John Kogada

John Okandi Kogada joined IFAW as the community engagement (CE) program director and is based in the Nairobi office. In this role, John provides strategic leadership for community actions within projects across IFAW’s global program portfolio, ensuring tangible and impactful community involvement at the local level to advance coexistence, inclusive natural resource governance, women and youth empowerment, sustainable livelihoods, and community resilience. John works closely with all program teams to establish robust sustainability pathways for our work and also champion thought leadership on CE issues.

John is an experienced program manager and community development specialist with over 15 years of experience in strategy, operations, and technical support in the development space. He most recently served with AMREF Health Africa as a project director and senior technical advisor where he led the integrated Economic Empowerment, Gender and Protection Program portfolio and provided advisory and technical support to AMREF global and regional offices. Previously, John worked for Academy for Educational Development, the APHIA II Consortium, Plan International, and the Henry Jackson Medical Research International where he held various leaderships positions. He has a Master’s of Sociology and a Bachelors of Arts Sociology, and is an avid lover of dogs and art.