LOS ANGELES MICROFINANCE NETWORK
Mission:
The Los Angeles Microfinance Network (LAMN) educates, informs and connects individuals interested in the field of microfinance. Our mission is accomplished through informative speaker events, conferences and networking activities that highlight current issues, help practitioners build relationships and make a positive impact on the field.
Objectives:
Provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and information about microfinance practices and social entrepreneurship
Help develop a community of microfinance advocates in the Los Angeles area
Share information about career and professional development opportunities
Facilitate campaigns to support micro-lending in Los Angeles and the developing world
Develop partnerships with like-minded organizations committed to relevant social causes
LAMN Current Officers
Raheem Parpia - President - Raheem discovered Microfinance during his first week of classes with the undergraduate school of International Relations at USC from where he graduated last May with concentrations in Foreign Policy Analysis and Culture, Gender and Society. Upon this discovery, he went on to co-found and lead the first USC Kiva chapter which, after only three semesters in existence, recruited nearly 200 members and raised over $12,000 in the form of loans for entrepreneurs in the Third World. Raheem also graduated with a minor in Business Administration and currently resides in Venice, where he enjoys playing lacrosse, running and exploring new eats.
Kristy Nguyen - Vice-President - Kristy first heard about microfinance when Natalie Portman gave a lecture on FINCA International at UCLA. She didn’t actually attend the event but wiki-ed FINCA and jumped in headfirst. Sure enough, two years later, she wound up interning at FINCA’s headquarters in Washington D.C. Kristy graduated from UCLA with a double major in Business Economics and Political Science and a minor in accounting. Currently, she is a financial analyst in Disney’s rotation program. She spends her free time reading, traveling, shopping, becoming a coffee shop connoisseur, volunteering for the nonprofit Philanthro Productions, and training for a 5k. Slowly. Very, very slowly. Oh and her favorite movie is 500 Daysof Summer. Super important.
Ivory Chambeshi - Secretary/Treasurer - Ivory Rose Chambeshi is a native of South Los Angeles. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Ethnic Studies from the UC Riverside, and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration from USC. In past roles, she served on a strategic planning team for an HIV/AIDS organization in South Africa, directed the volunteer/internship programs for a large non-profit in South LA, and served as a project manager for an international NGO and UNHCR Partner in Zambia, managing training and enrichment programs for refugees. This is where her interest in microfinance was initially piqued. She currently serves as Program Administrator for a local economic development corporation, managing business training and technical assistance program for micro-enterprises. In these various roles she has seen the tremendous value of small investments in communities reaping tremendous rewards. This has inspired her belief in the power of microfinance to stimulate solutions to poverty and self-sufficiency for disenfranchised populations. In her free time, Ivory spends time marveling at God’s incredible blessings and spending the rare lazy Sunday with her husband watching sappy rom-coms at the dollar theatre. She is excited about helping to further LAMN’s goals to train and equip professionals in microfinance!
Jessica Kaczmarek - Director of Outreach - Jessica became interested in microfinance after seeing To Catch a Dollar, a documentary about Dr. Yunus’ progress in bringing microfinance to America through Grameen America. Excited by the prospect of what microfinance can do to change lives, Jessica began to look for opportunities to connect with like-minded professionals to continue learning and exploring how microfinance can be brought to the LA community. Jessica has committed her professional career to helping governmental organizations and non-profits improve the effectiveness of their operations so they can provide better services and ultimately improve the lives of the underserved. She currently works as a Senior Program Officer with First 5 LA, a grantmaking organization that funds programs targeting children 0-5 and their families in LA County. She has a degree in Economics from Pomona College and a Masters in Public Policy from USC. In her spare time she loves to travel, take cooking courses, eat her husband’s amazing baked goods, explore LA’s diverse food scene and take ballet courses.
Brynne Dunn - Director of Events - Brynne’s curiosity for microfinance sparked during her undergraduate studies at USC, where she majored in International Relations and Spanish. After an eye-opening semester volunteering at an NGO in Argentina, she enrolled at the London School of Economics to pursue a Master’s in International Development. While at LSE, she extended her knowledge in market solutions for development and is thrilled to support the expansion of the microfinance community here in LA. When she’s not at work, Brynne enjoys traveling, wine tasting and playing Yahtzee.
LAMN Founding Members
Ivana Darmawan - Ivana currently works in finance in the internet industry. Ivana is a graduate of UCLA Anderson School of Management, focusing on Entrepreneurship and Finance. Prior to UCLA Anderson, Ivana worked as a Structured Finance Analyst at Wilshire Associates, Inc and during the summer before her studies, she spent the summer in Indonesia, working as an intern in an acquisition deal of a microfinance bank. Ivana is inspired to help alleviate poverty in Indonesia through microfinance and thus has spent much time learning about how to carry it out in her home country. In her spare time, Ivana enjoys training her dog, practicing yoga as well as trying out good food.
Andrew Lewis - Andrew is a technologist, writer, and analyst with 12+ years experience in the IT industry, from positions in software development and consulting with public firms to a variety of independent projects and causes. He co-founded the Los Angeles Microfinance Network in order to help build a local hub for students and other parties interested in the Microfinance community, a goal that was accomplished by attracting a group of active officers and providing them with an organization. Before that, Andrew was the grand champion of his 6th grade school district’s annual spelling bee.
Akbar Thobhani - Akbar Thobhani was a 2008 Summer Associate at Lehman Brothers’ Investment Banking Division covering Technology firms. He is a second-year MBA student at MIT Sloan School of Management and a member of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program. At MIT, Akbar serves as the president of the Finance club and has served as a VP of Venture Capital Conference. Prior to Sloan, Akbar worked as a Program Manager at Stamps.com where he focused on company’s turnaround initiatives. His efforts on company’s e-commerce systems and postage security systems contributed to six patents in on-line fraud detection and electronic postage printing. Previously, he was instrumental in launching Investment Technology Group’s Canadian operations. Akbar serves as a Chairperson of Microfinance for National Alliance of Financial Services, and has served on various leadership positions with Aga Khan Education Board. Akbar started his career as a software engineer at NASA where he pioneered a new reusable data processing system, which was published in IEEE. He is a recipient of NASA’s group achievement award. Akbar graduated magna cum laude with dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Business Administration and Computer Science, with a minor in Mathematics from CSU Northridge.
