Louise Rita Contino

Louise is a development practitioner, creative strategist and storyteller with over one decade experience in nonprofit management. She is deeply committed to positive social-ecological change and community-driven development. Her core values are courage, ubuntu, curiosity, service and joy. Louise has worked as a fundraiser, communications specialist, documentary producer, project manager, research analyst and leader for several national and international organizations, ranging from Outward Bound USA to Mercy Corps to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). She holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Geography and Studio Art from the University of Vermont (UVM, 2011) and a Master’s of Public Administration in Development Practice (MPA-DP) from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA, 2019). Her core areas of interest are community-driven development, nature-based sustainable development, social impact campaigns, social behavior change communication, health systems strengthening, and disability rights and inclusion. During her master's studies at Columbia SIPA, Louise completed a dual specialization in nonprofit management alongside technology, media and communications. Samples of her diverse breadth of work are available on her portfolio website: www.louisecontino.com. 

After eight years of hustle in New York City, and work abroad in Ghana, Uganda and Malawi, Louise now resides in the tiny mountain town of Silverton, Colorado, where she enjoys mountaineering missions and other outdoor pursuits in her spare time. She is honored to be a part of the founding team of Pamoja Africa Impact Fund, a collaboration that she is was invited to join by her longtime colleague and friend, co-founder Aaron Bukenya. Louise and Aaron first connected in 2013 to help scale his organization, BESO Foundation in Uganda. She created a participatory documentary project called Picturing Wanteete to spotlight the incredible community BESO Foundation serves to this day.