Meet our 2025-2026
Bopa DiPeo Fellows
Our Inaugural Cohort
The Bopa DiPeo fellowship is based in Africa for leaders deeply committed to network practice and social impact. In this first year, we accepted 12 fellows with priority given to those residing in Africa and practitioners leading cross-cultural global networks. Our inaugural cohort begins September 2025 and culminates June 2026.
We are so excited to introduce you to the 2025-26 Bopa DiPeo Fellows:
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Ajoke Adeola, PMP, MBA (née Omoware), is a strategic leader passionate about fostering economic development and innovation through program design, delivery, and ecosystem building. Based in Lagos, Nigeria, she is the Founder and Board Member of the REEL Foundation, a nonprofit she established over a decade ago to expand access to quality education for underserved children. Through REEL, she has launched initiatives reaching more than 5,000 children, including the Bridge the Gap Scholarship Scheme in 2024 to address the out-of-school children gap in Nigeria.
Until July 2025, Ajoke served as the Academy Program Lead (West Africa) at 54 Collective, where she designed and led the Business Support Accelerator, supporting over 140 SMEs and startups in Nigeria. She believes strong networks within Africa’s entrepreneurship ecosystem are essential to reduce fragmentation, foster collaboration, and build resilient businesses that fuel long-term economic growth. Her vision is to contribute to a thriving ecosystem where both women- and men-led businesses have equal access to resources and capital to scale and succeed. As a network leader, her purpose is to connect, mobilize, and empower communities by building collaborative platforms that enable individuals and organizations to thrive.
She is excited about the Fellowship as a space to deepen her practice in network leadership, exchange with peers, and explore innovative ways to amplify collective impact across Africa. Outside of work, she enjoys long reflective walks and has a flair for drama, both on stage and in bringing stories to life.
Favorite Quote:
“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
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Nate Harding, currently based in Oxford in the United Kingdom, is an MBA candidate at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School and a Master of Public Service candidate at the University of Arkansas' Clinton School of Public Service. With more than eight years of experience as an international educator, facilitator, strategy consultant, and leadership coach, Nate brings a passion for catalyzing and strengthening projects that nurture an interconnected world where all people and the planet flourish.
He is interning with the One Family Foundation to design and co-create global coordination systems supporting the launch of the Government Council for Social Innovation. In previous roles, Nate co-led international youth exchanges across six continents, coached more than 30 Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholars in designing and implementing international public service projects, and shaped grantmaking strategies for ultra-high-net-worth individuals, foundations, and co-funding collaboratives.
As an inaugural Bopa DiPeo Fellow, Nate is excited to experiment with integrating cross-cultural relationship-building into everyday business practices, making systems change more accessible and sustainable by deepening relationships organically yet intentionally.
He holds a BA in Education & Community Studies from Davidson College and a Certificate in Social Impact Management and Leadership from the Institute for Nonprofit Practice. A 2025 Melton Foundation Global Solvers Accelerator Fellow, a Common Purpose Global Leaders alumnus, and a founding member of the Justice for Flourishing Interest Group at Harvard's Human Flourishing Program, Nate’s passions for travel, dance music, and a good latte fuel his network-building approach.
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Elizabeth Howard is an entrepreneur and systems-change advocate working at the intersection of capital markets, inclusive finance, and community-led development. She leads Lelapa, an advisory firm on investment crowdfunding, and founded WAI, an impact network fostering collaboration to transform how capital flows in Africa. Her work centers on designing regulations, building partnerships, and creating enabling environments that allow local capital to flow to women investment leaders in Africa and drive long-term resilience.
Motivated by a belief that capital markets must be decolonized and reimagined for diverse participants, Elizabeth works closely with regulators, funders, and grassroots actors to shape frameworks that prioritize equity, participation, and systemic change. She is particularly focused on how collaborative networks can dismantle entrenched barriers and open new possibilities for women entrepreneurs and communities across the continent.
Through the Fellowship, she hopes to deepen her practice of network leadership, exchange knowledge with peers tackling systemic challenges, and explore how inclusive finance ecosystems can be scaled across regions. Beyond her professional work, Elizabeth is raising her four-year-old daughter between South Africa and France, nurturing her bilingual and multicultural identity. She is passionate about languages, African fractal art, ferns and fungi, and Camissa African heritage.
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Khatuchi Khasandi is a Network Coordinator at the Kenya Innovation Ecosystem Funders Forum, based in Nairobi, Kenya. With many funders facing resource cuts, Khatuchi sees her work as an opportunity to bring funders together to strategically leverage resources and complement each other’s efforts toward implementing the Kenya Innovation Masterplan. She believes strengthening innovation ecosystems is fundamental to addressing systemic challenges such as climate change, youth employment, and inclusivity—issues no single funder can solve alone.
Her experience with networks such as ANDE and the Fito Network demonstrated how a relational approach can drive collective action, even though the process is complex and long-term. She values engaging with peer networks of leaders, such as those in this fellowship, for mutual learning, staying abreast of emerging developments, contributing to field-building, and accessing a lifelong support system.
Through this fellowship, Khatuchi hopes to articulate and elevate the often-invisible work of network leaders and contribute to the professionalization and institutionalization of this career path. Her vision is that future practitioners will have the capacity, recognition, and support systems they need to thrive.
She loves the outdoors and, this year, is running her first two international marathons and climbing Mt. Kenya for the second time.
Favorite Quote:
“True belonging doesn’t require that we change who we are; it requires that we be who we are.” — Brené Brown
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Ledama Masidza is the Founder of Kind World Projects, Co-Founder of Moyo Moja Africa, and a member of the Guiding Committee of the Local and Indigenous Food System Transformation (LIFT) Network. Based in Kilifi County, Kenya, he also serves as an Ambassador for Mars’s Sheba Hope Grows Initiative and the Kenya Connect and Food System Action Lead at the African Food Fellowship.
His journey began along the Kenyan coastline in Kuruwitu, where he played a pivotal role in establishing one of the country’s first Marine Co-Management Areas spanning 12,000 hectares. Witnessing the transformative power of community action in restoring ecosystems and improving livelihoods cemented his lifelong commitment to community-led conservation and indigenous food systems.
Ledama is passionate about building networks that amplify grassroots voices, enhance food security, and drive ecological restoration. Through his leadership in the LIFT Network, he has supported solution labs across Nigeria, Fiji, Canada, Brazil, and Kenya, empowering Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) to advance systemic change. His vision is to scale these collaborative models across Africa and globally, fostering sustainable, inclusive, and resilient systems for generations to come.
As a Fellow, Ledama seeks to deepen his leadership at the intersection of food systems, conservation, and networks. He recognizes that scaling meaningful impact requires more than passion and past successes—it calls for strategic leadership, systems thinking, relational accountability, and emotional maturity to navigate complexity.
Beyond his conservation work, Ledama is a passionate musician and sportsman. A former member of Team Kenya in Modern Pentathlon, he represented the country at the World Championships. Musically, he is trained in trumpet, piano, and music theory, holding professional certifications in all three.
Ledama has successfully coordinated multi-country projects and secured significant grants with partners including the Rockefeller Foundation, USAID, Fauna & Flora International, and GIZ. As a CNN Climate Report Fellow, his impact storytelling has been featured on CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, NatGeo Wild, and other outlets. He has been recognized as a Global Changemaker (2023), World Economic Forum UpLink Top Innovator, Blue Champions Awardee, and recipient of the CNN Academy Special Recognition Award.
He also serves on the Oceans Alive Advisory Board and as Managing Trustee at Wildlife Minds Trust, mentoring emerging conservationists and advocating at international platforms including the UN Food Systems Summit, IUCN World Conservation Congress, African Protected Area Congress, COP28, and COP29.
Favorite Quote:
“A network is a community. Without care, it cannot function.”
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Tendai Angelina Mugabe is the Director of Programs & Impact at the Africa Women Financial Inclusion Initiative (AWFII), where she focuses on network leadership, ecosystem building, and advancing women’s financial inclusion across the continent.
For more than 15 years, Tendai has worked at the intersection of program management, advocacy, and partnership building, leading initiatives that strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems and create pathways for inclusive growth. At AWFII, she is driven by the conviction that when women have equitable access to finance, resources, and networks, entire communities flourish. She is passionate about cultivating trust-based networks that empower women and entrepreneurs to become agents of systemic change. Her long-term vision is to see thriving ecosystems where gender equality, climate resilience, and economic justice are not aspirational but embedded realities across Africa.
Through the Fellowship, Tendai hopes to deepen her practice in systems thinking, collaborative leadership, and inclusive facilitation. She looks forward to sharpening her skills in cultivating impactful networks while contributing her experience in stakeholder coordination, program design, and strategic alignment. Most importantly, she is eager to learn from peers across diverse contexts, co-create solutions, and amplify collective action for social change.
Outside of work, Tendai is an avid reader—often reading two books at once. She enjoys cooking, swimming in the summer, and exploring new genres, though she avoids horror.
Favorite Quote:
“We rise by lifting each other.”
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Hellen Teopista Nakyeyune, based in Kampala, Uganda, serves as the Senior Programme Associate at Capital Solutions Limited. In this role, she supports the design and implementation of initiatives that strengthen social entrepreneurship, inclusive finance, and women’s and youth empowerment.
She is deeply motivated by a belief in entrepreneurship as a driver of systemic change and is passionate about building collaborative networks that amplify local voices and shape policies enabling entrepreneurs to thrive. Her vision is to see an ecosystem where young people, women, and underserved communities have equitable access to opportunities, financing, and supportive policies—contributing to sustainable social and economic transformation across Africa.
Through this fellowship, Hellen is eager to connect with changemakers, learn innovative approaches to network-building, and contribute her experience in policy advocacy and community engagement. She hopes to gain new perspectives on fundraising, strengthen cross-border collaborations, and share insights from Uganda’s growing social enterprise movement.
Beyond her professional role, Hellen enjoys music, reading, watching historical documentaries, and exploring cultural heritage sites across East Africa. She is an avid mentor, dedicating time to guiding young leaders and entrepreneurs on personal branding and strengths.
She is guided by two beliefs: “If your dream doesn’t scare you, it’s not big enough” and “This too shall pass.”
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Beverly Ndege, based in Nairobi, Kenya, leads network weaving at the Fito Network, a global collective advocating for the power of networks to shape a more just, joyful, and thriving world. She believes that relationships are the invisible threads that make change possible.
Her journey has shown her how networks can begin as small community groups and grow into global forces that spark creativity, amplify voices, and drive social impact. With over seven years of experience in community coordination, communications, and engagement, Beverly has cultivated spaces where collaboration emerges naturally and relationships strengthen movements.
Through the Bopa DiPeo Fellowship, Beverly is excited to experiment with new weaving practices, connect with peers and mentors in the systemic change space, and contribute her lived experience as a catalyst for systems change. She hopes to gather fresh insights that will enrich her practice and expand the collective possibilities of networks.
Beyond her professional role, Beverly is a proud toddler, plant, and dog mum. She finds joy in nature, classic literature, timeless music, and, most of all, potatoes in every form.
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Yvonne Okafor is the Co-Founder and Director of A&A Collective, a member-led community advancing the next generation of African investment leaders. Guided by her three pillars—Africa, Impact, and Innovation—she is committed to making opportunities that improve people’s lives more accessible and inclusive.
With more than eight years of experience in impact investing, advisory, and fund management, Yvonne has built and facilitated spaces that connect investment professionals across Africa and the diaspora. She believes networks are powerful vehicles for collaboration, trust-building, and systemic change, and her work through A&A Collective reflects this vision.
Through the Fellowship, Yvonne seeks to strengthen her facilitation and relational leadership practice. She also hopes to deepen her ability to design peer-learning spaces and apply new insights to ensure the long-term sustainability and resilience of A&A Collective and other networks she engages with in the future.
Outside of work, Yvonne is grounded by her faith, has played tennis since the age of five, and lived in Argentina for five years as a child—an experience that shaped her global outlook.
Personal mantra: Building spaces where people can learn from each other is the foundation for lasting impact.
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Evans Okinyi is a seasoned nonprofit executive with over 10 years of progressive experience in networks management, policy formulation and implementation, and stakeholder and partnership management. He is passionate about collaboration and partnerships as drivers of social transformation.
Evans envisions a vibrant and resilient philanthropy ecosystem where local giving is recognized as a powerful force for change. His goal is to strengthen trust-based, community-led, and collaborative approaches that unlock domestic resources and position philanthropy as an equal partner alongside government and business. Ultimately, he seeks to ensure that the East Africa Philanthropy Network (EAPN) becomes a leading catalyst that connects, amplifies, and equips philanthropic actors to influence policy, mobilize resources, and deliver lasting impact across the region.
Through the Bopa DiPeo Fellowship, Evans hopes to strengthen his capacity in systems leadership, deepen cross-continental peer learning, and contribute his expertise in network building to the Circle Generation community. He is particularly excited to explore new models of distributed leadership that can shift Africa’s development trajectory.
Beyond his professional role, Evans enjoys mentoring young leaders, especially around mindset shifts as a tool for transforming limitations into possibilities, while cultivating the confidence, resilience, and vision needed for success. He is also an avid football enthusiast who rarely misses a match.
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Grace Wachori is the Regional Director for Africa at the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE), where she leads efforts to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems that empower small and growing businesses (SGBs) to drive inclusive economic growth across the continent. Based in Nairobi, she works across Africa to foster cross-sector collaboration, build the capacity of Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs), strengthen networks, and champion women- and youth-led enterprises as catalysts for sustainable development.
Her motivation comes from a deep belief that entrepreneurship, when inclusive and locally rooted, can be a powerful driver of social transformation. With more than a decade of experience in ecosystem building, partnerships, and impact management, Grace has collaborated with funders, policymakers, and community leaders to shape systems that create dignified work, reduce inequality, strengthen climate resilience, and contribute to sustainable development.
Through the Fellowship, Grace is eager to explore relational approaches to leadership and deepen her practice of convening diverse actors into trusted networks for systemic change. She looks forward to learning from and contributing to a community of African leaders who are reimagining how power, healing, and collaboration can shape the continent’s future.
Beyond her professional role, Grace is passionate about mentoring pre-adolescent girls, loves singing and performing theatre, and finds joy in connecting with nature. Her relational approach is guided by Maya Angelou’s wisdom: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
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Nicole Watson was drawn to networks after experiencing disconnection and witnessing how they create community, support, and shared learning. She believes well-run networks can bridge the gap between global frameworks and local action, making ideas practical and participatory while influencing systems. Her vision is to advance robust impact management and stakeholder-informed decision-making as universal practices to transform how global challenges are addressed.
Nicole is excited to learn from others, deepen her skills as a convener, and strengthen her ability to support social and systemic change through relational, network-based approaches. She sees the Fellowship as a rare opportunity to grow in navigating complexity and isolation while better supporting others doing the same.
Growing up with a mother who was a state veterinarian, Nicole once had a porcupine as a pet—a story that reflects her lifelong love for animals. Today, she lives with three “fur-babies”: a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy and two rescues. Good food is her happy place, and she is always open to recommendations for new relaxing hobbies.
After becoming a certified integral coach, Nicole co-created a group coaching program for Kader Asmal Alumni Fellows that was well received and fostered growth, kindness, and community. Inspired by its impact, she hopes to expand this model to other fellowship and youth leadership programs, as well as to her local community.
Stay Tuned for Next Cohort
Applications for 2025 are now closed. Want to be the first to know about future Bopa DiPeo Fellowship cohorts? Want to join us for our free monthly POP Up sessions?
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In Partnership with Small Foundation
Small Foundation is a philanthropic foundation based in Ireland with a vision and mission of eradicating extreme poverty in Africa by catalyzing income-generating opportunities, particularly for those in rural areas.