Abdulsatar (Abdul) is the In-Country Director for Welcome Ideas. He brings with him a wealth of experience in both the tourism and education fields. As In-Country Director, Abdul is responsible for implementing the programs, vision, and goals of Welcome Ideas. He also represents Welcome Ideas with various government agencies and other NGOs.

Abdul is currently completing his MSc in Responsible Tourism Management from Leeds Beckett University in the UK as a Commonwealth Scholar. He also has degrees in Hospitality & Tourism Management and Tourism Planning & Management from the Open University of Tanzania. He was also selected to attend a month long training seminar in China as a Zanzibar representative on "Tourist Talents for English-Speaking African Countries." Abdul's passion for tourism education has given him opportunities to teach tourism & heritage courses at both the State University of Zanzibar and Kawa Training Center. He's also been a teacher (teaching English) at the Radiant Universal Study Centre. Abdul's teaching credentials are met only by his tourism experience on Zanzibar, working for a number of prominent tour operators on the island in a wide range of positions from Tour Guide to Operations Manager. Abdul has also had experience working with a number of NGOs on the island helping them better execute their community focused initiatives.

Asha is a Heritage Officer for the Stone Town Conservation and Development Authority. Her experience in heritage and conservation, along with her wide-ranging tourism education provide Welcome Ideas with the expertise to ensure our program participants are creating responsible tourism products within Zanzibar.

Asha is currently completing her BA in Tourism Marketing and Management from the State University of Zanzibar. She also has a certificate and diploma in Cultural Heritage Management and Tour Guidance from the University of Dar es Salaam. In her position as a Heritage Officer at the Stone Town Conservation and Development Authority, Asha has also had the opportunity to attend seminars and conferences on a wide range of topics including: a Pro-Poor Value Chain Development conference in Ethiopia, a month long seminar in China on Tropical Tourism Resource Development, and a month long international training program in India on Empowering Women through Entrepreneurship Development. As a Heritage Officer in Stone Town, Asha has been involved in critical projects such as supervising the rehabilitation and maintenance of a variety of spaces and structure, promoting awareness for property owners within the UNESCO Stone Town World Heritage Site, and tourism mapping of Stone Town.

Mohammad is the Regional Tourism Officer for the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism in the Urban Region of Zanzibar. He brings with him a wide range of tourism expertise and education which, in addition to his perspective from the Commission for Tourism, enables Welcome Ideas to create broad networks of tourism entrepreneurs throughout the region and the islands.

Mohammad has a BA in Tourism Marketing and Management from the State University of Zanzibar. He also has a diploma in Cultural Heritage Management & Tour Guidance from the University of Dar es Salaam and a certificate in Front Office Operations. Mohammad has worked in both hotels and tour operations through-out Zanzibar. He has been able to take his tourism operations and educational experience and apply them to his work at the Commission for Tourism, where he is now the Regional Tourism Officer overseeing the Urban & West Region (which includes the UNESCO World Heritage site of Stone Town). In this capacity Mohammad has been able to further his tourism training and experience through global conferences and courses including: a course in Israel on Mainstreaming Poverty-Environment Linkages into Planning and Development and a Commonwealth Trade Initiative course in India on Database Administration & E-Commerce.

Munira is the Director of (Re)claim Women Space in World Heritage and is also the Project Manager for the Civil Society Participation and Advocacy for Heritage Conservation and Promotion Programme implemented by the Zanzibar Stone Town Heritage Society and the Italian NGO ACRA through the support of the EU. Munira's extensive network of NGOs, international empowerment agencies, and the business community in Zanzibar guide Welcome Ideas to build strong partners to create more meaningful experiences for our students and beneficiaries.

Munira has her MSc in Community Economics and is always a key figure in training sessions that help build dialogue and advocacy with the government to strengthen the business environment in Zanzibar. Munira also maintains strong relationships with international women/youth empowerment networks and has extensive experience in women's leadership training. In addition to her former cultural work as Managing Director of the Zanzibar International Film Festival and her current work in the heritage sector, Munira previously worked for the Zanzibar Chamber of Commerce which gave her extensive experience in business strengthening dialogues at the national and East Africa level. Munira has also been an educator in entrepreneurial development as well as a Business Service Provider to empower small producers. 

Said Is the Founder and Curator of the Princess Salme Museum in Zanzibar. His academic background, his experience as a researcher & as a teacher, and his position within the tourism sector in Zanzibar help ensure that the programs of Welcome Ideas are not just practical but also academically sound and research based.

Said has been able to take his international expertise in language, education, research, and anthropology and apply them to his work at the Princess Salme Museum in Stone Town (which is part of the Sayyida Salme Foundation that Said established). He is a graduate of London and Brunei Universities, receiving his MSc in Medical Anthropology. Said is also a recipient of a Churchill Award (1994) for his research on the Life and Writings of Princess Salme. Said's research expertise has been commissioned multiple times by the World Health Organization (WHO), and Said was the coordinator of the WHO's World Health Survey on Africa. As a native of Zanzibar, who has spent a majority of his life abroad, Said is able to use his research and expertise through his current position (as well as other leadership positions in various projects through-out the island) to promote cross-cultural understanding between Zanzibar and other countries.

Kenn is the President of Welcome Ideas. His expertise in capacity building & tourism education along with his experience teaching, volunteering, & traveling in East Africa provide a unique ability to execute the mission and objectives of Welcome Ideas.

Kenn has degrees in both Hotel Administration and Responsible Tourism Management from Cornell University and Leeds Beckett University. He has extensive experience in the hospitality & tourism industry working in hotels, restaurants, and attractions throughout the U.S. Before establishing Welcome Ideas, Kenn volunteered in Zanzibar as a teacher at the Jambiani Tourism Training Institute. He also worked in training and development for a number of large U.S. restaurant chains, as an instructional designer, a classroom educator, a facilitator of strategic planning, and a leader of cross-functional teams and large projects. In his role, Kenn is currently based in Zanzibar completing all of the logistics of registering Welcome Ideas with the proper agencies and is working closely with Abdulsatar in developing the curriculum, finding a facility, and recruiting teaching staff for the project.

Mijin is a professor at the Occidental College Urban and Environmental Policy Department. She is also serving as a Fellow at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations' Worker Institute. Mijin's legal and academic expertise, along with her experience working with non-profits and NGOs in a variety of capacities, provide Welcome Ideas with a great resource for board governance and strategic policy direction.

Mijin holds degrees from Cornell University, the University of California Hastings College of the Law, and the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies. Mijin is also a member of the State Bar of California. Her research and work on environmental justice, climate change, inequality, and the labor movement have been published by a number of prominent academic journals. Prior to joining Occidental College, Mijin worked for several public policy organizations in a variety of capacities where she was also asked to regularly provide public commentary for a number of media outlets. She has extensive international expertise, doing both research and consulting work overseas. As a professor, Mijin is well respected by her students, as she challenges them and encourages them to develop their critical thinking skills.

Paul is the Executive Director of Treasury for The Estee Lauder Companies, Inc. Paul's experience in treasury, finance and operations on a global scale provide Welcome Ideas with valuable experience in operating an international non-profit/NGO.

Paul has degrees from both Cornell University and the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. He has extensive cross-functional experience working in treasury, capital markets, and international operations for several large multi-national companies in a variety of industries. Paul has also led many business turnaround projects for large organizations and small entrepreneurial companies. Having worked in both Europe and the United States and having worked for global organizations, Paul has an understanding of cross-cultural business operations and communication on an international scale. He also has a long history of volunteerism and community involvement, including teaching and mentoring under-privileged high school students.