Dzikamai Bere
Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Dzikamai Bere is a civic leadership expert with more than 15 years of experience supporting civic organisations, leaders, and movements across Zimbabwe and the region.

His work focuses on strengthening civic leadership, building resilient institutions, and accompanying leaders navigating complex political and social environments.

Prior to establishing the Civic Leadership Institute, he served as National Director of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) and as Founding Coordinator of the National Transitional Justice Working Group (NTJWG).

Dzikamai is a recipient of the 2019 Presidential Precinct Young Leaders Award and the National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO) 2024 Director of the Year Award.

Ennie Chipembere Chikwema
Leadership Development Coach & Co-Host, Civic Leadership Academy

Ennie Chipembere Chikwema is a certified developmental coach and leadership development practitioner with over 20 years of global development experience.

She has designed and supported leadership learning and accompaniment programmes across more than 45 countries.

Her work focuses on leadership development, organisational transformation, change management, and facilitation.

Colleen Gwazani
Learning Programmes Lead

Colleen Gwazani is a programme management specialist with over seven years of experience coordinating high-level leadership groups and accompanying communities, development partners, and civil society actors on peacebuilding, human rights, and democracy interventions.

She has led expert groups and coordinated regional policy engagement, including serving as Zimbabwe Project Lead at the Institute for Integrated Transitions.

Adriana Santamaria
Imagination Catalyst

Adriana Santamaria is a designer, entrepreneur, and educator with more than fifteen years of experience in social impact innovation.

Her work focuses on reframing complex social challenges into opportunities that generate long-lasting value for communities and institutions.

Her practice draws on Colombian peacebuilding and participatory design approaches to social transformation.

Lorraine Nomqhele Xaba
Programme Associate
Leadership Launch Pad

Lorraine Xaba is a social protection practitioner and emerging human dignity specialist working at the intersection of child protection, community systems, and leadership development. Her work is shaped by a focus on building systems that respond to vulnerability with care, dignity, and opportunity, drawing on experience across public social welfare, philanthropy, and human rights practice.

At the Civic Leadership Institute, she serves as Programme Associate, where she supports the design and implementation of children’s leadership development programmes, including the Leadership Launch Pad. Her work focuses on equipping young leaders with practical tools for vision, discipline, resilience, and self-leadership, treating leadership formation as a pathway for building systems that centre care, dignity, and opportunity. In this role, she contributes to CLI’s broader mission of strengthening civic leadership systems from the ground up. ‎