Mary Ndaro is the Executive Director of HakiElimu and a seasoned women’s rights advocate and multidisciplinary social scientist with over 18 years of professional experience in social justice, gender equality, and democratic governance. She provides strategic leadership to advance HakiElimu’s mission of promoting equitable, inclusive, and quality education through evidence-based advocacy, policy engagement, and citizen participation.
A committed convener and facilitator, Mary has co-created platforms that amplify gender equality and equity narratives, foster inclusive public dialogue, and promote accountability in development and governance spaces. She has facilitated and led critical conversations on feminist leadership, inclusion and intersectionality, decolonizing development practice, and accountable governance, while mentoring emerging young leaders.
Mary brings strong expertise in policy analysis, transformative documentation, movement-building, and civil society strengthening. Her professional experience spans women’s economic justice, girls’ education, land and resource governance, gender-based violence, and bodily autonomy. She is committed to accountable and ethical leadership, strengthening citizen engagement, institutional development, and advancing education justice as a foundation for inclusive and democratic social transformation.