Nadia Eleza Khawaja, MPH

Co-Founder & CEO

Nadia Khawaja is the co-founder and current CEO of Jolkona. She is passionate about philanthropy and making a global impact and is excited about allowing others to do so easily and effectively through micro-donations through Jolkona’s unique approach to giving.

Prior to starting Jolkona, she worked in the non-profit sector in Los Angeles promoting social entrepreneurship and financial literacy to inner city youth. She is passionate about nutrition and development so after learning about the day-to-day operations of running a non-profit for two years, she went back to graduate school and studied Public Health and nutrition while running Jolkona in the evenings.

Nadia graduated from UCLA with a BA in Business/Economics and a minor in Public Policy and has a Master in Public Health and Nutrition from the University of Washington in Seattle. In her spare time, she works on global health nutrition research projects, travels, and mentors others interested in nutrition or the non-profit space.

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Adnan Mahmud

Co-Founder & Director, Jolkona R&D

Adnan Mahmud is the co-founder of Jolkona and was the CEO during its start-up phase. His motivation for starting Jolkona comes from having grown up in Bangladesh and witnessing some of the worst conditions that humans are forced to live through and wanting to do something about it. Although these conditions are very unfortunate, he sees opportunities for using technology to improve these conditions.

Adnan has over seven years experience managing technology related projects at Microsoft. During the day, Adnan currently works as a Program Manager at Microsoft Corporation heading the technology transfers out of the research lab in Beijing. He holds a BS from Angelo State University and a MS degree in Computer Science from the University of Southern California.

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Seema Bhende

Director of Strategy

Seema is passionate about how Jolkona connects everyday people with a passion for giving back to high-impact projects. Seema has dedicated her career to philanthropy and specializes in the development of strategic, win-win partnerships between the private and public sector. In her day job, Seema is a Senior Director with Waggener Edstrom's Social Innovation practice focusing on corporate social responsibility projects.

Prior to joining Waggener, Seema served as Director of Strategic Philanthropy with L'Oreal Paris in New York City. Before L'Oreal, Seema worked in India for Futures Group, an international development consulting company where she worked on public healthcare projects. At the same time, she was a project manager for a grassroots nonprofit, The Kutumb Foundation, that provides education and healthcare services to slum communities in New Delhi. Seema started her career in strategy consulting for The Corporate Executive Board in Washington DC.

Seema graduated with a bachelor of arts in International Economics and Spanish from the George Washington University. She is fluent in Spanish, proficient in Hindi and conversational in Mandarin.

Kaylin King

Director of Development

Kaylin King is responsible for Jolkona's development efforts. Kaylin hopes to build a constituency of donors and partners who share Jolkona's vision of creative approaches to alleviate socio-economic problems. Prior to joining Jolkona, Kaylin worked with the Buntain Foundation, assisting in product creation, branding and marketing of fair trade retail products.

While pursuing a BA from the University of Wisconsin, Kaylin's passion for international development impelled her to travel the world - from elementary school teacher in Argentina to development project work in South Africa to participating in student exchange programs in Turkey and Chile. Kaylin's travels have ultimately landed her in Seattle, where she recently completed an MA in International Care and Community Development from Northwest University.

Katina George-Roohi

Director of Events

Katina is the Director of Events at Jolkona. She brings 22 years of hospitality, event and tourism experience to her position. At a very young age, Katina was intrigued by culture, religion and geography. She combined her passion of tourism and followed three family generations of hospitality careerists and pursued her formal education at the Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality. Her career and creativity has taken her around the world; from creating a black tie oasis in the desert of Dubai, team building in the Serengeti, chartering luxury ocean liners sailing the 7 seas for non-profit fundraisers, to using the Pacific Northwest as a backdrop for all manner of meetings and events. Creating one of kind, memorable experiences for her clients is what brings her the greatest career satisfaction.

Personally..."I enjoy the culinary arts and wine. I love to explore international cuisine and enjoy preparing the perfect dinner for my family and friends. Have passport, will travel! My favorite destinations thus far are; Dubrovnik Croatia, Dubai UAE, Italy, Germany, Honduras, Belize, Africa and sailing the blue waters of the Caribbean. I enjoy sharing my passions with the public and conducting travel seminars and continuing education courses at the college level. I am also involved in philanthropic organizations, serving as a mentor and educator to disadvantage youth in their pursuit of careers in hospitality and tourism."

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Mari Hirabayashi

Co-Director of Events and Sponsorships

Mari is the Co-Director of Events and Sponsorships at Jolkona. With over 8 years of event management, marketing and community support with an emphasis in the nonprofit sector, she brings excitement and fresh fundraising ideas to the organization.

Previously, Mari worked for the Martinez Foundation, providing scholarships to teachers of color in Washington State. Learning more about children coming from disadvantaged situations fueled her to get more involved in her local community.

Dedicated to volunteerism, a Nepal trip, in which she worked with orphans with disabilities, her mission became to help others in need, especially children facing great obstacles such as lack of proper healthcare, education, food and shelter. In Seattle, she tutors at Maple Elementary working to close the achievement gap in education.

Mari graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in English literature. Today she loves all things literature, travel, food and adventure. Find her blog at mariscoop.blogspot.com

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Meryn Shetye

Co-Director of Events and Sponsorships

Meryn is Jolkona’s Co-Director of Events and Sponsorships and her role involves being responsible for the development and implementation of events and partnering with corporate sponsors.

Meryn was born and educated in England and graduated with a B.A in Music Industry Management from Buckinghamshire College and an M.Sc in Corporate Communications from Thames Valley University. During the day, she currently works for Coinstar Inc. as the Communications Specialist. There she is responsible for developing communications deliverables in support of internal stakeholders.

Prior to that, she has a background in designing, producing and executing a large range of different events as previous roles have included the Live Events Producer for the British Broadcasting Company and Communications Consultant for Laird Norton Tyee in Seattle.

Meryn lives in the greater Seattle area with her husband and two sons, works out by doing Zumba and enjoys the beautiful Pacific Northwest with friends and family. She has a passion for maternal, newborn and child health throughout the world.

Pragya Mahnot

Marketing Advisor for Events

Pragya is the Marketing Advisor for the Events team at Jolkona. She leverages social media tools to execute strategies and maximize reach in the community. Her specialization in advertising brings in an amalgamation of creativity and uniqueness to the marketing efforts for the events. Prior to joining Jolkona, she was associated with Rotaract for 3 years in the capacity of a volunteer, editor and President. She spearheaded many projects for poor and disabled children in India.

Pragya did her Bachelors degree in Visual Arts and persuaded her Post Graduation Diploma in Advertising and Marketing from India. She worked as a Research Associate in advertising team, with Manav Rachna International University, India prior to moving to Seattle. Apart from being a conceptualizer, she also worked as a freelance writer for a leading newspaper brand - The Times of India.

Jolkona is a transparent platform for giving and helping people around the world. The belief that small donations can make a huge impact is the reason she is here today.

Ariel Gold

Director of Campus Outreach

Ariel Gold is responsible for connecting the next generation of philanthropy to Jolkona through Campus Outreach. She brings more than 5 years experience in nonprofit management, strategic planning, and community building. Most recently, she worked with the Campus Kitchens Project where she was responsible for overseeing a national anti-hunger program. Ariel is a committee member for the Seattle Youth Garden Network Works and JConnect Seattle.

Ariel received a Masters Public Administration concentrating in nonprofit management from University of North Carolina and a B.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in Human Services from the George Washington University.

Dania Primley

Director of Human Resources

Dania is heading up the Human Resources program with Jolkona, helping with the intern on boarding and recruiting process as well as volunteer management. She has been developing Job Descriptions and processes to ensure the interns have a seamless transition in and out of Jolkona. Our volunteers and interns are an integral part of our team and she makes sure that they get as much out of Jolkona (or more) as they put in!

Dania graduated from the University of Washington Foster School of Business with a degree in Human Resource management and a certificate of International Studies in Business. She brings a background in Human Resource management and has held HR positions with Associates in Cultural Exchange, Target Corporation, and International Inspection Inc.

Fueled by her desire to eradicate poverty and poor health conditions worldwide she has volunteered at various place including: John Stanford International School, Camp Side by Side, Associates in Cultural Exchange, Make a Wish Foundation, and various others. After attending the International Women's Day event she was drawn to Jolkona due to their unique idea of bringing in donors to projects all over the world and country.

Maheen Aman

Campus Outreach Lead

Maheen completed her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan, with a major in psychology and minor in women’s health. Taking women’s health as well as public health classes is what sparked her interest in global health and development. Maheen worked as a reading tutor at an inner city school in Detroit, MI, which opened her eyes up to the disparities present among populations within the United States. Her family is from Bangladesh and from her experiences and trips there, she also saw how these differences are prevalent all over the world. Viewing the impact that tutors made through a school partnership program in Michigan, and seeing how much difference just a few dollars and/or donation of time can make in someone’s life is what continued her interest in non- profit work and global development. She has worked in a tutoring/ academic advising/ coaching capacity, with her recent experience being as a health educator for the past two years and is excited to now help lead Jolkona’s outreach efforts among college and high school aged students.

Rekha Ravindran

Campus Outreach Lead

Rekha Ravindran is Jolkona’s Campus Outreach Lead and responsible for building awareness in college campuses. She hopes to empower more students to address global inequalities. Rekha is a recent graduate of the University of Washington, receiving Bachelor degrees in Biology and Public Health. She currently works at the University of Washington Medical Center and also volunteers for the Lifelong AIDS Alliance.

Last summer, she took a trip to India and saw first-hand the immense disparities present in developing countries. This inspired her to become more involved in public health and nonprofit organizations. She is passionate about engaging young people and looks forward to recruiting more students to help Jolkona!

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Jordan Belmonte

Director of Giving Campaign

Jordan is passionate about connecting people with technology solutions to enhance their lives, their businesses and their communities. Jordan became interested in Jolkona while interning at GMMB working on The Gates Foundation Communications Team. During her internship she saw that even the ultra-rich cannot solve the world’s problems alone, it takes all of us to create an impact. She became excited about the way Jolkona uses technology to awaken the philanthropist in every individual.

Jordan comes to Jolkona with a diverse background in Marketing, PR and Event planning. She recently greaduated from Seattle University with a BA in Strategic Communication and Marketing—while obtaining her degree Jordan interned with several companies including, Publicis, GMMB, BDA and Expedia. In her senior year at Seattle University Jordan started contracting at Microsoft as a Search Account Manger facilitating the Microsoft and Yahoo! Search Alliance. Today in her a day job Jordan enjoys developing new online advertising solutions as a contract Product Marketing Manager with Microsoft’s Global Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group. In addition to Jolkona, Jordan volunteers for Ad Club Seattle and The NW Product Management Consortium.

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Melinda Moseler

Marketing Communications Content Manager

Melinda Moseler is the Marketing Communications Content Manager for Jolkona. She is excited to work with Jolkona's passionate staff to drive and innovative communication and marketing strategy - her focus will on content creation and using her laser sharp editing skills. In her day job, Melinda is a Senior Measurement Analyst with Waggener Edstrom's Insight & Analytics team providing clients with measured actionable returns on influence.

She comes to Jolkona with a background in a marketing, media buying and business analytics. In past roles, she served on the Marketing team for Community Health Plan of Washington a local non-profit where she lead statewide event sponsorships with American Lung Association of Washington. She is an avid "giver" who has fundraised for JDRF & participated in Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. In her spare time, Melinda enjoys spending time with friends and family, running half marathons and a healthy amount window shopping.

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Sadia Khawaja

Media Designer

Sadia Khawaja is Jolkona’s Media Designer and is in charge of all of our print design needs. She is passionate about design and how it can be used to also make a global impact. In her day job, she works in creative services at Sony Entertainment Studios. In her spare time, she also runs a custom couture event and stationary company called Paperdaydream and is the Social Media Editor and Producer of an online South Asian wedding blog called DivaneeWedding.

Prior to working at Sony, Sadia has worked at Nordstrom in visual merchandising and as a Media Planner for Team One Advertising. She has a B.A. from the Unviersity of California, Irvine in Studio Arts and Graphic Design.