Ashma Vaidya

Independent Consultant – Kathmandu, Nepal

Ashma is an independent consultant and educator who specializes in renewable energy and natural resource management. She has organized projects and evaluations in several energy transformation projects in Nepal over the last 12 years. Her doctoral work at Michigan Technical University focused on participatory approaches in the bioenergy industry. Ashma has participated in all phases of the work as a co-creator and emPOWER* facilitator. She is on the steering committee of the Cooperative.

Binita Shrestha

Program Coordinator, Minergy, Inc. – Kathmandu, Nepal

Binita has been working in the energy sector, particularly biomass and micro hydropower, for nearly 10 years. Her experience is in monitoring and supervision of energy projects, carrying out research and development to improve energy efficiency, developing digital surveys and analysis, and municipal energy planning. Binita has MS degrees in Energy and Environmental Management and in Environment Education and Sustainable Development. Binita is an emPOWER* facilitator and will serve as Project Manager of emPOWER Phase IV.

Usha Maskey

Managing Director, Minergy, Inc. – Kathmandu, Nepal

Usha has over twenty-five years of active work experience in the development field and is is dedicated to approaching problems and issues through both social and technical lenses. In addition to her work throughout Nepal, she has provided services  in Mongolia, Rwanda, Burundi and South Kivu/DRC. Usha holds a Master’s degree in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University, USA. She is an emPOWER* facilitator and has participated in every phase of the Cooperative.

Ellen Baum

Climate and Health Research Network – Bowdoinham, Maine, USA

Ellen’s professional career has been dedicated to working on solutions and policies to support reductions in air pollutants, methane and carbon dioxide. She centers her work around workable solutions that are scalable, available across populations and geographies, low cost and will yield deep and lasting benefits. Ellen has been involved in charting the Cooperative’s vision since the very first workshop and is on its steering committee.

Tami Bond

Walter Scott, Jr. Presidential Chair in Energy, Environment and Health
Colorado State University – Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

Tami is an engineer and professor interested in how human decisions affect local and global environments, and how those environments in turn affect their residents.  From cooking practices to consumer goods movements, her work focuses on identifying critical elements in complex systems, and on realistic visions of change. Tami’s inquiry into rethinking ineffective delivery systems and her observations about the role of participant self-efficacy led to the Cooperative’s initiation in 2016. She is on the steering committee of the Cooperative.

Anita Shankar

Associate Scientist, Johns Hopkins University – Baltimore, Maryland  USA

Anita Shankar is a medical anthropologist and public health researcher with Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health. She has more than 20 years of experience in research and programs focused on women’s empowerment, maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, community mobilization, and human resource capacity building, and currently heads the SEE Change Institute at Hopkins. Anita is co-developer of the Empowered Entrepreneur Training Handbook and advised on adaptation of the exercises beyond entrepreneurs. She co-created the initial vision for The emPOWER Collective as a connection between developing human capacity and achieving resource delivery.

Lina Brand Correa

Assistant Professor, York University – Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Lina is in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change at York University, Toronto. Her current research interests are the impact of energy systems on climate change, energy or service requirements for the satisfaction of human needs, energy poverty and the impact of provisioning systems on wellbeing. Lina developed the participatory exercises around Energy Services that are included in the emPOWER* training modules.

Shovana Maharjan

Currently: Ajummery Bikas Foundation

Shovana is a professional, project manager and researcher in the fields of renewable energy, research, environment education and sustainable development. While at Centre for Rural Technology/Nepal, Shovana designed and conducted the interface between emPOWER* training and the Ecovillage Development Project in Phase II. 

Lachana Shresthacharya

Currently: Asian Development Bank, Kathmandu, Nepal

Lachana is an expert in Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, especially with regard to energy and electricity projects. While at the Centre for Rural Technology / Nepal, Lachana was a trainer for the Empowered Entrepreneur work and carried out development of the emPOWER* materials and training in Phase I.

Eshita Pandey

Eshita managed the Gender, Energy and Water network at CRT/N and was involved in pairing the EcoVillage Development work with emPOWER Phase II. She is currently working toward a Master’s Degree in Australia.

Anzoo Sharma

Deputy Director, Centre for Rural Technology – Nepal

During Phase II, Anzoo was instrumental in completing the interface between the Ecovillage Development project and emPOWER* training, and in organizing evaluation. 

Ganesh Ram Shrestha

Centre for Rural Technology – Nepal

Ganesh Ram Shrestha has over 40 years of activity in bringing about renewable energy and drinking water projects in Nepal. As Executive Director for CRT / Nepal, Mr. Shrestha played a key role in supporting The emPOWER Collective in Phase I and Phase II, especially providing space for participants to develop the work and advocating with the Social Welfare Council for the project’s non-traditional approach.

Many other people contributed to the successful exploration of emPOWER: EcoVillage personnel for Phase II (Niraj Shrestha), leaders in Baghmati Rural Municipality, evaluators (Kaushila Rai and Chija Adhikari), and organization principals (Suyesh Prajapati and Purushottam Shrestha).

We are also grateful to all participants of “Development Effectiveness” workshops who took part in fumbling descriptions of the elephant. A probably incomplete list: Mary Arends-Kuenning, Sherri Cook, Bipin Dangol, Paul Francisco, Jeremy Guest, Olivia Harris, Juliet Iwelumnor, Sameer Maithel, Timothy McCarthy, Paul McNamara, Hope Michelsen, Helen Nguyen, Emmanuel Nuesiri, Ashley Pettus, Brian Pianfetti, Carla Santos, Noreen Sugrue, John Trimmer, Basudev Upadhayay, Cheryl Weyant, Ann Perry Witmer, Chi-Fang Wu.

Since 2017, the group called themselves “The emPOWER Collective.” This name was taken by other organizations, so the group rebranded as “The emPOWER Cooperative” in 2023.