2017 SEERS Fellows - Full Bios
Christopher (Chris) Ategeka
Christopher Ategeka is a Ugandan Engineer and Social Entrepreneur who is working to ensure everyone on the African continent has access to timely, quality health care. He founded Health Access Corps (formerly Rides for Lives) to combat the dire shortage of healthcare personnel across the African continent. In an effort to curb the “brain drain” of talented healthcare professionals from African communities, Health Access Crops incentivizes trained healthcare professionals to stay and work within their local communities. In addition, the organization invests in training and placement of new health personnel to increase the talent pool of professionals committed to working in underserved areas of their countries. "All lives have equal value,” Christopher says. “We must make sure that all humans in every corner of the world have access to quality healthcare.”
Chris has won many awards for his work, most recently, TED Fellow and World Economic forum Young Global Leader. He is a 2014 Forbes Magazine 30 Under 30, Ashoka fellow and Echoing Green fellow. Chris' work has been featured in many major media publications both local and International such as BBC, Forbes and FastCompany. Chris holds a Bachelors of Science, and Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
Hometown: Fort Portal, Uganda
Organizational affiliation: Health Access Corps
Organizational Overview and Role:
I am the founder and CEO of Health Access Corps whose mission is to combat the dire shortage of healthcare personnel across the developing world starting on the African continent. We recruit, incentivize and support trained healthcare professionals to stay and work within their local communities. In addition, the organization invests in training and placement of new health personnel to increase the talent pool of professionals committed to working in underserved areas of their countries.
Why do you do that work that you do?
The drive came from suffering many personal tragedies due to lack of healthcare access. I have been personally affected by the problem I work to solve. I was born and raised in rural Uganda -regions with little to no health services; I suffered the loss of both parents to HIV/AIDS, something that could have been prevented. I grew up as a total orphan and personally experienced the negative effects of lack of healthcare access first hand - including a time when my brother Philip, under my care, died of malaria before he was 10 years old; this too could have been prevented. I decide to commit my life to making sure that people in rural areas like the one I grew up in Uganda; do not suffer or die from preventable illnesses due to lack of healthcare access.
What you hope to achieve at Stanford?
-Share my knowledge and experience with students as well as learn from them.
-Take some time to explore new relationships and collaboration opportunities within the ecosystem and beyond.
-Utilize part of my time on campus researching and writing about ways to support aspiring social entrepreneurs coming from disadvantaged backgrounds to access capital at the friends and family rounds of financing.
Favorite quote or fun fact about yourself!
"In the end, Love Wins." CA
Social media or multi-media:
personal twitter: @chrisategeka
Company twitter: @hacorps
Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthaccesscorps/
Cristi Hegranes
Global Press exists to create a more just and informed world by employing local female journalists to produce ethical, accurate news coverage from the world’s least-covered places. Global Press operates a training program, Global Press Institute, an award-winning news publication, Global Press Journal, and an innovative syndication division, Global Press News Service. GPI has trained and employed 180 journalists across 26 developing countries, including Haiti, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
Hometown: Santa Fe, NM
Organizational Affiliation
Global Press (Institute, Journal and News Service)
Organizational Overview and Role
Global Press exists to create a more just and informed world by employing local journalists to produce ethical, accurate news coverage from the world's least-covered places.
Global Press trains and employs a diverse population of journalists in the developing media markets where they live to produce context-rich, nuanced news coverage that provides local and global audiences with high-quality, professional news that elevates awareness and creates actionable opportunities for citizens.
Global Press is an international media organization dedicated to reinventing both the craft and business of global journalism. Global Press operates a training program, Global Press Institute, an award-winning news publication, Global Press Journal, and an innovative syndication division, Global Press News Service.
Why do you do that work that you do?
I believe the journalism is the ultimate development tool. After serving as a foreign correspondent in my early 20s, I became disillusioned with the traditional methods used to gather news from developing communities. Instead of parachuting in outsiders to tell clichéd stories of war, poverty, disaster and disease, why not offer local women the opportunity to take on positions of literate leadership and enable them to increase access to information locally and globally?
What you hope to achieve at Stanford?
During my time at Stanford, I hope to have the opportunity to both give and receive knowledge. In the classroom, I hope to offer deep insights into how to build a sustainable world-changing enterprise that solves for multiple global problems simultaneously. Outside of the classroom, I hope to network with members of the Stanford community in order to elevate brand awareness and learn from others about new ways to scale and sustain a growing organization.
Favorite quote or fun fact about yourself!
At the age of 6 I told my mom I wanted to be a journalist who traveled the world, and that I couldn’t wait to be 37. (I’ll turn 37 this year! Finally!)
Social media or multi-media:
Twitter @cristihegranes and @globalpress
Instagram @globalpressjournal
Global Press videos available at Vimeo
Raj Jayadev
Raj Jayadev is the co-founder of Silicon Valley De-Bug, a community organizing and advocacy organization based in San Jose, California. For nearly fifteen years, the organization has been a platform for the least heard of Silicon Valley – youth, immigrants, low-income workers, the incarcerated – to impact the political, cultural, and social landscape of the region.
Through De-Bug's criminal justice community organizing program called the Albert Cobarrubias Justice Project, they created "participatory defense" a methodology for families whose loved ones are facing the criminal court system to impact the outcome of the case of their loved one and change the landscape of power in the courts. De-Bug has incubated participatory defense hubs across the country and is building a national participatory defense network of community organizations to make ground up systemic change in the courts.
Jayadev’s community organizing and writings have been featured in The New York Times, Huffington Post, Time.com, and media outlets across the country. He is a 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Visionary of the Year. To expand and deepen his work, he is currently an Ashoka Fellow and Rosenberg Leading Edge Fellow.
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Organizational Affiliation: Silicon Valley De-Bug
Organizational Overview and Role
A key piece of our work is the implementation and growth of a community organizing methodology we created called “participatory defense” — a model for families and communities to impact the outcome of cases of their loved ones facing the criminal justice system and change the landscape of power in the courts. We are taking on mass incarceration and immigration detention — one family at a time — by bringing a community organizing ethic to the courts. I am the coordinator of the organization.
Why do you do that work that you do?
I know fathers that are in their children’s lives rather than being locked up, and young people in college instead of prison because of this participatory defense approach. I have seen “time served” (the term the system uses to quantify time of incarceration) turn into “time saved” (a term we use to quantify years saved from incarceration due to the efforts of a family and community) through this work. And as a story-teller, you want to produce media that makes a difference, and I have seen our videos used in court save people’s lives.
What you hope to achieve at Stanford?
At Stanford, I want to really examine the mechanics of the court structure, and see where community and family voice can transform the apparatus. I want to connect with faculty who are arriving at the same questions as I am, but from a different vantage point. What does right to counsel really mean? How can it truly be actualized? And I hope to produce usable participatory defense tools in order to grow and deepen the practice.
Favorite quote or fun fact about yourself!
“Can’t get wet talking about water.” — Krishnamurthy
Social media or multi-media:
Twitter handles: @svdebug and @ACJProject
Facebook: SV De-Bug
Instagram: Sv debug
Here's a five minute clip on participatory defense:
Carolyn Laub
Carolyn Laub is a non-profit strategy consultant and social entrepreneur based in San Francisco. She consults with social justice non-profits and foundations on strategy, policy, movement building, strategic communications, scaling and replication. She leverages deep content expertise in LGBTQ equality, education justice, youth leadership, and community organizing. Carolyn is a strategist with the Wonder: Strategies for Good network of communication strategists. Recently, she co-founded Springboard Partners, an incubator of both high impact social justice campaigns and startup companies. Previously, Carolyn founded Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Network, which organizes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) youth advocating for safety and justice in schools. Over 16 years she grew the number of GSA clubs in California from 40 to 940, trained youth advocates who helped 12 statewide laws, replicated her California model in four other states, and created a network serving 3,000+ GSA clubs in 39 states. Carolyn is an Echoing Green Fellow and Ashoka Fellow, as well as a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. She holds a BA in Cultural Anthropology from Stanford University.
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Organizational Affiliation:
Co-Founder, Springboard Partners
Strategist, Wonder: Strategies for Good
Independent Consultant
Tell us about your organization and role
I organize people and align resources to create social justice. As an entrepreneur, I incubate campaigns and businesses that will create a more socially and environmentally just world. As a consultant, I help non-profits develop strategies to grow and deepen their impact – whether that is to create equity in schools, end discrimination and violence against LGBTQ youth, or unlock power and possibility for all young people. As a communications strategist, I help foundations and nonprofits tell stories that will persuade people to invest in the power of communities changing the world for good.
Why do you do that work that you do?
I believe in the power of people to change their community. I began organizing in college, fighting for food justice, ending sexual assault, and funding ethnic community centers. I came out during the AIDS epidemic and ACT UP taught me resistance. I got politicized following the Rodney King riots, learned about solidarity and becoming a white anti-racist ally. Today my daughters continue to inspire me to fight for a socially just, and environmentally sustainable future.
What you hope to achieve at Stanford?
I am excited to be back on campus after 20+ years away. I am interested in connecting with and learning from students and faculty alike around a diverse set of interests and passions: reimagining the purpose of school, designing solutions to the problems of food waste and exploring how to leverage what we know about the brain and storytelling in order to create more effective social movements.
Favorite quote or fun fact about yourself!
Fun fact: As a girl, growing up I dreamed of becoming a ballerina or a mathematician. It wasn’t until college at Stanford that I changed course from mathematician to social justice activist.
Social media or multi-media:
Social media: www.facebook.com/carolynlaub
Video: https://www.irvine.org/leadership-awards/recipients/carolyn-laub