Our People - NYC

Our NYC office is volunteer-staffed, so more of your donation goes directly to creating self-sustaining and thriving communities.

Our People

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Meet everyone who makes it happen in NYC

Atti Worku
Atti Worku
Executive Director and Founder

Atti Worku (atti@seedsofafrica.org) believes great things can spring from difficult conditions -- they just need the right nourishment. Born in Adama, Ethiopia, Atti has traveled the world developing her passion for encouraging the next generation of African leaders.

As the founder of Seeds, Atti recognizes the importance of holistic education, and is working to establish community development centers within urban communities throughout Africa. 

Atti and Seeds are proving that what began as one woman's dream to plant hope for a handful of Ethiopian children can become a model for community-based African development.

Atti's unique beauty has been recognized across the world. A former Miss Ethiopia and international fashion model, Atti has graced runways from Cape Town to New York. She currently resides in New York City and attends Columbia University.

Siena-Antonia von Tscharner Fleming
Siena-Antonia von Tscharner Fleming
Director of Education

Siena-Antonia von Tscharner Fleming (siena@seedsofafrica.org) is currently pursuing her second masters degree at the Sorbonne in 'Science of Education' and has begun her doctorate this year in the 'Anthropology of Education'.  Previously, she graduated from New York University with a dual degree in early childhood education and early childhood special education. Her love of writing, children's literature, playing the violin, composing music, and designing theater productions have attracted her to the kinds of fine arts projects that are at the core of the Seeds of Africa curriculum.

Siena-Antonia has worked in both public and private schools in Manhattan, and has taught at the Ethiksschule, a farm-based kindergarten for ethical development in Basel, Switzerland. As a child, she split her time between Basel and Cambridge, Massachusetts, and currently resides in Paris, France, where she is producing and co-directing a film on the Seeds of Africa education philosophy and completing a post-graduate degree at the Sorbonne in the Science of Education.

Christina Herbach
Christina Herbach
Director of Marketing

Christina Herbach’s (christina@seedsofafrica.org) involvement at Seeds of Africa grew organically out of her passion for international travel, love of learning, and experience in corporate marketing.   After graduating from New York University with an honors degree in International Relations and East Asian Studies, she visited the Take-Root Center and became dedicated to promoting Seeds’ vision and long-term goals.  Since then, she has been instrumental developing and implementing the organization’s public relations strategy, spearheading the organization’s membership with GlobalGiving, and fostering discussion in both traditional and social media outlets.  Christina currently resides in New York City where she works as a marketing analytics analyst and volunteers her time at the Junior League.

Joanna Lau
Joanna Lau
Director of Finance

Joanna Lau (joanna@seedsofafrica.org) became involved with Seeds after volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in Ethiopia, where she realized the value of an organization that focuses on building sustainability where it is needed most. She decided to become involved with Seeds of Africa, and has since spearheaded an effort to finalize a clear set of financials to better position Seeds in the ever-growing nonprofit sector.

Joanna graduated in 2007 from New York University with a degree in finance and accounting. She is currently working as an investment banker, where she specializes in the commodities industry. Leveraging her undergraduate degree and her experience in finance, she has helped Seeds build a comprehensive budget for the organization’s financial future.

Maggie Sands
Maggie Sands
Director of Community Development

Maggie Sands (maggie@seedsofafrica.org) became interested in Ethiopia during her studies of economic development in sub-Saharan Africa at the University of Illinois. As a student, Maggie worked with abused and neglected children while volunteering for a national children‘s rights organization, CASA.

While continuing her studies in International Relations and Labor Economics at Baruch College, Maggie found that international aid, while a necessary component of development, is subject to bureaucracy and substantial red tape. Maggie came to realize that Seeds of Africa is different: it provides an opportunity to make a tremendous difference on an individual level. On repeated trips to Ethiopia, Maggie has observed high levels of unemployment with little opportunity to enter the labor market. Maggie leads the Community Enhancement Initiative, which provides the necessary tools to stimulate sustainable economic growth in the Adama community.