The Leadership Initiatives Team

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Leadership Initiatives was created to empower men, women, and children around the world to determine their own futures and to help break the cycles of poverty and dissatisfaction that plague so many communities worldwide. It also involves students in the United States by connecting our future leaders with those in other countries who have discovered, through Leadership Initiatives programs, their ability to lead. Over the past decade, with Marshall as Executive Director, Leadership Initiatives has grown to help create and expand 360 independent businesses, raised over 20.2 million dollars for business creation in developing communities, helped work to build and renovate hospitals and schools around Nigeria, and has fought for women’s rights across the African country.

Marshall graduated with honors from American University in 2004 with a Bachelor's Degree in both International Relations and Political Science, as well as a specialized certification in Leadership. He went on to earn a Master's Degree in Public Administration with a focus on Non-Profit Management from American University. Marshall has extensive development experience working in the South African Parliament and has independently created over 300 community development projects on the continent of Africa.

Executive Director

Marshall Bailly

Jessica earned a master’s degree in Education from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in International Development from American University. In addition to her degrees, she holds a teaching certificate in Maryland and an International TEFL certificate.

Jessica has held teaching positions around the world, including Baltimore, MD, Seoul, South Korea, Mcleod Ganj, India, and Nairobi, Kenya. She has also worked for several non-profit organizations such as Creative Alliance, LHA Charitable Trust, Education Promise, and the Millennium Cities Initiative.

Jessica Bailly is the Chief Operations Officer. She works directly with our experts and educators to create real-world educational experiences for our students. Jessica believes that students of any age are capable of making a difference in the world. This belief is what lead Jessica to Leadership Initiatives.

Chief Operations Officer

Jessica Bailly

Since Umar’s promotion to his current role with LI - Nigeria, the organization’s national branch has grown significantly, becoming a locally registered non-profit with recognition and repute both in the Bauchi State, where it is located and more widely in Nigeria. Umar has guided LI –Nigeria in countless projects benefitting and uplifting local communities. Umar anchors the structure of the LI - Nigeria office in its administration, finance operations, personnel management, and the day-to-day running of all programs and projects.

Umar joined Leadership Initiatives - Nigeria as Project Officer in 2009 and was promoted to Project Manager in 2014. In 2016, he became Program Director of Business Creation and Expansion, overseeing the full scope of LI’s Nigerian office and its daily operations.

Umar Muhammad is a Cisco-certified Computer Hardware Engineer who serves as Program Director of Business Creation and Expansion for Leadership Initiatives’ (LI) Nigerian operations. Umar’s resume credits include employment with Maida Business Center (2002) and African Petroleum Business Center (2004).

Youth Development Programs-International Director

Umar Muhammad

Graduating from George Washington University with a degree in political science and international development, she brings a strong background that includes grant writing, stewardship activities, fundraising strategies, and donor relations.

Lauren is the Director of Operations and has worked with Leadership Initiatives since 2017. Lauren has the overall responsibility of ensuring Leadership Initiatives' Youth Development Programs are an enriching, fun, and educational experience for everyone involved. She has been involved in the development of numerous new programs and has run the National Security & Intelligence Internship, the International Leadership & Business Internship, and the Advanced Medical & Public Health Internship

Lauren Hensel

Professor Stiles holds a Ph.D. in political science from Boston University, a JD from Northeastern University, an MA in Spanish literature from New York University, and a BA in Spanish from Southern Methodist University. She currently is working on an effort to promote well-being among students. She believes if we are truly serious about changing the world for the better, we must be at our best, mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Professor Stiles specializes in courses on law and social entrepreneurship. She regularly partners with both the law school and the business school. Professor Stiles has won numerous awards for her teaching and student engagement.

Sarah Stiles joined the Georgetown University sociology faculty in 2007. Prior to that she taught at American University for eight years where she was Director of the Leadership Program in the School of Public Affairs. She met Marshall Bailly at American and has been proud to work with him ever since.

LI Georgetown Education Director/Georgetown University-Professor of Law & Sociology

Sarah C. Stiles, Ph.D., JD

Advanced Medical & Public Health Internship Program Specialist

Dr. Rabiu Ibrahim Jalo

The author of over 350 peer reviewed publications, 7 books and 40 governmental reports on brain science, biotechnology, ethics and policy, he is an elected member of the European Academy of Science and Arts, and an Overseas Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (UK).

Professor Giordano is also Senior Bioethicist of the Defense Medical Ethics Center of the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD; Stockdale Distinguished Fellow of Science, Technology and Ethics at the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD; and Science Advisory Fellow of the Joint Staff, Pentagon.

James Giordano PhD, MPhil, is Pellegrino Center Professor of Neurology and Biochemistry, Chief of the Neuroethics Studies Program, and Chair of the Subprogram in Military Medical Ethics at Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC.

LI Advanced Neuroscience Internship-Education Director

Dr. James Giordano

She was a contributing author in two white papers for the Joint Staff on applications of cognitive neuroscience for national defense and intelligence.

Dr. Wurzman previously served as an Intern in the Science Division of the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President of the United States, and an independent contractor for the World Technology Evaluation Center in support of the National Nanotechnology Coordinating Center.

Rachel Wurzman Ph.D. is a Fellow with the Center for Neuroscience and Society and Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Neurology with the Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

LI Advanced Neuroscience Internship-Assistant Director

Dr. Rachel Wurzman

Serving as a medical officer at Defence headquarters, Dr. Aisha plays a major role as the lead doctor in diagnosing, treating, and counseling patients.

Dr. Aisha has so far led an impressive career as a medical doctor and in her 3rd year of being in the medical field. She is a doctor that has always received excellent feedback from her employers in Nigeria, Germany, and Hungary.

For over 8 years, Dr. Aisha Garba has been a noteworthy medical Student in Zamfara. Dr. Aisha Garba has been honored with a certificate of honor for outstanding performance during her graduation. She holds a degree from the University of Szeged, Hungary, one of the most prominent higher education institutions in Central Europe.

LI Advanced Medical & Public Health Internship-Education Director

Dr. Aisha Garba

Gina is often featured in documentaries and other media profiling her role in counterterrorism and as a pioneer for women in National Security and Intelligence careers, including a position on the Board of Directors of Girl Security.

Her analysis has been called "prescient," "genius" and "prophetic" by major media and former government officials. She has also published multiple books including her widely recognized book, National Security Mom.

Gina Bennett, a former member of CIA’s Senior Analytic Service, is a seasoned counterterrorism specialist who authored the earliest warnings of some of today's terrorism trends, including the 1993 report — the first report — that warned of the growing danger of Osama bin Laden and the movement he was fomenting.

Member of the CIA Senior Analytic Service; Counterterrorism Expert

Gina Bennett

Professor Aranyi, M.M., M.Ed. is a global expert in entrepreneurship and innovation. She is the founder and CEO of Aranyi Enterprises. In addition to her role as lecturer at the Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Northwestern University, she serves as Ambassador and Advisor for the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. She received the 2021 Faculty of the Game Award from Northwestern University Athletics for her impact with students. She is the founding researcher and co-lead for the Music, Trauma, and the Breath Working Group at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs. Professor Aranyi was selected to represent the United States both in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and as a Cultural Artist at the World Expo in Dubai, the only person in the United States to be selected in two categories.

Chief Strategy and Impact Officer

Heather Aranyi

Cybersecurity Program Co-Director

Jamie Kreider

Harden PLLC, Managing Partner

Brandi Harden

Ms. Harden has also trained the best attorneys in the nation. She is currently a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop and an adjunct professor/supervising attorney in Georgetown University Law Center’s criminal defense clinic. From 2006 to 2018, Ms. Harden coached the award-winning Huver I. Brown Trial Advocacy Team at Howard University School of Law. She also serves as faculty for the National Criminal Defense College, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Gideon’s Promise, and several other litigation training.

Ms. Harden has practiced law for more than 20 years and is known as one of the most skilled trial attorneys in Washington, D.C. She is a fellow in The American College of Trial Lawyers and has been recognized as one of the “Best Lawyers in Washington, D.C.” by the Washingtonian and as a “Top-Rated Criminal Defense Attorney” by Super Lawyers. She is also a member of the National Trial Lawyers and a member of the National Black Lawyers Top 100.

Brandi Harden is a nationally renowned litigator and the Managing Partner of Harden & Pinckney, PLLC. Ms. Harden specializes in complex criminal and civil, family law, wrongful death, police misconduct and civil rights cases.

Director of Washington DC Public Defenders

Heather Pinckney

Ms. Pinckney is currently a board member of Rising for Justice and JusticeAid. She has also served as the Co-chair of the D.C. Bar Criminal Law and Individual Rights Section Steering Committee and Chair of the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (hereinafter PDS) Board of Trustees.

Ms. Pinckney is the proud recipient of the 2014 Distinguished Alumnus Award from D.C. Law Students in Court. She is a fellow in The American College of Trial Lawyers and a recipient of the Washington Bar Association Educational Foundation Award for Women. Ms. Pinckney has also been named one of Washington D.C.’s Best Lawyers in Criminal Defense by the Washingtonian Magazine and is a member of the National Black Lawyers Top 100.

Heather Pinckney is an experienced litigator specializing in criminal defense, civil litigation, family law, wrongful death, and civil rights cases. Ms. Pinckney is the Executive Director of the Black Public Defender Association and also currently serves as an adjunct Professor at The George Washington University Law School, where she teaches a seminar entitled “The Role of the Public Defender.”

Currently, Ms. Bloch is drafting briefs on behalf of individuals serving prison sentences who are seeking IRAA release due to outstanding behavior, rehabilitation, and other factors under D.C. Code § 24-403.03.

Ms. Bloch has worked in the legal field since 2007 as a public defender in Colorado and the District of Columbia. Ms. Bloch has defended the rights of individuals accused of virtually every type of crime, from petty offenses to the most serious of felonies.

Rebecca Bloch is the managing attorney for the Law Office of Rebecca Bloch.

Bloch PLLC, Managing Director

Rebecca Bloch

Beth Cerrone

Cybersecurity Program Education Liaison

She currently works at the Innovation Center in Longmont, CO. She has created a Cybersecurity Pathway that includes: Intro to Cybersecurity, Python, Linux, Ethical Hacking, and Security +. Ms. Cerrone loves helping students find their passion and teaching them about the value of cybersecurity. She is looking forward to helping all of you have fun in cybersecurity as well!

Ms. Cerrone started this wonderful journey in education almost 26 years ago and never looked back. She started teaching in Boston at Oliver Ames High School, developing one of the first school websites with all teachers having their own websites as well (teaching teachers HTML 20 years ago was not easy). Moving to Colorado, she was one of the initial teachers in the IB Math program and created one of the first Computer Science and Web Design courses in this district 15 years ago. Ms. Cerrone was part of the inaugural group at Mead High School, building all of the technology curricula for Mead High. She also helped create the Engineering Program at Erie High School. Prior to coming to the Innovation Center, she developed a Computer Science Pathway at Silver Creek High School with classes ranging from Intro to Programming to Web Design to AP Computer Science.

After college, Ms. Cerrone worked in the financial industry for 7 years at Bay Bank in Boston. Although she enjoyed the challenge of the product management group she worked with, there was something missing. Ms. Cerrone’s mother was a middle school ESL teacher. She saw the dedication and passion she had for her students and they had for her. She helped her mother set up her classroom, grade papers, and help students when she could. Ms. Cerrone saw first hand the challenges that teachers and students go through. Instead of being part of the problem in complaining about a broken system, she decided to become part of a solution.

Jamie Kreider

Cybersecurity Program Education Liaison

I am happy to join the Leadership Initiatives team and grateful for the opportunity to make a positive impact within the Bauchi Community.

I worked in the Community Department at Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe where I acquired the following experiences; Health education, Disease surveillance, and Immunization. I hope to improve the quality of life through prevention and treatment of disease.

My name is Laurat Abubakar. I graduated from College in the year 2020 where I studied Public Health in Bauchi State University Gadau. During my undergraduate, I conducted research on Factors Influencing the choice of place of delivery among women of childbearing age in Shira Local Government Area, Bauchi State, Nigeria.

Gabriela is excited to continue planning Leadership Initiatives 2021 programs and is looking forward to helping others find their true passion!

Gabriela has worked with Leadership Initiatives for over three years, both as a student, an intern, and now a staff member. Since joining the team in 2019, Gabriela has helped run the Advanced Law & Trial Internship Program during the summer as well as the International Law & Advocacy Internship Program during the school year. She brings a strong background that includes research, design, and information technology.

Gabriela strongly believes in the power of community service and helping others. She is attending the George Washington University to study Peace Studies and International Affairs with a concentration in International Development. She is a member of GW’s Model United Nations team and GW’s UNICEF chapter.

Global Education Development Director

Gabriela Zeidler

Jake enjoys working with the students and business owners of Leadership Initiatives in any capacity that he can.

Jake is a tenured professor of communication studies at Kalamazoo Valley Community College in Kalamazoo Michigan where he teaches courses on public speaking, interpersonal relationships, and organizational/intercultural communication.

Jacob Arndt is the Chief Academic Advisor who works with staff, students and parents to design and implement a challenging curriculum for experiential summer programs. Jacob believes that one of life’s greatest teachers is overcoming challenges.

Academic & Education Advisor

Jacob Arndt Ph.D.

She firmly believes that one key to success is truly recognizing our own strengths and weaknesses and understanding the role they play in reaching our personal aspirations. Sarah places emphasis on communicating with IIP on a one-to-one, personalized basis and looks forward to developing and enhancing her role in LI.

She has worked in every area of the healthcare spectrum and specializes in the creation of highly individualized treatment plans designed to identify goals and to develop clear, realistic, and effective strategies to meet them.

Sarah Agar holds a Bachelor's degree in psychology from Gettysburg College and a Master's in Social Work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work and is licensed as a Graduate Social Worker.

Student Counselor

Sarah Agar, MSW, LMSW

Blake a Sophomore at UCLA, where she is majoring in Business Economics with an Accounting minor. At UCLA, Blake is heavily involved in the Rock Climbing Team and is on the Board as treasurer, she spends most of her free time enjoying the outdoors, hiking, climbing or snowboarding.

Blake Spreeman is the registration and Accounts Manager with Leadership Initiatives. She works throughout the year to track expenses and payments as well as plan future spending.

Blake has worked with Leadership Initiatives for over four years, as a student in both the International Internship Program and our Youth Development programs, an intern, and a staff member. She began as a Sophomore on her high school's IBIP team and joined the LI internship team in September 2017.

Director of Finance

Blake Spreeman

Auwal Yakubu

International Translation Team Lead

Auwal graduated from the University of Maiduguri where he studied Agriculture-Education (Double Hons.), he also has a master degree in International Affairs & Strategic Studies and a Diploma in Human Resources (HR).

Auwal had worked with a multinational telecommunication industry for seven (7) years as a customer service professional before joining Leadership Initiatives (LI), he is a member of the "Association of Business Practitioners” (ABP), “Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) and Young African Leaders Initiatives (YALI).

Auwal have attended several pieces of training/courses with various institutions/organizations such as; UNICEF, USAID, Global Health, SDG

Marc finds the work that the Leadership Initiatives does to be an integral part of the development of future leaders and the next generation of security professionals, consultants, and change makers.

Youth Development Programs Assistant Director

Marc is experienced in multiple international relations and business topics, with a Bachelor of Business Administration specializing in Organization and Management Consulting and Global Marketing with a second major in Political Science concentrating on global security development from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Marc Zavarro

Marc Zavarro is a Programs Director with Leadership Initiatives, where he currently serves as the Director of multiple programs including the National Security and Cybersecurity Internships. Throughout the last six years with Leadership Initiatives, Marc has worked with two universities in Northern Nigeria on counterterrorism efforts, while also partnering with dozens of small businesses and nonprofits in the DC area to promote cybersecurity awareness and training.

He seeks to not only make a living but make a difference. He joined Leadership Initiatives because he knows with what they are doing, they can change the world one community at a time. For him, it is all about legacy.

He is passionate about people and strongly believes in giving back to his community. Over the last decade, he has inspired both businesses and individuals, and most especially youth. An award-winning entrepreneur and business strategist with a passion for startups, and development and growth in Nigeria.

Glory is a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria (BSc Geology) and has a diploma in Business Management and Entrepreneurship. Glory is a Thinking School Africa fellow, Young African Leadership Initiative Fellow, leadership mentor, and coach.

International Business Partnerships Coordinator

Glory Nuhu Dadi

Medical Programs - Assistant Director

Morgan Biele

Morgan is looking forward to this summer because she is eager to work with students to help them create space in their lives for neuroethics, and to create space in neuroethics for them! Morgan loves how this internship ushers high school students to the frontier of neuroscience research, and can’t wait to see what research proposals they design to explore their curiosities.

Morgan graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience with minors in Chemistry and Creative Writing as she pursued the Pre-Health track. While at Duke, Morgan served in leadership positions for TEDxDuke and Duke National Alliance on Mental Illness, and she was a contributing writer for the Duke Medical Ethics Journal. She volunteered at the Duke Emergency Department to help members of the Durham community gain access to health resources identified by social determinants of health screening, and was a research assistant in two labs where she completed a thesis and research she hopes to publish. In the upcoming year, Morgan is headed to Columbia University to pursue a Master’s Degree in Narrative Medicine while she applies to medical school.

Morgan Biele began working with Leadership Initiatives in 2016 during her sophomore year in high school. After participating in two internship programs and an IIP Team, she became the Advanced Director of the Youth Development Medical Programs. Morgan served as an International Public Health Internship Coordinator during the academic year, and helped lead the Advanced Medical Public Health Internships and the Advanced Medical Neuroscience Internships during the summers before becoming the Director of the Advanced Medical Neuroscience Internship. Morgan has also been a Virtual Scholar in Residence at Georgetown University conducting research mentored by Dr. James Giordano.

Currently, Tamar is working with Leadership Initiatives as the Student Development Coordinator– Nigeria. Tamar is excited about the opportunity to impact the lives of orphans in my care.

She started working with Leadership Initiatives as a volunteer because of the change and impact LI is making in the lives of the people of the local communities.

Tamar Davou Dinju is a graduate of Business Education, majoring in Management at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (A.T.B.U) Bauchi Nigeria. Her passion for humanitarian development stemmed from her experience at Community Action for Popular Participation (CAPP), an NGO in Abuja where Tamar served as a finance/administrative assistant in the year 2011-2013.

Student Development Coordinator

Tamar Davou Dinju

Andrea is the current office manager at all Leadership Initiatives Youth Development Programs watching over the development of our Business, Legal, and Medical education programs at Georgetown University.

Over the course of this past year, she has facilitated the creation of hundreds of International Business Internship Program team and Youth Develop Program websites. Over the course of her time with Leadership Initiatives, she has grown her communication and leadership skills through her work in website development and office management.

Andrea Batoon is the Webmaster for Leadership Initiatives. She has the overall responsibility of ensuring that each student working with Leadership Initiatives has a platform that properly showcases their accomplishments.

Website Development Coordinator

Andrea Batoon

Accounts & Registrations Manager

Nick Abele

Nicholas is very excited to be a Leadership Initiatives intern. He is interested in working in the non-profit field in developing nations in the future and has a love for helping others.

Nicholas enjoys playing video games and discussing philosophy and politics. He is the president and co-founder of his school's Philosophical Debate Club. He is also a member of the Interact Club and he has been working in the International Internship program since his sophomore year of high school.

Nicholas Abele is enrolled in the Early College at Guilford. Nicholas is a Dean's-List student at Guilford College, enrolled in college classes as part of the Early College program.

Project Coordinator

Rabiu Garba

Rabiu is excited to work with Leadership Initiatives staff and students to continue to grow opportunities around his local community. Rabiu believes that he can play a vital role in building healthy communities in northern Nigeria by providing critical public health prevention methods and services that contribute to economic stability and mobility.

In the past, Rabiu served as the Executive Director for Miyeti Almajiri Initiative for three years. He also worked as a Program Manager for the Community Initiative, a nonprofit based in Bauchi working to promote health and education throughout the state.

Rabiu is passionate about improving health systems in Nigeria by strengthening infrastructure, family planning, reproductive health, maternal health, and improving access to newborn and child healthcare.

Rabiu Garba obtained his Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Ahmadu Bello University and his post-graduate diploma in Education from Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic. Rabiu has managed NGO and government projects in health, education, and governance in northeast Nigeria for over 10 years.

Mubarak Ladan Babaji

Assistant Project Coordinator

Mubarak is thrilled to join the Leadership Initiatives team and is grateful for the opportunity to make a positive impact within the Bauchi Community.

Mubarak believes that he can improve the quality of life through the prevention and treatment of disease. He hopes to work to remove the stigma associated with mental health in Bauchi and provide resources and support to people suffering from mental health issues.

Mubarak Ladan Babaji has received a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Bauchi State University. Since 2019 Mubarak has worked as a health facilitator distributing vaccines and volunteering at local hospitals. Mubarak has also worked as a research assistant and completed groundbreaking research on premarital relationships within the undergraduate community at Bauchi State University.

Laurat Abubakar

Assistant Project Coordinator

I am happy to join the Leadership Initiatives team and grateful for the opportunity to make a positive impact within the Bauchi Community.

I worked in the Community Department at Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe where I acquired the following experiences; Health education, Disease surveillance, and Immunization. I hope to improve the quality of life through prevention and treatment of disease.

My name is Laurat Abubakar. I graduated from College in the year 2020 where I studied Public Health in Bauchi State University Gadau. During my undergraduate, I conducted research on Factors Influencing the choice of place of delivery among women of childbearing age in Shira Local Government Area, Bauchi State, Nigeria.

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4410 Massachusetts Ave., NW #236

Washington, DC  20016

info@lichange.org

202-738-1115

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