staff
Melissa Kushner, Founder & Executive Director
Melissa has spent her entire career working in international development. She has extensive experience in multi-sector partnership building, health infrastructure development, fundraising, field research and organizational and program development. Positions at the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships, Hahn Associates, Population Communications International and Gay Men’s Health Crisis have made her a well-rounded development practitioner, giving her both hands-on and managerial experience. Melissa received her Masters in Public Administration from New York University and her Bachelors of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. Check out here full story here.
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C.J. Wise, Chief Operating Officer
C.J. has worked as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company, and for TechnoServe in Uganda using business solutions to fight rural poverty. For nearly a decade she has served on the Board of Directors of the Edith and Herbert Lehman Foundation, and on the Board of Directors of Henry Street Settlement. C.J. received her Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and Bachelor of Arts from McGill University. She co-chaired the 2009 Harvard Social Enterprise Conference, which Forbes named one of the top 12 executive gatherings in the world that year.
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Mary Lyons, Communications Manager
Mary came to goods for good after several years with the Ad Council, where she launched cause marketing campaigns for multiple issues, including autism awareness and childhood obesity prevetion. She worked extensively on First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign, a multi-targeted communications effort that convened the government, private and public sectors to combat obesity and work towards a unified solution. Mary graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce, concentrating in International Business and Marketing.
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Megan O’Connor, Development Manager
Megan worked in both the private and the public sector prior to joining goods for good. She spent three years at The Economist before enrolling in New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service where she has won multiple awards. Megan will graduate in May 2012 with her Masters in Public Administration and completed her Bachelor of Arts at Santa Clara University, concentrating in Communications and Political Science.
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Mitsue Yamamoto, Senior Program Manager
Mitsue has spent two years living in Malawi working on early childhood development and community development projects, including management and program plans for one of the Millennium Villages through the Earth Institute. She received her Masters in Science in Social WorkW from the Columbia University School of Social Work and her Bachelor of Arts from Soka University.
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Blessings Lungu, Malawi Program Manager
Blessings Lungu manages the goods for good staff and operations in Malawi. He came to goods for good from The United Nations Development Program, The United Nations World Food Programme and Chisomo Children's Club through which he has extensive experience working with vulnerable women and children, orphans, and people living with HIV and AIDS. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health from the University of Malawi.
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Raphael Tembenu, Malawi Field Officer
Raphael manages the Malawi office services, organizes distributions, frequently visits the community centers and meets with the children and the staff. He obtained his Diploma in Community Development from Skyway Institute of Management Research and Development. In his free time, Raphael volunteers as a choir director for Children of the Nations, a non profit working with vulnerable and orphaned children.
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Thandizo Kamowa, Vocational Tailoring Program Coordinator
Thandi manages the Tailor Training Program in Malawi. She joined goods for good from World Vision International and Plan International. She received her Bachelor of Social Science from the University of Malawi, Chancellor College where she focused on Sociology and Political and Administrative Studies.
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Jeremy Kaplan, Chief Financial Officer
In 2006 Jeremy made his first field research trip to Malawi where he traveled to many local organizations that care for orphans and children in need. He met with many different people and through careful analysis helped to determine which community centers would comprise goods for good's network of support. Jeremy's research helped shape goods for good's focus on local, Malawian-run community centers. From July 2007 through January 2008 Jeremy lived in Malawi with goods for good and helped shape it into the organization it is today. Jeremy received his MBA from New York University and his BA from Brandeis University.
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