Jennifer Cotter Otieno
Jennifer Otieno is the cofounder and CEO of EdTech East Africa, a home for East African edtech entrepreneurs and enablers (funders, researchers, innovative implementers, technology partners and more). Jennifer is motivated by helping ecosystem members accelerate their pace of progress in creating evidence-based, technology-enabled solutions that improve teaching and learning.
Jennifer is also the Kenya Co-Lead for the EdTech Hub, a global research collaborative supported by FCDO, the World Bank, the Gates Foundation and UNICEF that empowers people by providing them with relevant and timely evidence on EdTech. Through this role, Jennifer provides technical assistance to donors, development partners and government leaders to effectively integrate evidence-based technology-enabled teaching and learning into the education ecosystem in Kenya. Jennifer also leads the team at Education Design Unlimited (EDU), a Nairobi-based user-centered research and learning design firm that works in the areas of education, edtech and education for employment.
Jennifer has 20 years of experience working with innovative education and youth employment organizations. Previously Jennifer served as the Chief Executive Officer of Spire Education, a soft skills training company based in Nairobi serving youth and companies across East Africa (acquired by Shortlist Professionals in 2017). Prior to Spire, Jennifer led a global team at General Assembly where she spearheaded the design and scale of outcomes and community efforts (acquired by Adecco in 2017). Jennifer also served as Vice President of Education Innovation for the boutique education consultancy, Collaborative Communications Group, in Washington DC.
Jennifer has a master’s degree in International Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a former fellow and coordinator of the Education Policy Fellowship Program, hosted by the Institute for Educational Leadership.