Shamira is a mission driven professional with over eight years of experience in the social impact sector across North America, East and West Africa. She has focused her career on advancing transformative, equity-centered social impact on the African continent and within the African diaspora.
Prior to joining the AVFund, Shamira was an Associate Program Officer at the ELMA Philanthropies, where she supported the foundation’s investments in organizations addressing disaster response, food security, and promoting sustainable livelihoods across Africa. As a Public Policy Fellow at Philanthropy New York, she focused on building funder capacity and advancing racial equity within the philanthropic sector. Shamira has also managed programs at an international experiential education non-profit, headed communications at a Kenyan creative social impact hub, and consulted for a number of organizations, including a boutique strategy firm where she helped Fortune 500 clients understand their workplace culture and develop impactful diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategies.
Shamira has a Master’s in Public Administration from Columbia University and dual Bachelor’s degrees in Global Studies and Communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She enjoys cycling, interior design and is always eager to plan her next adventure.