“Adumu” is the dance traditionally performed by the Maasai in which warriors enter a circle and repeatedly jump high into the air. The higher the warrior elevates, the more glory he receives and the more pleasure the community takes. We chose “Adumu” as an emblem of Maasai at the height of our cultural glory and of elevating out of poverty and land rights abuses linked to irresponsible tourism and the aftermath of colonialism. We are elevating opportunities for those left behind, building awareness around the crisis of irresponsible tourism and Indigenous land rights, and driving a scalable and replicable solution.
Core Team

David Ole Ngoseck Mollel
David, a proud Tanzanian and Maasai who grew up in the small village of Lengijave amidst the splendor of Tanzania’s game parks and conservation areas, began leading safari tours and Kilimanjaro treks at the age of 21. His love of the outdoors and the splendor of the region he is proud to call home inspired him to pursue the study of wildlife at Mweka Wildlife College in Tanzania and continue his studies of wildlife and tourism in the United States. David’s years of experience leading tours coupled with his expert training as a naturalist and his proud connection to the Maasai people instill in him a deep passion and dedication to connect travelers with the magnificence of East Africa and its many treasures in a socially responsible way that uplifts his people and others in the region.

Danielle Heard Mollel
Danielle, a scholar of Black culture, first encountered East Africa while studying in Kenya and immediately fell in love with the warm hospitable people, the vibrant cultures, the varied natural terrain, the unique and delicious cuisine, and the incredible wildlife of the region. She returned amidst her studies to live and work at a feminist activist organization in Tanzania, at which point she had the fortune of venturing on her first life-changing wildlife safari. Her years of researching and writing on cultural aspects of the Black Diaspora fused with her desire to spend more time in East Africa, her hobby of the culinary arts, and her passion for hospitality inspired her to collaborate with her husband to create an African tour company that conveys the unforgettable magic of the region which charmed her so from the start.

Letema Saruni Laizer
Letema Laizer is a Maasai born and raised in Ketumbeine Longido district, Tanzania. He grew up keeping livestock like goats, sheep, and cattle. From ages 13 to 20, Letema was responsible for keeping livestock safe from dangerous wildlife such as lions, leopards, and other dangerous reptiles. From this experience, he grew up to be a confident young Maasai warrior. After finishing high school and college, Letema’s life took a new direction from livestock keeping as he became a computer technician and pastor. He graduated with a degree in Computer Science and has worked for many organizations as a Computer Technician and IT instructor for 10 years. He currently lives in Monduli, Arusha where he is the co-founder and pastor at New Jerusalem international church. Their mission and vision is to help people spiritually and physically, as well as to educate society on issues such as climate change. He joined the Adumu Impact team to help us further our educational mission and goals.

Jessie Green
Jessie Green works with the Fundraising and Project Development teams at Adumu Impact. Jessie earned her bachelor’s degree in Environment & Development at McGill University. Through her studies, she developed an interest in the interrelated issues of climate change, inequality, and well-being. At the Oakland Institute, her research focused on land privatization and Indigenous land rights. In her free time, Jessie enjoys playing with her pets, tending to her garden, and going hiking!

Miriam Ellis
Miriam Ellis works with the Fundraising and Business Development team at Adumu Impact. She is excited to be part of an organization focused on ensuring that the Maasai community holds an equitable share in the tourism industry. Her past education, volunteer and work experiences provide a solid foundation that will assist in establishing and achieving Adumu Impact’s purpose, values, and programming goals. Outside of work, Miriam enjoys reading, exploring creative outlets, and traveling.
Advisory Team

Emmanuel Sulle
Emmanuel Sulle has over fourteen years of research experience on a range of topics that include natural resources governance, community-based conservation-tourism initiatives, policy and stakeholder analysis, new partnerships for sustainability, and inclusive business models in Africa. Over the years he has conducted research projects commissioned by or in collaboration with grassroots, national and international organisations in various subjects and programmes. He holds a master’s degree in Public Policy majoring in Environmental Policy and is currently completing his Ph.D. on Land and Agrarian Studies. He developed an interest in community conservation initiatives after years of researching wildlife management areas and other community-based conservation areas in northern Tanzania. Emmanuel coordinates ICCAs – territories of life activities in eastern and southern Africa. He enjoys evening jogging and hiking in forests and mountains.

Rufo Roba
Rufo Roba is a conservation enthusiast working with the Northern Rangelands Trust as the Tourism and Communication Officer. Her role is to drive community empowerment through tourism, BeadWORKS, and vocational training, with a view to building the foundation for self-reliance. As a professional in communication and project planning and management, Roba is passionate about working with communities to shape their mindset and diversify their livelihoods and in turn contribute to sustainable development. Her focus is to gather information on community actions and share it with the world for indigenous community voices to be heard, highlight experiences to inspire others, and influence policies. Roba is a Conservation international fellow in 2019/2020 who pursued a research on influence of Women participation on the sustainability of the community conservation project implemented by Jaldesa Community Conservancy in Marsabit County, Kenya.

Nelson Ole Reiya
Nelson Reiya is the founder of Nashulai, the first Maasai-owned Conservancy in the Maasai Mara that shares Adumu’s vision of conservation that integrates people and wildlife together in the same ecosystem. Nashulai is located in a key part of Kenya; it is a 5000 acre triangle of land abutting the Mara National Reserve on one side and two other large conservancies on the others. Thus, Nashulai is a critical migratory corridor of the Maasai Mara ecosystem. Growing up on the land, Nelson saw the combined pressures of climate change, habitat depletion, external development, land commodification, and poverty increasingly imperil the area’s capacity to sustain life-human, pastoral, and wild. Land was being fenced and sold off at an alarming rate. With Nelson’s leadership, the landowning families of Nashulai came together to form the conservancy to regenerate the habitat.

Margaret Koshal Reiya
Maggie Reiya is the Director of Family, Gender, and Education at Nashulai. She says, “I was lucky to have a father who believed in education and the capacity and dignity of the girl child and all women. This has been my life’s work. Children need education and equality to thrive. It is a guiding principle for Nashulai. And the way our community has rallied on behalf of our beloved children is nothing short of amazing.” Nashulai has advanced opportunities for all children -- including initiatives to reduce infant mortality, eliminate female circumcision and early marriage; create equal opportunity for access to education; and build local youth capacity and leadership. They have built two new schools within Nashulai as well as provided scholarships for 62 boys and girls from the community to attend secondary school and university.

David Baptista
David Baptista is the Co-Founder and Director of Teaching and Learning at the Latin American Leadership Academy (LALA). LALA is a non-profit institution that seeks to promote shared and sustainable prosperity in Latin America by finding, developing and connecting a new generation of LatAm leaders. David's passion is helping students develop the essential dispositions, skills, habits and values that support lifelong learning and wellness. His quest to understand education has taken him on an 18-year teaching journey. He has taught STEAM, philosophy, history, theater, SEL and trained teachers and consulted for schools across Brazil. Cognitive science sparked his passion for education, and he is broadly interested in understanding the impact of self-regulatory and decision making practices in multicultural contexts. David is a 2018 Echoing Green Fellow and he is hopeful that socially-conscious innovation and conservation can help better the world.

Rev. Kevin Kitrell Ross
Kevin Kitrell Ross is a south side Chicago native and personal protégé of the late Reverend Dr. Johnnie Colemon. He is the Senior Minister of Unity of Sacramento, the first Unity church in the State of California. Ross is regarded as a respected interfaith social justice leader, committed to building bridges of understanding and cooperation across race, culture, class and religious lines. His work has taken him globally as a keynote conference speaker, workshop facilitator and advisor to business and political leaders. Whether in his role leading one of our nation's most diverse and integrated congregations, conducting diversity and implicit bias experiential trainings, or being an outspoken activist for healing the crisis between law enforcement and communities of color, he is dedicated to strengthening communities through dialogue, direct encounter, and education.