Nyla Rodgers
Founding Director
Nyla Rodgers is the founding director of Mama Hope. She received her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in Global and International Studies. During her senior year Nyla interned at the International Peace Bureau and UNESCO’s International Bureau of Education in Geneva, Switzerland where she conducted an independent research project, “Children as Emissaries of Change: Peace Education in Post Conflict Societies.” Nyla then completed a Master’s Degree at the European University of Peace Studies in Austria, where she held a graduate research position at Education for Peace International in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Later, Nyla was employed as the Program Director of the Pacific Rim Foundation (PRF) in San Francisco. At PRF she directed day-to-day operations and worked with diplomatic organizations from five continents to secure participation in international peace events. In 2007, Nyla was the Africa Program Coordinator for the UN Environment Program’s San Francisco Delegation to Kenya. It was during this trip that Nyla decided to create her own organization to provide resources to community based organizations in the developing world.

Amy Vaninetti
Operations Director
Amy Vaninetti is the Operations Director for Mama Hope. She is also Co-Founder of the First Fifth Institute. Amy graduated from the Universtiy of California, Davis, where she received dual B.A. in Psychology and International Relations. Amy has worked with numerous non-profit organizations which all share her same passion for the developing world, particularly communites of women and children in Africa. She is very dedicated to Mama Hope because she believes in our approach to sustainability through high impact community-based projects.

Thomas Veazey
Program Director
Thomas Veazey is the Program Director at Mama Hope. He graduated from Gonzaga University with a B.A. in History and French and a concentration in Leadership. After graduating, he immediately left for Zambezi, Zambia where he acquired a strong conviction for improving livelihoods through local channels and a focus on community priorities. Searching for the best methods, he worked as Communications Coordinator at Green Empowerment, an NGO focused on disseminating micro-energy and water systems. At Mama Hope he is in charge of orchestrating the First Fifth Institute.

Bryce Yukio Adolphson
Director of Branding and Media Development, Founding Member
Since 2007, Bryce has  been collaborating on multimedia projects with our partner communities in East Africa.  His Mama Hope work ranges from traditional photojournalism to shooting and producing our current Stop the Pity campaign with internet storyteller Joe Sabia.  Based in San Francisco, California, he works as a freelance photojournalist and multimedia producer specializing in domestic and international nonprofits.  His work can be seen throughout our site and at bryceyukioadolphson.com.