The Team
The Akilah Institute is truly a global effort, with team members in places such as Florida, Seattle, New York, London, Washington D.C., and Hong Kong. A Board of Directors governs our 501c3 nonprofit organization in the United States. Our core leadership is supported by advisers from leading corporations and non-profit organizations. A committed team of volunteers helps organize events and spread the word about the Akilah mission. The Washington D.C. chapter of Architecture for Humanity steers our creative design and renovation work.
Akilah would not be possible without the countless individuals and organizations who have provided critical support and encouragement along the way.
Interested in joining the Akilah team? Visit our Job & Volunteer Opportunities section for more information.
Elizabeth Dearborn Davis
Co-Founder and President
Originally from Tampa, Florida, Elizabeth graduated with honors from Vanderbilt University, where she majored in Political Science and Human & Organizational Development with a focus on international development. Before falling in love with Rwanda, Elizabeth worked on education and community development projects in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, and South Africa. Elizabeth was a founding member of Students for Kenya, an organization supporting the Lwala Health Clinic in Western Kenya. She was the president of STAND: Students Taking Action Now Darfur, and a co-founder of Fashion for A Cause. Elizabeth first came to Rwanda in 2006 as part of a delegation on post-conflict reconciliation and human rights advocacy. In 2007, she founded a nonprofit organization in the States to provide scholarships to street children in Rwanda, support an orphanage in Kigali, and organize reconciliation and conflict resolution conferences for genocide survivors and high school students. In 2008, Elizabeth was selected as a StartingBloc fellow.
Dave Hughes
Co-Founder
Born in Hong Kong, Dave has traveled extensively in Asia, Americas, Australia, Pacific Islands, Africa and Europe. He is currently the director of a property company in Hong Kong and a professional member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. In 2008 Dave worked with Project Akilah in Rwanda and was instrumental in securing the site for the new vocational and leadership institute in Bugesera district. While living in Rwanda Dave formed the Sharks Rugby Football Club, which comprised a diverse group of young Rwandans, many of whom lived on the streets of Kigali. He organized the first Rwandan inter club rugby tournament in which he also played. Dave is a keen sportsman and was the youngest participant in the 2000 Round the World Classic Car Rally and more recently participated in the 2008 Panama to Alaska Classic car rally. Dave is a graduate of Reading University Berkshire UK where he received a first class honors degree in investment and finance in property.
Muhire Enock
Program Assistant
Muhire was born and raised in Uganda after his family fled Rwanda due to ethnic violence in the 1950s. He returned to Rwanda at the age of thirteen and completed secondary school at Nyamata High School in Bugesera district. Due to his proficiency with languages, Muhire began working as a translator for international organizations at a young age. Over the last several years, Muhire has worked as a consultant and research assistant for organizations including Never Again Rwanda, Global Youth Connect, Plan Rwanda, and Voices of Rwanda. He has worked with research teams from George Washington University and Columbia University to gather information about post-conflict reconciliation and the reintegration of former combatants. Muhire was a program assistant in the development of two documentaries produced by crews from the United States and Japan, about the impact of the genocide on economic development in Rwanda and illiteracy in rural communities. Muhire is currently a part-time student at the School of Finance and Banking. Muhire speaks fluent Kinyarwanda, English, French, Luganda, Kinyakole, Lukiga, Kirundi, and Kihaya. Learn why Muhire joined the Akilah team.