OUR TEAM
Professional Team
OUR TEAM
Professional Team
Nafiso Samatar
Executive Director
Nafiso Samatar is the Executive Director of the Somali Independent Business Alliance (SIBA) and has over 25 years of experience supporting immigrant, refugee, and BIPOC entrepreneurs in navigating city services, business development, and technical assistance.
Her long-standing collaboration with the City of Seattle has earned her multiple community service awards. These include awards from three consecutive Seattle mayors from 1999-2013 (Paul Schell, Greg Nickels and Michael McGinn), a former Seattle Chief of Police, School districts, City agencies, University of Seattle and other community organizations in recognition of her outstanding service to the community.
Mohamed Saireh
Staff and Programs Consultant
Mohamed Saireh is SIBA’s Staff and Programs Consultant, bringing over 20 years of experience in education, social services, and community engagement. A bilingual Somali-English professional with a Master’s in Education and Arts from Antioch University, Mohamed has spent his career supporting immigrant and refugee communities through culturally responsive communication, youth programming, and family advocacy.
At SIBA, he supports program development, outreach, and staff coordination, contributing his deep expertise in cross-cultural communication, community trust-building, and equity-focused service delivery.
Sharif Kaharaba
Human Resource Manager
Sharif Kaharaba, our Human Resource Manager, brings extensive HR expertise to our team. With years of experience, Sharif is dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace culture and supporting our staff’s growth and well-being. His commitment to equity and inclusion enriches our organization’s environment.
Salma Sheikh
Volunteer
Salma is a dedicated volunteer at Somali Independent Business Alliance who supports small businesses through outreach and technical assistance. With over two years of experience working with business owners, she helps connect entrepreneurs to resources, provides guidance on business support services, and assists with community engagement efforts to better serve immigrant and minority-owned businesses.
Rose Atumba
SIBA Supporter
Rose is a community supporter and SIBA’s on-call business consultant and facilitator. Through her work with Global Women Community SPC, she supports women, immigrant, and refugee entrepreneurs through business training, workshops, and one-on-one support for small business growth and development.
Tiffany Brinkley
Consultant and Facilitator
Tiffany is a seasoned business and operations professional with deep expertise in project management, technical assistance, and community development. She is passionate about promoting health and financial literacy in underserved communities and brings a people-first approach to everything she does.
With a strong background in communications, team-building, and process management, Tiffany helps organizations grow, stay organized, and show up well for the people they serve.
Erika Nang
Consultant & Community Supporter
Erika is a licensed financial professional with over three years of experience in risk management, retirement strategies, and income protection. As the owner of OUWEZO LLC, she has built a track record of helping individuals and small businesses achieve their financial goals through tailored, practical strategies.
Erika partners with nonprofits to deliver financial workshops and provides hands-on technical assistance to small business owners — making complex financial concepts accessible to the communities that need it most.