Our Team

We are a women-led team of social scientists, practitioners, artists, policy analysts, and visionaries.

Staff

  • Anita Babonangenda

    Operations Director

    Anita specializes in health and community protection, working with adolescent girls and women to prevent and respond to violence. She is passionate about providing safe spaces where girls can develop their confidence, leadership skills, and share their experiences in order to fight against gender inequality and make decisions about their futures.

    She has worked as a supervisor for the International Rescue Committee’s Women’s Protection and Empowerment Program, as a doctor focused on GBV response, and advocate in campaigns promoting women’s rights. She completed her doctoral studies at the University of Goma.

    With Colors of Connection she directs operations in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, including managing the Girl Awakening Program, and training and supporting to our local partner Tulizo Elle Space.

  • Christina Mallie

    Executive Director & Co-Founder

    Christina is an artist and humanitarian. She has been driven to support the creativity of youth and girls, inspired by her own experiences of utilizing the arts to work through challenges as an adolescent. She was awarded her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Hunter College and her Master of Science in International Affairs from the New School with a focus on conflict and security. She has worked as a consultant with the Population Council, and Assymetrica.

    With Colors of Connection, she has designed and implemented programs in Liberia, Burkina Faso and Democratic Republic of the Congo. As Co-Founder and Executive Director she is passionate about creating more space and value for collaborative arts, and artistic healing and expression in places where resources are scarce and traumatic experiences are high.

  • Nadia Fazal

    Research Liaison

    Nadia is a social sciences qualitative researcher, evaluation specialist, community development worker, participatory filmmaker, and global health promotion practitioner. She has over 10 years of experience working as a qualitative research consultant with large- and small-scale institutions/organizations, mainly those in East Africa.

    Nadia completed her PhD in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences and Global Health at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, through which she explored the role of the arts in community-based international development in Goma, DR Congo. In conjunction with this work, Nadia collaborated with Congolese NGO Yole!Africa to direct and co-produce the documentary film ‘Art, For What?’, and she also worked directly with Colors of Connection as the 'Psychosocial and Community Engagement Lead' for the 'Courage in Congo' project.

    Currently, Nadia continues to work with Colors of Connection designing monitoring and evaluation activities, and providing guidance about the organization’s social justice, decolonial, and anti-oppressive approach.

Board of Directors

Christina Mallie

Laura Hoffman

Amyn Rajan

  • Executive Director & Co-Founder

    Christina is an artist and humanitarian. She has been driven to support the creativity of youth and girls, inspired by her own experiences of utilizing the arts to work through challenges as an adolescent. She was awarded her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Hunter College and her Master of Science in International Affairs from the New School with a focus on conflict and security. She has worked as a consultant with the Population Council, and Assymetrica.

    With Colors of Connection, she has designed and implemented programs in Liberia, Burkina Faso and Democratic Republic of the Congo. As Co-Founder and Executive Director she is passionate about creating more space and value for collaborative arts, and artistic healing and expression in places where resources are scarce and traumatic experiences are high.

  • Creative and Communications Consultant

    Laura Hoffman is a creative and communications consultant providing support to individuals and organizations. She is an expressive arts therapist, writer, movement artist, director, producer, and entrepreneur having helped several small businesses related to the arts and design. She helped found one of the earliest HMO acute care outpatient programs with an integrative approach; was a member of the Athens Cultural Affairs Commission from 2014-2020, was a Development Officer for the University of Florida, and Director of Development and Events for Slamdance Film Festival; she is a documentary and commercial film and video producer and owned a movement and performance space as well as co-owned a small design business.

    She has a Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Cultural History and Dance; was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 1982. She has a Master’s degree in Applied Psychology/Dance Movement Therapy and a second Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture. She currently lives outside Los Angeles, CA where she has her consultancy focusing on creative development and business and continues her various movement practices in Alexander Technique, yoga, dance, pickleball, and writing.

  • Chief Strategy Officer

    Amyn is an Innovation and Strategy professional; designing and executing strategies for growth across various industries. He currently works at a Texas-based insurance company as Chief Strategy Officer. Amyn earned his M.A. in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University in addition to a Master’s in Public Affairs and Nonprofit Management from University of Texas.

    He has acted as advisor to non-profits, artists, and startups, focused on social impact. With his expertise in non-profit management and international relations, Amyn and his colleagues at Georgetown University came together to provide pro-bono strategic consulting services to budding non-profits to help them scale and increase their social impact and organizational cohesion. Amyn currently resides in Dallas, Texas with his wife Shireen who is a founder of a Digital Health startup.

  • Awet Andemicael

    Musician, Writer, Consultant & Educator

  • Judith Bruce

    Senior Associate & Policy Analyst At Population Council

  • Kathy Eldon

    Founder & Chairman, Creative Visions Foundation

  • Gayle Embrey

    Filmmaker & Licensed Professional Counselor

  • Bonnie Hirschhorn

    LCSW, LCAT, LP, NCPsyA, ATR-­‐BC

  • Dominque Koffy Kouacou

    Head of Emergency and Resilience Team for FAO SubRegional Office for West Africa and the Sahel

  • Eva Roca

    Implementation Research Advisor, UCSD Center on Gender Equity and Health, PhD, MHS

  • Joan Snyder

    Artist MacArthur Fellow 2007

  • Lynn Sanders-Bustle

    Associate Professor & Art Education Chair-Lamar Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia

  • Sophie Smalls

    Delivery Leader at Delivery

    Associates

Work with us!

Learn more about our available positions, volunteer opportunities and partnerships