​Chantal Muhumure

Founder & Executive Director

Chantal Muhumure, from Rwanda and born in DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), mother of three children and eighteen years of marriage, is passionate about empowering refugee women in education. 

As founder and executive director of Umoja Abq her dream of empowering women through education is coming true!

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Debby Morrell

Board President

Debby is a retired educator who has lived in Albuquerque for many years.  She met Chantal in 2018 and, after hearing Chantal’s passion for empowering refugee women, signed up to support her!  

Debby’s experience as a teacher and public school administrator has helped her set the policy and procedural foundations for Umoja ABQ and allowed her the joy of welcoming new neighbors into the community and participating in their success.

Umoja ABQ’s mission is to empower refugee women through education, but Debby would add that building relationships in the new community is equally important in helping women become self-sufficient and active agents in their new lives. 

Sofia Jensen

Secretary & Admin Assistant​

Sofia has been working with refugees in educational and volunteer spaces in Albuquerque since 2016. She is passionate about education and immigrant rights. After connecting with Chantal in 2020, while working together teaching Math and English to newly arrived refugee children, Sofia joined Umoja ABQ.

She helps support the team by managing the website and Facebook platforms and maintains records for the board.

Sofia is currently working in Brazil as a bilingual preschool teaching assistant. She speaks English, Portuguese, Spanish and French. 

Michele Benton 

​Co-Treasurer

​Dixie Colvin

Co-Treasurer

Dixie is a semi-retired Human Resources Director and counselor. With time to spare, she was seeking a way to help the larger Albuquerque community using her HR sills and found Umoja. After talking with Debby, the passionate and empowering work that Umoja does hooked her, and she signed up immediately.

As a Board Member, Dixie brings her knowledge and experience in HR to the organizational challenges, policy issues and financial standards in order to advance and mature Umoja. She has taught 2 Drive classes and is working with refugees to help them understand and navigate the American job culture and write resumes that catch the attention of employers. 

This community, for Dixie,  is awe inspiring because of their resilience, grace, joy and determination. Each encounter with a member of this community renews her faith in the human spirit.