In the Kiswahili language, “usafi” means the property of being clean or the state of being without pollution. Guided by this and our awareness of the relation between the environment and people, ties everything we do together.
In the Kiswahili language, “usafi” means the property of being clean or the state of being without pollution. Guided by this and our awareness of the relation between the environment and people, ties everything we do together.
We believe that building a better world starts with building people.
To provide culturally grounded climate education that inspires confidence, community leadership, and practical action for environmental justice.
We envision a thriving world where Black leaders are empowered to shape sustainable futures personally, professionally, and collectively.
Elevate your knowledge with guidance from global thought leaders.
Dr. Maureen Kinyua is an environmental engineer with over 15 years of experience advancing clean water, renewable energy, and sustainable development solutions across the U.S. and internationally. Her career began in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, where she worked directly with small-scale farming communities to develop waste-to-energy and resource management technologies that protected public health and the environment.
Since then, Dr. Kinyua has led climate-smart water infrastructure initiatives in the Washington, D.C. metro region and advised on state-level recycling and circular economy policy for California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). She brings deep expertise at the intersection of science, infrastructure, and community impact.
A former professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of California, Davis, Dr. Kinyua taught global sustainability and engineering courses that bridged classroom learning with real-world application.
She holds a B.S. and M.Sc. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of South Florida.
Denis Owiny is the Sustainability Program Assistant at Usafi Academy, where he supports program management, grant writing, and strategic outreach while leading marketing and community engagement. His work emphasizes Africana-centered approaches to sustainability rooted in community (Ubuntu), justice, and harmony with nature.
With over a decade of experience spanning government, research, and international policy, Denis previously served as Assistant Editor of Hansard in the Parliament of Uganda, producing legislative reports on climate adaptation and facilitating high-level parliamentary engagements. He also contributed to global policy research at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., and the Uganda National Academy of Sciences, advancing U.S.-Africa policy, stakeholder engagement, and climate resilience initiatives.
Denis holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Administration and Management from the Uganda Management Institute, and a Bachelor of Arts Education (Literature and English Language) from Gulu University. His expertise spans geopolitics, U.S.-Africa relations, international security, and climate policy.