Dr. Ajume H. Wingo is a Prince from Nso, a Kingdom in the North West Region of Cameroon. He is a Professor of Philosophy; Associate Director of the Center for Values and Social Policy; and the Director of the Law and Philosophy Program at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Ajume is the author of Veil Politics in Liberal Democratic States published by Cambridge
University Press.
Ajume hopes PridePads Africa will inspire women around the world to unite in supporting its mission to help free girls from senseless obstacles and empower them to change their communities for the better.

Stephanie Carter is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, activist and visionary. In 1999, Carter became one of the early pioneers of the sun protection apparel movement when she launched Boulder, Colorado based Wallaroo Hat Company. Since Wallaroo Hat
Company’s debut over two decades ago, Carter has grown the company into a leading global brand and certified B Corporation.
Carter is passionate about projects that have a global impact and she is one of the co-founders of PridePads Africa. She has been working alongside Professor Wingo for the last two years to bring menstrual hygiene education and access to sanitary pads to girls and women in Cameroon.

Mary F. Shackelton, MPH, ND is a board certified Naturopathic Doctor who has been providing integrative and naturopathic care to patients in Boulder for over 20 years. She owns and runs an integrative clinic in Boulder, Holistica Integrative Care. The focus of her clinical practice is on chronic disease, environmental medicine with an emphasis on women’s health. Dr. Shackelton is a member of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, Naturopathic Association of Environmental Medicine, Colorado Association of Naturopathic Medicine and the American Association of Naturopathic Medicine.
As a co-founder of Pride Pads Africa, she brings her commitment to serving others and strives to make a significant impact on the educational outcomes for women and girls in Africa.

Celeste Carter is currently a full-time student at American University in Washington D.C. Since she first met Professor Ajume Wingo in 2015, Celeste has been incredibly influential and invested with PridePads. Celeste is incredibly passionate about ensuring girls everywhere have equal opportunities for education and access to sanitary products. Working for PridePads has been transformative for Celeste, as she has learned so much about empowering other women, and through her work has found empowerment for herself. Her aspiration is to impact the lives of women for the better, quoting, “if I can change the life of just one girl, it will be enough.”

After 2 wonderful years as Executive Director for PridePads Africa, Marisa is honored to now serve as the President of the Board of Directors. Marisa received her MS in Global Studies and International Relations from Northeastern University, and a BA in International Affairs from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is passionate about female empowerment and spent over a decade coaching and mentoring youth female athletes in Boulder. Marisa spent 6 years as Co-Owner and Manager of The Fractal Society, Boulder’s premier woman-owned circus entertainment company. During that time, she created and directed 2 iterations of the groundbreaking circus theater production “Cirque de Menses: A Menstruation Celebration”,which broke taboos about menstruation at home while also raising funds for PridePads Africa. Marisa understands the need to invest in women and girls to break the cycle of poverty and to strengthen communities, and has witnessed the value of promoting menstrual health and hygiene to improve education attainment and gender equality. Marisa is proud to continue the critical work of amplifying women’s voices and normalizing menstruation in order to achieve a sustainable and just world.

Elizabeth received an MA in Gender Studies and Law from SOAS-University of London, having written her dissertation entitled Menstruation and Period Poverty: Undervalued and Overlooked Aspects of the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Arena which was inspired by her work with PridePads. Prior to SOAS, she studied International and Comparative Politics and International Human Rights Law at The American University of Paris where she discovered and fostered her passion for women’s rights and empowerment in development projects. Her focus, both in academia and the professional world, has been on community-based development projects in sub-Saharan Africa, having previously worked with Senegalese and Kenyan women’s and human rights organizations to advance gender equality. In addition to her work as Executive Director of PridePads, Elizabeth is a Program Associate in the Africa Division of ABA ROLI.

Having first joined PridePads in 2021 as a volunteer, Elizabeth is honored to have served on the Board of Directors and she looks forward to continuing helping PridePads empower women and girls to realize their full human rights and potential in her new role as Executive Director.

Jill Hammer brings 32 years of Media Relations experience to PridePads Africa.

She is the founder of HammerINK Media Intelligence, a full-service PR, event planning and social media firm.

Jill is no stranger to social causes and has been working for decades to advance the civil rights and freedoms of LGBTQ kids and adults. She has coordinated events and media campaigns for GLAAD, the Trevor Project, It Gets Better Project and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Jill’s entrée into activism came at sixteen years old, when she organized a national letter writing campaign urging then President Reagan to acknowledge the AIDS crisis. So yes, she has been at this a while.

When Jill watched the PridePads Africa video she was moved to tears, and knew she needed to use her philanthropic experiences and writing & public relations skill set to help the girls and women of Cameroon.

Jill is a recent addition to the PridePads Africa team. Her focus is securing media coverage for the organization and generating awareness through the PridePads social media channels.

Darby Moore has been in the accounting industry for 30 years,
most recently as the Director of Finance at Wallaroo Hat Company. Darby attended University of Colorado Leeds School of Business graduating with an BS in Accounting. She worked in public accounting for several years obtaining her CPA license. Prior to coming to Wallaroo she ran a private accounting business for 20 years. Darby specializes in financial accounting and has had experience being Treasurer of the Board for several non-profits in the Boulder area. Being a woman and mother of two daughters the mission of PridePads Africa resonated with her. If PridePads Africa can bring education and awareness to empower girls and women in Cameroon, she feels fortunate to use her skills to be part of that mission.

Hillary began her career as a marketing professional in the
children’s toy industry and is now part of the fashion industry at Wallaroo Hat
Company in Boulder, CO. During her time in the toy industry, she was able to
fulfill her love of giving back by working with organizations whose missions
are to provide toys and more to children in need. Continuing that path, Hillary
was honored to be asked to be part of the board at PridePads. Ensuring that
girls and women in Cameroon have access to menstrual health education and
sanitary pads is extremely important and she hopes that her small role at
PridePads will help make a difference.

Derek Gerleit studied Astrophysics and minored in Business at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is a nationally registered EMT-IV and worked for Holistica Integrative Care. There he met Mary Shackelton in 2016. After working at her clinic for 3 years, he heard about the project she was a part of and immediately asked how he could help with PridePads while it was being developed. He was hired as the Director of Ground Operations for PridePads Africa, and moved to Ngaoundere Cameroon for 7 months. There he helped to establish the non-profit. Derek is passionate about bringing menstrual health education and sanitary pads to the women of Cameroon. After having worked in the medical field, he wanted to normalize menstruation. After living in Ngaoundere and helping initiate the production he is deeply invested in success and growth of the project, and hopes that the world will continue to support these women that are fighting everyday to prove themselves, fighting for the education of their children, and fighting for change in their country.

Alex is an Ohio native but for two years called Cameroon her home. Her journey with women’s rights began during her undergraduate studies at Miami University as a Peer Advisor for women. Her passion continued to deepen while working with the Peace Corps in a rural community in the North of Cameroon—not far from the PridePads Headquarters. She co-facilitated summer camps and after school programs that empowered females in the community. It was during this time she met the founder of PridePads and learned about its mission. She believes the best way to help women is by giving them the tools they need to improve their own lives, and she thinks Pride Pads does exactly that. She has a profound love and appreciation for Cameroonian women and hopes that PridePads is able to transform their future into one of prosperity, independence and stability.

I was born in Yaounde, Cameroon, and as the youngest of five children, I have always been driven by adventure and curiosity. I only knew five English words when I moved to the USA at the age of nine, having known French my whole life. This transition to my new life only served as an inspiration to pursue greater goals and to continuously challenge myself.

I am now a graduate with an Industrial & Systems Engineering (ISE) degree from the University of Oklahoma. Throughout my college career, I served on many
committees. One of which was the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), where I served as a regional international chair in order to bridge the gap between international students abroad, in the US, and others to create more opportunities and equity. 

 I am honored to serve as an ambassador for PridePads Africa. PridePads drew my curiosity through its advocacy for humanity by educating about the menstrual cycle, and through innovation by creating affordable, biodegradable menstrual products. My passion to serve through menstrual education stems from the fact
that the topic was seldom mentioned while living in Cameroon.