THE TEAM

Merry Walker

Executive Director, Co-founder

Merry is the leader of Vort Port International (VPI), with a M.Eng degree in Energy Systems Engineering and a BSE in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. Merry has a strong background in energy systems involving efficiency and legislation work as a consultant for the U. S. Department of Energy. She has worked in advanced energy storage technologies for General Motor’s Chevy Volt and performed research into various energy technologies and business solutions. Merry serves as VPI”s Executive Director.

Contact Merry at merry@vortport.org.

 

INTERNAL OPERATIONS

Shivangi Khargonekar

Internal Director

Shivangi is a graduate of Emory University in Atlanta, GA with a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Environmental Health and Epidemiology. She also graduated from the University of Michigan with a BS in Environmental Health Science and a minor in Applied Statistics. Shivangi worked as an Emergency Management Analyst and Consultant for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, DC from 2008-2010. During her time at Emory University from 2010-2012, Shivangi worked as a Research Assistant for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) Climate Change Program and the Environmental Health Services Branch focusing on foodborne and waterborne illness. Shivangi currently works at Deloitte as a Consultant for the CDC. She has a personal interest in the global water crisis, food and water sustainability, and the relationship between climate change and human health, and hopes to incorporate these issues into future VPI projects.

 

Marianna Oykhman

Legal Director, Co-founder

Marianna Oykhman is third year law student at American University, Washington College of Law, where she serves as a student attorney in the Janet R. Spragens Federal Tax Clinic. She currently works in GEICO’s Office of Legislative Counsel as a law clerk and has experience working for a plethora of legal jobs, including clerking for the Tax Exempt division in the Internal Revenue Service and for the Corporate Litigation department at Zurich North America. Marianna brings to VPI extensive legal knowledge in nonprofit and tax law and has been an integral part of our development as a nonprofit organization. As a future attorney, she aspires to specialize in nonprofit development and tax law.

 

Chandni Shah

Business Director and Solar Lamps Project Lead

Chandni holds a MS from Carnegie Mellon in Engineering Technology Innovation Management. She also received her BSE and BA at Carnegie Mellon in both Electrical and Computer Engineering and Economics. She focused her engineering degree in electrical power systems and signal processing. She’s currently working in energy consulting and has experience in quantitative economic modeling. Her personal interests are in communication and technology as a means for rural economic development and she has always been a strong community leader.

 

Muhammad Ali

Accountant

Muhammad is a MS in Accounting student at the American University. He holds a BS degree in Economics with a specialization in Economic Development from the University of Houston. He has a lot experience working for Not for Profit organizations and recently helped start one as well. He serves as the Accountant to VPI.

 

Patrick Kwiatkowski

Media Director, Co-founder

Patrick is a video artist from Northern Michigan. While studying film/video production at Grand Valley State University, he was drawn to non-fiction media and ultimately graduated with an emphasis in documentary. Patrick has also worked on feature film sets, in the editing rooms for United Way and American Experience, and most recently produced and co-directed a music video for the folk-rock group The Hollows. His true passion belongs to non-fiction media, recognizing the genre as a powerful tool of fostering emotion, awareness, and critical thinking on issues embedded in the human experience. Patrick currently works at Eastern Effects Inc in Brooklyn and, in addition, he is leading the media efforts of VPI.

 

Josef Zook

Media Team Member

 

Joe is a media professional whose credentials include work in documentary and feature films, reality television, and radio. A fervent supporter of sustainable and renewable energy solutions, he is excited to work with VPI by helping to raise awareness of humanitarian issues through media. Joe brings to the VPI media department a filmmaker’s intuition from his years of shooting documentary and live event footage both domestically and abroad. He earned a BA degree in film & video production from Grand Valley State University in Michigan and studied philosophy at East China Normal University in Shanghai. Hailing from Northern Michigan, he currently resides in Brooklyn.

Nkechi Mogekwu

Public Relations/Events Coordinator

Nkechi holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Maryland. She honed her multimedia and journalistic skills at Soundprint Media Center, a nonprofit science-based media organization. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Relations Management from the University of Maryland University College and is excited about contributing her talents in spreading the mission and vision of VPI.

N. Janice Essien

Human Resources Representative

Nnene Janice Essien is a Human Resources professional passionate about finding the most effective way to provide a solution.  She has over 5 years of HR experience in the nonprofit and for profit arena in Maryland and in West Africa, Nigeria.  Janice is a strong believer in accountability and daily coaching so people can meet their full potential.  She believes that everyone and everything can be better and strives toward that goal on a daily basis. She has worked in employee and labor relations, HR Compliance audits, developing and interpreting personnel policies and procedures, FMLA implementation and administration, employee benefits, and most recently, HR information systems. She holds a MA in Human Resources Development from Towson University and a Bachelors’ Degree in Social Work.

 

Debbie Liu

Human Resources Developer

Debbie currently works as a People Analyst at Google, where she supports data-driven people decisions. Her work involves analyses and experiments in how people are hired, how their careers develop, and how to keep them happy. She holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Southern California. Debbie is excited to work on internal communications, retention strategy, and trainings for VP.

Susan Patterson

Marketing and Branding Specialist

Susan is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a BA in Communications and has more than 13 years of marketing and publishing experience for a DC-based trade association. She has also volunteered regularly for various local non-profits including renovation projects, park cleanups and local animal shelters. She is excited to join the VPI team and help further the organization’s mission of giving people the tools they need to help pull themselves and their communities out of poverty.

 

Nicholas Imbriglia