Jonathan Starr (Founder & Managing Director)

From 2008 to the present, Jonathan has acted as Managing Director of Abaarso Tech, a non-profit organization in the Horn of Africa. From 2004 - 2008, Jonathan founded and led Flagg Street Capital, a private investment firm that managed $170 million of investor assets. Prior to Flagg Street, Jonathan worked as an analyst at SAB Captial and Blavin and Company, both well respected private investment firms. Jonathan's career started as a research associate within the Taxable Bond Division at Fidelity Investments. In addition to his current resposibilities for Abaarso Tech, Jonathan sits on the Board of Directors of Pomeroy IT Solutions, a publicly traded US information technology company generating approximately $500 million of annual sales. Jonathan's board responsibilities have included acting as a member of the Audit Committee, the Advisory Committee, and the Special Committee (strategic alternatives) of Pomeroy. Jonathan graduated from Emory University where he received a B.A. Summa Cum Laude in Economics and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Ahmed Esa Hussein (Co-Founder, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees)

Dr. Ahmed Esa Hussein currently leads several nonprofit organizations. Ahmed is the founder and director of the Institute for Practical Research and Training (IPRT). IPRT is a non-governmental organization that promotes local initiatives in health, education and good governance in Somaliland. Ahmed is Regional Editor of the Horn of Africa Journal of Clinical Neurological Sciences and sits on the Board of International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which was the 1997 co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. From 1992 - 1996, Ahmed was the Head of the Flow Cytometry project at John Hopkins School of Medicine. From 1992 - 2001, Ahmed was a member of the International Advisory Board for the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch. Ahmed received his PhD in Immunology and Infectious Diseases from John Hopkins University, his MSc in Immunology from Wright State University and his BA in Microbiology and Chemistry from Miami University. In 1984, Ahmed received the Fredrik Bang Award for Excellence in Research from the John Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.

Kiette Tucker (Director of Business & Community Development)

Originally from beautiful Sun Valley, Idaho, Kiette joined the Abaarso Tech team full time in June 2009. Before moving to Somaliland, Kiette spent a year working in Knowledge Management at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), a Cambridge based non-profit organization. During that time, she also worked part-time as a consultant for Northeastern University assisting in the development of a Social Entrepreneurship Program for the College of Business Administration. Kiette graduated from Northeastern in May 2008, Summa Cum Laude, in International Business and International Affairs. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and was awarded the Northeastern University Hodgekinson's Award. While studying at Northeastern, Kiette spent a year in Mexico and worked in community outreach with the Human Rights Commission of Puebla (CDH). At CDH, Kiette initiated, developed, and directed a photography exhibit to celebrate International Women's Day and raise money to support education in rural Mexico. A mountain girl at heart, Kiette is a lover of good books, world news, yoga and anything outdoors.

Daniel Chehata, Ph.D (Physics and Engineering Teacher)

Born in Mexico city, Dr. Chehata graduated from the Engineering School of Mexico’s national university UNAM. Following a period working in the industrial world, Daniel decided to continue his studies in physics and graduated with honors while earning a Material Science Masters degree at the Materials Institute at UNAM. Daniel spent the next 4 years obtaining his Ph.D. in physics at IUSTI Polytech Marseille in France followed by a 2 year Post-Doc position at Twente University in the Netherlands. Dr. Chehata has published several articles in well known scientific magazines and is a usual participant in international scientific congresses. He is also an active member of different scientific clubs for children as well as member of human rights organizations.

Tom Loome (Math Teacher)

Tom Loome graduated Phi Beta Kappa from St. Olaf College with degrees in Mathematics and Philosophy in 2005, while also completing a pre-professional program to become a licensed teacher. Since then, Tom has worked as a math teacher in India, pursued graduate studies in Political Science at the University of Virginia, and lived/worked/studied in Yemen for two years. Tom received a UVA fellowship to study Ibn Khaldun's Muqaddima, and has translated the famous Yemeni play "qabeeli yabhath 3an hizb" from Yemeni colloquial.

Anthony Tijerio (English Teacher)

Following a standout athletic and academic high school career, Anthony attended Harvard University where he recently graduated with a BA in History and a particular focus on Intellectual History. While at Harvard, Anthony worked as a term-time tutor at the Boston Chung Tutoring Center and participated in Harvard Varsity Soccer (Football) and Haute Fashion Show for three years. Anthony has spent the summer prior to Abaarso Tech working for One Laptop Per Child in Peru. He aspires to be a university professor and plans to attend graduate school in the future.

Colin Bent (English & Information Technology Teacher)

Colin Bent is a Canadian who holds an MA in European & Russian Studies from Carleton University and a BA in Political Science from Dalhousie University. Colin's experiences include working for an anti-landmine NGO in Azerbaijan and teaching English at the Ottawa Somali Centre for Family Services during the summer prior to working at Abaarso Tech. Among his future goals, Colin aspires to continue his education in Political Science at the PhD level and to gain a working knowledge of conversational Somali.

Teresa Krug (Director of Communications, English Teacher)

A native of northern Arkansas, Teresa joins the staff after spending the last year advocating for immigrant day laborers’ and domestic workers’ rights in San Francisco. She’s a graduate of Iowa State University, where she received double degrees in journalism & mass communication and sociology. During college she worked and edited for multiple publications, including the award-winning UHURU magazine where she served as managing editor and later editor in chief. Her work as a volunteer English as a Second Language tutor and studies in India (and later Mexico) led to her awarding of the George Freeman Award in sociology for her work integrating persons of color onto campus. In her free time she loves reading, writing, playing the piano, and salsa dancing.