Meet Our Advisory Committee Members
Faisa Farole
Fun Fact
A fun fact about her is that Faisa is a language lover. She loves watching movies in different languages for the sole purpose of learning that language. She knows phrases in Hindi, Turkish, and Arabic.
Faisa Farole
Faisa Farole is a remarkable individual with a diverse array of skills and passions. With her master’s degree in Maternal Child Health Systems and her licensure as a midwife in Washington state, she is deeply involved in maternal and child healthcare. Leading a solo practice in the only Black-owned birth center in the state highlights her commitment to serving marginalized communities and providing culturally sensitive care.
Faisa’s dedication extends beyond her practice as she actively mentors aspiring Black midwives, paving the way for the next generation of healthcare professionals. Her nonprofit organization, Global Perinatal Services, demonstrates her commitment to social justice by offering doula services free of charge to low-income, Black, refugee, and immigrant communities.
As a doula trainer and certified lactation counselor, Faisa empowers individuals with the knowledge and skills to support mothers during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. Her vision of educating women about their birthing options reflects her advocacy for informed decision-making and autonomy in healthcare.
Outside of her professional endeavors, Faisa enjoys spending quality time with her family, engaging in outdoor activities like hiking, and fostering meaningful conversations about current events. Her passion for crocheting showcases her creativity and ability to find moments of relaxation amidst her busy schedule. Overall, Faisa Farole is a compassionate leader and advocate for maternal and child health equity.
Faisha would love to gain more tools to bring awareness and education to families and other healthcare providers.
Ahado Abdi
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Ahado is that she enjoys traveling to different countries.
Ahado Abdi
Ahado Abdi was born in Nairobi, Kenya and her family moved to the United States in 2004. She grew up in Kent, Washington, and graduated from Decatur High School. After high school, she attended the Pudget Sounds Skills Center where she received her dental assistant certification. Shortly after, she received her cosmetology license from Tint Makeup and Cosmetology. Currently, she works at Mother Africa, a nonprofit organization, as a case manager and advocate for the Somali Bantu community. Ahado also owns a salon, where she provides outstanding services to promote confidence and self-worth while helping clients express their individual styles.
She works with the Somali Bantu community who are refugees from Dadaab Refugee Camp in Nairobi, Kenya where FGM is still happening and being done without any medical treatment; afterward, her goal is to help spread the word so survivors can heal and upcoming generations can put a stop to this practice.
Emily Lerosion
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Emily is that she is a happy soul who loves singing and dancing, even though she may not consider herself a professional singer or dancer.
Emily Lerosion
Emily Lerosion is a Samburu Indigenous woman leader originally from Laikipia North, Kenya, now based in Washington State. In addition to her roles as a wife and mother, she is a dedicated development worker and a passionate human rights activist, focusing her advocacy on the rights of women, girls, and vulnerable children. She proudly represents several prestigious organizations, including the CIVICUS World Alliance, the UN Global Indigenous Youth Caucus, and the Universal Periodic Review Kenya team, while also contributing as a member of the Women and Gender Constituency. Her academic background includes graduating from the Deep Democracy Institute as a Trainer of Trainers and completing the 8th edition of the FIMI Global Leadership School, along with a degree in Advocacy and Human Rights from Columbia University. She firmly believes in the transformative power of collective action, emphasizing that “Women can make a real difference, only if they team up, stand up for their voices, and act.”
Neelam Khaki
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Neelam is that she can speak English backward.
Neelam Khaki
Neelam Khaki is a graduate of LLB Laws from the London School of Economics and completed the Legal Practice Course at the College of Law, London. Prior to moving to the U.S. in 2004, she was employed at a London City law firm.
She pursued her interest in social justice in a voluntary capacity whilst working for The Samaritans, a UK-based organization supporting suicidal clients. Upon moving to Washington State, Neelam worked with Lifewire as a helpline volunteer, supporting survivors in domestic violence situations, and later as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, supporting minors subject to dependency proceedings.
Neelam has worked as Coordinator of the Peaceful Families Taskforce (PFT) within API Chaya since 2013.
API Chaya is a Seattle-based nonprofit serving South Asian, Middle Eastern, and API survivors of gender-based violence. Her role within the PFT involves working with local Muslim communities to create peaceful families, using the Quranic Family Model, through training, education, and community engagement. Much of her work is based on domestic violence prevention, including the development of “Bonds of Kinship,” a curriculum that seeks to cultivate positive family relationships through education and skill-building, based on Islamic teaching and scientific data. Neelam is currently developing a “Bonds of Kinship” premarital curriculum. Her work also involves supporting survivors of faith through the PFT’s “A New Beginning” program, together with “The Best of You,” a personal development program for Muslim men, based within a DV prevention framework.
Neelam has a position on the Board of Directors of the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and has recently accepted a position on the WA State Advisory Committee on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting. She is also a member of the Washington Gender-based Violence Prevention Collaborative.
Outside of work, Neelam enjoys spending time with her family, reading, art, and voluntary work.
Rachael Gathoni
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Rachael is that she is a quick learner and is available to advocate for the rights of the community members in the Pacific Northwest.
Rachael Gathoni
Rachael Gathoni came to the United States from Kenya over a decade ago. She faced language and access barriers, and culture as she sought to integrate into Washington State. All this led to her now-great career and success in being a center force in the community when it comes to matters of complex health care and systems.
Her other achievements and experiences include that she is suicide & crisis assistance trained, a certified bilingual language access provider, residential care services experience with community protection involvement, tobacco cessation and referral program trained by Mayo Clinic, DOJ-Immigration & Family law trained to help serve asylum seekers and immigrants, and youth and incarcerated fathers.
Her participation is purely to assist in making sure the community education in this matter has been addressed and the community is well equipped to deal with it.
Anni-Michele Jean-Pierre
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Anni-Michele is that she has training in classical violin and Muay Thai kickboxing.
Anni-Michele Jean-Pierre
Anni-Michele Jean-Pierre has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Spanish from Emory University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. She is licensed to practice law in California and Texas, and her passion for change at the policy level was ignited while working in immigration and criminal law. It was in those contexts that she saw how often systems fail, and how important it is to develop and implement policies that center the voices of those who stand to be most impacted.
Anni-Michele serves as Senior Policy Director at Children’s Alliance and is excited to work with community voices to effect change on behalf of kids and families in her home state of Washington.
She is excited to be part of the advisory committee because she is passionate about community-led policy change and implementation. As an attorney and public policy advocate, she is excited to leverage her training and experience to support survivors of FGM/C and help ensure that Washington’s new laws reflect the intent behind the legislation.
Esther Lekuraru Hsc
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Esther is that she loves dancing.
Esther Lekuraru Hsc
Esther Lekuraru Hsc is an indigenous Maasai woman originally from Laikipia North, Kenya. One of Kenya’s 22 FGM hotspots, her parents subjected her to Female Genital Mutilation at the tender age of fifteen years. For the longest time, the vice robbed her of her innocence and dignity. She somehow survived the physical and emotional trauma to share her story with the world. She’s the founding Director of Oasis of Love Centre, a grassroots community-based organization that raises awareness of FGM. She’s also a recipient of a presidential Head of State Commemorate award received in recognition of her efforts to end Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting.
On the 8th of November 2019, she was among a high-level elders forum convened from cultural and religious communities with high rates of FGM that signed a commitment to support the president’s vision to end FGM by 2022 courtesy of UNFPA. Oasis of Love Center was recently awarded an award by the ANTI-FGM BOARD Kenya to mark International Day for zero tolerance for FGM 2023 at Doldol, Laikipia North. Her dream is to see a world free of FGM. No other girl should go through the shame of FGM. She’s excited to share her rich lived experience with the advisory committee for a positive impact on Washington state.
Kimberly Mathis
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Kimberly is that she wanted to be a police officer when she was a kid.
Kimberly Mathis
Kimberly Mathis has worked in state service as an Administrative Assistant for 23 years, and now as a Legislative Liaison. She started with the Department as an Administrative Assistant in various units, including Policy and Legislative Affairs, where she fell in love with the energy and excitement of legislation and its process. In 2018, she became a Legislative Analyst for the Washington State Patrol to further her passion for the law.
She is thrilled to be part of the advisory board, working to engage with the community and put an end to this heinous crime through education and awareness. She is also excited to be part of the advisory board to engage with the community and end this heinous crime through education and awareness.
Sandy McCool
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Sandy is that one of her favorite things to do on the weekends is playing pickleball with friends and family!
Sandy McCool
Sandy McCool is the statewide intake and investigations program manager with the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families. She has worked in child welfare since 2003, and in public child welfare since 2015. During this time, she has provided direct services to children and families as a case worker and supervised child welfare programs. Also, she served as a quality practice specialist providing consultation and mentorship to field operations staff to improve child safety outcomes and practice improvement. Prior to state service, she was a program manager of evidence-based practices and is a certified Incredible Years Parent Group Leader for children ages 0-9. She is trained in various Evidence-based practices and has supervised/mentored staff ensuring success with fidelity for projections and performance-based outcomes. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Children, Youth, and Family Studies from Trinity Lutheran College and an Associate of Arts in Chemical Dependency and Early Childhood Education.
She is excited to bring awareness and training support to child welfare staff around the impact that FGM/C has on the children, youth, families, and communities being served through DCYF child protective services.
Joanna P Stephens, MD
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Joanna is that she played the violin in a rock concert with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Joanna P Stephens, MD
Joanna P Stephens, MD is a family physician and asylum evaluator in Seattle, Washington. She completed her medical training at the University of Pennsylvania and then pursued her interest in women’s health through a fellowship in family medicine obstetrics at the University of Rochester. She has worked and volunteered in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Morocco. She is currently on the faculty at the University of Washington Asylum Clinic where she performs evaluations of survivors of FGM/C.
She is excited to work with this incredible group of passionate humans, working towards helping survivors and preventing FGM/C in the future!
Musu Bakoto Sawo
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Musu is that her inner pop star comes out sometimes.
Musu Bakoto Sawo
Musu Bakoto Sawo is a feminist and human rights lawyer and defender with over 18 years of experience in children’s and women’s rights advocacy and activism. She holds a Master of Laws in Human Rights and Democratization in Africa and a Master of Global Affairs in International Peace Studies and Gender Studies. With over 10 years of leadership experience in program and policy development, advocacy, and fundraising, Musu has made significant contributions to non-profit organizations and public institutions in The Gambia and across the African continent.
Musu is the recipient of numerous international and African human rights awards, including the 2018 Commonwealth Points of Light from Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the 2020 Daily Trust African of the Year, and the Vera Chirwa Award from the Center for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. All these awards recognize her work for women and girls in The Gambia and beyond, particularly in relation to harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM). Her advocacy efforts contributed to the enactment of the legislation that banned both FGM and child marriage in The Gambia.
This is an opportunity to extend her work on FGM in the US both as a survivor and a professional working on FGM and related issues. She is excited to share her expertise but to also learn best practices from other members of the Committee.
Absa Samba
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Absa is that she skydived in Hawai’i.
Absa Samba
Absa Samba is a survivor and an activist against FGC. She co-founded and led the Washington Coalition to End FGM/C which worked to get the state to pass a law prohibiting the practice of FGC in the state. Absa is a 2023 Equality Now and the OpEd Project fellow for the Advancement of the Rights of Women and Girls in the United States and had her op-eds on FGC published in Ms. Magazine and Newsweek.
Absa works as a Global Engagement Manager at the University of Washington’s International Program in Public Health Leadership. Where she also obtained her masters in Public Administration and Social Work. Absa aspires to see a world free of female genital cutting so girls like herself can grow to their full potential.
She wants to see a Washington free from FGC and she is excited to support that work through the Advisory committee.
Becky McElhiney
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Becky is that she is a lifelong Washington resident and loves exploring all the natural beauty this state has to offer. Hiking is one of her favorite ways to do this and though she has completed many, the list that she’d like to do is much longer!
Becky McElhiney
Becky McElhiney has worked for the Washington State Department of Health for 10 years, the last 5 of which have been in health professions program management. As program manager for the medical assistant professions and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery, her primary duty is oversight of the laws and policies that regulate the professions to ensure patient safety.
As a public health employee and someone who cares deeply about human rights, she is honored to be a part of this important work in spreading awareness and advocating for those impacted by this harmful practice.
Severina Lemachokoti
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Severina is that she is a social human being and thrives where people are united.
Severina Lemachokoti
Severina Lemachokoti is an anti-FGM campaigner, a human rights defender, and a gender activist from the Samburu community in Northern Kenya. Severina has earned various recognitions for her community work, and she is the 2018 Global Woman Award Winner – survivor activist by the Global Women Peace Foundation. She was the Cultural Ambassador-Kenya at Wichita State University, a position that enabled her to engage with the Wichita community and students in Wichita public schools. She has spoken on various platforms including the UN, Albany College in New York, Wichita State University, and other community forums in the US to create awareness of FGM/C. She has participated in various research findings on issues of FGM and the psychological impact it has on women, including research published by Rutgers University, Women Studies Department. Severina is a professionally trained teacher, she holds a master’s degree in liberal studies majoring in community psychology, sociology, and women’s studies. Severina is a trained counselor and holds a bachelor’s degree in counseling psychology and a higher diploma in Psychological Counseling.
As a young, educated woman, she empowers and educates to bring sustainable change in the communities. Prior to moving to the USA, Severina worked for the anti-FGM Board, a government body under the Ministry of Gender to implement the Anti-FGM Act of 2011 and the 2010 constitution of Kenya to protect the rights of young girls in Kenya. Severina currently serves as a board member of Days for Girls International and Days for Girls Board Kenya chapter. She is the Board Vice Chair of the Maasai in Diaspora Association here in the United States and Chairperson of Samburu Women Trust Board of Trustees, an organization that empowers indigenous women in Kenya. Severina is a member of various organizations in Kenya and Africa that defend the rights of young girls and women and she uses her own story as an FGM survivor to create awareness of the effects of FGM. She believes that FGM survivors should be given a platform to tell their own stories and get support in the healing process. Her story with the Sahiyo organization on YouTube has created a lot of impact in creating awareness of FGM/C through survivor’s perspectives.
She is excited to learn from the rest of the members and share her expertise to support the implementation process of the Washington FGM/C bill.
Sukai Gaye
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Sukai is that she loves teaching others how to cook SeneGambian food.
Sukai Gaye
Sukai Gaye is a Communications and Events Manager for a non-profit organization supporting survivors of domestic violence in Bellevue, WA. She’s passionate about fighting gender-based violence because she’s seen its profound impact on our communities. Power, control, culture, and intergenerational traumas often isolate victims from seeking help, but this only strengthens her commitment to preventing gender-based violence and supporting survivors.
In her free time, she enjoys exploring the US with her son and recharging her social battery by spending time with friends. She leads an active lifestyle and finds great joy in the art of Zumba.
Joining the WA State Coalition to End FGMC last year gave her the chance to help pass this critical legislation and connect with inspiring advocates against gender-based violence. Her experience working as a communications manager in a DV organization and being a gender-based violence advocate has fueled her passion to contribute meaningfully to this advisory committee’s impactful work.
Emily Huebner
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Emily is that she grew up on a horse farm in Virginia.
Emily Huebner
Emily Huebner was born and raised in northern Virginia but moved to Seattle for college at the University of Washington. After spending a couple of years in Boston obtaining a master’s degree in clinical research, she returned to the Pacific Northwest for medical school, also at UW. She is now a second-year OB/GYN resident in Seattle with a career interest in being a generalist.
As a provider in training, she looks forward to learning more about how people can best care for patients who have experienced FGM/C and educate other healthcare professionals to reduce health disparities and improve outcomes for this population.
Mustafa Mohammad
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Mustafa is that he walks the talk.
Mustafa Mohammad
Mustafa Mohammad was born & lived in Iraq until 2006. He speaks English, Arabic, Turkish, and Turkman languages, some Kurdish. He is currently a resident of the State of Washington. He lived & worked as a physician in Baghdad during the first & second Gulf Wars. He completed his medical school in Iraq (MBCHB) in 1993 & continued work as an MD for 15 years in governmental and private hospitals and clinics. He immigrated to the USA in 2008, rebuilt himself as a Mental Health Professional, and specialized in working with refugees and immigrants (Middle East).
He’s a Certified Mental Health Professional and Cross-Cultural Counselor licensed in Seattle, Washington, and employed at Lutheran Community Services (LCSNW). The focus of his work there is both as an intake specialist & clinician to diverse refugee clients, who are victims of War Trauma in their home countries and were displaced as refugees or sought asylum here in the US. He started an Iraqi Men’s Group in 2015 and it became a very successful program at LCSNW. He has completed many thousands of hours of training over the years, including a year-long Global Mental Health program with Harvard Medical School for Trauma and Recovery. Besides counseling, he specializes in client advocacy and community empowerment for refugees, immigrant rights, and the needs of our minority populations such as the BIPOC and LGBTQ communities.
He occupied many positions throughout his career in Iraq and the USA including a Physician in Health Facilities (both Governmental and Private), a Liaison Doctor, a Captain in the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, Chairman of the Neighborhood Advisory Council & Member of the District Advisory Council in Iraq, a volunteer at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Medical Interpreter of public health in King County, Health Educator at the International Medicine clinic at Harborview Medical Center, Board Member and Vice President of the Iraqi/Arab Health Board, a Member of the Community Health Board Coalition, President of the International Organization for Human Rights Protection and Global Peace (HRP&GP), a Clinical Supervisor at Living Well Kent, a member of the Community Advisory Council/Health Equity Zone in the Washington Health Department, a member in “PEAR CAT” PRO-EQUITY ANTI-RACISM (PEAR) Community Advisory Team (CAT), King County health board member, King County behavioral health member, Executive Ambassador Mideastern Specialist at The Musketeer Association (TMA), On-Call Telehealth nationally and internationally, and Youth Mental Health Clinician-WISE program.
He has been recognized for his dedication to saving lives through the nonprofit he co-founded, Human Rights Protection & Global Peace (HRP&GP), and has received an Award of Excellence from the NPS counseling team at LCSNW. More of his life story, struggle, and accomplishments are featured in a permanent museum piece in the Tacoma History Museum, Washington.
He’s interested in serving this advisory in order to increase opportunities for all women to live the healthiest life possible, no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they make. To expand, serve, and provide health equity for a wide variety of people in the community, to remove obstacles to health such as poverty, racism, discrimination (anti-Islamic sentiment that pervades in the American systems), and their consequences, including powerlessness, safe environments, and health care, to deliver voices of community to the advisory committee and health department, share their opinions and perspectives, fill their needs, study the barriers and help to plan and implement education for all involved.
Pam Kohlmeier
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Pam is that she ran the Chicago marathon in 1990.
Pam Kohlmeier
Pam Kohlmeier is dually licensed as a physician and an attorney. She practiced emergency medicine for about 15 years before also becoming an attorney. Pam served in the faculty of Eastern Washington University where she taught Health Policy & Law and later served as an attorney and policy manager for the Washington Medical Commission. Currently, she is a candidate for state representative in southeastern Washington.
Pam believes in reproductive freedom and protecting women’s health, FGM/C involves both and she will do what she can to help.
Ubah Warsame
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Ubah is that she is very extrovert, loves people, and believes life is not complicated.
Ubah Warsame
Unah Warsame is a mother, a healthcare provider, and a chronic disease coach, who is passionate about empowering her community to take control of their healthcare. She has an educational background in liberal arts with a special focus in psychology, receiving her bachelor’s degree from Evergreen State College. She is currently working as a medical interpreter, a longtime career passion, with 23 years of experience.
Ubah has been a longtime community advocate for addressing diverse needs and FGM/C fits right in. She understands the need for this work and how important it is.
Violet H. Mwandenga
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Violet is that she gives compliments easily.
Violet H. Mwandenga
Violet H. Mwandenga is a dedicated life coach, mentor, and advocate for integrity with a background in anti-corruption work including FGM/C cases in Tanzania. Her mission to empower individuals is fueled by her personal journey of resilience, faith, and turning pain into purpose, leading her to found Unique Journey Life Coach and establish successful businesses, inspiring newcomers and women to pursue their dreams. She has a BA (Economics & Geography).
She is dedicated to guiding individuals to recognize their unique value, embrace resilience, and pursue their dreams despite challenges, drawing strength from her faith and personal journey of turning adversity into purpose, inspiring FGM/C survivors to thrive no matter what!
Jecinta Silakan
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Jecinta is that she loves outdoor activities.
Jecinta Silakan
Jecinta Silakan is a registered Nurse having practiced in Kenya for 25 years, passionate about reproductive health and maternal child health. She is a mother of 2 sons, one with disabilities; the reason why she founded Sangida Foundation (named after him), a women-led organization that advocates for the rights of women and children with disabilities among the Indigenous communities in Northern Kenya.
She is super excited about joining this team as a survivor so that she can add her voice to this cause and put an end to FGM/C.
Muna Osman
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Muna is that she is a good dancer and a social bee.
Muna Osman
Muna Osman is a doctorate-prepared nurse practitioner with over 20 years of professional experience. As a Somali-American mother, she arrived in this country as a refugee 24 years ago, with nothing but her one-year-old daughter. Even in her adolescence, Muna advocated against Female Genital Cutting (FGC), without fully understanding the meaning of being an advocate. From a young age, she recognized that FGC was a violation of her body and soul, and she despised how the procedure humiliated her existence. While she couldn’t save her sister, who was close to her in age, as they followed the tradition while she was recovering, Muna managed to save her two youngest sisters. Driven by her personal experiences, Muna’s capstone project addressed the need for educating clinicians about FGC, teaching them about the short and long-term health effects, especially those that can last a lifetime. She actively participated in the Office of Women’s Health round table conference on FGC in the United States. Muna is also the co-founder of the Mama Amaan project in Seattle, Washington. This project works with Somali women in the Seattle area to enhance their knowledge and outcomes regarding maternity care. Additionally, she is the founder of the Holistic Family Care Clinic and Services, where she provides training to clinicians and patient education within her community.
Muna is a passionate advocate for better care for refugees and patients with limited English proficiency. Her fluency in Arabic, Somali, and English allows her to bridge the communication gap and ensure that these vulnerable populations receive the care they deserve. Through her dedication and expertise, Muna strives to make a positive impact on the lives of others and create a more inclusive and compassionate healthcare system. As a fervent believer in the long-term effects and harm caused by Female Genital Cutting (FGC), she has been actively involved in advocating against this practice while simultaneously safeguarding our community and families. Being one of the pioneers in this coalition, she is proud to have contributed to raising awareness and challenging the cultural norms surrounding FGC. While she had hoped to have a more influential role and serve as a consultant on this project, she is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it and witness the original purpose of the law being upheld. Their collective efforts have been instrumental in ensuring that the families they serve, as well as their own, are respected and kept safe from the detrimental effects of misusing this law to tear communities down.
By actively engaging in this advocacy work, Muna is committed to fostering a society where the physical and emotional well-being of individuals is prioritized. She firmly believes that by eradicating FGC, we are nurturing healthier communities and empowering individuals to live without the burden of this harmful practice. Together, we continue to strive for progress, challenging traditional beliefs and promoting education and awareness about FGC. It is her hope that through unwavering dedication, we can eradicate this practice entirely and create a future where individuals can thrive without the physical and psychological scars inflicted by FGC.
Brittany Lenihan
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Brittany is that she loves house plants and finds joy in finding unique or fun ones to add to her collection.
Brittany Lenihan
Brittany Lenihan has worked in Public Child Welfare for 9 years in a variety of roles. Currently, she works as the Statewide Foster Care Health Program Manager where she gets to work collaboratively and creatively with cross-system partners to ensure the health care needs of the children, youth, and families we work with are met.
She appreciates and is excited about the chance to contribute to the work being done to increase support for FGM/C survivors and prevention for those at risk of FGM/C.
Manveer Sandhu
Manveer Sandhu (she/her) is a Policy Analyst with the Washington State Office of the Attorney General. She joined the AGO in September 2021 after graduating from the University of Washington School of Law with her JD/LLM (2020/2021). Manveer is the proud eldest daughter of immigrant parents from Punjab, India. She was born in a small town in Northern California and moved to the Seattle area with her family in high school.
In her spare time, Manveer enjoys spending time with family & friends, gardening, reading, cooking, binge-watching the same 5 TV shows, and cheering on her hometown sports teams, the Sacramento Kings and the San Francisco 49ers.
She is looking forward to being a part of this work to see how the AGO can support the effort to educate and end FGM/C. The AGO Policy Division runs several programs and projects, and she hopes that the experience they have in doing so may provide some value to the efforts of this group.
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Manveer is that she has been to India 4 times, and is currently re-learning Spanish on DuoLingo!
Momodou Jobe
Momodou Jobe has been involved in grassroots and community development work for decades and has earned extensive experience in problem assessments, root cause identification, and developing action plans to address them with active community participation and involvement.
He came from a country where FGM/C is very well practiced and falsely claimed to be part of our religion. He has also worked and lived in regions that regard FGM/C as a very sacred cultural belief and thus is highly practiced. He has always and still is against FGM/C which he considered inhumane and disregard for human life.
He wants to be part of the fight to end FGM/C and participate in policy development to criminalize the practice.
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Momodou is that he enjoys sitting by the river and feeling the water breeze.
Emily Georges
Emily Georges is originally from Massachusetts. She attended the University of Massachusetts as an undergraduate, where she majored in Biology and Gender and Sexualities Studies. Following graduation, she taught high school for 3 years in Boston and worked for one year at Planned Parenthood. She attended medical school at Dartmouth College and then completed a pediatric residency at UC San Diego. In addition to her professional experiences, her academic interests stem in large part from my personal experience with childhood sexual and physical abuse and my identity as a queer female. Her academic interests include gender violence specifically as it intersects with sexual abuse.
She’s excited to be a part of a group she can learn from and to put their collective knowledge into educational efforts so that victims of this practice can be better supported and so this practice can hopefully one day end.
Caroline Gicheru
Caroline Gicheru was born in Nairobi, Kenya but was raised in a small but very beautiful village in rural Kenya. She studied Social and Mass Communication as her Bachelor’s degree and had an opportunity to intern at UNICEF Kenya. Her then mentor at the time was involved in a lot of work towards preventing early child marriages in some communities in rural Kenya, some of whom also practiced FGM/C. She wanted to also be involved in those programs and that’s when he encouraged her to first pursue grad education. She then moved to Seattle and took some grad-level classes at The University of Washington. She currently holds a Masters degree in Organizational Leadership.
To date, she works as a Program Manager at Mother Africa for the prenatal to five program and the youth mentorship program. She enjoys the work she does because she gets to learn so much about different cultures, experiences on motherhood and womanhood, and overall different perspectives on things. It always expands her reality in a lot of positive ways.
She’s looking forward to learning about the continued intentional work that other committee members are doing in their different industries and working together toward ending FGM/C.
Fun Fact
A fun fact about Caroline is that she loves everything storytelling such as books, songs, and movies.