Corinne (middle) is the founder of Rise Up and serves as our CEO.

She loves to come alongside community leaders and indigenous organizations to support their mission. She has been serving as a pastor and developing leaders in the U.S. since 2000 and alongside East and Central Africa leaders since 2013. Corinne has written multiple training materials and led multi-year leadership development initiatives. Corinne stresses the importance of being a lifelong learner and believes wholeheartedly in the power of collaborative relationships and posture of humility and receptivity.

Corinne holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management and Marketing, a Master of Arts in Transformational Leadership, and a Graduate Certificate in Conflict Transformation. She is also a trained practitioner in STAR (Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience).

Specialties: Leadership, Conflict Transformation, Organizational Leadership, Peacebuilding, Trauma Awareness & Recovery, Women’s Realities, Theology, Vocational Ministry, Business, and Empowerment

Amanda (grey dress) works as the Director of Engagement with Rise Up, helping with communications, project management, accounting, and social media management.

Amanda has a heart for people of all cultures and backgrounds and is passionate about combining the heart of ministry with the mind of business.

Her passion for the world and developing authentic friendships began in 2012 on her first of 9 trips to Thailand. During her years traveling to Thailand and later Ethiopia, Amanda developed deep friendships and began to recognize that we can all mutually benefit from building community with one another despite differences in cultures, backgrounds, religions, and status.

Amanda holds a bachelor’s degree in Global Business with a Minor in Finance. She loves to use her administrative skills and passion for business and finance to enhance the work done globally.

Jama (blue dress) is a founding Board Member of Rise Up Woman International and an Associate Professor at Liberty University. She is passionate about seeing women experience healing and positive life change while learning to embrace their strengths and giftedness and move forward with a renewed sense of hope.

Her work in the counseling profession as a counselor, supervisor, and professor spans over 30 years, leading her to counsel and teach internationally. She regularly presents at peer-reviewed conferences and has published in textbooks and for professional associations.

Jama is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with an undergraduate degree in Business and Psychology, a Master's in Counseling Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Professional Counseling. She has served in Central and East Africa since 2014.

Specialties: Relationship, Faith, Vocational Ministry, Women Realities, Abuse, and Trauma

Judah (teal dress) is a founding Board Member and a Rise Up trainer. She has been serving alongside women in East and Central Africa since 2016. She is adamant that women must come to know their value.

Judah began working alongside other women in Rwanda to train local women in leadership, conflict resolution, and leadership development. Judah believes we are called to love others without condition, extend mercy, and give generously our time, talent, and resources.

Judah combines a heart for women, justice, and leadership with her strategic planning experience and business mindset. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business and has completed Certificates in Diversity & Inclusion and International Women’s Health and Human Rights.

Specialties: Business Practices, Women’s Empowerment, Justice Advocate, Strategic Organizer

Kelli (white blouse) is a founding Board Member and a Rise Up trainer. She has been serving alongside women in Rwanda since 2016. Kelli specializes in holistic health, faith, leadership, and business skill development.

“When asked to be a board member, I didn’t have to think about it. I was already familiar and friends with the founder, Corinne Gunter. The work they had previously completed in Rwanda was life-changing.”

As Kelli often shares, the trips to Rwanda ruined her in the best way possible. She said she left for that first trip thinking she was going to have an impact on others. What happened was the complete opposite; others created an everlasting impact on her.

Kelli believes a small stone tossed in the water can create a large ripple. “I’m looking forward to participating in the ripple Rise Up is about to make.”

Specialties: Business Practices, Women’s Empowerment, Self-care and Resilience, and Cranial Sacral Bodywork

Rachel is the founder of Elyon, an NGO in Kenya.

Rachel is a servant leader passionate about empowering others to utilize their talents and gifts to make the world a better place. She has been involved in developing curricula and training materials for programs in servant leadership, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and interfaith dialogues. She is motivated to live a courageous life and care for the most vulnerable.

Rachel holds advanced degrees in theology and peacebuilding.

Specialties: Leadership, Conflict Transformation, Peacebuilding, Trauma Awareness & Recovery, Women’s Realities, Theology, Business, Community Transformation, and Empowerment

Cecile is the Rwanda Country Director and Coordinator of Peacebuilding, Justice, and Reconciliation in African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM-Rwanda) since 2013.

She has equipped community mediators, youth, and pastors, with skills in conflict management, trauma healing, forgiveness, mediation, negotiation, and reconciliation. She also facilitated the formation of peace clubs for youth in different schools.

Cecile is passionate about Peacebuilding and Conflict management. Result-oriented, she likes teamwork, dialogue, and cooperation.

Specialties: Conflict Management, Mediation, Peacebuilding, Reconciliation, Prison Ministry, Trauma Awareness and Recovery, Women’s Realities, Justice

Elie is the African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM) Rwanda Coordinator for Community Transformation and has been with ALARM since 2012.

Elie is responsible for forming women’s savings groups in different regions of Rwanda, bringing about additional sustainability and enhanced livelihoods. He has developed a passion and dream of developing a micro-loan support system for vulnerable people in remote areas.

Elie has his Master’s degree in Development Studies and many years of experience equipping church leaders, youth, women, and other community members.

Specialties: Entrepreneurship, Stewardship, Micro-business, Home economics, Budgeting, Business, and Other Vocational Skills.

Esron is the African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM) Rwanda Coordinator of Servant Leadership.

He has extensive experience promoting the unity and health of the church and its leaders. Esron is the team lead and coordinator for the Regional Women’s Leadership Training Initiative (WLTI) in Rwanda's Nothern and Eastern Provinces. He is an excellent asset to the team because of his huge heart for empowering women and his experience in training leaders,

Esron holds advanced degrees in Theology and is currently pursuing a Ph.D.

Wellars is the headmaster of Rwanda's Institute of Women for Excellence secondary school.

Wellars’ dedication for educating girls is evident the moment you meet him. Since 2010, Wellars has been a part of IWE and is passionate about creating an effective learning environment for students. His determination and belief in the potential of girls are something to be celebrated. Wellars knows that when girls are given a chance, there are no limits to what they can accomplish.

ALARM-Rwanda operates IWE.

Michelle is the ALARM-Rwanda Field Research Agronomist for the Burera Food Production and Education project.

Michelle is passionate about her work and believes that the first step towards lasting change starts with mentality. As Michelle empowers women in her community, she sees firsthand how changes in one's mentality flow through a person's life, including their physical, emotional, and economic well-being. “For me, I've seen that change is achievable, but it takes patience.”

Michelle believes that the women in her community must first work with what they have and do it with enthusiasm. She believes they must take the initial step rather than sit and wait to reap what they did not sow.

Michelle holds degrees in agriculture and soil management.

Felistus is the Country Director for ALARM-Kenya.

Felistus holds a degree in Business Management and is a Certified Public Accountant. In everything she does, Felistus exudes joy and believes in the incredible potential of each person she meets. Felistus works faithfully to serve and be alongside women in her community. Her skillset and love for people are an asset to our work.

Annonciata is the Coordinator of the Peacebuilding, Justice, and Reconciliation Program at African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM-Rwanda).

She plays a key role in fostering lasting peace, unity, true forgiveness, and healing in the communities of genocide survivors and its perpetrators. She contributes significantly to Rwanda's peace, justice, and reconciliation with her unique combination of legal expertise, conflict transformation skills, counseling experience, and mediation skills. She holds a Master’s degree in Conflict Transformation, a Bachelor’s degree in Law, and a diploma in counseling. Additionally, she is an accredited mediator in Rwanda.

Her expertise addresses both legal and emotional aspects of conflict, contributing to sustainable peace, unity, forgiveness, and healing in Rwanda’s journey toward unity and reconciliation.