This January, Ashesi Alumna, Rose Dodd ’09, joined a gathering of donors and supporters in Seattle for a conversation on how a new generation of leaders are transforming Africa.
Rose is currently pursuing her MBA degree at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and hopes to return to Africa to use her skills to tackle tough problems and improve the lives of rural Africans. We were fortunate to also have Whit Alexander, Rose’s former boss at Burro, join us and share about his experiences working in Ghana alongside Ashesi graduates.
Burro, founded by Whit Alexander, co-founder of the Cranium game company and a former Microsoft manager, is a for-profit social enterprise in Ghana with an expanding line of agriculture, health and energy products focused on providing consumers with products that help them do more with their limited resources. Rose joined the team for two years following graduation from Ashesi. Proving to be a promising and dedicated employee, she quickly rose to the position of General Manager.
Discussing Rose’s work with Burro, Whit noted, “Rose played a key role in building out Burro’s initial offerings and distribution network and was critical to our efforts to craft a local team true to Burro’s brand values and able to grow the business autonomously. She drives change, inspires loyalty, and delivers innovative solutions with limited resources. Ambitious, hard-working, and ethical, Rose got her exceptionally promising career off on the fast track delivering tools to build better lives in Burro’s early days.”
Much of the group discussion with Seattle friends and donors covered the Ashesi education and how it uniquely positions graduates to make an impact. Both Rose and Whit provided their own perspectives on how Ashesi is making a difference at Burro and throughout Africa.
Reflecting on her time at Burro, and how Ashesi equipped her for tackling tough problems, Rose commented, “After four years at Ashesi, I was prepared for the daily challenges my team faced bringing the Burro vision to life. Ashesi gave me the confidence that I can make a difference if I put my mind to it. You can’t just sit at a desk and wait to be told what to do.”
Impressed by Rose’s work and leadership, Whit is excited about hiring more Ashesi graduates, “With so many values shared between Ashesi and Burro, I expect Ashesi’s exceptionally talented and motivated interns and graduates to play an expanding role in Burro’s bright future.”
The evening wrapped up with a discussion of future plans, including Ashesi’s new engineering program, and Rose’s plans upon completing her MBA this spring. After paying off her student loans in the States, Rose hopes to return to Ghana and help local entrepreneurs as a strategic management consultant, and eventually start her own enterprise to provide affordable health services to poor people in rural areas. We look forward to keeping you posted on what this remarkable Ashesi graduate accomplishes in the years to come
To read more about Burro’s work in Ghana, check out Bright Lights No City, written by Whit’s brother Max Alexander.