About
I was born in Dakar, grew up in Mali and studied in South Africa. After ten years in the US, where I founded Heart of a Giant Foundation while I was working in energy, I came home to Dakar in September.
I'm setting up Relais Somaneh, my practice. It focuses on health infrastructure and initiatives. With hospitals, clinics, institutions and their partners, I turn ideas into delivered projects with lasting results, in the region and beyond.
In my culture, Somaneh is a name for a first-born, and it means a prayer answered, the family's and the ancestors'. The first-born is expected to lead by serving and to keep the community together. That's how I want Relais Somaneh to work.
What I do
Plan
Many good ideas stall before they have a plan. I turn yours into one that sets out what the project covers, who needs to be involved, what it costs and how long it takes. You get something a hospital board or a funder can read and say yes or no to.
Deliver
Once the plan is approved, I run it day to day. I keep hospital teams, district officials, partners and funders talking to each other, and I deal with problems as they come up. No surprises. If something goes wrong, you hear it from me first, with a plan.
Sustain
A project isn't finished when it opens. I look at what keeps it working, from equipment uptime and maintenance to how patients move through the facility. I also check that staff are trained to carry it on. Then I follow and evaluate the results, so you can show what changed.
Track record
- At Enbridge, I ran grants strategy and selection for Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability, and directed over $100K in grants.
- At National Grid, I led municipal engagement across 20+ Massachusetts municipalities and Corporate Affairs on 12+ high-profile projects with the New England President's Office.
- At Enbridge, I managed stakeholder engagement across four regions, for projects including Vector Expansion in Michigan and Indiana, the Connecticut River Crossing, and projects in Ohio.
- At Heart of a Giant Foundation, I built the program to 20+ sites across 10+ neighborhoods. Returning participants improve at close to three times the rate of one-time attendees.