TINFA is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization registered in Washington State.  It was created in 2001 with the desire to help bridge the digital divide. 

Current board members are:

Emma Le Dû
Emma is the Exec. Director of TINFA. She has previously held positions at the Grameen Foundation  as Senior Technical Program Manager. She has been in Information Technology for over 15 years, at Microsoft and Amazon.com in various positions in International and Program Management. Emma has spent two years in Lao P.D.R, as a computer consultant to the European Union and UNDP. She holds an Engineering degree in Robotics and Electronics (ESIGELEC in Rouen France) and a Master of Public Administration from the Kennedy School (Harvard University) with a focus on Leadership and International Development. Emma is TINFA's co-founder.

Mike Madden

Mike is retired and lives in the Loyal Heights neighborhood of Seattle, just north of Ballard. He attended Western Washington University and completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, majoring in History and French. Mike taught at Meadowdale Junior High School for five years before joining Safeco Life Insurance Company, now known as Symetra Life Insurance. Mike retired from Symetra as Vice President and head of the Individual Product Line after a rewarding thirty-three year career there. Mike believes in volunteer service, having served several years as President of the Northwest Regional Board of Dollars for Scholars. He currently volunteers with University Sunrise Rotary Club, with the Seattle Bureau of Fearless Ideas tutoring organization and is President of the Board of Bright Future Dollars for Scholars.  

Eli Sheldon

Eli has volunteered with children ever since he was a child himself in Massachusetts, and after a four-year stint at Microsoft, he jumped into the world of education full-time in 2015. Embedded in several Seattle-area public schools, Eli created a computational thinking program that brings problem solving skills rooted in computer science to other disciplines. This CT program features lessons like using decomposition to analyze criminal justice reform or racial bias in traffic stops, using pattern recognition to study earthquake in real-time or to improve a kickball team, and using abstraction to create 3D Greek monuments or body-system-inspired amusement parks. Eli recently taught high school computer science in South Seattle and is now a curriculum developer at TechSmart, a local K12 computer science organization. Eli is excited to bring his passion for educational equity and his experience in partnering with teachers to create powerful learning experiences to TINFA.

Zoe Stein

Zoe is a recent Seattle transplant working as a Program Manger in Microsoft Azure. She is an Indiana native but moved to Atlanta to complete her undergrad in Industrial Engineering at Georgia Tech, then to Seattle following graduation in Dec 2018. The West Coast has her heart because she constantly craves adventure- running, biking, climbing mountains, and always open to something new! On a nerdier note, there’s nothing she loves more than being challenged with an ambiguous, complex business or data problem. She’s extremely fortunate to have access to ample resources that enable her to take on these challenges through continuous learning and growth, and wants for everyone who desires to have access to this same opportunity. She deeply believes in TINFA’s mission of bridging the digital divide and has seen the amazing project success and empowerment while working on video content with Emma. She has immense energy around the positive impact TINFA is making and cannot wait to join this passionate group of individuals to support the organization in any way possible!

Adam Gnessin

Adam has a passion for education and empowerment with experience volunteering mentoring refugees in Kentucky and devoting his time assisting in elementary school classrooms in southern California. He is a recent transplant to Seattle, having received his MBA from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University in 2020 and taking on a Senior Project Manager role at Starbucks. Prior to attending graduate school, Adam received a bachelor’s degree in business from Northern Kentucky University and has several years of experience in program management and data analysis. He is no stranger to the west coast as a California native with a strong passion for the outdoors, world travel and new experiences. TINFA is especially exciting for Adam as he has a strong belief in technology’s ability to create equity and empower the less fortunate. Adam has seen the result firsthand of the opportunities that education provides and is always looking for his next chance to bring that same opportunity to others. He is enthusiastic about TINFA’s ability to make positive change for the lives of others through technological empowerment and inclusive education.

Harshika Kara (Pronouns she/her).

Growing up in Fiji, Harshika witnessed firsthand the impact access to educational opportunities have on the trajectory of a person’s life and their ability to be self-sufficient. This was an important lesson that shaped her own education, career choices and drew her to serve on TINFA’s Board of Directors.

Harshika is a resource development professional who has dedicated her career to helping nonprofit organizations develop and execute capacity building strategies that strengthen them for immediate and long-term sustainability. Currently she is the Capacity Building Lead Strategist with RVC, Seattle and has experience working with a range of organizations from large educational institutions to small grassroots nonprofits. Her passion for helping nonprofits is driven by her commitment to social justice and belief that all communities need to be given equitable, and inclusive opportunities for advancement.

Before calling Seattle home, Harshika lived in New Zealand and Fiji. Outside of work she loves spending time with her family, going on challenging hikes around PNW, making custom jewelry, and working in her garden.

Rohit Thotakura

Rohit, a New Jersey native, pursued his college education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before making Seattle his home. Working as an engineer at Amazon, Rohit passionately believes that education is the primary vehicle for social and economic mobility. He credits his parents for instilling this value in him, emphasizing the importance of the educational opportunities he has been fortunate to receive. The turning point in Rohit's commitment to education was during his college commencement, where a speech by the commencement speaker about his own philanthropy and its impact on education deeply resonated with him. This moment solidified Rohit's interest in democraztizing education. Rohit firmly supports TINFA's mission, valuing its holistic approach to educational improvement. He believes that empowering teachers can significantly amplify positive change in students, asserting that the integration of technology in education and the implementation of iterative, scalable solutions are important for meaningful progress. Beyond his professional life, Rohit finds joy in sports, music, and films. He plays instruments as a creative outlet and enjoys critiquing and discussing various films.

Pam Mushen

Pam grew up in Lebanon, Oregon and moved to Bellevue when she was a sophomore in high school. She attended the University of Washington for two years majoring in history and then transferred to Princeton University in its first year of co-education. She graduated with a degree in Public and International Affairs. She then went to the University of Chicago Law School. When she came back to Seattle, she found a job in a medium size law firm and later started her own practice specializing in family law. Pam switched to teaching when her son was in second grade and diagnosed with a learning disability. After recovering from a serious bout with breast cancer, she was hired at Chief Sealth High School to teach History and American Government. While at Sealth she coordinated a China Exchange Program with Chongqing, China. She retired in 2014. Since then, Pam and her husband David have traveled and enjoyed their three grown boys and their wives and their eight grandchildren. Her interest in TINFA stems from her teaching experiences and her appreciation of the way TINFA trains its teachers.

Board Emeritus 

Margarita Medina
Margarita grew up in Colombia, S.A. She holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Universidad de Los Andes in Bogota and a M.S. in Software Engineering from Seattle University. After working in the software industry for over 11 years for companies such as Unisys and Microsoft, Margarita became a United Nations Volunteer working for a UNDP project and a Computer Consultant for Save The Children in Lao P.D.R. She currently works for the Technology Department at the Seattle Public Schools. Margarita is TINFA's co-founder.

Interested in serving on a TINFA committee or on the board?

Check out our board expectations and contact us!