Over 15 years, Deborah has transformed bold ideas into systemic solutions, building organizations and frameworks that create lasting impact across sectors and continents.
Starting as a college sophomore, she identified a critical gap in African children’s literature and built a continent-wide ecosystem to address it. This journey led to the creation of three groundbreaking organizations:
– Golden Baobab, a literary prize that launched 100+ careers across 30 countries
– African Bureau Stories, an award-winning publishing house recognized with the Bologna Prize for Best Children’s Publisher in Africa
– Accord Literary, a pioneering literary agency connect African writers to global markets
Her expertise in building evaluation frameworks and implementing scalable systems has positioned me as a trusted advisor in social innovation. She has helped direct nearly $10 million in funding to transformative initiatives, developing sophisticated assessment methodologies that identify and nurture breakthrough solutions.
Currently, as an MLIS candidate specializing in AI and emerging technologies, she is focused on responsible innovation exploring how new technologies can advance organizational excellence while ensuring equity and accessibility. At Concordia and McGill Universities, she evaluates AI implementations in academic settings, developing frameworks that balance innovation with community impact.
Global recognition for my work includes:
– Winner of the Global Pluralism Award from the Government of Canada and His Highness the Aga Khan
– Echoing Green Fellowship (selected from 3000+ global applicants)
– World Economic Forum Global Shaper
– Aspen Institute New Voices Fellow
– Winner of the Grinnell Prize for Social Innovation
Multilingual professional (5 languages) with experience across 30+ countries. she specializes in building precise, scalable solutions that maximize impact. Her approach combines strategic vision with practical implementation, always focusing on sustainable, measurable outcomes.
