Meet Our Team

Katia Gounou is an Ivorian entrepreneur and engineer whose own educational journey helped shape the vision behind Katia’s Kloset Foundation.

After earning her scientific baccalaureate at the age of 16, Katia left Côte d’Ivoire for the United States to pursue a technical education. During her studies, she worked as a mathematics tutor and teaching assistant and later became president of the Mathematics Honor Club.

She was awarded the prestigious Terry Scholarship and earned certificates in Global Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Discovery. Katia went on to build a career as a lithographic equipment engineer and spent two years working in Taiwan at one of the world’s largest semiconductor foundries.

Her experience of pursuing education across different environments gave her a personal understanding of how opportunity, support, and access can influence a young person’s future.

Lilianne Delihisson studied electrical engineering at Istanbul Technical University and is currently a representative of CEMTECH GLOBAL, a company specializing in industrial construction and managing several businesses in Côte d’Ivoire.

As a woman and entrepreneur, Lilianne believes that the opposite of poverty is not wealth, but sharing. This belief motivates her to use her skills and professional experience in social activities that promote education for young girls.

Through her involvement with the Foundation, Lilianne brings an entrepreneurial and professional perspective to the importance of creating educational opportunities for girls.

Natacha Koffi is a sociologist by training and specializes in sustainable development.

Since 2022, she has worked with GNA-CI’s digital underwriting team as a business development professional. In 2023, she also became involved as a volunteer with Train and Travel for Women of African descent, where she took on responsibilities related to learning and development.

Natacha is particularly committed to social equity, environmental responsibility, and collective intelligence. These values shape the perspective she brings to her work and her involvement with the Foundation.

Nelly grew up and attended school in Côte d’Ivoire, specifically the Lycée Sainte-Marie de Cocody, where she completed her secondary education before pursuing engineering studies in Texas (USA).

She works for a private company as a designer and project manager on bridge and roadway projects. Having chosen a field where women are underrepresented, she demonstrates daily that gender does not dictate career choices or success.

She enjoys learning about a wide range of topics, is highly organized, and through the foundation wishes to support and encourage young girls not to let societal expectations limit them.

Marcelle Kouakou is an oncology nurse whose career reflects her caring heart and desire to help others. Her journey was not always straightforward: after initially studying geology, she found the courage to change paths and pursue a career that was more meaningful to her. Determined and resilient, she turned this new opportunity into motivation to work hard and succeed.

Marcelle believes that obstacles do not have to define our future and that courage and perseverance can open new doors.

As a Mentor at Katia’s Kloset Foundation, she hopes to inspire young girls to believe in themselves and keep moving forward, even when life takes them in an unexpected direction.

Katia’s Kloset Foundation’s mentor community is growing.

As the Foundation develops its programs and reaches more girls, we hope to bring together additional professionals and mentors who are willing to share their knowledge, experience, and perspective.

Different careers can offer different lessons. By connecting girls with people who have walked different educational and professional paths, we can help them see more possibilities for their own future.