Lindsey Jones-Renaud, Founder and Principal Facilitator

Lindsey Jones-Renaud (she/her) is a feminist facilitator, trainer, advocate and entrepreneur whose work focuses on the intersection of gender with economic development, social justice, care work, the digital economy, and institutional change. She has more than 15 years’ experience working in the non-profit and advocacy sectors globally and locally in Washington DC. Prior to starting Cynara, Lindsey built up and managed the gender and development practice at ACDI/VOCA, where she oversaw the integration of gender and women’s empowerment initiatives into programs funded by USAID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wal-Mart Foundation, and the World Bank.

Lindsey is a community organizer and advocate for progressive policies locally in her community have served with Parents Amplifying Voices in Education, Decoding Dyslexia DC, and the DC Working Families Party. She is on the advisory board for the FixPat, a non-profit that promotes neurodiversity and emotionally intelligent services and products for family self-advocates and/or caregivers.

Lindsey has a Master of Arts Degree in Arab Studies with a concentration in Women and Gender Studies from Georgetown University, a certificate in Refugees and Humanitarian Emergencies from Georgetown University, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Meredith College.

Afaf AlKoshman, Senior Consultant

Afaf Al-Khoshman (she/her) specializes in research methods, gender, migration, and the histories, politics, and cultures of the Middle East. She has worked on major projects related to women, gender and youth in the United States, Iraq, and Jordan for organizations including the Aspen Institute for Development Entrepreneurs, the CGIAR Gender Impact Platform, Freedom House, and and Al Firdawas. She has designed curriculum and led trainings about intersectionality and development, intersectionality in applied research methods, women’s economic empowerment, gender mainstreaming, and Islamic feminisms.

Afaf is a Ph.D. candidate in the education and anthropology program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has a Master of Arts Degree in Arab Studies from Georgetown University. Her ethnographic research focused on the experiences of Arabic-speaking women and immigrants in Brooklyn, New York and how they navigate education, employment, racism, exploitation and exclusion. 

She began her career as a translator, interpreter, and humanitarian facilitator with several organizations and NGOs in Jordan including the National Democratic Institute, USAID, Noor Al-Hussein Foundation, and Peace Corps. Afaf was born and raised in Jordan and currently lives in the U.S.A.

Rabia NAseer, FAcilitation Advisor

Rabia Naseer has over 15 years of experience working on community development, anti-racism, and human-centered design projects. She holds a Master's degree in Educational Policy Studies with a focus on Social Justice and International Studies in Education. She is currently the project manager for an active bystander resource and Exploring wâhkôhtowin, an Indigenous Treaty board game, with the Edmonton Shift Lab, which co-creates solutions to racism and poverty. She is constantly interested in facilitating workshops, presenting, and training on issues of equity, inclusion, and centering marginalized voices. She believes that if you see something missing, why not make it yourself? We all have the potential to make a difference; all we need is a chance.

Melvina Conton, Training Assistant

Melvina Conton holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Ashesi University in Ghana. She has direct experience working on women’s issues and youth issues notably in Sierra Leone and Ghana. Her life experience as an African woman has informed her feminism and understanding of women’s rights issues. Her particular interests are Data Science and Gender Analytics, that is applying inclusive and innovative data-driven techniques and human-centered design to help inform policy- and decision-making especially on gender issues. She has experience managing social, educational and research projects as well as managing and working on diverse teams.

Laura Malaguerra, Strategic Advisor

Laura Malaguerra is one of the co-founders of aidTrain, a woman and Black-owned small business that provides training on US Government Regulations for Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Contracts. She has over 15 years' experience managing event strategy, budgeting, marketing, and operations. She realized she had a passion for events when she planned the company holiday party at her first job as an administrative assistant at ACDI/VOCA. During her time at InsideNGO/ Humentum, she planned events in over 30 countries and conferences for up to 1,500 people. 

Laura has a master's degree from Utah State University and a bachelor's degree from James Madison University.