Author: Jim Fruchterman

Sinekhaya is a Solutions Engineer on the Aselo project having joined the team in Feb 2023. With an appreciation for the transformative power of technology, he is passionate about optimising business processes and operations to deliver exceptional user experiences. His professional journey encompasses diverse roles in financial technology, banking, and higher education, leveraging his expertise gained since graduating with a B. Com in Information Systems from the University of Cape Town. Currently based in Cape Town, South Africa, Sinekhaya finds joy in the simple pleasures of life, often enjoying leisurely walks on the beach and indulging in African Fiction books.

Alejandro is a software engineer with 7+ years of experience working in different positions related to software development. It wasn’t until he lived in rural Kenya that he realized the positive impact that technology can have on society. Alejandro has spent more than four years working for an NGO whose mission was to eradicate the hunger season across East Africa. He joined Tech Matters as a Solutions Engineer on the Aselo project to prove to himself once more that technology matters. In his spare time, he spends hours playing with his daughter, taking walks with his family, and growing a food forest.

Mythily is a software engineer based in Toronto, Canada, who brings a unique blend of understanding user experience and technology expertise to her work. After earning her degree in Behavioral Science and Psychology from the University of Toronto, she spent nearly a decade as a therapist and consultant, working directly with clients to drive meaningful change. Her transition to software development was inspired by witnessing firsthand how technological solutions could scale impact. She joined Tech Matters to work on the Aselo project in Jan 2022. When she's not crafting code, you'll find her exploring Ontario's trails with her four-legged hiking companion, Ruby, discovering new destinations, or diving into whatever hobby has recently caught her curiosity.

Katy is a data scientist, linguist, and researcher with over a decade of experience in research development, data analysis, and machine learning / natural language processing. She is passionate about empowering people with data, and values knowledge creation via a multitude of methods, from recording narrative stories, to small team interviews, to mapping systems from administrative datasets, and in models trained over corpora of natural language or quantified via survey questions and in health assessments. She has worked with a range of collaborators, from non-profits providing human services, to a data incubator focused on ethics and societal impact, within an interdisciplinary research center at a medical university, and in higher education teaching and research, and takes a systems approach to engaging in research and technology development.

Humairaa is a proud Africanist, intrapreneur, critical thinker, and problem solver with a high aptitude for logical reasoning, strategic thinking, and mathematical analysis. Fueled by a strong passion for humanity, nature, technology, and learning, she continuously seeks multidimensional challenge, growth, and improvement opportunities. Humairaa is inspired by the possibility of a world that delights in diversity and embraces complexity, and has chosen to dedicate her life and skills to committed teams and progressive technologies to deliver intelligent and sustainable impact.

Dee is a Product Manager interested in leveraging innovative technology to build empathy-driven solutions that empower individuals and their communities. She has experience building SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) business software after working at Yext, a New York-based technology company, and has worked on pro bono projects for international social enterprises as a past fellow of the MovingWorlds Institute. She joined Tech Matters in December 2020 to lead the product management for Aselo and is based in New York City.

Jana is a seasoned user experience designer and an occasional serial entrepreneur. After co-founding the first online wedding planning site, Wedding Channel, Jana spent almost a decade working on Amazon’s Recommendations and Bestsellers teams. Jana joined the Tech Matters team in March of 2020 as the UX Designer for the Aselo helpline platform. Jana also serves as a Startup Advisor at the University of Washington mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs.

Annalise is a Product Manager interested in co-creating mission-driven technology alongside communities and governments. Previously at Schmidt Futures, a tech philanthropy, she rotated as a product manager between tech nonprofits and startups including Recidiviz, a criminal justice reform nonprofit, and JustFix, a housing justice nonprofit. Before this, Annalise worked in software engineering at Lyft and Uber, and in conversational UX (user experience) design at IBM Research. She graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Computer Science, and is currently based in Brooklyn, NY. In her free time, you can find her making pottery, adventuring outdoors, or learning something new.

Steve is a Software Engineer with 20-years’ experience leading projects in industries including e-commerce, healthcare, video games, road haulage, finance, and consumer electronics, in organizations ranging from a three-person start-up to large multinationals and the Welsh National Health Service. He came to software the long way around, after studying History & Economics at Manchester University. He joined Tech Matters to work on the Aselo project in December 2021 and is based in Galway, Ireland. In his free time, he helps out at local Autism charities but also consumes large amounts of bad TV.

Michele is a leading Senior Project Manager in Telecommunications, with over two decades of experience. Over the course of her career, Michele has managed a variety of Telecom Projects, specializing in implementing systems for Public Safety Entities, Large-Scale Municipalities, School Districts, National Accounts and Private Sector Corporations. Contact Centers, PBX Integrations, Cloud Base Telephony and Carrier Solutions are just a few of the platforms Michele has experience with. Michele has always prided herself on solving problems, and having the trust and respect of her peers and clients. With years of dedication in providing clients with cutting-edge Telecom Solutions, Michele is thrilled to put forth her efforts with Aselo and the Child Help Lines. It’s such an amazing and important cause. In her spare time, Michele can be found spending quality time with her husband and two children. Both her daughter and son keep the family super busy with their competitive gymnastics and musical talents. Michele was born and raised in New Jersey, and is now raising her family in the Upstate of South Carolina.