Kathleen Holland, Founding Partner, KMH Associates & Co-founder, Chair of Board Trade+Impact

Kathleen is a global strategic management consultant and trainer providing organizations with the tools and counsel to sustainably build their capacity and effectiveness based on a triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) platform. Kathleen is also the visionary and co-founder of Trade + Impact Association; a non-profit trade association with a mission to break the barriers to trade and investment for women-led social enterprises in the craft and natural cosmetics sectors across Africa and the Middle East.

Kathleen’s career has spanned leadership roles with major Canadian corporations to consulting roles with the US State Department, Vital Voices, and small craft companies in Africa. Kathleen has seen first-hand the impact that social enterprises have on their employees and communities; working in Afghanistan, Latin America, and fourteen countries across Africa. Kathleen is committed to supporting the growth of women-led social enterprises globally.

Kathleen has received the Johanna Townsend Export Champion Award from OWIT (Organization for Women in International Trade) and the CME (Canadian and Manufacturers and Exporters) Award for Excellence in Promoting Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Developing Countries (with CARE Enterprise Partners).

Ariela Suster, Sequence Collection

Ariela has successfully taken SEQUENCE beyond El Salvador using her unique brand of collaboration that has allowed her to form advantageous partnerships with entities like Microsoft, MAC Cosmetics, Universal Pictures, Bank of America, Deloitte and Vital Voices. In addition to a special feature during NYFW as part of a collaboration with Diane Von Furstenberg, SEQUENCE products are sold today online and in Japan through a collaboration with MANIUNO and sold exclusively at stores like United Arrows and Haneda Airport.

Having faced many business challenges related to gang violence and then managing to creatively resolve, re-structure, and re-start after a crisis, Ariela has become an award-winning social entrepreneur and inspiring speaker.

Karen Gibbs, co-founder of ByHand Consulting

As the co-founder of ByHand Consulting, Karen helps artisan enterprises develop export marketing strategies to increase sales in the US market and improve profitability. She also works with US brands to develop ethical supply partnerships with artisan producers. For over two decades, Karen has worked to expand the artisan market and grow artisan businesses. Her career has included working with non-profit organizations, trade shows, export promotion agencies, international development organizations, and US brands. She co-founded two successful companies, including Melange a wholesale decorative accessories company specializing in handmade products. Her passion is sharing her knowledge and connections with entrepreneurs worldwide and advocating for the importance of handmade products. 

Amanda Lee, Director of Market Access + Sourcing at Nest

Amanda Lee, Nest’s Director of Market Access + Sourcing, works closely with Nest’s brand partners to adopt responsible production practices and leads corporate market access initiatives supporting maker communities in the US. With her extensive production background, Amanda guides brands and retail partners in developing impactful artisan partnerships. Prior to her role at Nest, Amanda worked to improve artisan businesses' production practices in Eswatini, and also worked in luxury fashion in NYC for over a decade. Amanda brings significant international experience in the sourcing and production landscapes for SMEs and multinational corporations. Amanda is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.

Lauren Barkume

Lauren Barkume is the Training Director at Creative Learning’s Aid to Artisans division. With over 13 years of experience in international development and artisan programs, Barkume spent nearly 9 years based in South Africa working directly with entrepreneurs, artisans and small businesses in the region, developing community co-created programs, designing and running practical business skills workshops for small business owners, and working in collaboration with artisan communities across Southern Africa. Lauren cares deeply about facilitating responsive, community driven development.

Steve Dougherty, T+I Advisor

Steve comes to T+I with over twenty years of experience working with artisans in the home, accessories, and footwear sectors.

As an independent sales agent he worked with small factories and artisans in the home area to sell their product to independent stores like Harrods and Bergdorf Goodman as well department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdales. Moreover, he helped artisans merchandise their unique product lines into well-priced fashionable collections suitable to a global marketplace.

At Ralph Lauren he managed the sourcing, development, and production for collection home goods, accessories, and footwear. It was his job to ensure that his artisan vendors delivered well-priced, fully compliant product to stores on-time every season.

Steve understands the complexities of large retailers as well as the needs of small artisan vendors. He hopes his perspective of having worked in both worlds will help artisans scale their businesses for success.

Chelsea Brown

Chelsea is a social entrepreneur, human rights and women's advocacy champion. A Toronto native, Chelsea has lived in the U.K., USA and Canada and travels extensively to The Middle East, which all inspired the launch of The Millie Community and informs her world view. The Millie Community is a social enterprise that connects women from around the world through The Millie Podcast, The Millie Market, and more. The Millie Community amplifies women’s voices, believing in the power of expanded perspective, connection and kindness to improve lives.

Magalie Dresse, CEO & Founder at Caribbean Craft

Magalie is the CEO and Founder of Caribbean Craft, she works at the intersection of Design, Business, Sustainability, Capital, Impact, aligning with her company’s philosophy and objectives. An industrial engineer by training, she has spent the past twenty years working in the craft export sector.

A real advocate for change in the current business structures in Haiti, she believes creation of social enterprise is the only way to reduce social gaps and create opportunities for the unemployed citizens of her country. Her infectious enthusiasm, sharp sense of opportunity, ability to build relationships across the sector and geographies makes her the well- known face of the Caribbean Craft brand.

Magalie has spent the past two decades working closely with the artisan sector and has continued tirelessly to intervene with both State and NGO entities in order to create a pathway to enhance the Haiti Brand. She has successfully completed multiple sustainable development projects that have helped local communities grow and prosper and have been an integral part of establishing several initiatives aimed at reducing poverty and elevating the living standards of the artisans who work for her and other similar organizations in the country.

Her charitable spirit and philanthropic work would come to define her career just as much as her professional successes. Through her various partnerships with several non-profit foundations, she has impacted directly and indirectly thousands of people in underserved communities around the country. Magalie believes that it is only through community growth that a leader truly achieves personal growth.

Amanda Kissel, co-founder of Good Market

Dr. Amanda Kiessel is co-founder of Good Market, a curated community platform for social enterprises, cooperatives, responsible businesses, civic organizations, networks, and changemakers working to create a 21st-century economy that’s “good for people and good for the planet.” It currently includes more than 2,400 enterprises across 85 countries. Amanda spent the past 20 years in Asia working with local organizations on agroecology and sustainable food systems, organizational development, and social enterprise. She has a PhD in Environmental Studies, a Masters in Sustainable International Development, and a degree in Biology with a specialty in ecotoxicology. Amanda is an Ashoka Fellow and Catalyst 2030 member and serves on the board of the Social Enterprise World Forum and Buy Social USA.

Stacey Edgar, Stacey Edgar Consulting

Stacey Edgar is a lecturer in the Social Responsibility and Sustainability division at the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business. A passionate advocate for women and girls, Stacey spent 17 years leading Global Girlfriend, a fair trade company she founded in 2003 as a way to provide economic security for women artisans in developing countries by creating a sustainable market for their handcrafted products.  Global Girlfriend grew from a $2,000 personal investment into a multi-million dollar brand partnering with over 200 women-led artisan enterprises in over 30 countries with products selling through premier retailers including Whole Foods, Target, The Smithsonian, and over 1,500 independent retailers across the US and Canada as well as direct to consumer online.

Stacey is the author of the book Global Girlfriends: How One Mom Made it Her Mission to Help Women in Poverty Worldwide and a social impact business consultant working with social entrepreneurs, artisan businesses, corporations, non-profits, and government export agencies.  She is a founding board member of the Trade+Impact Association, a global trade association advancing women-led social enterprises in Africa and the Middle East.

She has been honored by the Microsoft Corporation as a recipient of the company’s Start Something Amazing Awards, by Organic Style as one of their Women with Organic Style, by Multichannel Merchant magazine as a “Maven of Merchandise,” and she and her former brand have been featured in several national publications including O, The Oprah Magazine, In Style, Forbes, USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, Redbook, and Seventeen. Stacey is also currently pursuing her Ph.D. at Colorado State University to contribute to research and policy in our sector.

Angela Ortlieb, Williams Sonoma Inc.

Angela Ortlieb leads Williams-Sonoma, Inc.'s social impact partnerships and commitments to artisan sourcing. Her entire career has focused on the power and responsibility of business to steward positive impact and sustainability for people and the planet. She is passionate about the intersection of people and planet and the power of storytelling to spark change.

Ella Peinovich, CEO and Founder at Powered by People

Ella is a MIT graduate who has led projects in design, tech and entrepreneurship. She was founder and CEO of Soko, a jewelry brand with “virtual factory” application that can produce 50,000 units/month, across a network of 2,500 mobile-enabled Kenyan artisans. Ella is an Ashoka fellow.

Ariela Suster, Sequence Collection

Ariela has successfully taken SEQUENCE beyond El Salvador using her unique brand of collaboration that has allowed her to form advantageous partnerships with entities like Microsoft, MAC Cosmetics, Universal Pictures, Bank of America, Deloitte and Vital Voices. In addition to a special feature during NYFW as part of a collaboration with Diane Von Furstenberg, SEQUENCE products are sold today online and in Japan through a collaboration with MANIUNO and sold exclusively at stores like United Arrows and Haneda Airport.

Having faced many business challenges related to gang violence and then managing to creatively resolve, re-structure, and re-start after a crisis, Ariela has become an award-winning social entrepreneur and inspiring speaker.

Hedvig Alexander, CCO and Founder at Powered by People

Hedvig is a Danish Army Captain and Yale graduate. She founded Far + Wide Collective an online platform with a network of 5,000 suppliers, 400 retailers in 18 countries. She led Building Markets adding 1.6% to Afghan GDP (‘06), was Managing Director of Turquoise Mountain and founded The Pin Project for refugees.

Uyen Le, Founder of Werora

Uyen Le is the founder of Werora - a sustainable homewares brand from Vietnam. Werora offers a wide-range of homewares products which are made of natural fibers and sustainable materials. Uyen Le has background in social entrepreneurship, international business and sustainability. She has experience in exporting Vietnamese handicrafts to more than 20 countries in all five continents with the passion of "Handicrafts for a sustainable lifestyle."