Breaking Poverty Cycles through Children's Education and Community Empowerment
Our Team
Breaking Poverty Cycles and Empowering Communities
Rural World Impetus Inc. is a 501(c) (3) Nonprofit and lay organization. It does not and will never discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and beneficiaries.
Our dedicated team of experienced professionals are always on the ball, utilizing their unique skills and passion to move the work of our Non-Profit Organization forward. We’re always pushing ourselves to stay ahead of the curve and striving to perfect our programs. Meet some of our incredible leaders below.
Emery Ladi Ngamasana
President, Executive Director
With us since our founding, Emery L Ngamasana is a trained Biostatistician with a background in Economics and Policy Development. Growing up in a poverty-stricken rural area, and having kept strong ties with his local communities, he brings in first-hand knowledge of the local needs and challenges, while suggesting pragmatic and disruptive solutions in helping the organization grow and succeed. Emery has worked as a Research Associate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is currently a Senior Scientist at Reynolds American Inc in Winston-Salem. He is passionate about giving back to his community and helping meet the challenges that his fellow brothers and sisters are facing in Congo.
Professor Kandala Fandidi Bienvenu
DRC In-country Director
Dr Kandala is a Professor of psychometric at the University of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has been a teaching fellow at the University of Kinshasa for more than 15 years. He leads our work in the DRC and oversees all operations in collaboration with our small local team.
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Tony Green
Director Treasurer
Tony is an entrepreneur and real estate professional with compassion for those less fortunate than him. He decided to join Rural World Impetus Inc. with the vision and drive to develop the organization with experience and integrity.
Father Felix Ngolo
Vice President
Father Felix Ngolo is a Catholic Priest, native of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has a background in rural development from the Catholic University of Lyon in France. He has a long history of leading small projects in the rural area of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He brings in first-hand experience in planning and budgeting and contextual understanding of socioeconomic issues facing the community we serve
Jean Paul Littleton
Director of Communication
Jean Paul is a native from the same rural area Democratic Republic of Congo. He has a background in Radio and Telecommunication, with a Master in Business Administration. Jean Paul brings in an invaluable experience in terms of helping the project to set and maintain a platform for networking, mentorship and leadership.
Father Rodrigue Ntungu
Legal Advisor
Father Rodrigue Ntungu is a Catholic Priest from the congregation of Jesuits. He was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In 2000, he joined the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in Central Africa Province (DRC and Angola). After his first studies (BA in Philosophy) followed by the apostolic work (Latin teacher) in the DRC, Rodrigue pursued legal studies (LLB and LLM, Civil Law System) in Business Law in Yaoundé, Cameroon. From 2012 to 2015, he attended Hekima University College in Nairobi (Kenya) for a BA in Theology and was ordained to the priesthood on January 3, 2016. Meanwhile, Rodrigue served as the Secretary to the Provincial in Kinshasa before joining Boston College (2017-2019) for Sacred Theological Licentiate in Social Ethics. He is an LLM alumnus from the University of San Francisco (USF) Law School.
Kim Green
Director of Education
Kim is a real estate professional and former teacher who resides in Lewisville, NC. Her love for children and education bring years of experience and skills to the forefront in helping our organization grow and succeed.
Professor Nir B. Kshetri
Program Director
Doctor Nir Kshetri is Professor at University of North Carolina-Greensboro and a research fellow at Kobe University. He has authored nine books, one of which has been selected as an Outstanding Academic Title by Choice Magazine. He has also published over 140 articles in various journals. Nir was the winner of IEEE IT Professional’s Most Popular Paper Award in 2019 and 2018 and Outstanding Contribution in Authorships award in 2019. He also won the Blockchain Connect Conference’s Most Influential Blockchain Research Paper in 2019. He is a two-time winner of the Pacific Telecommunication Council’s Meheroo Jussawalla Research Paper Prize. He has provided consulting services to Asian Development Bank, various UN agencies and a number of private companies. Nir has been quoted/interviewed and/or his work has been featured by hundreds of media outlets worldwide such as Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, Public Radio International, Scientific American, Bloomberg TV, Channel News Asia, CBS News, TV Mundo (Peru), ABF TV (Brazil), Fortune, Time, Fast Company, Forbes, Christian Science Monitor, SF Gate, U.S. News & World Report, New Boston Post, Observer, International Business Times, Business Standards, Slate and Salon. In 2018, he gave a TED Talk about the potential roles of cryptocurrencies in fighting poverty (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDo_Jlov9R4).