Narankhuu Sukhee (Naraa)
Naraa is the owner and director of “Uyanga Khiitsiin Urguu'' in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. This family-run business was started by Naraa’s father, a former mining engineer, in the mid-1990s as Mongolian transitioned from Soviet-style communism to a free-market economy. Her family has been making traditional Mongolian yurts in the Uyanga design from the Uvurkhangai Province of Central Mongolia for over 100 years. Naraa has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Institute of Finance and Economics of Mongolia and a Master’s degree in International Management from King’s College London, England. When her father unexpectedly passed away in 2011, Naraa took over the management of his beloved business. When she is not managing her team of two dozen craftspeople, Naraa enjoys time with her family and driving Mongolia’s rough and open roads in her Land Cruiser with her golden retriever, Pony.
Amarsaikhan Agvaansuren (Amaraa)
Amaraa began working with FIRE in 2005. He was vital in FIRE’s basic aid distribution program - brokering the import of 7 of FIRE’s 10, 40 feet shipping containers without issue or messy finances. He personally handed tons of pounds of winter clothing to thousands of people across Mongolia through the project’s door-to-door distribution while serving FIRE as a field manager from 2005-2009. Since 2005, Amaraa has also managed FIRE’s relationship with the “Uyanga Khiitsiin Urguu” yurt factory, the quality control of our yurt production, and organizing the export of our containers to the US. Growing up in Erdenet, Amraaa graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English and Russian from the National University of Mongolia Erdenet Branch. When he is not brokering freight or selling Mongolian Yurts | Gers, Amaraa enjoys time with his family and mountain biking in Mongolia's gorgeous countryside.
Baasantsegtseg Baatar (Baasa)
Baasa has been FIRE’s Operations and Finance Director since 2011. Her exceptional oversight keeps FIRE’s work in Mongolia efficient, effective, and held to the highest standards. She has a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Institute of Commerce and Business of Mongolia. She has served as the chief accountant at Boroo Mining Co. Ltd., one of Mongolia’s largest mining companies and as the accountant and office manager for World Growth Mongolia. In addition to her steadfast work for FIRE and Mongolian Yurts | Gers, Baasa also serves as the Accountant at the American Chamber of Commerce, Mongolia. She lived in London, England for seven years and Russia for two years, further deepening her understanding of international business and accounting practices. When she is not working for the betterment of Mongolia or bridging cultural gaps, Baasa enjoys time with her family and hiking in Mongolia’s beautiful Steppes.
Meredith Potts
Meredith has been the Executive Director of FIRE since 2004. At the end of her first trip to Mongolia in 2004, she shipped a container of Kazakh yurts from Western Mongolia to Arizona and auctioned them as a fundraiser. Thus beginning FIRE’s yurt business and her love for these beautiful structures. Meredith was instantly charmed by Mongolia and feels incredibly fortunate to have spent most of her career immersed in its culture. In addition to managing “Mongolian Yurts | Gers” in Flagstaff, she manages FIRE’s day-to-day operations in the US and oversees the office and programming in Mongolia. Meredith is the President of the Rotary Club of Flagstaff, 2022-2023, Treasurer, 2023-2024, and is pursuing a Master’s in Public Health at UC Berkeley. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University in Communications and Photography. When she is not volunteering, studying, or working, Meredith enjoys adventures with her family.