Meet our team
George William Lugalambi - Executive Director
George William Lugalambi, PhD, started his role as ACME’s executive director in July 2022.
A former journalist and newspaper editor, he was an academic for a decade at Makerere University and moved into international media development in 2011. During this time, he initiated and implemented media capacity development projects in Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Myanmar, Guinea-Conakry, and Lebanon.
George spent a part of his previous career as a communication practitioner specialising in social and behaviour change and corporate communication. Beyond Uganda, he worked in Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Zambia. He is accomplished in applying and adapting his expertise to diverse subject matter and country contexts. In his communication work, he handled a wide range of assignments aimed at development, corporate, and social goals for governments, international institutions, and organisations in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.
George is interested in monitoring public affairs nationally and globally, analysing trends and developments on the media and communication landscapes, and making sense of them to inform the design and implementation of media development initiatives.
At ACME, his passion is to support journalists and media practitioners to understand and navigate the opportunities and challenges of today’s media ecosystem. George helped establish and coordinate the Uganda Media Sector Working Group and co-founded the African Society for Social and Behaviour Change.
Apolo Kakaire - Programme Manager, Communications and Advocacy
Apolo Kakaire is a Kampala-based communications expert. He has extensive experience in media for development, project management, research and advocacy.
He has previously worked as a communications specialist with local and international development agencies, including Foundation for Human Rights Initiative, the Civil Society Capacity Building Programme, and the Northern Uganda Reconstruction Programme.
Mr Kakaire holds a Post-Graduate Higher Diploma in Journalism and Media Studies from Rhodes University, South Africa, and a BA in Mass Communication from Makerere University. He holds an MA in Rural Development from Makerere University.
Rachel Mugarura-Mutana - Programme Manager, Training and online resources
Rachel is a media and communications trainer with more than 20 years experience in journalism. Prior to joining ACME, Rachel worked in a supervisory role at a range of Kampala-based media houses and developed a keen awareness of the dearth of capacity building and mentorship opportunities within newsrooms. She has therefore dedicated more than a decade of her career at ACME to providing journalists and newsrooms with the critical skills and knowledge they need to better serve and cover their communities.
Rachel has provided leadership in the development of ACME’s core curricula for
mid-career journalists on a range of subjects including, but not limited to data
journalism and multimedia reporting, as well as covering energy, environment and climate change, taxation and illicit financial flows, land and property, and sustainable cities. She has also supported the integration of digital, mobile journalism and web 2.0 reporting modules in a majority of ACME’s curricula. Currently, Rachel is leading the charge in coopting systems thinking journalism in ACME’s training programmes as an approach to improving the quality and depth of public affairs reportage.
Yusuf Ziraba - Finance and grants manager
Ziraba Yusuf has extensive experience in financial management, accounting functions, administration, financial aspects of grants management and compliance with donor regulations for not-for-profit organizations, with a background in auditing.
He has previously worked as a financial accounting specialist with Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, project accountant for Uganda Muslim Supreme Council – USAID (PEPFAR) HIV/AIDS Programme, and audit assistant with Pannell Kerr Forster (PKF Certified Public Accountants).
Mr Ziraba holds a Master’s degree in business administration from Islamic University in Uganda as well as a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Makerere University Business School. He has completed part II of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK) by Correspondence.
Susan Nalwera - Finance and administration officer
Susan Nalwera is a professional accountant with a Degree in Business Administration (accounting major, a full certificate in ACCA UK and a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. She has professional certifications in auditing, budget management and expenditure control.
Susan has more than 15 years of experience working in finance, auditing and accounting in Uganda's private and non-profit sectors. In addition to her work at ACME, Susan is a board member of Hope for the Needy Uganda.
Brian Ssenabulya - Research and media monitoring assistant
Brian Ssenabulya is a dedicated and results-driven Statistician with a keen interest in research and media monitoring. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Statistics from Makerere University. Brian was until May 2015 a data analyst with Finance Trust Bank. He has previously worked as a Statistician on research projects like Media Monitoring of Elections and with different individual researchers around the country.
Clare Muhindo - Online content producer
Ms Muhindo is a passionate journalist, social media enthusiast and blogger. She previously worked as a social media specialist at Monitor Publications Limited, where she was responsible for creating content for the newspaper’s digital platforms. Clare has written for The New Vision and has worked as a data assistant on ACME’s research on media coverage of public affairs. Clare graduated from Makerere University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Communication (2016). She also has a certificate in media management from Fray College (2019) and is an alumnus of the Women in News programme of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).
Hello,
This message is for Lydia Namubiru. Christopher Conte suggested that I contact you. Is there a direct email address I might use? I am a university professor from the USA.
Thank you in advance!
Judith Harway
Dear Acme team,
I hope you are well.
My name is Brendah Keavy Biyinzika and I am an HR Officer at VVOB Education for Development.
We are looking for Comms Advisor to work with us short term. Do you know any one who is suitable for this role? Please share with me an email address where I can share with you the Job Description.
Thank you