Rufaro Makanda

Rufaro Makanda is the VP — Strategy & Operations at ZEVV, a startup that is electrifying the mobile food industry with zero-emission food carts, trucks, and container kitchens. Prior to this role, she spent six years in Investment Banking at Bank of America and Independence Point Advisors (IPA), where she mostly worked with private equity clients on acquisition financings, M&A, and IPOs across a broad spectrum of industries. Rufaro started her career in wealth management at AllianceBernstein, serving high net worth individuals. Outside of work, Rufaro serves on the Steering Committee of Alvin Ailey American DanceTheatre, the National Cathedral School Alumnae Advisory Group, and serves as the Treasurer ofEyebeam, an intersectional arts and technology non-profit founded by John Seward Johnson III. She is also an alumna interviewer for Dartmouth College, primarily interviewing students from Sub-Saharan Africa, and in her spare time is committed to facilitating opportunities for Zimbabwean high school students to obtain acceptance into US universities. Previous board and junior board commitments include the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Eastern MetroRegion, Dartmouth Club of New York, FC Harlem, and Indego Africa. Rufaro received a B.A. from Dartmouth College, majoring in Intellectual History, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Rufaro was born in Zimbabwe, raised in the DC Suburban Area, and currently lives in Brooklyn with her partner. She enjoys playing and watching tennis, and is learning how to play the drums.