Robin Steele | President

With over 20 years of engineering, business, and leadership experience, Robin Steele, has led global research and development operations, as well as started and run both software and service companies ranging in size from Fortune 500 business units to emerging small companies.

Robin has enjoyed significant accomplishments in: aligning innovation and product development around new market opportunities, transforming engineering concepts into customer-needs-focused products, delivering innovative products to hit tight market windows, collaborative leadership development, and helping incubate and fund technology start-ups.

At Bells, NCR Microelectronics, Motorola, Colorado Memory Systems, HP, Agilent, and several small, privately-held businesses, Robin led R&D, product development, marketing, sales, manufacturing, HR, and finance teams. Upon retiring from corporate leadership, Robin began applying her engineering and leadership experience and knowledge in academia. She is currently teaching Engineering Design courses at Colorado School of Mines and Business Management courses at Colorado State University.

Robin holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Utah State University, a master’s degree in computer science and computer engineering from the University of Minnesota, and an Executive MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Madeline Moore | Treasurer

Madeline's background is in public health an anthropology, and she brings to Uhambo a passion for working on behalf of underprivileged children. Currently she works as a Family Engagement Facilitator for the Department of Human Services Child and Family Services division in Adams County, Colorado.

Madeline has spent 4 years in rural Africa, first as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia and later as a Global Health Corps Fellow in Uganda working for the Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project, a nonprofit that provides services for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. She has worked in program management, workshop facilitation, and curriculum development, focusing on sexual abuse prevention & response and youth reproductive health. She has a Master's degree in Cultural and Medical Anthropology. 

Yasmina Haddad | Secretary

Yasmina (Mina) Haddad is a research associate in the International Development Division at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). Mina holds a Bachelors of Science in Disability Studies and a Master of Education in International Education Policy and Management from Vanderbilt University. Prior to joining AIR, Mina was an English teacher for a year in Chicago and in Jaipur, India. During her undergraduate studies, in 2016, Mina studied abroad in Cape Town, South Africa and interned for Uhambo for 6 months. Her work focused mostly on the Ndinogona Programme and included traveling around the country with the team. She greatly enjoyed her time working with Uhambo and has followed Uhambo's great work and progress ever since. She is extremely excited to get to work with Uhambo again in this new capacity and looks forward to seeing how Uhambo can continue to do great things in South Africa and beyond!

Lucinda Kerschensteiner, MBA | Founding Director

Lucinda’s graduate work in 2008 took her to Southern Africa to research the mobility aid sector and provide business support services to a small scale wheelchair manufacturer in Zambia. This experience sparked her interest in social entrepreneurship. Upon meeting Shona McDonald and seeing her commitment to people with disabilities in developing countries, Lucinda was compelled to join the effort. In 2010 Lucinda launched the U.S. nonprofit, Uhambo, to support the activities and programs in Southern Africa.

As a catalyst for programs with significant social impact, Lucinda has over fifteen years experience in entrepreneurial support services, small business development, workforce development and corporate coaching/training. Lucinda is active in the global social entrepreneurial community and her own back yard of Northern Colorado, she has launched and supported the development of numerous unique ventures, projects and programs including an arts business incubator, earned revenue strategy for a government agency, a mentoring program for women in transition, self employment training programs and innovative special events for job seekers. She provides strategic planning to nonprofits and social innovators and currently works with The Center for Social Change and Charity Services Centers of Miami, Florida. Earlier in her career, Lucinda was a prominent professional coach and a contributor to the coaching profession including starting the regional chapter for professional coaches.

In addition, Lucinda holds various leadership roles including Community Service Chair of Rotary Club of Fort Collins, administrator of charitable activities for a small family trust, champion and activator for the GSSE Alumni Network and adviser / board member for Integrative Change, Inc., a network of holistic practitioners in southern Florida.

Lucinda graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a BA in German Studies and completed her MBA at Colorado State University’s innovative Global Social & Sustainable Enterprise (2008) program which focuses on using business as a means for solving social challenges in developing countries. 

Contact Lucinda at

Shona McDonald | Founding Advisor

Shona is the Founder of the Uhambo Foundation NPC trading as the Shonaquip Social Enterprise and currently acts as Director of the Shonaquip Social Enterprise.

Shona’s early career interests had been in sculpture and community work but when her second daughter was born with cerebral palsy, doctors advised Shona to put her in a home. Shocked at this advice, Shona was determined to start building a positive future for her. She soon developed the first battery-powered buggy in South Africa which provided the foundation of ShonaquipSE and then started a non-profit organization for children who could not speak.

Parents and therapists encouraged her into designing and manufacturing special devices for them and Shona continued to design different products to meet the needs of the children. ShonaquipSE has since developed into a reputable social enterprise with a comprehensive holistic model of designing, manufacturing and distributing mobility aids and providing clinical assessments and services. From the early days Shona instilled social values into ShonaquipSE to create a business that is committed to high ethical standards, poverty alleviation goals and policy transformation for people with disabilities.

For her dedication and passion, Shona has been recognized with numerous awards.