Meet the Team
Between August 2018 and February 2022, Wabbani purchased goods and services from 102 villagers in 4 communities. Our physical infrastructure consists of communal makerspaces and storage units in each maker community, backed by the providers of raw materials, who are typically non-crafters from these same communities. Most important is our human infrastructure of traveling coordinators, trainers, and a bookkeeper, who ensure the flow through the chain is smooth, and that the result is to spec and to standard.
PAUL DINKINS
Co-founder
Paul earned his MBA from Washington University in 2018, which is where he met Alice when she pitched the idea in one of his classes for what later became Wabbani. He also holds a M.A. in Theology & Culture from The Seattle School and earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Thomas Edison State University while serving in the US Navy intelligence field as a Korean linguist. Paul is passionate about helping people in developing countries who have not been able to participate in the benefits of globalization.
ALICE LAYTON
founder
Alice chartered the Rupununi Learners Foundation in 2001 and started an award-winning ecotourist lodge in 2005, Caiman House, to sustain school and village libraries in Guyana. She has been an Instructor of Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She holds a Masters in Library Science from the University of Missouri – Columbia, a Masters in Social Work from Yeshiva University, and B.A. in History, the Arts and Letters from Yale University.
Find out more about Rupununi Learners here
SHAMIR KHAN
Guyana Operations Coordinator
Shamir lives and works full-time for Wabbani in Yupukari village, the hub of the Guyana operations, where he spent much of his childhood. His secondary education was completed in Georgetown, and his diverse hard and soft skill set has been invaluable to operations.
HOWARD BARNABAS
guyana field coordinator
After many years living and working in Brazil, Howard has returned home to Yupukari to raise a family, and Wabbani is lucky to have him. His diverse skills, from carpentry to guiding, and his entrepreneurial eye for opportunity, make him a valued member of the team.
MARCILENE DORRICK
guyana office coordinator
A native of Rewa Village, where she trained at the ecolodge, Marcilene is thankfully our bookkeeper now. Her persistence in upgrading her skills and keeping us organized across multiple villages and many artisans is a constant source of support.
MAUREEN LOURINDO
cotton coordinator
A natural organizer, as well as expert, lifelong weaver, Maureen was a natural choice to inaugurate the Yupukari Cotton Weavers, break ground on their first farm, and begin to gather women and girls for learning and earning.
COMBRENCENT ERNEST
clay coordinator
A self-described "practical artist," Combrencent has been our go-to in Yupukari since 2005, for everything from logo design with rubber stamps to sign-making in wood and knob innovation in clay. Bring him a challenge and he will find a solution.