Dagmawi I. E.

Background

About Dagmawi I. E.

I spent my early days in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and lived in the United States for 12 years until my return in 2004. My prior experience, spanning biochemistry, coffee research, and public health, was the ideal preparation for my current career with Grounds for Health and passion as a serial entrepreneur. Since 1998, I worked in the US and East Africa and held multiple positions as Cancer Researcher, Country Program Advisor and Director, Public Health Consultant, and Master Coffee Roaster before joining Grounds for Health in September 2016 as the Program Manager for Africa. I am also the CEO for Eshi Safaris LLC, a digital media platform for telling stories of Ethiopians as the coffee people. I recently launched a podcast titled "Ethiopians: The Coffee People" and is planning to produce and publish a Virtual Reality (VR) show and book series with the same title. I specialized in program evaluation and organizational development, with a focus on health rights and services for marginalized groups such as women, young people, and pastoral communities. I have worked with teaching and research institutions, UN agencies, public donors, private foundations, NGOs, and private businesses. I am also passionate about learning with especial focus on coffee and honey industry. The plan is to setup a small private, non-profit, and tution-free liberal arts college for STEAM education. I have also published articles and commentaries in international journals on diverse health and policy related topics such as DNA damage and repair, sexual behavior, and traffic safety. For now, I am fluent in English and Amharic.