Tabatha Rood
Founder & Executive Director
Tabatha has had a kaleidoscopic range of interests through her academic and professional adventures, from language, anthropology, osteology, and primate behavior, to organic agriculture, fermentation, cocktail mixing, food security, and land management. So many of these interests collided in Bamboi, where Tabatha lived and worked from 2014-2016 as an Agriculture Peace Corps (PC) Volunteer. During that time, she conducted research in partial fulfillment of a Masters in Forest Resources from the University of Washington’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences as a PC Masters International (PCMI) student.
Working with many of the farmer-based cooperatives she helped establish in Bamboi during her PC service, Tabatha launched BamCashea in response to the community’s concerns over their socio-economic status and ecological health. She is dedicated to helping the Bamboi community retain, protect, and grow its circular agricultural economy.
Tabatha has had a kaleidoscopic range of interests through her academic and professional adventures, from language, anthropology, osteology, and primate behavior, to organic agriculture, fermentation, cocktail mixing, food security, and land management. So many of these interests collided in Bamboi, where Tabatha lived and worked from 2014-2016 as an Agriculture Peace Corps (PC) Volunteer. During that time, she conducted research in partial fulfillment of a Masters in Forest Resources from the University of Washington’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences as a PC Masters International (PCMI) student.
Working with many of the farmer-based cooperatives she helped establish in Bamboi during her PC service, Tabatha launched BamCashea in response to the community’s concerns over their socio-economic status and ecological health. She is dedicated to helping the Bamboi community retain, protect, and grow its circular agricultural economy.
Charlene McKoin
Board Member | Industry Expert
Charlene McKoin is an impact- and results-driven multilingual consultant combining 20+ years of international development and for-profit business expertise. As a consultant, she has assisted with strategy and proposal development for NGOs, consulting firms and donors. Charlene served as a Senior Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where she worked on the Markets Team where she specialized in integrated value chain development, post-harvest loss mitigation, and innovative agricultural technologies with potential benefits for small holder farmers. Before joining the Gates Foundation in 2012, Ms. McKoin spent more than eight years working as “Chief of Party,” managing a variety of USAID funded agri-business, financial, nutrition and HIV/AIDS projects for Abt Associates, Cardno Emerging Markets, and AFRICARE.
Prior to her years in international development, Ms. McKoin spent 20 years in corporate, international structured trade, and project finance working for Bank of America, JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, and Trade Source International. As an international banker, she worked with Fortune 500 companies and managed relationships with Latin American banks as well as some of the largest companies in Latin America such as Petrobras, Vale, PDVSA, Embraer, and Electricidad de Caracas. She has lived and worked in Africa and Latin America with specific expertise in Lusophone countries including Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, and Guinea Bissau.
Charlene McKoin is an impact- and results-driven multilingual consultant combining 20+ years of international development and for-profit business expertise. As a consultant, she has assisted with strategy and proposal development for NGOs, consulting firms and donors. Charlene served as a Senior Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where she worked on the Markets Team where she specialized in integrated value chain development, post-harvest loss mitigation, and innovative agricultural technologies with potential benefits for small holder farmers. Before joining the Gates Foundation in 2012, Ms. McKoin spent more than eight years working as “Chief of Party,” managing a variety of USAID funded agri-business, financial, nutrition and HIV/AIDS projects for Abt Associates, Cardno Emerging Markets, and AFRICARE.
Prior to her years in international development, Ms. McKoin spent 20 years in corporate, international structured trade, and project finance working for Bank of America, JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, and Trade Source International. As an international banker, she worked with Fortune 500 companies and managed relationships with Latin American banks as well as some of the largest companies in Latin America such as Petrobras, Vale, PDVSA, Embraer, and Electricidad de Caracas. She has lived and worked in Africa and Latin America with specific expertise in Lusophone countries including Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, and Guinea Bissau.
Kwaku (K.J.) Jebuni-Frimpong III
Board Member
Kwaku (K.J.) is the son of Chief Nana Kwaku Dapaah II, Paramount Chief of the Bamboi Traditional Council. Alongside his father he has been dedicated to the economic growth, land protection, and educational opportunities for the Mo tribe of Bamboi. Since his first visit to Ghana when he was 8 years old, he has been enchanted by the rich culture and beautiful landscape of his family and remains committed to projects benefiting future generations of the Brong-Ahafo region. This includes helping establish the North Mo Foundation and raising scholarship funds for junior secondary school children in Bamboi.
Having grown up in Seattle and graduating from the University of Washington with a Marketing and International Business degree, he settled into making a life for himself in the Bay Area after visiting one summer and never leaving. The strangely beautiful, vibrant, colorful souls of San Francisco have kept him in the city since 2010 working in event management and production. He regularly dedicates his time and event consulting services to non-profit organizations - most notably GLIDE based in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district for nearly 60 years. He served as alumni chair on the GLIDE Legacy Committee, a social entrepreneur group which engages young Bay Area professionals as well as drives programs to break the cycles of poverty, marginalization, and food/housing insecurity.
Kwaku (K.J.) is the son of Chief Nana Kwaku Dapaah II, Paramount Chief of the Bamboi Traditional Council. Alongside his father he has been dedicated to the economic growth, land protection, and educational opportunities for the Mo tribe of Bamboi. Since his first visit to Ghana when he was 8 years old, he has been enchanted by the rich culture and beautiful landscape of his family and remains committed to projects benefiting future generations of the Brong-Ahafo region. This includes helping establish the North Mo Foundation and raising scholarship funds for junior secondary school children in Bamboi.
Having grown up in Seattle and graduating from the University of Washington with a Marketing and International Business degree, he settled into making a life for himself in the Bay Area after visiting one summer and never leaving. The strangely beautiful, vibrant, colorful souls of San Francisco have kept him in the city since 2010 working in event management and production. He regularly dedicates his time and event consulting services to non-profit organizations - most notably GLIDE based in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district for nearly 60 years. He served as alumni chair on the GLIDE Legacy Committee, a social entrepreneur group which engages young Bay Area professionals as well as drives programs to break the cycles of poverty, marginalization, and food/housing insecurity.
Elisabeth Perez
Board Member
Elisabeth is a local government professional in Portland, OR focusing on equity, technology, and resilience. She has experience starting a non-profit, leading boards and commissions, and strategic planning. She received her Master of Science in Disaster Resilience in 2017 from Tulane University.
She is honored to use her education, skills, and lived experiences to assist in building long-term, sustainable business practices to assist the community in Bamboi and other rural West African communities to build and maintain wealth.
Elisabeth is a local government professional in Portland, OR focusing on equity, technology, and resilience. She has experience starting a non-profit, leading boards and commissions, and strategic planning. She received her Master of Science in Disaster Resilience in 2017 from Tulane University.
She is honored to use her education, skills, and lived experiences to assist in building long-term, sustainable business practices to assist the community in Bamboi and other rural West African communities to build and maintain wealth.
Nadia Ahmad
Board Member
Nadia Ahmad is a current student at Harvard Business School, where she is the CFO of the Food, Agriculture & Water Club.
Nadia began her professional career at PwC Strategy&, where she specialized in operations strategy and transformation for retail and consumer product companies, with a focus on supply chain strategy and implementation, product life cycle management and inventory management data analytics.
In 2016, she moved to Kenya to work with an organization called One Acre Fund, which provides asset-based financing, training and market access to smallholder farmers. At One Acre Fund, Nadia managed all trial activities for the energy and lifestyle product portfolios, including market research, product testing, impact analysis and product scale up. In addition, she led the Innovations Monitoring & Evaluations team.
Nadia is interested in the intersection of food security, environmental sustainability and supply chain. She would like to design and manage environmentally-friendly, cost-effective, and high-tech systems for moving raw materials and foods from grower to end consumer. In her free time, Nadia enjoys horseback riding, hiking and singing.
Nadia Ahmad is a current student at Harvard Business School, where she is the CFO of the Food, Agriculture & Water Club.
Nadia began her professional career at PwC Strategy&, where she specialized in operations strategy and transformation for retail and consumer product companies, with a focus on supply chain strategy and implementation, product life cycle management and inventory management data analytics.
In 2016, she moved to Kenya to work with an organization called One Acre Fund, which provides asset-based financing, training and market access to smallholder farmers. At One Acre Fund, Nadia managed all trial activities for the energy and lifestyle product portfolios, including market research, product testing, impact analysis and product scale up. In addition, she led the Innovations Monitoring & Evaluations team.
Nadia is interested in the intersection of food security, environmental sustainability and supply chain. She would like to design and manage environmentally-friendly, cost-effective, and high-tech systems for moving raw materials and foods from grower to end consumer. In her free time, Nadia enjoys horseback riding, hiking and singing.
Isaac Kaleo
Senior Program Manager: Shea
Isaac currently lives in Bamboi, Ghana and oversees and manages all program operations on the ground. He coordinates meetings, executes trainings, and manages all reporting and data collection. Isaac is passionate about alleviating poverty in his community and plays an essential role in facilitating coordination between our headquarters in Portland and our partners in the community.
Isaac currently lives in Bamboi, Ghana and oversees and manages all program operations on the ground. He coordinates meetings, executes trainings, and manages all reporting and data collection. Isaac is passionate about alleviating poverty in his community and plays an essential role in facilitating coordination between our headquarters in Portland and our partners in the community.