Our Team
We are collaborators who believe in the power of homes and what they can do for people.
Operations Team
LINDSEY KRUGER
Heart of gold until you’re up against her in a game of Bananagrams, Lindsey is our resident visionary. She founded Nivas after working in Solukhumbu and Dhading districts of Nepal where she saw first-hand what folks in under-served communities need most. Utilizing her 17-year career in architecture/design and a Masters of Development Practice, she seeks to aid marginalized families in their quest toward safety and empowerment.
SAVITRI RAJALI
Fixer extraordinaire, Savitri knows just how to get things done Nepali-style. With an education in Rural Development and a background in Documentary Film-making, she helps us complete our mission by researching and assessing needs and resources, mobilizing people, and arranging the seemingly impossible. She also helps us capture the stories of our partner families to share with our supporters, important in this global-context.
GOVINDA LAMA
Govinda Lama is our site super extraordinaire. He works in partnership with our new homeowners to build their dream homes. His expertise is in building rural homes with local materials, yet his ability to create a socially sensitive environment where dignity can thrive is equally important in helping our homeowners achieve success. Govinda believes that “working for those in need is the best work”.
LALIT KARKI
Field Manager of our ReCover Damku Program, Lalit's energy and daily presence on location are crucial to the program's success. Our applicants are able to access his knowledge and expertise to allay any concerns and to make plans for quick implementation. This allows us to get families into safe shelter fast. Lalit has a degree from Tribhuvan University.
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SUSHMA B. SHRESTHA
Sushma is a dedicated advocate for women, youth, and children, leveraging over a decade of experience in strategic management, organizational behavior, and fundraising for the development sector. As Director of Impact and Innovation at NIVAS, she spearheads initiatives driving lasting positive change. Sushma’s work has impacted diverse communities worldwide, focusing on leadership, public speaking, and women’s empowerment.
SABITRI DHUNGANA
Spirited go-getter, Sabitri assists our Program Coordinator during surveys and interviews, and keeps approvals moving smoothly. She’ working toward a bachelor of Social Work at Kadambari Memorial College because she has a passion for engaging community and finding solutions to the problems of her time. She’s interested in putting theoretical knowledge into practice and loves exploring new places and lifestyles.
ALICE CARFRAE
This artist with a passion for recording the human experience, travels far and wide to document and share the lives of people with hidden stories. Her work has been featured on BBC, Aljazeera, Telegraph Magazine, The Guardian, and Vice. Lucky for us growing up with an architect father in combination with her passion for social justice, means Alice is willing to commit her talents to further our mission. http://www.alicecarfraemultimedia.com/
RAM GURUNG
Seasoned veteran at community organization, construction and implementation, Ram is our Project Coordinator through one of our partnering organization. Ram's smile & confidence help our partner families get through even the toughest job. He hikes dozens of miles a day to reach his collaborators and teammates to make sure the work is up to codes and standards.
SHEELA SEN
Sheela is our expert on the human scale. A professor of Social Work Research and Anthropology with over 12 years of experience in field research programs, she leads the charge in discovering those at risk and becomes the conduit through which we design and create solutions that meet our partner families’ most pressing needs. She uses her knowledge to help other women move past social and physical barriers into prosperity.
MOBINA GHIMIRE
With a Master of Science in Construction Engineering and Management, Mobina uses her expertise to ensure our homes are built to site-specific requirements and appropriate technologies. Her many years of experience with Build Change, Engineers Without Borders, and leading the Disaster Risk Engineering Department of Lumbini University illustrate Mobina’s drive to make positive change to the infrastructure and resiliency of Nepal.
BIKASH POKHREL
Bikash manages both local monitoring and quality control of our construction projects as well as many of our on-site construction trainings. Playing a technical advisory role on-site enables him to use his deep local knowledge and his engineering expertise to ensure each home is built to the standard needed for long-term durability. Bikash’s passion for his own community drives his desire to create a better built environment for all people.
KARMA SHERPA
A man of action, Karma was born into a nomadic family in mountainous Nepal. Karma is the Executive Director of our partner organization The Small World. His skills in community organization and project management are exceptional. The Small World has been in operation for 12 years and is very highly regarded in Solukhumbu and the Kathmandu Valley.
Board of Directors
KEN STORM
Our analytical dreamer, Ken is in charge of inspiring those around him to think BIG. 7 out of 10 of his ideas aren’t even that crazy. Ken grew his knowledge of community-based design while working for and volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in South Carolina, Colorado and New Zealand. As principal of Storm Design/Build, Ken is inspired by projects with constraints and unique challenges. He believes that applying your skillset in practical and thrifty ways can improve reality for people in need.
KEN ANDREWS
As an award-winning leader in the design community, analytical to the extreme, and eternally optimistic that the hard way can be overcome, Ken helps steer this NIVAS ship with his experience and innovative vision. He is a Principal Architect with Arch11, inc. and brings a rigor to Arch11’s design leadership through directing project delivery and implementing new technology into the design process. He is devoted to the belief that architecture should be a visceral, material and technological response to place and use.
BISHOP BHANDARI
Bishop is a CPA and a seasoned finance professional with over a decade of experience, currently serving as the Finance Director at a Fortune 500 technology company. Hailing from Nepal, his journey has provided a unique perspective on the challenges faced in developing nations, highlighting the profound impact of opportunities on those trapped in the poverty cycle. He is deeply committed to the operational excellence of the organization and opportunities that NIVAS creates for the underprivileged, recognizing that each opportunity initiates a ripple effect, ultimately leading to the betterment of communities and broader society.
Advisory Board
JENNIFER LEISCH
Jen has been a fierce supporter of NIVAS since day one. She has over 17 years of experience in energy science, climate and energy policy, and program management - spending much of her career with USAID and the US National Renewable Energy Lab. She has guided emerging energy markets and advised on climate change policy throughout Asia, East Africa, and Latin America. She currently co-leads an energy development office in Hanoi, Vietnam. As a member of our advisory board, Jen helps guide our mission toward great heights.
TRIPTI SHARMA
As a licensed therapist Tripti brings Advisory Board conversations back to the people we serve. In her day job Tripti can be found around the State of Colorado training and implementing best practices in youth mental health with schools, primary care physicians, behavioral health providers, and the general community. She brings her passion for people and improving access to basic needs in order for people to thrive in their communities.
STACEY TWIGG
As an interior architect at Shopworks Architecture, Stacey spends her days shaping housing opportunities in Denver through low-income and permanent supportive housing projects that benefit from her passion for trauma-informed design. Stacey and Lindsey helped design and build a school together on their first-ever trip to Nepal. While Stacey loves improving the city in which she lives, she is thankful for the opportunity to extend her passion for community enrichment and sustainable housing internationally.
SANDRA THOMPSON
With over 30 years of experience in architecture and business leadership, and a passion for growing business from a neighborhood mindset, Sandra knows how to help communities achieve their vision. As founder and principal of Zaga Design Group, she oversees planning efforts from concept to completion, bringing a practical and tactical skillset to our NIVAS team. As a single mother herself, she is passionate in the pursuit to use her professional knowledge, drive, and resources to help other single mothers achieve safe housing for their families.
MARC ABLE
Marc has 44 years of experience designing building systems throughout the US and 40 of those years managing two successful Consulting Engineering firms. Marc developed a special interest in designing systems for nonprofit organizations during the last decade and has a real passion for traveling to all parts of the world, especially to remote areas off the beaten path. This combination brought Marc to NIVAS. He’s excited for the challenges and opportunities to help marginalized families improve their living conditions and form and operate small businesses.
CHRIS NICOLETTI
As Senior Director of Impact & Analytics at renowned and highly effective iDE, Chris has worked to integrate evidence of all kinds into the design and implementation of agricultural and WASH programs with funding from USAID, DFID, World Bank, Gates Foundation, and more. His work spans agriculture, WASH, women’s empowerment, nutrition, food security, and climate adaptation and resilience programs. Chris’s extensive experience in program design and impact evaluation bring deep on-the-ground knowledge to our work at NIVAS.
JAMES HARPER
James is motivated by what can change the world. His extensive experience as a mechanical design engineer, EMT, and STEM educator, inform his research of how infrastructure and human behavior interact. He is currently an educator and researcher in Civil Engineering at UC Boulder focusing on improving public health in rural low-income contexts, including how human behavior affects fecal sludge management in rural Cambodia and Bangladesh. James has also guided infrastructure development projects in rural India.
SARA SULLIVAN
Devoted party-planner and deadpan Architectural Engineer, Sara lives to make the world more beautiful. She is an expert lighting designer with over 10+ years experience on high-end residential architecture. Lucky for us, her desk is littered with party supplies and lighting design awards. Sara has a passion for executing efficient design, calculated decision-making, and effective collaboration. Her purpose is to spark confidence in our community, that we are all even more capable than we think.
MIKE ZAKHEM
A fun-loving developer with a keen interest in international development, Mike brings his passion for good housing to NIVAS. He is the founder of Zakhem Real Estate Group, a family-owned business focused on Development, Brokerage, and Property Management. Mike has developed over $75 Million of real estate in the Denver Metro Area, specializing in mixed-use and urban infill projects. He enjoys experimenting with design while still maintaining functionality to deliver thoughtful and livable homes for all.
GEETA UHL
Geeta has 18+ years of development experience including being a Foreign Service Environment Officer at USAID managing biodiversity, forestry, climate change adaptation, and clean energy projects in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. She has managed sustainable urban planning projects for the City of New York, and led sustainable forestry projects in Central America for the Environmental Investigation Agency. Geeta is passionate about improving environmental and human outcomes through smarter program design and processes.
SANCHITA NEUPANE
With a Masters in Risk, Sanchita is willing to risk it all to create the positive change she envisions for her country. Her qualifications are an amalgam of civil engineering and social science with a focus on community-based Disaster Risk Reduction, resilient infrastructure, hydrological sciences and climate change adaptation. Sanchita is currently guiding a European Union grant for Disaster Risk Recovery in Nepal and brings her expertise, connections, and enthusiasm to our AB team at NIVAS.