovative enterprises in higher education. There, she managed a large range of consulting and business development projects for mission-driven organizations, advising clients on strategic and financial issues and helping to launch several major new businesses for ITHAKA. She graduated from Yale University in 2006 with a degree in Religious Studies.

Margaret joined KOMAZA in October 2010, and is currently involved in both planting and crop maintenance. Her responsibilities include farmer recruitment, oversight of new community plantings, and supervising the maintenance of short-term crops in some of our newest locations. Prior to KOMAZA, Margaret worked for three years for World Vision Kenya as a community motivator. There she was responsible for capacity building within local communities, and her projects included HIV/AIDS programs, educational programs, child sponsorship, and tree planting. Margaret also worked for six years as a field officer for SOMBEZA, which falls under the umbrella of the Aga Khan Foundation. Margaret holds a diploma in Community Development from Kenya Institute of Social Work and Community Development.

Erin joined KOMAZA as an Operations Associate in May 2011. She is working with the Operations team to implement a short-term crops program, which will supplement KOMAZA farmers' incomes as they prepare their trees for harvest. She will also be improving the social marketing materials that prepare farmers and field staff for successful recruiting, tree planting, and harvesting. Prior to joining KOMAZA, Erin was a Small Enterprise Development Peace Corps Volunteer in Makindu, Kenya for two years. She has experience working with farmers under the difficult environmental and socio-economic conditions presented by living in arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) of Africa. Erin graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Business Administration.

Edward joined KOMAZA as an Associate in January 2011. He is working to identify technology trends and opportunities and turn them into impactful projects, build innovative mobile tools and applications for use by field staff, and manage web strategy with a view to improving visibility, fundraising and recruiting. Prior to joining KOMAZA, Edward worked for five years in the National Engineering & Technical Operations (NE&TO) group at Comcast. During his time there he worked to answer technology questions posed by executives via data analysis, software and hardware development and leading the creation of web-based dashboards. Edward graduated from Drexel University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems and a minor in Psychology. He also received a Masters of Business Administration in Marketing and Organizational Management. Read more about his work at KOMAZA here.

Ellie Taylor joined KOMAZA in November 2011 as an Associate with the Finance team. She helps oversee accounting and finance operations for the organization and works to improve our systems for managing towards financial sustainability and growth. Prior to joining KOMAZA, Ellie spent four years working for a boutique corporate finance advisory firm in London, where her role was focused on strategic business planning, financial modelling and company valuations for clients across a range of sectors. Her previous development experience includes a year with the UN/IUCN SEED Initiative and an internship with the Africa Corporate Sustainability Forum in Johannesburg and Lilongwe. Her focus with both of these organisations was promoting entrepreneurial partnerships between the private sector and civil society. Ellie graduated from the University of Oxford in 2004 with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. She also received a Masters degree in International Policy Studies from Stanford University in 2006.