Our Team
We are a committed team of individuals who have spent decades supporting artisan entrepreneurs in developing countries. Together, we bridge the worlds of international development, social enterprise, importing and marketing, and promoting women’s entrepreneurship. We are passionate about our mission, and grounded in decades of relevant experience.
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Siiri Morley is a founding partner of Prosperity Candle and directs sales, marketing, and partnership development. Before Prosperity Candle, she worked on poverty reduction and sustainable economic development projects in Afghanistan, Croatia, Ecuador and Kenya with DAI, SERRV International, and Africancraft.com. She began her career as a business capacity development advisor with the Peace Corps in Lesotho. She received her MBA from the Heller School of Social Policy & Management at Brandeis University in 2009, and has consulted on social impact measurement to design firm IDEO, and interned at Preserve, an eco-friendly home products company that promotes socially responsible business practices. Siiri lives in Boston, MA with her husband and puppy. In the spare hours outside of her work with Prosperity Candle, she loves to hike, snowshoe, garden, play with fiber, do yoga, & host potlucks with a home full of friends.
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Ted Barber is co-founder and president of Prosperity Candle having sketched out the concept on a napkin while working in poverty alleviation, and wondering how businesses can better complement the work of governments and nonprofits to solve social problems. With a focus on helping small enterprises gain sustainable access to markets, Ted volunteered in Ghana and then spent eight years working in developing countries on projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and other agencies throughout Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Before that, he co-founded and managed for over a decade an import and trade consulting company that focused on handcrafted products made in Eastern Europe. Today he is happily consumed with realizing Prosperity Candle’s mission and helping to create a sustainable, high-impact social enterprise. He lives in Western Massachusetts with his wife and two daughters, and loves anything to do with outdoor adventure.
Consultants & Volunteers
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Lynn Debilzen is helping Prosperity Candle with PR and marketing. She is currently studying for her MBA in Social Impact Management at The Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Her background is in youth development and social work, holding an M.A. in Intercultural Youth and Family Development from the University of Montana and a B.S. in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Lynn served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cebu City, Philippines, where she worked in urban poor communities on issues of early childhood education, HIV, and youth development. Lynn's passions include meeting new people, traveling, and finding sustainable solutions to social problems.
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Marcie Muehlke is an Associate with Prosperity Candle. She is also the founder of Joya Bride, and ethically-sourced wedding dress business. She has worked in social justice in the US, Mexico, and China and is currently completing her MBA/MPPA at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
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Rusty Barber is currently project director for Prosperity Candle in Haiti. Previously, Rusty served as former Director of Iraq Programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace, a position he assumed after serving as Chief of Mission for the Institute’s field mission in Iraq from 2007 to 2008. Before joining USIP, he was a member of the Foreign Service serving in Pakistan and at the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe where he focused on conflict prevention in Central Asia. From 1990 to 2001, he was president of Voyageur East Company, a global import and trade consulting company. He holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. Rusty will be teaching a course on post-conflict reconstruction operations at the Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University.
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Sophie Hamersley works with Prosperity Candle on PR and communications. She is currently a senior at Saint Michael’s college majoring in Psychology and minoring in marketing and is interested in pursuing public relations upon graduation in May around the Boston area. Working for Prosperity Candle has hit home being a hardworking woman about to graduate and has helped her to understand the importance of entrepreneurship for women all over the world. In her free time Sophie enjoys exercising, playing tennis, riding horses and wandering around downtown Burlington.
Lynn Debilzen is helping Prosperity Candle with PR and marketing. She is currently studying for her MBA in Social Impact Management at The Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Her background is in youth development and social work, holding an M.A. in Intercultural Youth and Family Development from the University of Montana and a B.S. in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Lynn served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cebu City, Philippines, where she worked in urban poor communities on issues of early childhood education, HIV, and youth development. Lynn's passions include meeting new people, traveling, and finding sustainable solutions to social problems.
Marcie Muehlke is an Associate with Prosperity Candle. She is also the founder of Joya Bride, and ethically-sourced wedding dress business. She has worked in social justice in the US, Mexico, and China and is currently completing her MBA/MPPA at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Rusty Barber is currently project director for Prosperity Candle in Haiti. Previously, Rusty served as former Director of Iraq Programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace, a position he assumed after serving as Chief of Mission for the Institute’s field mission in Iraq from 2007 to 2008. Before joining USIP, he was a member of the Foreign Service serving in Pakistan and at the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe where he focused on conflict prevention in Central Asia. From 1990 to 2001, he was president of Voyageur East Company, a global import and trade consulting company. He holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. Rusty will be teaching a course on post-conflict reconstruction operations at the Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University.
Sophie Hamersley works with Prosperity Candle on PR and communications. She is currently a senior at Saint Michael’s college majoring in Psychology and minoring in marketing and is interested in pursuing public relations upon graduation in May around the Boston area. Working for Prosperity Candle has hit home being a hardworking woman about to graduate and has helped her to understand the importance of entrepreneurship for women all over the world. In her free time Sophie enjoys exercising, playing tennis, riding horses and wandering around downtown Burlington.