Leadership and Team

Jennifer Hanks-Allaire co-founded and chairs the Board for the Grandmother Collective. Jen brings a broad range of private sector experience and perspective to this work with 20 years of professional experience in strategy & operations across media and digital publishing. Jennifer held several leadership roles at both The New York Times and The International Herald Tribune and has consulted for blue-chip media organizations across the globe. Ms. Hanks-Allaire graduated from Columbia University in Anthropology and holds a Masters of Science in Public Management from The London School of Economics, with a focus on developing world NGOs.  Jennifer is personally inspired by her grandmothers and her belief in the power of women to improve the world for all.

A seasoned executive leader of projects, money, and people, Christina Hartman has raised millions of dollars from government, foundations, major donors, and digital operations for non-profits such as the National Democratic Institute, The Joyful Heart Foundation, her consulting clients, and her own political campaigns. She is a strategic thinker who excels at building projects and organizations from scratch, executing turnarounds, and completing good-to-great transitions in challenging international and domestic environments. Thanks to her runs as a red-to-blue Congressional run in 2016 and for Pennsylvania Auditor General in 2020, Christina has extensive political experience at local, state, national, as well as international levels, and a proven track-record of building broad coalitions between American, international, government, civil society, labor, business, and other stakeholders. As a former non-resident fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Christina applies her international and domestic policy expertise to building a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive organizational systems and raising awareness of and challenging structures that perpetuate conformist, inequitable, and exclusionary systems. 

Silvia von Gunten is a strategic leader with more than 20 years of international experience who combines systems thinking with public-private community building to drive positive social impact. Her global network and holistic approach bring together diverse voices from across the innovation ecosystem – from startups to Fortune 500 companies, from NGOs to government ministers. 

Working directly with C-suite executives and founders worldwide, she has designed and led numerous global initiatives that collaboratively align on the shared goals of businesses, governments and civil society. As member of the leadership team of the World Economic Forum's Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, she worked with multiple stakeholder communities to ensure emerging technologies benefit both society and the planet. 

Currently residing in Belmont, MA, Silvia has lived and worked in six countries across East Asia, Europe, and North America. She brings a global, local, and innovative perspective to all that she does and in particular her roles as a non-executive board director, mentor for women leaders, and advocate for inclusive communities.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Meenakshi Gupta is the Co-Founder of Goonj, a pioneering social enterprise repositioning human dignity at the center of development. Over the last 25 years, Goonj has focused on turning underutilized urban resources into tools for development, bridging gaps in dignity and opportunity, with civic participation. Meenakshi plays a central role in shaping Goonj’s programs, fostering partnerships, and driving initiatives that connect urban and rural communities in meaningful ways. Currently, she is leading efforts to explore and replicate Goonj’s approach across Asia and Africa, working with global teams and networks.

As a founding member of Catalyst 2030, a global network of social entrepreneurs, Meenakshi is part of its governing council and co-chairs its Disasters Working Group, focusing on community-driven disaster response. Her commitment extends to supporting women leaders in the development sector, emphasizing emotional well-being and resilience for those working in challenging conditions.

Before founding Goonj, Meenakshi had a 15-year corporate career, including an eight years stint as South Asia Publicist for the BBC. Her background in commerce and communications has equipped her with the skills to lead Goonj’s impactful, people-centered initiatives. Meenakshi’s work is about building connections—between resources, communities, and individuals—while fostering empathy and action. She continues to champion grassroots leadership and sustainable solutions, inspiring collective efforts for a more equitable and resilient world. Meenakshi lives in Delhi, India with her husband and two cats.

Dr. Lynsey Farrell is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Grandmother Collective. Over the last two decades, Lynsey’s work has focused on the intersections of youth, international development, urbanization, and informality in sub-Saharan Africa. She completed extensive field research among youth-self-help groups in the Kibera settlement of Nairobi, Kenya while directing American University’s Kenya program on Sustainable International Development. A scholar-practitioner, Lynsey worked with Ashoka: Innovators for the Public on numerous knowledge and learning efforts. As program director of a $6.6 million Mastercard Foundation funded grant on Innovations in Youth Employment in Africa, she curated and facilitated the Future of Work in Africa course, co-authored an innovation guide called Youth Unstuck: Innovations in Youth Livelihoods and Leadership in Africa, and pioneered the Ashoka Emerging Insights report, which showcases the latest trends in social innovation around the world. She received her PhD in Cultural Anthropology from Boston University.