New Program and Operations Coordinator for Pangea Giving

We are pleased to welcome Wesen Kifetew as Pangea’s new half-time Program and Operations Coordinator! She began work on April 10. Wesen was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and came to the US in 1996, living first in Virginia. She graduated with a BA  in International Studies and Complex Emergencies from George Mason University and went on to get a graduate degree in Global Health from Emory University.

Wesen moved to Seattle in 2008 and is prepared to call Seattle home though she is still getting used to the weather. Most of Wesen’s experience has been in the field of global health and HIV prevention. Her last position was as a Program Manager at I-TEC.  (International Training and Education Center for Health)

She was attracted to Pangea because of its grant making process that begins with asking first what communities most need and building trusting relationships. She finds that way of working in stark contrast to what she saw often with organizations starting with their plan and imposing it on people in developing countries.

Wesen volunteers with the African Immigrant Community through Refugee Women’s Alliance and also with African American Reach and Teach where she is a Board Member. Wesen lives in Newcastle with her husband and 4-year-old daughter Lizzy.