Panelists:
Dr. Müge Kökten Finkel, Gender Inequality Research Lab (GIRL) at the University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Müge Kökten Finkel is the Director of the Masters in International Development Program and a faculty member at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, and the Co-Director of the Gender Inequality Research Lab (GIRL) at the University of Pittsburgh. Her expertise includes gender and development, poverty and inequality, and Japanese politics. Previously, she worked as a Social Development Specialist for the MENA Region at the World Bank. Since 2015, she has worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to analyze global trends in gender equality in public administration. Dr. Finkel holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Virginia.
Nora Dooley, Coaches Across Continents
Nora Dooley is the Impact Team Leader and a Purposeful Play training facilitator for Coaches Across Continents (CAC). In 2012 she graduated from Columbia University after four well spent years on the soccer field. She then joined Grassroot Soccer for a yearlong internship before her career with CAC began in 2013. Over the past 8 years Nora has led trainings for leaders in more than 40 countries across 5 continents and multiple sectors. She manages CAC’s delivery of community programs with particular focus on the ASK for Choice initiative that brings gender policies to life in communities around the world. On and off the field you can find Nora playing and engaging in dialogue around existing local and global inequalities and how to move collaborative ideas into collective action.
Isabel Julian, Coach and Mentor
Isabel Julian is a biologist and the operation’s manager at the Biosphere, Environment Museum. Responsible for developing expositions, events, and educations tools to inspire people to take care of the environment, it is easy to see that teaching, coaching, and mentoring is in the blood. Isabel has been coaching soccer since the age of 14. She started coaching to ensure that her younger sister would have better opportunities on the pitch. Since then, she has coached boys and girls, men and women, recreational and high-level soccer. She was responsible for developing a college soccer program at College Andre-Grasset in Montreal and coached there for over 15 years. Throughout all her coaching experiences one thing has driven her passion: the development of a whole player, someone who can be a leader both on and off the pitch. In the last few years Isabel has taken a step away from competitive soccer teams to focus on coaching players on a more individual level. Her she is able to focus on the total development of the player without the pressures of competition.”
Nenne Ekoi, Open Field
Nenne Ekoi is the Director of Operations and Girls Programs at Open Field. She actively leads workshops and skill development initiatives for young women and girls in Open Field programs. She strives to instill a sense of self-worth and accomplishment in girls to overcome the dismal atmosphere created by poverty and promote hope for the future, providing a platform for individual growth and community development. Nenne is the Country Director of Good Deeds Day Cameroon and in 2019 she traveled to Nairobi, Kenya to present at their African Regional Conference. She is a holder of a bachelor’s degree in English Private Law from the University of Yaoundé II Soa. She also has a diploma in Business Law (Maitrise), as well as a diploma in Marketing from the Standard Institute of Marketing.
Caroline Akom, Open Field
Akom Caroline Sah is the Finance Manager and Girls Program Manager at Open Field. She has worked for the organization for over 10 years and is a holder of Advance Level Degree. She is a mentor to dozens of boys and girls in her community of Kosala. She credits her role with Open Field for breaking down barriers in her community and bringing more girls into sport. She has a Coaches Across Continents coaching certificate. Caroline serves on the Southwest Region FECAFOOT Committee for Girls and Women’s Football and is a member of her local Veterans Football Club. She loves singing, dancing and coaching, especially girls from her community, where they are often regarded as second-class citizens.
Moderator
Gwen Schemm, Open Field
Gwen Schemm is the Social Media Coordinator for Open Field and AmeriCorps member. In 2020, she graduated from Frostburg State University after representing the Bobcats on the soccer field for four years. At Frostburg State, she captained the Bobcats her senior year and became the school’s first Academic All-American in NCAA Division II play. She then joined Thread, a nonprofit in Baltimore, for a year-long AmeriCorps service year to serve inner-city Baltimore Youth. Hailing from the Steel City, Gwen hosted gently used soccer equipment drives through high school and college which ultimately connected her to Open Field. Now as the organization’s Social Media Coordinator, Gwen focuses on highlighting girls’ development through their participation in sports. Off the field, in a non-COVID world, you can catch Gwen booking a flight and exploring somewhere new.
