Grow Further is getting busier by the day as we recruit new members, review some amazing research ideas, and close in on announcing our first-ever grant awards in support of innovative approaches to lifting up smallholder farmers. Because our work is ramping up, we’re adding new talent to our lineup to help us navigate our rising workload. These new additions to our team will help us with communications initiatives, event planning, administrative work, and so much more. We’re excited to have them on board.
Please allow us to take a moment to introduce you to our newest team members: Iquo Essien and Rimple Nahata.
Iquo Essien
Based in New York, Iquo Essien has joined as our new Marketing & Communications Specialist. A Stanford University graduate in biology, Iquo also attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she obtained her MFA in film production and acquired skills that should help Grow Further spread its message and access a wider audience in new and creative ways.
As a former National Institutes of Health Research Fellow, Iquo once researched ways to treat typhoid fever at a university in Ghana using remedies derived from native plants. Iquo’s path through healthcare research eventually landed her a communications role. She founded Crowdfund Your Dream, a consultancy that advises an array of clients on how to raise funds for their operations. Before joining Grow Further, Iquo helped the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Health Program spread the word about their efforts to combat HIV/AIDs and malaria to reporters and policymakers. She also served in a communications role at the Public Equity Group.
Lately, Iquo’s consulting work has drawn her closer to issues pertaining to food security. As she explained to us, that’s what initially brought Grow Further to her attention. “In the past year, I’ve taken on a growing number of clients in the food justice space, from a nonprofit promoting change through food policy and a produce delivery company serving neighborhoods with limited access to fresh, healthy food,” she said. “Grow Further’s mission to create a food-secure future speaks to my passion for social change, as well as my science background, growing interest in food justice, and primary research experience. I’m happy to join the team.”
Rimple Nahata
Based in Seattle, where much of our management is concentrated, Rimple Nahata holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in electronic communications and public relations from MOP Vaishnav College in India. She gained extensive public relations experience back in India working with major clients, including healthcare organizations. After relocating to the United States, Rimple served for a time as a communications volunteer for the American Red Cross and Find Ventures. She’s now our new Operations Coordinator.
When she’s not helping Grow Further advance our mission, Rimple studies nutrition. As she told us, her passion for food security and improved nutrition in part led her to our doorstep. “I am studying plant-based nutrition part-time, and my goal has always been to work in the field of food and nutrition,” she explained. “When I discovered Grow Further and learned about its unique initiatives to support farmers, agricultural scientists, and improve agricultural conditions worldwide, I was immediately drawn to it.
”The organization’s commitment to sustainable agriculture and its impact on food security resonated with me deeply, and I became inspired to become a part of this transformative work.”
We hope you will join us in welcoming these new valuable additions to the Grow Further family. Iquo and Rimple both have very clear senses for how they see themselves contributing to our success in the coming months and years.
“I look forward to raising awareness of agricultural research for a food-secure future, and increasing public and private support for this important work,” Iquo said.
Rimple is equally enthused. “The organization’s commitment to sustainable agriculture and its impact on food security resonated with me deeply, and I became inspired to become a part of this transformative work,” she said. “As Grow Further grows and expands its operations, I am hoping that my role evolves taking on more responsibilities that contribute towards effectively communicating our mission, and building a strong brand presence worldwide.”
— Grow Further
Photo credit: Iquo Essien (left) and Rimple Nahata (right). Grow Further.
