OUR TEAM

Ellyn Ito

Social Entrepreneur, Investor, & CEO

Ellyn Ito combines her experience in both corporate boardrooms and grassroots initiatives to challenge conventional approaches and drive meaningful change. With over 20 years in management and executive roles, she brings a steady hand to organizations navigating periods of growth or restructuring, focusing on risk mitigation and operational efficiency.

In 2010, she founded Seeds to Sew International, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls in underserved communities through skills training, economic opportunities, and education. Ellyn continues to serve as the organization’s Executive Director and Trustee.

In 2021, she co-founded Innerstill, a med-tech start-up, where she leads as CEO. She is also a board member of Redeemer Health Systems and the Gail Birenbaum Executive Leadership Council at Rider University.

Ellyn is committed to fostering inclusivity as a pathway to stronger communities, economic stability, and improved health outcomes, especially in the context of social and environmental challenges. She holds a BA from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and is a frequent guest speaker at the Leeds School of Business, Rider University, the Lawrenceville School and other area high schools.

Nina joined Seeds to Sew on the inaugural trip to Kenya in July/August 2011 to document the visit and the initiation of the first program in our first community, Enoosaen, Kenya and has been involved with Seeds to Sew ever since. In her role of Operations Manager, she is instrumental in everyday operations both in Kenya and in the US, business development, record-keeping, public relations, website administration, graphic design, sales and marketing. Nina grew up in the Czech Republic and now lives with her husband in Pennington, NJ.

Operations Manager

Nina Moukova

Alice is our Program Manager for the programs in Kenya since 2018. Alice grew up in Nyeri, which is in the central region of Kenya. She graduated from Nyeri Technical Training Institute with a diploma in accounting. She joined Seeds to Sew in the spring of 2018. Alice is instrumental in the Kenyan operations, serving as a liaison between the women and girls in our programs and our US headquarters, making sure school fees are paid on time, and that the program participants have the support that they need. Alice lives with her husband and children in Naromoru.

Alice Kimaru

Kenya Program Manager

Past Field Program Managers

Chris Myers

Enoosaen Program Manager (July – November 2014)

Calum Davies

Enoosaen Program Manager (November 2014 – May 2015)

Jordan O'Neal

Enoosaen Program Manager (May – October 2015)

Chris, Calum, and Jordan, recent college graduates, were stationed in Kenya from 2014 to 2015, where they each spent time in Enoosaen contributing to the growth of Seeds to Sew. Their efforts were instrumental in establishing key processes that laid the groundwork for the success of our programs.