Our Story
In Spring 2021, a group of four masters/PhD students from Texas A&M University, including Ryan Staples and Meikah Dado, competed in an international business case competition where they were tasked to pitch innovative solutions to inefficient food systems driving world hunger. The team decided to focus their solution in Uganda, where one-third of the population suffers from chronic malnourishment.
Staples’ and Dado’s team pitched the idea of providing tablets with extension videos uploaded on them to women subsistence farmers in Uganda. The idea led to a top three finish over 65 top business schools from around the world including Harvard, Wharton, NYU, UC-Berkley and London Business School. During the award ceremony, the question was asked, “Ryan, are you disappointed your team placed third?”
His response was, “Absolutely not. This moment is but the springboard from which this idea will become a reality.”
From that moment on, Ryan has been pushing to take the case competition idea and make it become a reality. He has raised thousands of dollars from generous family, friends and A&M professors to fund the pilot project and to establish Her Mighty Hands as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. He secured the partnership of the non-profit Field of Hope, and is now joined by 4 brilliant women, including case competition team member Meikah Dado, to join him on the founding board.
Twenty women participated in the pilot program. Ten had smartphones. Two families sent their children to school for the first time ever. And this is just the beginning.
Her Mighty Hands
Board of Directors
Meet the inaugural members of the Her Mighty Hands Board of Directors. We come from multiple industries and backgrounds-- all pursuing the same passion: empowering women smallholder farmers and their families.
Board Member and Founder
Ryan Staples
A graduate from Texas A&M’s full-time MBA program, Ryan leveraged his capstone entrepreneurial project to found Her Mighty Hands. He led the efforts to launch the pilot project which tested the business model and set the stage to secure Her Mighty Hands’ 501(c)(3) status. He brings a results-focused, data-driven business skillset to the academic landscape of international development.
Board Member
Liz Grady
Raised on a small dairy farm in southern Wisconsin, Liz’s connection to agriculture has shaped both her personal perspective and professional career. She earned a degree in Life Sciences Communication from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and works at Broadhead, an integrated marketing agency, where she leads social media strategy and content development for agriculture brands. She is passionate about expanding opportunities for women in agriculture and supporting the many ways they are shaping its future.
Board President
Meikah Dado
Meikah Dado, Ph.D., is motivated by her belief that all individuals should have equitable access to food and education. Drawing on a multidisciplinary background in dairy science, international agricultural development, and agricultural leadership, Dado’s professional expertise encompasses monitoring and evaluation, grant writing and management, and a broad range of research initiatives. She currently works at the University of Missouri as an Assistant Professor of Agricultural Leadership in the Division of Applied Social Sciences.
Board Member
Garrett Brogan
Garrett Brogan, Ph.D., grew up wondering how some families could go to bed without access to healthy, nutritious food. This question continued to guide him throughout his undergraduate degree at Utah State University and led him to pursue both a master's and a Ph.D. at Texas A&M University, with a focus on international agricultural development. Brogans' professional expertise lies in program evaluation, leadership development, and the building of resilient, strong agrifood systems. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Agricultural Communications and Leadership at the University of Idaho.
Board Member
Kristen Rees
Kristen Rees, MPH, CPHQ, LSSBB, RHCEOC currently works as the chief quality and compliance officer for SoHum Health. She volunteers as a court appointed special advocate (CASA) for abused foster youth, and volunteers teaching an early morning high school religion class. She has participated in and lead humanitarian projects in Thailand, Uganda, the United States, and elsewhere. Kristen is a passionate advocate for addressing social determinants of health, rural and international health, and empowering individuals to improve their own and others' lives.
References
1- https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/52c3c66390dc436da192ea782a2bdb3d/download/
2- Palocios‐Lopez, A., Christiaensen, L., & Killic, T. (2017). How much of the labour in African agriculture is provided by women? Food Policy, 67, 52–63.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2016.09.017
3- Farnworth, C. R., Baudron, F., Anderson, J. A., Misiko, M., & Stirling, C. M. (2016).
Gender and conservation agriculture in East and South Africa: Towards a
research agenda. International Journal of Agricultural Education and
Sustainability, 14(2), 142–165. https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2015.1065602
4- Mpiima, D. M., Manyire, H., Kabonesa, C., and Espiling, M. (2019). [IW1] Gender analysis of agricultural extension policies in Uganda: Informing practice? Gender, Technology and Development, 23:2, p. 187-205, DOI: 10.1080/09718524.2019.1657610
5- https://www.fao.org/3/cb7496en/cb7496en.pdf
6- Denton, F. (2002) Climate change vulnerability, impacts, and adaptation: Why does gender matter? Gender & Development, 10:2, p. 10-20, DOI: 10.1080/13552070215903