Marième Daff

Executive Director

As Executive Director, Marième leads Firelight’s experienced team committed to supporting communities and community-based organizations (CBOs) to drive systems change for children and youth in eastern and southern Africa. She joined Firelight as its Executive Director in September 2023.

Prior to that, she served as Director of Programs and Partnerships at Vibrant Village Foundation, a private foundation working to improve food security, family health, financial wellbeing, and education in communities around the world. As a trained journalist, Marième has used her voice to catalyze honest dialogue about a range of topics including the power imbalance in philanthropy. Marième has over 20 years of experience in international development and philanthropy with a focus on women’s economic empowerment, social inclusion, and gender-sensitive programming, primarily in Africa.

Marième is a global citizen with deep roots in Senegal, an upbringing in France, and a professional career spanning the United States and Africa. She holds degrees from the Sorbonne in Paris and New York University.