About EthiDolls
Established in 2003, EthiDolls® is a developer of collectible quality, educational, African dolls and accessories, based in New York City. The company’s mission is to create unique dolls and related accessories that help children and adults embrace African heritage, culture and tradition.
Salome Yilma, EthiDolls’ CEO, conceived and designed the line of learning and exploration products along with Yeworkwoha Ephrem, EthiDolls’ EVP. Both women are Ethiopian entrepreneurs living in the New York area.
Through EthiDolls, Ms. Yilma and Ms. Ephrem plan to develop a line of culturally authentic and unique Signature Dolls and Accessories that teach history, celebrate cultural diversity and offer new play patterns.
EthiDolls Management
Salome Yilma – Co-Founder/Chief Executive Officer
Ms. Yilma is a co-founder of Ghenet Enterprises, Ltd. (EthiDolls®). She has assembled the management team and developed the business plan for EthiDolls, the premier offering in a line of products planned for Ghenet Enterprises, Ltd. Ms. Yilma is a seasoned executive with professional experience in the publishing industry. She has broad experience in developing successful business strategies, launching targeted businesses and leading high performance sales and marketing teams that consistently met or exceeded revenue expectations. Ms. Yilma has worked for major publishing companies such as Essence Magazine, The New York Times, CMP, Miller Freeman, and VNU.
Born in Ethiopia, she spent her early years in Washington, D.C. and New York, where her father served as Ethiopian Ambassador to the United States and also to the United Nations. She was educated in Addis Ababa in her early years, and in the U.S. where she earned a bachelor degree from Adelphi University. Her education and professional career in corporate America, combined with extensive travel for business and leisure, have given her a unique ability to bridge her rich heritage with the diverse cultural traditions of America.
Yeworkwoha Ephrem – Co-Founder/Executive Vice President
Ms. Ephrem, the other co-founder of Ghenet Enterprises, Ltd. and EthiDolls, was also born in Ethiopia and for the past ten years has been the owner/operator of the highly successful Ethiopian restaurant, Ghenet, located in the SoHo neighborhood in New York City. Ms. Ephrem is a culinary pioneer and entrepreneur. Her first restaurant opened in 1979 in TriBeCa. Her background includes certification in macrobiotic cooking from the Kushi Institute in Massachusetts, conducting cooking classes at Macy’s, and has also participated in the James Beard Foundation as well as The Tasters’ Choice event at the Jacob Javits Center.
Ms. Ephrem has worked at Ethiopian Airlines in the Commercial Planning & Marketing Division, the United Nations Development Program in New York, and the United Nations Peace Keeping Missions in Israel and Lebanon. She has traveled extensively throughout Ethiopia, as well as the Middle East. Ms. Ephrem has been featured with famous chefs such as Martha Stewart and received enthusiastic praise for Ghenet Restaurant in numerous publications including The New York Times, Gourmet Magazine, Zagat Survey, and Time-Out New York.
Patti Gindoff – SVP Marketing
Ms. Gindoff has been a sales and advertising executive for over 22 years. In her various sales/advertising roles, she has successfully developed marketing strategies for new business in the computer industry; managed and sold for Fairchild’s Classified Advertising and Textbook Divisions; and effectively executed sales and training methods for Fairchild’s in-bound and out-bound Classified Advertising Division.
Ms. Gindoff was taught the importance of education by the three strong African-American women who raised her – her mother, grandmother and aunt. Before embarking on her career in corporate America, Ms. Gindoff considered teaching as a career path and was the first African-American and female Teaching Fellow at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Ms. Gindoff graduated cum laude from Adelphi University with a B.A. degree and has an M.A. degree from New York University.
Stephanie Janis – SVP-Product Development
Ms. Janis is a well respected toy inventor and commercial product developer whose focus is the design of girls’ products and dolls. Her commercial product development achievements include involvement as a team member in the highly successful Cabbage Patch Doll for Coleco, P. J. Sparkles for Mattel, which sold $100 million to date since 1997, and Tatoodles for Grand Toys, which has sold $30 million to date.
Ms. Janis began her career as a designer with such companies as Ideal, Coleco, Am Toy, CBS Toys, and Avon. She is also a visiting faculty member for the Toy Design Department at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she has been involved in many aspects of the program’s development since its inception in 1989.
Fassil Gabremariam – CFO
Mr. Gabremariam has 32 years of senior financial management experience in the Telecommunication and Information Technology Industry. He was previously the Vice President of Finance & Treasurer of Intermedia Communications, where he directed the corporation’s financial planning, accounting, treasury, purchasing, and facilities management functions. Previously he served as a Vice president of Finance with GTE Corporation.
As President and Founder of the U.S. Africa Free Enterprise Education Foundation, he has used his personal assets and invaluable time to promote Africa by organizing programs and events that educate and inspire both the business community and school children about the positive dimensions of this vast continent.