We're honored to also be joined by special guests Alisa Roadcup, Executive Director of Heshima Kenya, and Richard Cohen, President and Founder of Distant Village Packaging. We've invited them to meet you all and share their stories. HESHIMA KENYA is a non-profit organization operating in Nairobi, Kenya, and is the first organization in Kenya devoted to protecting unaccompanied and separated refugee children and youth, with a special focus on supporting women and girls ages 13 to 23 from Somalia, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Sudan, Rwanda, and Burundi. The organization provides shelter, education, vocational training, case management support, and advocacy to participants and their children who have experienced the detrimental effects of war. Heshima Kenya is Chicago-grown, and social enterprise is baked into its model. Alisa Roadcup joined Heshima Kenya in 2012 and served in various capacities before becoming Executive Director. Prior to Heshima Kenya, Alisa worked in several non-profit organizations, including The Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions, Fresh Start Women's Foundation, and Amnesty International USA. DISTANT VILLAGE is an award-winning sustainable design and production firm producing world-class sustainable packaging and products from natural materials by best-in-class Fair Trade artisans. Having established work experience in international business, strategy, and technology, Rich – a seasoned traveler to more than 60 countries – founded Distant Village in 2000 by developing exclusive relationships with the world’s finest artisans of hand-made packaging. Today, Rich continues his work in leading-edge sustainability technology. He continues to serve Distant Village by leading the board and advising the company on direction and strategy.
