Amanda Koster: Founder and trip leader
Amanda Koster is an internationally acclaimed photographer whose commercial and personal work has shown a consistent commitment to telling stories of real people, human rights, cultural diversity and global equality. She combines her anthropology background with media skills to create content as a means for powerful communication and storytelling.
She created SalaamGarage for a few reasons 1) many asked “Can I Come With You” [and help with her international projects] 2) she sat through so many travel slide shows wondering what would happen if that person had traveled to an NGO and talked that as well 3) wondered what would happen if people plugged meaningful, powerful content into their social media sites.
Her book Can I Come with You? (Bennett & Hastings, 2008) is a collection of over a decade of her int’l social documentary projects, including excerpts from her personal journals. She has received many awards and grants for her personal projects including 8, 2nd place awards for her project AIDS IS Knocking in the prestigious IPA Lucie Awards. Amanda is featured among the fifty successful, inspiring American women in the book: “In Their Shoes.” (by Deborah Reber, publisher: Simon & Schuster)
Currently Amanda is working with the NYU Dept. of Global Health creating a multi-media project related to HIV/AIDS research and tech in Kenya, and a project funded by the International YWCA “African Women of Empowerment”. Clients include The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The New York Times, Newsweek, Entrepreneur, Metropolis, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Business Week, Wired and national advertising agencies. She has taught photography internationally and is invited regularly as an industry speaker and representative worldwide.
Amanda’s commercial work: amandakoster.com / Amanda’s blog: http://amandakoster.wordpress.com / twitter: @salaamgarage
Maggie Soladay: Trip Producer + leader
Maggie is an editorial photography editor, producer, and documentary photographer living in NYC. She brings her expertise in the media business, editorial photography and commercial advertising along with extensive world travel experience to SalaamGarage’s trips. Many years as a community organizer and advocate has enriched her career. She was chosen to be in the Nikon D80 camera ad campaign for McCann Erickson ad agency, and was nominated for American Photo’s up and coming photographers issue in 2006.
View Maggie’s photography at http://maggiesoladay.com / twitter: @maggiesoladay
Tim Matsui: Trip Producer + leader
Tim is a Seattle based photojournalist working in the fields of sexual violence, human trafficking, alternative energy, and the environment.
His experience with sexual violence stories while founding the FEAR Project, now a 501(c)3 non-profit, led him to document anti-human trafficking both domestically and in South East Asia. The complexities of the field gives him a broad understanding of migration, economic development, the psychology of trauma and a diverse range of contacts, particularly in Cambodia, which he hopes will increase the tour participant’s understanding and depth of the Salaam Garage experience.
http://www.timmatsui.com/blog
http://www.fearproject.org /
Twitter: @timmatsuiphoto
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Sabrina Messineo: Organizer
Sabrina attained her Masters in International Relations in 2006 and has a certificate in negotiation and mediation from the Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution at California State University, Sacramento. In 2004 she established a tutoring program at a shelter for women and children in Los Angeles and she continues to volunteer with a variety of organizations dedicated to women’s empowerment. She is currently a Project Manager for Burnside & Associates, a grassroots political consulting firm located inLos Angeles.
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Megan Taylor: Seattle Based Social Media Producer and Organizer
Megan drives SalaamGarage’s community outreach in social networking forums such as Twitter and Facebook. As a travel enthusiast with a personal passion for both photography and social justice work, Megan enjoys connecting SalaamGarage with others who see the power created when amateur and professional media producers direct their energy toward issues that matter to our global community. Megan graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in International Studies and a focus on development and Spanish language. Her true loves are traveling, learning new languages, playing with friends and family, snapping photos, running around Greenlake, hosting rooftop BBQ’s, spending time outdoors with her fiancé Erik and goofy black lab Harley, and generally striving to find positivity, humor, and spontaneity in everyday life. Megan traveled extensively during study abroad programs in France, Cuba, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Guatemala and recently returned from a six month backpacking adventure around Southeast Asia.
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Michael Armijo: tech geek
Michael is a tech enthusiast who enjoys developing elegant solutions that assist local artists, volunteers and community organizations grow their practice. He has a diverse technical background ranging from working with individuals on desktop training, to being a Program Manager for the world’s largest software maker on a major release of their server operating system. SalaamGarage has provided him with a perfect opportunity to use his ability to understand people’s vision and use new media to assist them in sharing their message. Michael is looking forward to contributing in making SalaamGarage and its participants successful in their mission. Michael is making use of social media to help musicians and humanitarian focused organizations promote their work.
He can be contacted at MichArm@live.com
his website: http://www.wootastic.org
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Manjari Sharma: Production Support
Encouraged by accolades and scholarships and after working with some of India’s premier publications like The Times of India and Better Photography, making images is what brought Manjari to the United States in 2001. Born and raised in Mumbai, her journey ultimately took her to New York city where she currently lives and freelances as a photographer. Manjari is on the board of the New York Chapter of ASMP American Society of Media Photographers. Manjari’s passions, Story telling and traveling have taken her to Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Brazil. Having strong roots in India alongside her history as an award winning event manager allows her to give a local’s perspective to SalaamGarage. “Making sure people’s trip to my homeland is well rounded and rewarding has always been a matter of pride and joy for me. It’s my pleasure to help SalaamGarage in any way possible”
Manjari’s Website: http://www.manjarisharma.com /
Manjari’s Blog: http://manjarisharma.wordpress.com /
Twitter: @manjee
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SalaamGarage Team
Amanda Koster: Founder and trip leader
She created SalaamGarage for a few reasons 1) many asked “Can I Come With You” [and help with her international projects] 2) she sat through so many travel slide shows wondering what would happen if that person had traveled to an NGO and talked that as well 3) wondered what would happen if people plugged meaningful, powerful content into their social media sites.
Her book Can I Come with You? (Bennett & Hastings, 2008) is a collection of over a decade of her int’l social documentary projects, including excerpts from her personal journals. She has received many awards and grants for her personal projects including 8, 2nd place awards for her project AIDS IS Knocking in the prestigious IPA Lucie Awards. Amanda is featured among the fifty successful, inspiring American women in the book: “In Their Shoes.” (by Deborah Reber, publisher: Simon & Schuster)
Currently Amanda is working with the NYU Dept. of Global Health creating a multi-media project related to HIV/AIDS research and tech in Kenya, and a project funded by the International YWCA “African Women of Empowerment”. Clients include The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The New York Times, Newsweek, Entrepreneur, Metropolis, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Business Week, Wired and national advertising agencies. She has taught photography internationally and is invited regularly as an industry speaker and representative worldwide.
Amanda’s commercial work: amandakoster.com / Amanda’s blog: http://amandakoster.wordpress.com / twitter: @salaamgarage
Maggie Soladay: Trip Producer + leader
Maggie is an editorial photography editor, producer, and documentary photographer living in NYC. She brings her expertise in the media business, editorial photography and commercial advertising along with extensive world travel experience to SalaamGarage’s trips. Many years as a community organizer and advocate has enriched her career. She was chosen to be in the Nikon D80 camera ad campaign for McCann Erickson ad agency, and was nominated for American Photo’s up and coming photographers issue in 2006.
View Maggie’s photography at http://maggiesoladay.com / twitter: @maggiesoladay
Tim Matsui: Trip Producer + leader
Tim is a Seattle based photojournalist working in the fields of sexual violence, human trafficking, alternative energy, and the environment.
His experience with sexual violence stories while founding the FEAR Project, now a 501(c)3 non-profit, led him to document anti-human trafficking both domestically and in South East Asia. The complexities of the field gives him a broad understanding of migration, economic development, the psychology of trauma and a diverse range of contacts, particularly in Cambodia, which he hopes will increase the tour participant’s understanding and depth of the Salaam Garage experience.
http://www.timmatsui.com/blog
http://www.fearproject.org /
Twitter: @timmatsuiphoto
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sabrina Messineo: Organizer
Sabrina attained her Masters in International Relations in 2006 and has a certificate in negotiation and mediation from the Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution at California State University, Sacramento. In 2004 she established a tutoring program at a shelter for women and children in Los Angeles and she continues to volunteer with a variety of organizations dedicated to women’s empowerment. She is currently a Project Manager for Burnside & Associates, a grassroots political consulting firm located inLos Angeles.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Megan Taylor: Seattle Based Social Media Producer and Organizer
Megan drives SalaamGarage’s community outreach in social networking forums such as Twitter and Facebook. As a travel enthusiast with a personal passion for both photography and social justice work, Megan enjoys connecting SalaamGarage with others who see the power created when amateur and professional media producers direct their energy toward issues that matter to our global community. Megan graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in International Studies and a focus on development and Spanish language. Her true loves are traveling, learning new languages, playing with friends and family, snapping photos, running around Greenlake, hosting rooftop BBQ’s, spending time outdoors with her fiancé Erik and goofy black lab Harley, and generally striving to find positivity, humor, and spontaneity in everyday life. Megan traveled extensively during study abroad programs in France, Cuba, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Guatemala and recently returned from a six month backpacking adventure around Southeast Asia.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Michael Armijo: tech geek
Michael is a tech enthusiast who enjoys developing elegant solutions that assist local artists, volunteers and community organizations grow their practice. He has a diverse technical background ranging from working with individuals on desktop training, to being a Program Manager for the world’s largest software maker on a major release of their server operating system. SalaamGarage has provided him with a perfect opportunity to use his ability to understand people’s vision and use new media to assist them in sharing their message. Michael is looking forward to contributing in making SalaamGarage and its participants successful in their mission. Michael is making use of social media to help musicians and humanitarian focused organizations promote their work.
He can be contacted at MichArm@live.com
his website: http://www.wootastic.org
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Manjari Sharma: Production Support
Manjari’s Website: http://www.manjarisharma.com /
Manjari’s Blog: http://manjarisharma.wordpress.com /
Twitter: @manjee
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