New Team Members Offer Added Expertise: Storytelling, Partnerships, Learning and Finance

As the world struggles to emerge from a pandemic that is reshaping both economies and societies,  the movement to build participatory democracy is needed now more than ever. This can be a time when we rethink how government decisions are made and who wields the levers of power. 

The mission of People Powered is to support our members as they step up to meet these new challenges. That’s why we recently recruited four new subject-matter experts for our core team, and we’re excited to introduce them to you. Don’t be shy; reach out to them and start talking about how we can work together!

Carol Kiangura, Director of Partnerships

Carol is deeply passionate about promoting transparency, civic participation and accountability, so key to effective, inclusive governance. At People Powered, her mission is to advance that work by building and sustaining partnerships with both international and national organizations. 

Carol joins People Powered with 10 years of experience in the field, most recently with the International Budget Partnership, where she supported African civil society efforts to advocate for open and accountable government budgets. Previously, she worked with Oxfam International, where she helped develop the confederation, bringing fresh thinking to the balance between affiliates from the global north and south. Before that, she worked with Publish What You Pay (PWYP), which focuses on transparency and accountability in the resource-extraction industry, where she led efforts to build coalitions and advocacy in the East and Southern Africa regions.

Well-connected with African civil society and familiar with the waves of change on the continent, Carol is informed by her academic background, including a master’s degree in organizational development from the United States International University, Africa. 

Carol has lived in a number of countries, but is happy to be back home in Nairobi. When not working, Carol loves to explore new places and hang out with friends and family.

Want to work with us? Expand your collaboration? Connect with Carol via carol@peoplepowered.org.

Nagham Sabah Batros, Finance and Operations Director

Nagham is a nonprofit finance and management professional with 20 years of global experience. She is committed to using her skills to strengthen international communities.

Nagham is originally from Iraq and grew up in multiple countries in the Middle East, before political violence forced her to leave for Sweden and then the United States. Before joining People Powered, she served as controller, financial manager, and audit manager for  Volunteers of America (helping at-risk individuals reach their full potential through housing, health care, and other essentials), Thresholds (services and resources for persons with serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders), Heartland Alliance (programs that address the root causes of poverty, generate social change, and inspire people to build better lives), USAID, and the private international consulting firm Ernst & Young.

Having experienced being part of communities that lack a basic understanding of democracy, Nagham is excited to be part of improving democracy practices around the world with People Powered. When she is not analyzing balance sheets and liquidity ratios, Nagham likes to cook dolma and other dishes in her San Diego (USA) home. She also likes to read with her kids every night.

Connect with her at nagham@peoplepowered.org.

Pam Bailey, Communications Director

Pam joined People Powered to help the organization and its partners find and share stories that illustrate the power of participatory democracy, and thus motivate others to join the “movement.”

Prior to joining us, Pam was senior communications officer for the International Budget Partnership, where she used storytelling to elevate awareness of the role of government budgets as a “moral blueprint” for societies—and the need for citizens at every level to help shape them.

Pam’s storytelling journey began when she graduated university with a double major in journalism and political science, and joined one of America’s leading daily newspapers as a local-government reporter. That was her first “up close and personal” experience with the inner workings of government and the lack of resident participation. From there, she took a long detour into the global corporate world, including working as a vice president of communications for Johnson & Johnson. She traveled extensively and internationally, both walking the halls of governments and meeting with advocacy organizations.

Realizing that she felt most energized when helping those who feel powerless learn how to make the “system” work for them, Pam quit her high-octane position and seized a serendipitous opportunity to move to the Middle East (the Gaza Strip, Egypt and Lebanon) to teach refugee youth how to become citizen journalists. Three years later, she returned to the United States to be closer to her two daughters, but remained true to her new mission. Pam has been using her storytelling skills to help build the capacity of nonprofits ever since, first at NeighborWorks America (a network of nonprofits serving distressed communities) and then at IBP. Today, she lives in Washington, D.C.

Connect with her via pam@peoplepowered.org.

Amanda Luz, Learning and Design Fellow

Amanda is a journalist and learning designer committed to developing innovative information and tools that promote more collaborative, grassroots, and civil-society-led peacebuilding.

She recently completed her master’s degree in educational innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship at the University of North Carolina (UNC)-Chapel Hill, with a particular focus on gender-responsive leadership development and collaborative learning technology. In her studies, Amanda was supported by the Duke University-UNC Rotary Peace Fellowship, including a joint academic program in international public policy and conflict resolution, which strongly influenced her research.

Amanda previously worked in Germany, the United States, and Brazil (her home country). In Brazil, she managed content creation for the largest website focused on women as an audience. She also has advocated against gender-based violence on the internet and designed digital-communication strategies for nonprofit organizations, media, and companies. Her learning-design work for both public and private organizations most recently included a stint as senior innovation service designer at Grupo Tellus, which works with governments and citizens to develop human-centered solutions that deliver high-quality public services. 

Amanda is currently working from Savannah (Georgia) in the United States.

Connect with Amanda via amanda@peoplepowered.org.

Carol, Nagham, Pam and Amanda are looking forward to working with People Powered members, partners, funders and, really, anyone interested in supporting participatory democracy! Email them today, and check out our other core team members on our website.