Who We Are
Malaika Cheney-Coker
Founder and Principal
When Malaika founded Ignited Word, it felt like a homegoing to a place where creativity could be let loose for the bettering of the human condition. Since then, she has applied tools from the literary and organizational learning toolboxes to help organizations with social missions apply uncommon approaches in their work. With 20 years of experience in thought leadership, coalition-building, creativity approaches, program management, monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL), organizational learning, strategy development, research, and communications with U.S. and international organizations, she brings versatility and constant innovation to her clients. Her superpowers are writing fiction in a difficult genre; also being able to swop in tenacity for bravery when the latter is insufficient. If a genie granted her one wish for the social sector, it would be (unsurprisingly) that all in it would unlock their full creative potential.
Diar Ramadani
Monitoring, Evaluation, Communications and Creativity Consultant
Diar Ramadani once had an AHA moment in a global meeting of monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) practitioners where he discovered that developing countries' professionals can provide value internationally (despite the overlooking of professionals from developing countries). The Kosovo native should know—at just 18, he defied ageism when he first began to work for an international NGO. He continues to break barriers by providing value and helping organizations flourish through better evidence uptake and results-based management, working with a wide range of local and international NGOs and development institutions such as USAID, Save the Children, the World Bank and the United States' Defense Threat Reduction Agency. His superpowers are his interdisciplinarity and being a generalist— both of which allow him to deliver high-quality impact and value. If genie granted Diar a wish, he would use it to end the ageism narrative constructed around young professionals in development. He joins Ignited Word to tap into his creative side in combination with his work in MEL.
Abbie Cohen
Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning Consultant
For over five years, Abbie has worked to support organizations across sectors in designing accessible MEL frameworks that capture programmatic complexity. Her passion for advancing organizational learning blossomed during her service with the U.S Peace Corps in South Africa, where she employed participatory methods to support HIV mitigation programs in local communities. This was where one of Abbie’s biggest AHA moments came; she internalized just how interconnected the social drivers of HIV/AIDS (and all other health issues, for that matter) really are. Today, Abbie continues to foster a commitment to solving complex social problems by employing an interdisciplinary lens. Empathy is one of her most potent superpowers. If a genie were to grant her one wish for the social sector, Abbie would ask for greater access to reliable funding sources for community-led initiatives. Dependable funding that comes with little to no stipulations allows smaller organizations to focus on expanding their impact rather than engaging donors.
Asta Musa
Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning Consultant
An international development professional passionate about institutional effectiveness, Asta has supported governmental and nongovernmental organizations to design, implement and evaluate interventions. One of her biggest AHA moments came in a stakeholder meeting when she realized strong partnerships produce greater impact and that local ownership is fundamental for achieving development goals. Her work and research has focused on strategies to address critical issues in global health. If a genie were to grant her one wish, Asta would ask for ‘health for all’. Effective collaborations for policy reform, research and learning would tip the scale towards equitable access to quality care.
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Jay Black
Writer and Videographer
"Lifelong-movie-fanatic" might best describe Jay's obsession with visual storytelling. After getting a master's in Communications, he lived a dual life: one as a university instructor, the other as a freelance videographer/moviemaker. He taught moviemaking for eleven years at the master's level, and simultaneously took on many professional roles and projects including director of corporate training videos, fiction movies, commercials, camera operator, lighting technician, and professional editor, to name a few. His AHA moment regarding the massive power of moving images to influence thought and action came after a study of the great Frank Capra movie, It Happened One Night. Clark Gable brazenly takes off his shirt in front of Claudette Colbert, revealing he was not wearing an undershirt. The undershirt business nearly failed in the months after the film was released. Gathering enthusiasm for projects in which he believes is his superpower. And that would be his wish for the social sector if a genie granted him one wish: a tidal wave of enthusiasm for worthy projects.