Get to know the Spring Team!

Lucía is a Mexican independent consultant and human rights practitioner with 15 years of experience with a focus on gender, philanthropy, research, project management, stakeholder coordination and resource mobilization. In recent years, she has worked with corporate foundations to inform their philanthropic strategies in East and Southeast Asia. Lucía served as the Director of Programs at the Prospera – International Network of Women’s Funds, supporting the growth of dozens of women’s funds worldwide. She has also served on the International Human Rights Funders Group (IHRFG) Advisory Committee for Advancing Human Rights: Knowledge Tools for Funders initiative. Currently Lucía is the treasurer on the board of FERN, an organization working to achieve environmental and social justice with a focus on forests and forest peoples’ rights in the policies and practices of the European Union. Lucia holds a Masters in International Law and Gender from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona and speaks French, English, and intermediate Korean in addition to Spanish.

Caren spent most of her career in the corporate sector, including working in the family’s business as well as two of Canada’s biggest food retailers. She was born and raised in Manila, Philippines and moved to Canada with her husband and three children in 2005. She holds an MBA (with Distinction) from the Asian Institute of Management. Caren is the Operations Lead at Spring and provides support for the entire team of staff and associates globally, helping them to do their best work for Spring’s clients.

Archana is a creative rights advocate, strategist, communicator, polyglot and singer with over a decade of experience supporting a wide range of human rights and social justice initiatives. Archana has overseen the creation and expansion of OpenGlobalRights — a multilingual, global forum that explores human rights policies and strategies as well as managed and conducted research on human rights organizations and public perceptions of human rights in India, Mexico and Morocco. She has co-authored various publications on the resource mobilization challenges and opportunities for human rights groups in the Global South and is passionate about finding innovative ways to sustain and expand social and climate justice initiatives. Archana is responsible for program content and development, as well as training components. Archana holds a masters degree in International Affairs and is an accredited Integral Master Coach™.

Integral Master CoachTM and Facilitator. Japanese Brazilian Zen Monk. Avid reader and intensely curious student of human nature. Half the size of my son. I love swimming and cats.

Lucas Paulson is a writer, facilitator, researcher, and lover of poetry—all of which he brings to the creative work of social change and his role at Spring as special projects coordinator. Originally from northern Wisconsin (United States), Lucas lived for several years in Colombia, where he designed and led creative experiences for human rights practitioners as a part of the team at JustLabs. (For more on this work, see his publication, Narrative Spices: An invitational guide.) He has also worked on the editorial team of OpenGlobalRights, as a fellow with the action-research center Dejusticia (Colombia), as a teacher with the Fulbright Program (Colombia), and as a volunteer at the Corrymeela peace-building community (Northern Ireland). Lucas is happiest petting dogs, sitting by trees, reading poetry, attempting to write it, canoeing, and enthusiastically but mediocrely dancing salsa. His favorite way to give is by washing other people’s dishes. 

Ellen Sprenger is a strategist and advocate for social and climate justice. Since 2004, she has been the founder and CEO of Spring. She is a believer — especially in human potential and our collective ability to solve the problems of our time. She is a curious and creative optimist, an espresso enthusiast and avid meditator. Her areas of expertise include multi-actor conference facilitation, future-scenario development, financial innovation and resilience for justice organizations globally, and executive coaching. Previously she held several management positions at Oxfam-Novib and was the Executive Director of Mama Cash, a feminist foundation based in Amsterdam. Ellen holds a masters degree in Development Studies, an MBA from Erasmus University, and she is an Integral Master Coach™ and Certified Integral Facilitator™. She is a member of the Board of 350.org, a movement working to end the age of fossil fuels and build a world of community-led renewable energy for all. Ellen is from the Netherlands and Canada, and has lived in Tanzania, South Africa and the United States.

I founded Spring because...

Initially it was just me wanting to keep busy in a meaningful way after I came to Canada. But a few years in, I became more intentional about supporting emerging and experienced leaders. I chose the name Spring, and encouraged by my mentors and friends, took my own ‘leap of leadership’ to build this global team. We work directly with high-leverage individuals, organizations and movements who exist to make a difference. Spring is agile, and we have roots in the very same movements we support. We are scaling out, not up, and I believe that this way of working, with clients and deeply committed associates all over the world, creates exponential impact. We are a small but mighty powerful group of people ... and we have fun working together!

Lisa is a social impact professional with experience in education, stakeholder engagement, digital media, and project management. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with numerous organizations dedicated to diverse areas such as immigration/settlement, mental health, sustainability, and human rights. Lisa holds an MBA from the University of Alberta and a Masters in Creative Business and Social Innovation from EDHEC.

Amany is part of our FIRE program delivery team.

Amany Alhadka has over 20 years of experience working in the areas of Operations, Finance, and Organization Management. Throughout her career she supported many organizations and field operations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. She is specialized in building and strengthening the operational capacity of start-ups and organizations that are growing and scaling. Prior to joining Prospera as Senior Advisor Operations Excellence she was the Vice President for Business Transformation of the Equality Fund and the Vice President for Finance and Operations of the MATCH International Women’s Fund, both in Canada. She also worked at CARE International in Egypt, USA, and Canada, and MEK Foundation in Egypt. Amany holds a Bachelor Degree in Accounting and a Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Accounting and Auditing from Cairo University. She obtained her Public Accountant Certification from University of Illinois, Chicago and has certificates in training of trainers and meeting facilitation. In the context of the FIRE program, Amany provides strategic finance support.

Home base
Ottawa

Languages
English and Arabic

Proudest achievements
Creating a Social Enterprise called Cov(Her) which provides shared corporate services for four different Canadian not for profit organizations working globally. Also, celebrating my 25th wedding anniversary in 2019 and raising my two lovely boys who continue to grow into two young men!!

You became a Spring Associate because ...
Spring is aligned with my passion and the impact I want to have in the world. In addition, I participated in several of their programs and experienced myself that Spring makes a real difference.

Your leadership philosophy
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” (Nelson Mandela)

Remko is part of our Facilitation program delivery team.

Strategist, Certified Integral Facilitator™, collective intelligence for social transformation. Brings lightness and common sense to high-stakes settings. People power believer. Flyfishing addict, father of three lively little men. 

Amis is part of our Facilitation and Coaching program teams.

Amis Agung Boersma is an Integral Master Coach™ and workshop facilitator with over 10 years of experience in the field of international activism and social change. She believes people tend to keep their best features hidden – sometimes even from themselves. Often passions, talents, desires and hopes for the future get buried under the overflowing to-do lists of daily life. As a coach, workshop facilitator and gatherer, Amis shines a light on the things that really matter to people, helping them connect to others as their truest and fullest selves.

Amis is Dutch with Indonesian roots and honored to call herself a true citizen of the world. She has lived in Amsterdam, Honolulu, Jakarta, Cartagena and Aruba. She holds a Master in Southeast Asian studies and loves studying languages. Besides languages she devours methods in which we humans can better and more deeply connect, such as Art of Hosting, Theory U and Thinking Environment. Amis loves to sing and dance, and spend time with her loved ones – preferably over a good cappuccino or cocktails.

Experienced professional and leader in advancing social  and environmental justice. Expert on organisational development. Associate Integral Coach™. A global citizen; born in Brazil, lived in South Africa, UK and Kenya and worked with leadership from over 20 countries. Teach yoga and love dancing.

Daniela Pais Costa is currently the Americas Senior Development Manager at Greenpeace International. She has over 15 years of experience advancing human rights and social justice at the global, regional and national level. She was part of and led one of the most pioneering organizational changes in the development sector at the time: the internationalization of ActionAid and later on, she led the transition of multi-affiliated Oxfam to one Oxfam in the Southern Africa region. Previous to Greenpeace, she worked at Making all Voices Count, an innovative programme that tests and documents learning on whether technology can foster transparency and accountability. She has worked with organizations from over 20 countries supporting organizations and their leadership in their development with focus on strategy development, programme development, board leadership and change processes. In her free time, she reads, spend time with her beloved friends and teaches yoga.

Ciro is part of our FIRE and Coaching program teams.

Ciro is an Integral Master Coach™ and facilitator. He is passionate about human development and sustainability matters, and has a long history of experience in the corporate and NGO sectors. He’s also a lover of beaches and mountains.

Sarah is an Integral Master Coach™ and has co-created leadership and personal development programs for civil society leaders in Africa and Asia. Through this work, Sarah supports high impact leaders and organisations — mostly in the non-profit sector — to lead with more wisdom, awareness and resilience, so that they can more effectively drive change.

Wangechi is part of our FIRE program delivery team.

Certified Public Accountant, Wife, Mother, Dreams of a just world in my lifetime; people being the key drivers of this achievement.  Loves coffee, reading classic novels, listening to podcasts.

Wangechi Gikonyo- Mukoko is a financial management practitioner with +16 years of experience in the development sector. She has worked on grants funded by various donors of both restricted and unrestricted nature. She is from Kenya and currently works at the Aga Khan Foundation.  She previously worked at Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development (ACORD) and Education Development Trust (formerly CfBT Educational Trust). Wangechi has an undergraduate degree in Finance and Accounting, an Executive Master’s Degree and is a Certified Public Accountant.  As an associate of the Spring Forward program, she likes that the program encourages participants to think out of the box…even in finance and accounting! This always gives birth to innovative ideas that lead to transformative approaches and results. Besides her love for coffee, you will find Wangechi reading classic novels and listening to podcasts on markets and history. Wangechi is passionate on issues that work towards having a just society; with people being the key drivers of this achievement.

With a wildly artistic spirit and a vast technical background, Megan is a rockstar of the creative world. She considers herself a citizen of the planet, having traveled considerably during her career and lived in various parts of the world. Boasting a holistic understanding of multiple creative Arts, Megan is passionate about incorporating new, cutting edge technological applications into the Caribbean landscape in various creative, useful and meaningful ways. Her almost 15 year career in the Arts, entertainment and tourism positions Megan to be a keen driving force in the revolution of the Arts and entertainment in Trinidad and Tobago. Megan holds a Certificate in Digital Media Studies, BFA in Performing Arts and a Master in Arts and Culture Management. She is also an avid guitarist, singer/songwriter and music producer.

Arya is a full-stack web developer and communications specialist with a passion for bridging the gap between technology and good causes. Throughout his career, he has worn many hats in the digital advocacy space for nonprofits and community organizations, as well as climate change advocacy groups.

Purity is part of our Facilitation and FIRE program delivery team.

Purity is feminist activist and a storyteller based in Nairobi Kenya and serves as the Director for With and For Girls Fund and Collective, the world’s only participatory fund by, and for adolescent girls. Purity previously served as the Executive Director of Akili Dada, a leadership incubator for girls and young women.

Purity is passionate about nurturing girls' freedom and agency, gender equality as well as enabling girls and young women to access spaces to advance themselves and their communities. She sees herself as a learning leader who is committed to cultivating authentic and empathetic leadership in herself and others. 

Purity has dedicated her life to ensuring that girls and young women, especially from poor backgrounds can have opportunities to dream and work towards the futures they hope to see.

Purity serves as an advisory member of East Africa Girls’ Brain Trust, has previously served as a founding advisory committee member of the FRIDA|The Young Feminist Fund and in early 2015, she was named as one of the 18 Phenomenal African Feminists to know and watch.  In 2016, she was named a finalist of the Most Influential Women in Governance and Business in Africa.

Budhita is part of our Facilitation program delivery team.

Budhsi is a vibrant, skilled and passionate facilitator, trainer and sustainable development professional with more than twenty years experience in program development and management in several international development organizations both in Indonesia and abroad.

She is a strong training and facilitation specialist and co-founder of INSPIRASI TANPA BATAS (previously INSPIRIT INNOVATION CIRCLES), or INSPIRIT, an innovative social enterprise established in 2002 and based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Budhsi has extensive experience in designing and facilitating interactive learning processes for various purposes, including decision-making, conflict management, training, and program planning and evaluation. 

She is committed to social and environmental justice and a firm believer in the power of individuals and communities to create and inspire sustainable change. In support of this philosophy, ensures that vibrant communication, asset-based thinking and appreciative inquiry is internalized and applied both on a personal and professional level.

Integral Master Coach™ and Facilitator™. Japanese Brazilian Zen Monk. Avid reader and intensely curious student of human nature. Half the size of my son. I love swimming and cats.

Mukami is part of our FIRE program delivery team.

Mukami is an African queer feminist mother of two, with a long and broad activist career of 18 years, working at the intersection of organizational development, human rights and social justice. Her career has focused in particular on the resourcing organizing for and by LGBTIQ persons and sex workers. Mukami applies her personal values of feminism, social justice, service to others, integrity and excellence, as well as professional and social skills, towards making this world a just and loving place to live in.  She holds an MBA with extensive skills in financial management and sustainability, human resource management and programme execution.  

She is currently the Co-Executive Director of UHAI - the East Africa Sexual Health and Rights Initiative (UHAI EASHRI). UHAI is an activist LGBTIQ and sex workers fund. Prior to joining UHAI, she worked for the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and was actively involved in the sexual and reproductive health rights program, particularly the right to safe and legal abortion and the rights of LGBTIQ people. Mukami also serves on the Boards of the Black Feminist Fund (BFF), the Global Philanthropy Project (GPP), the East African Philanthropy Network (EAPN) and the African Philanthropy Network (APN). She previously served at the Board of Green Peace Africa as well as the Sex Worker Donors Collaborative (SWDC). She has an MBA in strategy and a bachelor's degree in building Economics and management - both from the University of Nairobi. She has a postgraduate degree in Human Resource Management and is a certified public accountant trained by Strathmore University.

Mukami is a mother of two and believes that love makes a family. She wants to be able to bring up her African children to thrive even as they exist in the patriarchal, racist, imperialist and sexist world that she finds herself in.

María is part of our FIRE program delivery team.

María José has co-designed and co-implemented a successful program to strengthen the organizational and leadership capacities of over 50 Mexican civil society organizations, with an emphasis on collaborative learning. She is currently in charge of this program at the Mexican organization Northwest Fund, FONNOR and has worked previously at UNDP, other non-profits, and managed her own business. For over ten years she has worked in project management and development, and for more than 15 years she has been involved in coordinating national and international events. She holds a degree in International Relations, a master in Management of Non-profit Organizations, and has studied International Cooperation for Development. María José is passionate about seeding her garden, traveling, and walking in nature. She loves a good wine and conversation during dinner with her loved ones.

Adriana is part of our FIRE program team.

Adriana has over 20 years of experience working in the areas of operations, finance, compliance, people and culture and organization management at Ford Foundation. She has expertise in collaborative processes and team building. She likes to explore facilitating difficult conversations and help people's talent development. She has the ability to work with diverse and multicultural environments. She is interested in the financial sustainability of Brazilian civil society organizations. She has international experience as a member of global teams and networks. Adriana holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and is a certified accountant in Brazil. She also earned her MBA in Accounting and Auditing at UFF and in Project Management at USP. She is the mother of two wonderful girls and is passionate about different cultures, people and learning new things. 

Immaculate is a member of our FIRE team.

Immaculate has over 11 years of experience working in financial management and experience in the social justice sectors especially working with Indigenous Peoples. She has experience working with donors on restricted and unrestricted grants, along with expertise in financial operations and fund management, capacity-building and strategies for resource mobilization. Born in Kenya, she currently works at Friends of Lake Turkana trust as Head of Finance and Administration. She has an undergraduate degree in Economics and Masters of Arts in project planning and management.

Home Base: Kenya

Nancy is part of our FIRE program delivery team.

International banker transformed into compassionate activist for social and economic justice.  Current member/treasurer of two NGO boards of directors.  Mindfulness and meditation workshop facilitator.  Smitten by her two granddaughters.  Sailor, collector of indigenous crafts, and vegetarian cook.

Nancy Natilson has over 25 years of international finance experience, specializing in microenterprise development and its intersection with reproductive health. She has developed curricula on financial analysis, performance monitoring, strategic planning and budgeting.  Some of her more recent projects include financial management and sustainability assessment of rural pharmacies in Tanzania; development of business plans for district hospitals and community health worker cooperatives in Rwanda; and business management training for rural private clinic owners who belong to a social franchise network in several African countries. Prior to becoming an independent consultant, Nancy was Financial Advisor to ProMujer, a microfinance organization in five South and Central American countries that integrates access to credit with empowerment and business skills training, savings and reproductive health education and services. Nancy was a fellow of the Gates Summer Institute at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She received a Masters in Business Administration in International Finance from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.  She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida and is Treasurer of Global Doctors for Choices.  She is a past Board Member and Treasurer of the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) and the Florida Community of Mindfulness. She has a daily meditation practice and facilitates workshops on mindfulness, compassion and leadership.  Nancy splits her time between Florida and Nova Scotia where she enjoys rowing, kayaking and sailing. 

Barbara is part of our Facilitation and Coaching program teams.

Founder of Ecosynergy, the Collaboration Lab and The Appreciation Project. Master Coach. Sustainable Development Facilitator and Mediator. Radical Humanist. Dancer. Singer. Poet. Tree hugger and Animal Whisperer.

Barbara Oliveira (PhD, MBA, LLM) is a facilitator, process designer, change agent and conflict transformation mediator, strategic negotiator and host of meaningful conversations. Barbara is passionate about human connection and the potential that multistakeholder participatory approaches offer to create innovative and inclusive solutions for sustainable development challenges. Throughout her career, she has added expertise in using systemic approaches such as Theory U, Appreciative Enquiry, Systemic Constellations, Deep Democracy and the Thinking Environment, in addition to Consensus Building and interest based negotiations/mediation and has developed sustainable leadership models for business leaders, entrepreneurs, and young women leaders. She co-founded the Collaboration Laboratory focused on fostering a culture of facilitation and participatory decision making in Brazil and founded Ecosynergy – Facilitation and Capacity Building for Sustainability, through which she facilitates, trains and coaches NGOs, businesses, government agencies, international organizations and academic bodies in their initiatives to become more integrated, collaborative and better engaged with their stakeholders, in Brazil and abroad.  Barbara is also a Master Certified Integral Coach™ and a public speaker in leadership, consensus building, and collaboration.

Gopal is part of our FIRE program delivery team.

Gopal Rao is a strategic business leader and global citizen, with over thirty-five years’ experience operating globally, regionally and at national levels. Gopal is passionate about organizational capacity building and particularly in the Global South.  His specialist areas are financial architecture, organisational transformation and business development. Gopal has designed and shaped organisational transformation and delivered change management initiatives in diverse contexts and international settings. Gopal is a champion of diversity, inclusion and diversity. He is respectful of different cultures and ways of working and builds on the knowledge, learning and experience of partner organizations. 

For over 10 years, Gopal has led a management consultancy in the sector and has also undertaken leadership roles, including interim CEO for Skills for South Sudan and interim CFO for Fairtrade International and Just Associates. Prior to that, Gopal assumed senior management positions at Oxfam across four continents. He was Regional Programme Manager for Southern Africa, Head of International Finance at Oxfam Great Britain, Vice President at Oxfam America and CEO of Responding to Conflict (RTC). Gopal is a Fellow Chartered Accountant from India with a Master’s in Business Administration from Oxford Brookes University, UK. He has a Diploma in International Development from the British Open University and a Bachelor is Physics Honours from the University of Delhi.

Mo is part of our FIRE program delivery team.

Mo Salomon is the founder of Korumo Coaching for Transformation. As a coach, they are passionate about working with people who are going through a transition: to help navigate what feels like a wilderness experience; learning to trust their instincts, stripping down to basics, letting go of what is no longer serving them, opening up to the unfamiliar, and finding their way through towards their purpose.

They have a background in anthropology and a PhD in participatory rural development. They have worked in different development and research settings, and on assignments in Africa, Asia and Europe.

They are a yoga teacher, runner, mindfulness blogger, and Ennea 7. 

Elizabeth is part of our Facilitation and FIRE program team.

Consultant, coach, facilitator. Executive director 4 times. Former orchestra conductor and record label chief. Thrives on creativity, action for humanity, arts, nature and great conversation.

Elizabeth Seja Min has helped hundreds communicate with heart, raise serious capital, collaborate, lead and develop people and the systems that bring out their best. She’s been at the helm of four organizations, built signature projects from the ground up, and guided leaders and teams in NGOs, foundations, social enterprises and companies. Elizabeth cut her teeth working with teams as a music director and conductor—founding and conducting a professional symphony orchestra, running a record label (two Grammy nominations!), and bringing unlikely partners together to create magnificent work on the stage. She met Ellen Sprenger while consulting in the world of women’s funds, and thus began a multiyear conversation about how whole people working in whole systems can, without a doubt, spring missions forward. Elizabeth is an associate with Spring Forward.

Emi is part of our FIRE program team.

Emi has expertise in designing collaborative processes for project development. Also worked in the NGO sector and social business sector, contributing to fundraising, community engagement projects and consultancy. Holds a Master's degree in Business Administration and is certified in Cultural Biology (Escuela Matríztica de Santiago/Chile). She loves gardening, nature, sewing and her godchildren. 

Andrea is part of our FIRE program delivery team.

With over 15 years of experience, Andrea has worked as an independent consultant focusing on financial sustainability, resource mobilization, communications and financial planning.

From her early days as a fundraiser for cultural organizations until now, she has worked with a multitude of organizations tackling diverse social, cultural, environmental, development and health issues, including HIV/AIDS and SRRH.

Andrea has also devoted herself to academia, passing on her knowledge on marketing, NGO development, resource mobilization, community empowerment and social inclusion. She has co-authored several publications on organizational strengthening and resource mobilization in Mexico.

Andrea holds a master in Cultural NGO Management from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a specialty on institutional strengthening and resource mobilization.