cobina lartson Ph.D.

PResident, Board of DirectorS

Cobina Lartson, Ph.D., is a Ghanaian citizen with work and educational experiences in both Ghana and the United States. As a science educator, he has worked with a number of school districts in Ghana and USA. After being awarded a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry at the University of Ghana, he pursued a postgraduate diploma in Education at the University of Cape Coast. He later received an M.A. in Environmental Leadership at the University of Naropa in Boulder, Colorado. Dr. Lartson was a fellow at the Colorado Center for Progressive Leadership, where he studied progressive political leadership. He completed his doctoral studies at the School of Education & Human Development, University of Colorado Denver, with a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Innovation. He is currently an Education Specialist Candidate with the University of Missouri, working towards a school administration license.

Dr. Lartson has been extensively involved in organizing Ghanaians in the United States, as founder of a number of Ghanaian organizations: the Mfantseman Kuw of Colorado (MKC), the Mfantseman Associations of North America (MANA), and Ghanaians in Greater Kansas City (GGKC). MANA is an umbrella organization for Fantes and other associations that support development of the Central and Western Regions of Ghana. He is also a past President of the Rocky Mountain Ghana Council (in Colorado).

Dr. Lartson has a number of investments in Ghana, including a partnership with M & L Salt and Chemical in Apam and a private school (Lartson & Angels Preparatory) in the Volta Region. In recognition for promoting Ghanaian culture in the US, Dr. Lartson received an award in 2015 from the Ghana Embassy in DC. This award was due to his founding of the ex-while Afrikmall, the first African mall and business incubation center in Colorado (and the US) that promoted African cultural events. He is a recent recipient of the African Americans Who Make A Difference award (presented by the Denver Urban Spectrum) and the Excellence in Education Award (presented by the Black Teachers Association of Colorado).

Simone Passarelli ph.D.

Secretary, Board of Directors

Simone Passarelli holds a PhD in Population Health Sciences, concentrating in Public Health Nutrition, from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She has been engaged in agriculture, nutrition, and food security research in Africa for over seven years. She received her undergraduate degree in International Agriculture and Rural Development from Cornell University, and her M.S. in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from the Tufts University Friedman School.

After completing her Master’s, Simone worked as a Senior Research Assistant for the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, D.C., investigating women’s empowerment in agriculture and the role of domestic and agricultural water systems in promoting nutrition and health. She has previously worked with the international NGO’s Care International, Action Against Hunger (ACF), and the World Food Programme. She has conducted research and fieldwork in India, Ghana, Tanzania, and Ethiopia. Her current work in East Africa centers on analyzing the linkages between agricultural systems, diet quality, environmental health risks, and maternal and child nutritional status using both quantitative and qualitative methods.

lindsey Kwarteng

Founder, Board of Directors

Lindsey Kwarteng received a Master in Development Practice at Regis University in Denver, Colorado in 2018. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Massachusetts with a B.A in Anthropology and Gender Studies. During her time there, Lindsey’s senior honors thesis led her to travel to Ghana where she conducted ethnographic research on child abandonment in Aboadze. Out of the findings and recommendations from her research Lindsey co-founded Conscious Collaborative. Since then, Lindsey has been serving as a train-the-trainer for participatory research design and program development.

edward tetteh

Director of Operations & Education Program Manager

Edward Tetteh Daddah was born in Afram Plains in the Eastern region of Ghana. At age 12, Edwards left home and found himself on the streets of Ghana, engaging in street activities for survival. Edward wanted a better life and moved to Aboadze in 2010. He worked to put himself through Senior High School while living on a roof of a house. Birthed from these life experiences, Edward continues to push forwards his agenda of ensuring that children who would otherwise have to live on the streets, are given alternative opportunities. Edward was one of the co-founding members of Conscious Collaborative and the first employee of the organization and has helped the organization grow over the past 8 years.

ebenezer kwarteng

vera asuamuzuah

Women's Livelihoods Program manager

Ebenezer Kwarteng was born in Inchaban, Ghana. At the age of 9, Ebenezer and his brothers were abandoned by their widowed mother. Ebenezer was raised in an orphanage where he was a role model to other children. He recently graduated Adiembra Secondary School in Sekondi, Ghana. Ebenezer plans to pursue a university degree in economics and has a passion for human rights. Having known the hardships of poverty, Ebenezer aspires to help those in the community through his work with Conscious Collaborative

Managing Director & Anansi International Program Manager

Vera Asuamuzuah was born and raised in Tema, Ghana. She is currently a Master of Development Practice Candidate at Regis University in Denver, Colorado. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Exercise Science from Colorado State University where she was awarded the Puksta Scholarship which led her to develop a plan and engage in extensive research to implement a water project in Potomu, Ghana. This project birthed Vera’s passion to pursue a career in International Development to be used as a vessel for change in the world. Her work with Conscious Collaborative fulfills this calling.