Meet Our TEAM
Tiffany Ivins Spence
Founder
Tiffany is passionate about sustainability & community-driven social change. She co-designed Utah’s First Net Zero Community and is currently consulting on high performance and sustainable design. She is the Founding Director of Utah’s Net Zero Consortium, a Board Member of the United Nations Association of Utah, and Director of an international nonprofit, Community Development Network.
Drew Bayles
Main IT Technician
Drew is a computer science student at Brigham Young University. He is minoring in Africana studies and international development and hopes to combine his abilities to be an effective change-maker. He is passionate about educational development and literacy, specifically in Sub-Saharan Africa.
NAtasha Birchard
Co-curriculum Coordinator
Mitchell Spence
Co-founder
A lover of wood & design, Mitchell offers 25 years in the construction industry & a lifetime loving the outdoors. He is passionate about beautifying urban areas with functional infill; he is fascinated by clean energy, smart design, and reducing poverty through education. He is a helpless skibum cutting clean tracks in the Tetons & Rockies with his 4 kids. Creator of UT’s 1st Net Zero Community; Founder of Redfish; B100 Construction License.
Richard Gnatsiko
West African Consultant
Richard specializes in literacy and self-reliance consulting. He has consulted for various companies including Delta and Togo FMG O&M Division-MFD. Richard graduated from Lome University with a degree in English and specialized in business accounting and management. Richard is an integral part of the ComDevNet team and we value his on the ground expertise, leadership and consulting.
Jeff LEE
Curriculum Coordinator
Sam Augustine
Photographer
Stèphane Akoki
Founder of Life Elevate
Stéphane grew up in Côte d’Ivoire where he has always had the dream to lift up his community and promote self-reliance. He is an enthusiastic and determined individual who has overcome mountains of challenges throughout his life in West Africa, China, and the United States. His story has inspired many and he would like to empower more individuals to fulfill their potential. His dream is to provide sustainable solutions to solve the issues of poverty in West Africa through education.
Heather Phipps
Designer & Journalist
Heather is an environmental science major and international development minor at Brigham Young University. She has taught literacy in bi-lingual Spanish English programs in the southern states as well as women’s sexual education in Uganda. She loves seeing the spark in another’s eyes when they understand a new concept! She is passionate about recording and presenting this spark!
Jay Griffith
Community Development Expert