Our Team

Girl Reports is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization registered in Tampa, FL. We are run by a volunteer staff of dedicated professionals with deep experience in education, nonprofit management, and international development. We are a young organization that has already made a significant difference in the lives of young women at the Karuna Girls School in Lumbini, Nepal. Our team is passionate about empowering young women, promoting gender equality, improving the quality of public discourse, and building a more equitable and sustainable future for all. Girl Reports’ US-based staff are 100% volunteer!

ABOUT US

MISSION, VISION, GOALS
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
OUR TEAM

EXECUTIVE BOARD

VANESSA MARTINEZ, MA
FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • Vanessa Martinez founded Girl Reports in 2015 while living and working in rural Nepal. After completing her MA in Applied Anthropology, she spent two years serving the community of Lumbini in various capacities, including program development, research, humanitarian aid, grassroots consulting, volunteer coordination, and communications. She was inspired to form Girl Reports by the close relationships she formed with local students, teachers, and community leaders at the Karuna Girls School. Vanessa has extensive experience in international travel, cross-cultural collaboration, and international education — including a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship. As an applied anthropologist, she is fascinated by the diversity of lived experience, and is committed to empowering under-served communities to overcome the many challenges they encounter daily.

CAROLYN YASCHUR, PHD
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, AUGUSTANA COLLEGE

  • Carolyn Yaschur is an Associate Professor of Multimedia Journalism at Augustana College in Rock Island, IL. She teaches visual journalism, news literacy, and stereotyping in mass media, and is an advisor of the student newspaper, The Augustana Observer.

    Dr. Yaschur helped develop the Girl Reports curriculum and is chair of the curriculum advisory board. In 2022, she and a student traveled to Lumbini, Nepal, to teach visual journalism in collaboration with Girl Reports. Her forthcoming book chapter, "Cross-Cultural Connections with a Camera: Teaching Photojournalism in Nepal," pairs her experience with practical guidelines for creating similar high-impact opportunities for students.

    Prior to her academic career, Dr. Yaschur was an award-winning visual journalist at newspapers across the country and has covered the Olympics, the Kentucky Derby, the Iditarod, the NFL and major league baseball. Stemming from her journalism experience, her research focuses on news production and the psychological effects of visual journalism and multimedia, and has been published in peer-reviewed journals.

AMY LANGENBERG, PHD
PROFESSOR, ECKERD COLLEGE

  • Amy Paris Langenberg is Professor of Religious Studies at Eckerd College. Her work focuses on gender and sexuality in South Asian Buddhism with a special interest in female Buddhist monasticisms. She is also Faculty Director of the Eastman Citizenship and Leadership Program at Eckerd College. Dr. Langenberg has led multiple study abroad courses to South Asia, during which her students have worked with the Girl Reports team in Lumbini, Nepal. Dr. Langenberg is the author of Birth in Buddhism: The Suffering Fetus and Female Freedom (Routledge 2017), Survivor Buddhism: Sexual Abuse and Misconduct in Buddhism (Yale University Press, forthcoming), and multiple peer-reviewed articles. She has also published work in Tricycle and Lion's Roar magazines.


JASMINE PYLES, MA
TREASURER | VP OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION, TAMPA BAY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

  • Jasmine is a strategic finance and people operations leader with a proven ability to strengthen organizational infrastructure, support effective governance, and enable data-informed decision-making that advances long-term growth and regional impact. Jasmine earned her master’s degree in accounting from Southern New Hampshire University and holds the SHRM-CP certification.

    With over five years of nonprofit leadership rooted in corporate accounting and people operations, she brings valuable experience across finance, human resources, and organizational administration. Jasmine and her family live in Land O’Lakes. She is an avid indoor rowing enthusiast and marathon runner.

FRANCESCA NOVAL, MA, PMP
SECRETARY | DIRECTOR OF INVESTOR RELATIONS, TAMPA BAY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

  • Francesca is a fourth-generation Tampa native with a deep-rooted passion for driving economic growth in her hometown. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida State University before launching her career in the fast-paced world of technology startups in New York City. Francesca returned to Tampa in 2019, bringing with her extensive experience in business development, strategic partnerships, investor relations, and market expansion. She currently serves as Director of Investor Relations at the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council, where she leads efforts to strengthen engagement with the organization’s investor network and cultivate partnerships that support the region’s long-term economic growth.

    In her role, Francesca works closely with business leaders, regional stakeholders, and community partners to advance strategic initiatives that enhance Tampa Bay’s economic competitiveness and support the execution of the EDC’s long-term vision for the region.

LAXMI MAURYA, BTECH
ALUMNI REPRESENTATIVE | LEARNER SUCCESS MANAGER, NEPAL

  • Laxmi Maurya has been part of the Girl Reports community since 2017, when she joined as an eighth-grade student journalist in Nepal. During her time with Girl Reports, she contributed articles and poems that highlighted youth voices, creativity, and social awareness. Her experience in journalism helped shape her communication skills, storytelling ability, and passion for creating meaningful impact through media and technology.

    In 2025, Laxmi graduated with a B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering. She currently works as a Learner Success Manager at Simplilearn, where she supports learners in achieving their educational and professional goals. Combining her background in journalism with her technical education, Laxmi is passionate about using digital innovation, media, and technology-driven solutions to create opportunities for learning, storytelling, and community growth.

BELINDA ENGELMANN, JD, MA
LEGAL LIASON

  • Belinda W. Engelmann is an Attorney licensed to practice law in Florida and Georgia. Law is a second career which she pursued after teaching Exceptional Children for eight years and obtaining a master’s degree in education specializing in Learning Disabilities while working.  Upon graduating from the University of Florida College of Law,  Belinda worked as a Law Clerk for judges in the Eighteen Judicial Circuit Court (Seminole County, Florida) and upon moving to Tampa, Florida, also in the Sixth Judicial Circuit (Clearwater, Florida).  She furthered her legal career with several positions in Tampa: a small family law firm, the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, and Bay Area Legal Services, Inc. Upon moving to Georgia when her husband changed jobs, she opened her own law firm and practiced family law and employment discrimination law until she retired and move back to the Tampa Bay Area in 2012. Belinda remains licensed in Florida and is still licensed in Georgia though she chooses Emeritus status in Georgia.

STAFF

ANGELA FORERO, MA
INSTRUCTIONAL AND GRAPHIC DESIGNER

  • Angela Forero is a creative thinker who is passionate about education, visual arts, design, and diversity. She holds a Master’s degree in Curriculum Design and Instructional Technology and a Bachelor's in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Her experience involves teaching k-12 and instructional design production and management in higher education. Learning a second language opened her mind to connecting with people from diverse cultural backgrounds in personal and professional settings. Her passion for the visual arts constantly pushes her to work with different mediums, and to share these explorations with her daughter and community. Her interest for education and her love for helping others have led her to participate in several non-profit organizations and projects that include designing several community-based street murals for the city of Tampa.

ELSEBETH DAHMASH, MA
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR AND CURRICULUM DESIGNER

  • Elsebeth Dahmash is an educator and curriculum designer with over 15 years of experience in education. She has worked with students and teachers across a range of settings, focusing on literacy and inclusive, student‑centered instruction. Her work includes mentoring educators, designing curriculum, and collaborating across cultures to support meaningful learning experiences. She is especially interested in global education, cross‑cultural collaboration, and creating learning environments where all stakeholders feel capable and valued.

SUNIL BANIYA, MA
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, NEPAL

  • A proud citizen of Nepal, Sunil Baniya completed his Master’s in English at Tribhuvan University. He has been teaching English since 2010, six of which have been at the Karuna Girls School in Lumbini, where he is currently the Vice Principal. He loves talking to foreigners and believes that it is a good way to learn English. He likes to teach grammatical rules to his students so that they can speak accurately and without any hesitation. In his free time, he likes singing, translating songs, and visiting new places. He also guides the students of the KGS Journalism Club, helping them to become self-confident and empowered journalists in future.

SANGITA KEWAT
TEACHER, NEPAL

  • COMING SOON

RADHA PAUDEL
TEACHER, NEPAL

  • COMING SOON

ARUN SUBEDI, MA, LLB
LEGAL COUNSEL, NEPAL

  • Advocate Arun Subedi is a legal professional and educator with around two decades of teaching experience. He began his career in schools and later transitioned to teaching at the college level, where he continues to educate and inspire students. Currently, he teaches in the mornings and practices law during the day, contributing to the legal sector with diligence, professionalism, and ethical commitment.

    He specializes in corporate law, property law, organizational law, and related legal matters. With a Master’s degree in Sociology, he is also deeply engaged in personal development, healing, and leadership initiatives.

SHALINI KUMARI PATHAK, MBS
ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE, NEPAL

  • Shalini Kumari Pathak has over 8 years of experience in the accounting and finance field. She holds a Master’s degree in Finance with first division. Shalini is skilled in managing financial data, maintaining accurate records, and providing useful insights to support decision-making. She is known for her dedication, attention to detail, and commitment to maintaining transparency in financial operations.

RAKESH TRIPATHI, MBA
DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISE OPERATIONS, NEPAL

  • Rockey (Rakesh) is a social entrepreneur, business advisor, and development professional with over a decade of experience in community development and social impact initiatives in Lumbini and Kapilvastu, Nepal. He currently serves as Director of Lumbini Social Service Foundation, where he has led and supported programs focused on girls’ education, youth empowerment, community health, and grassroots capacity building. Deeply committed to humanitarian values, Rockey is an active volunteer with the Tzu Chi Foundation and has played key coordination roles in social and cultural programs across Kapilvastu and Lumbini. His work bridges compassion with entrepreneurship through multiple social ventures, including Barsha Eco Trade, Lumbini Village Farm, and other community-based enterprises promoting sustainable livelihoods and ethical trade. With international business exposure, Rockey has owned and managed two companies in Dubai—Rakesh Tripathi Technical Services and Himalayan Management Consultancy—providing advisory services in marketing, management, and business development. He holds an MBA from Amity University, Dubai, and brings a unique blend of global business insight and deep local engagement. Rockey’s mission is to empower girls and communities by integrating social innovation, ethical business, and long-term sustainability, ensuring inclusive growth rooted in dignity, education, and opportunity.

RESEARCH FELLOWS

GRACE SMITH, BA, MA STUDENT
RESEARCH FELLOW, JOURNALISM & MASS COMMUNICATIONS

  • Grace Smith is a second-year graduate student at the University of South Florida, where she has cultivated a deep commitment to research, teaching, and advocacy in the media industry. Prior to her time at USF, Grace worked as a journalist serving a small rural community—an experience that sparked her passion for journalism research. Her scholarly interests bridge global media, shaped by her childhood abroad, and local media, informed by her reporting in rural America. Motivated by the mission of Girl Reports, Grace aims to contextualize the organization’s work through broader research initiatives, positioning its model as both sustainable, holistic, and empowering. Following her graduation, Grace will pursue a PHD, continuing her education and research within the mass communications industry.

SOFIA JOHANSSON, BA, MA STUDENT
RESEARCH FELLOW, JOURNALISM & MASS COMMUNICATIONS

  • Sofia Johansson is a graduate student pursuing her M.A. in Mass Communication with a focus on Strategic Communication. Her research interests center on the role of strategic communication in driving equitable, sustainable development. As a research fellow, Sofia prepares research to support grant applications and the strategic growth of Girl Reports. She is passionate about the empowerment of women and the development of communities internationally through journalism education. Ultimately, she hopes to be able to empower others to pursue higher education.

RACHEL BARRY, BA STUDENT
RESEARCH FELLOW, MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM & WOMEN’S STUDIES

  • Rae Barry is a senior at Augustana College pursuing a B.A. in multimedia journalism, communication studies, and women and gender studies. She serves as editor-in-chief of The Augustana Observer and as a reporter for the Quad Cities NPR, WVIK. Rae’s academic and professional interests include education accessibility, gendered narratives in media, and the impact of public resources on community well-being. As a research fellow, Rae helps build Girl Report’s resource library and develop journalism curriculum through a feminist lens.

NOWSHIN YEASMIN NISHAT, BA STUDENT
RESEARCH FELLOW, ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH METHODS AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

  • Nowshin Yeasmin Nishat is an undergraduate anthropology student at Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, with academic interests in cultural studies, ethnography, social inequality, class struggle, economic anthropology, and Islamic feminism. She is particularly interested in how storytelling, community narratives, and cultural expression can serve as tools for empowerment and social change. At Girl Reports, Nowshin assists in developing a research methods training course and contributes to reviewing and organizing relevant literature. After completing her undergraduate studies, she hopes to continue studying, pursue research, and build a career in teaching.

ADVISORY COUNCIL

PALLAVI GUHA, PHD
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, TOWSON UNIVERSITY

  • Academic focus: Anti-rape and sexual harassment activism in media; gender roles in electoral campaigns.

    Achievements: AEJMC Nafziger-White-Salwen Dissertation Award for best dissertation in the discipline of mass communication; Howard County Commission for Women’s inaugural “So She Did” 2021 recipient.

MARGEAUX CHAVEZ, MA/MPH
RESEARCH AND EVALUATION

  • Margeaux Chavez is an award-winning research and evaluation professional who has been transforming data into products and actionable insights for 15 years. She has worked in the public, private, and non-profit sectors; expertly navigating each unique environment. She is a passionate visual storyteller and an expert cross-cultural communicator for the purposes of education, training, and mentorship. She believes that every problem has a creative solution. Margeaux has a BA in German Language and Literature, an MA in Applied Bioculultural Medical Anthropology and an MPH in community and Family Health. She also served as a Fulbright Teaching Fellow in Berlin, Germany as part of the inaugural cohort of Diversity Initiative Fellows working with an underserved student population.

JOE HALEY, PHD
CURRICULUM AND DEVELOPMENT

  • Joe Haley is a researcher, educator, and program manager with a passion for helping young people discover the gift of language. He has more than thirteen years of experience teaching literature and writing to teenagers and young adults, including a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Malaysia. For seven years, he taught literature and expository writing at Johns Hopkins University, where he completed a Ph.D. in English with a concentration in world Anglophone literature. He recently left a career in independent schools to become an ACLS-Mellon Public Fellow / Program Manager at the World Justice Project in Washington, D.C.

PARANDOOSH (PAR) SADEGHINIA, PHD
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT & RESEARCH | RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY

  • Dr. Parandoosh (Par) Sadeghinia is an educator, researcher, and program development leader with more than a decade of experience in higher education, nonprofit organizations, and community engagement. She holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Adult Education and is an expert in research methods, program evaluation, and student success initiatives. Throughout her career, she has led educational programs, strategic partnerships, and grant-funded projects focused on leadership development, workforce readiness, global learning, and social justice. Par is passionate about expanding opportunities for women and girls and empowering future leaders through education and mentorship.

TERESA CRAIG, BA
STRATEGIC CONSULTANT AND EXECUTIVE COACH

  • Teresa is a visionary leader with over 40 years of broad-based experience with nonprofit organizations. She is highly skilled at aligning activities with the mission, vision and strategy of the organization. Teresa is a highly ethical leader focused on quality, high performance and leveraging teams to achieve organizational goals. She has been a CEO, Executive Director, CFO, and CPA focusing on improving nonprofit organizations and programs. She is the co-author of six published research studies on hospice care and has presented leadership planning and support sessions at numerous state and national conferences.

    Teresa is delighted to use her skills to assist Girl Reports.

SUMAN PANDE, MPHIL, PHD STUDENT
STRATEGIC CONSULTANT AND EXECUTIVE COACH

  • Suman Pande is a PhD scholar in Development Studies at the School of Education, Kathmandu University, Nepal. Prior to pursuing her doctoral studies, she gained extensive academic and leadership experience through her engagement with several higher education institutions in Nepal, where she served as both a teaching faculty member and the head of the institutions. Her research and professional interests broadly encompass adolescent and youth girls’ empowerment, ethical leadership, social justice, and education. She is deeply committed to advancing equity, inclusion, and social transformation through rigorous research and practice.

INTERNS

SIMINA COBUT, BA STUDENT
OPERATIONS INTERN

  • Simina Cobut is a rising junior at the University of South Florida pursuing a Global Business degree with a minor in Creative Writing and a certificate in Japanese. Simina plans to combine her drive and determination with her skills in critical thinking, collaboration, and innovation to mitigate global issues and empower women.

    As an Operations Intern, Simina completes daily tasks alongside Founder & Executive Director—Vanessa Martinez—to ensure short and long-term goals for the organization are being achieved. Beyond that, she oversees the tasks of other branches to guarantee operations are flowing within the organization as a whole and assists in any way needed. In her position, Simina aims to help cultivate the growth of Girl Reports and its mission in empowering girls by being a helping hand and guide within the organization.

GINA PALMINTERI, BS STUDENT
PUBLIC RELATIONS INTERN

  • Gina Palminteri is a senior at the University of South Florida pursuing a BS in Integrated Public Relations and Advertising Communications. Gina is passionate about strategic communication, community engagement, and female empowerment. In her position as a Public Relations Intern, she will help Girl Reports identify potential partners and collaborators and manage outreach to spread awareness of the Girl Reports organization. By conducting market and donor research, communications, and promotions, Gina aims to help Girl Reports build meaningful community connections through targeted communication. 

ELLA WRIGHT, BS STUDENT
PUBLIC RELATIONS INTERN

  • Ella Wright is a senior at the University of South Florida pursuing a BS in Integrated Public Relations and Advertising. Passionate about female empowerment and strategic corporate narrative development, Ella serves as a Public Relations Intern at Girl Reports. Through comprehensive market and comparative research, she delivers actionable insights to strengthen the non-profit's impact and positioning in a competitive landscape