Meet Our Team
Divya Venugopal
Co-founder and President
As technology became increasingly central to education, business, and daily life, I saw how many of my peers and rural businesses lacked the skills needed to thrive in the digital world. As an entrepreneur who leads FoGo, I co-founded FIRE to address this problem as I saw how this could also bridge economic, geographic, and social divisions.
Board of Directors
Our Board is comprised of a diverse team of students who are passionate about advancing the mission of FIRE through service. This dedicated team of student leaders volunteer their time in driving activities such as client outreach, mentorship, operations management, preparing education and social media content.
Krishna Venugopal
Co-founder
Through my service activities, I learned that uncertainty often affects people differently depending on the opportunities available to them. This inspired me to help expand access to the skills, mentorship, and support systems that allow youth to confidently pursue their goals.
Gus Feinberg
Director of Client Outreach and Marketing
Woodlands, TX
As a varsity athlete, who loves the creative process that goes into producing anime, I’ll bring these skills to increase FIRE’s outreach.
Mario Awasum
Director of Operations
Woodlands, TX
My experiences in my home country of Cameroon showed me the struggle that many in rural communities experience, particularly with health care. I’m excited at how FIRE allows me to start these changes in rural communities surrounding Houston.
Jackson Williams
Secretary and Treasurer
Spring, TX
Playing basketball with diverse students across the country has taught me to look for opportunities to positively impact communities. I am responsible for FIRE’s initiatives that embrace exploring cultural nuances and promote inclusiveness in our curricula.
Please fill out the volunteer application if your passion to serve matches ours!
Advisors
Mike Feinberg co-founded KIPP in 1994 and established KIPP Academy Houston a year later. In 2000, he co-founded the KIPP Foundation to help take KIPP to scale. Mike has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, Master of Education from National-Louis University. He received an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Yale University in 2010 and from Duke University in 2015. We are forever grateful to Mike for his invaluable mentorship and guidance.
Colleen Dippel is the Founder and CEO of Families Empowered. She began her career as a public school teacher. She served as the Director of the KIPP School Leadership Program, the Director of Alumni Support for Teach For America-houston. We can’t thank Colleen enough for her constant support and making time to advise us.