Can you share the story behind The Audacity Lab and the Up with Africa program, and what inspired you to start this work?
In the summer of 2018, a series of conversations at a coffee shop in Denver’s Uptown neighborhood sparked what would become Up With Africa. During that time, I was working with an education organization called Zero Dropouts, managing business operations. Steve Dobo, the organization’s Founder and CEO, had been curious about what was going on in East Africa, specifically at the intersection of education, conservation, and mass forced migration. I had previously spent time in Uganda, following a long-standing interest in great apes, so when East Africa and conservation came up, it immediately resonated with me.
Getting started, the landscape was vast… a sea of NGOs and community-based organizations, each with very clear missions. For us, relentless curiosity was our guide, and we knew we wanted to approach things differently from what we saw in traditional development models. Our private funding allowed us flexibility to operate in an emergent way. We started by asking questions and listening—learning from local partners, understanding context, and then building from what was already happening on the ground.
As that work took shape over a few years, it also opened the door to broader questions and experiments—eventually leading to the creation of The Audacity Lab as the nonprofit home for UW/A and other ideas that were still emerging.
Today, Up With Africa (a DBA for The Audacity Lab) partners with community-based organizations in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to support education, livelihood pathways, and community-led initiatives. The Audacity Lab continues to serve as an umbrella for this work and other evolving experiments, all shaped through long-term relationships, shared learning, and responsiveness to place.
You work closely with a small team—what do you enjoy most about collaborating together?
Being a small team has its perks. Communication structures are straightforward and don’t require much complexity… though I always love an excuse to build a project dashboard! Our team, based in both Colorado and Uganda, has been intentional about understanding what each person does best, what they care about, and how those strengths come together to support our work priorities and the organization’s long-term direction. Most importantly, it’s been meaningful to do work I care about alongside people I genuinely admire and respect.
Is there a moment or project with Up with Africa that really stands out as special or affirming?
In November 2024, we convened a small group in a remote corner of southwestern Uganda. We had partners in the room from Uganda, Rwanda, the DRC, and the US, all with diverse backgrounds and ideologies. Despite the range of lived experiences, the conversation felt easy and grounded, centered on shared learning and care for the communities we work in. This experience showed me that cross-cultural collaboration and curiosity, when handled with care, can make us feel more human than anything else I’ve experienced.
What drew you to make Shift Workspaces your home base?
I enjoyed the atmosphere as soon as I walked into Shift Workspaces’ Corona location… it immediately felt welcoming. The people have been genuinely friendly, which hasn’t always been my experience in other coworking spaces. I look forward to coming in, not just to work, but for the small, unscripted moments that pop up throughout the day. That helps me feel more connected to a broader community, especially at a stage in life when I’m not quite as inclined to get out and about in Denver as I was when I first moved here over 20 years ago.
How does working from Shift support your work or your team’s collaboration?
It’s been transformative to have a space that’s ours, rather than popping into coffee shops or relying on virtual platforms. We recognized that we needed regular in-person contact and a more energized sense of place as The Audacity Lab. Plus, there is an abundance of coffee and snacks!
Outside of work, what’s something you enjoy doing that helps you recharge?
Outside of work, I enjoy the classic Colorado lifestyle, with a sprinkle of bulldog walks, gym time, and home improvement projects… and voilà, reset achieved.
