The Green America board is pleased to announce the 2022 appointments of two new board members, Salimata Bangoura for a one-year seat and Kimberly Jones for a three-year seat.

Salimata Bangoura, now based in Massachusetts and originally from Mali, is the founder of Dugu, a West African food and beverage company. The company’s newest product line is Yamacu drinks which are cold-pressed ginger beverages in a variety of flavors. Through the example she sets using culinary arts, Salimata teaches about African traditions and values and the crucial role that diverse women entrepreneurs play in building community.

Salimata is also a Green America Green Business Network member, a passionate advocate of anti-hunger initiatives and social justice, and the proud mother of three. On the importance of joining the Green America board she shared: “I know what is at stake if I don’t do my part in contributing to a better and safer world, and I believe that to accomplish that, I need to be at the forefront of an organization that is seeing to the security of that fragile future.”

Salimata earned a B.S. in International Health from Hunter College, an M.P.H from Boston University, and an M.B.A from Babson College.

Kimberly Jones, based in Chicago, serves as Vice President & Director of Community Engagement -Midwest with Self-Help Federal Credit Union. She leads the organization’s strategic engagement with community stakeholders and investors in both Chicago and Milwaukee.

Kimberly has a long history with Green America and the Green Festivals we coordinated in Chicago, going back to her previous position with ShoreBank, a pioneering community development bank. She shared: “My motivation to join the Green America board includes wanting to give voice to those communities that have historically been left out of the green economy conversation. I also seek to utilize my skills and experiences to think critically about bringing more awareness to, and encouraging more investment in, environmental and sustainability issues.”

Kimberly earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Minnesota-Moris and an MA in Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management from Columbia College Chicago.