Leadership

Jane Mandina is a founding board member of Mpanzi. She has over 30 years of experience in education and health practice.  As a trained nurse and educator, she practices nursing in the United States and has specialized in a variety of areas including women's health. Prior to her nursing career, Jane was a college dean at Machakos Teachers' College in Kenya. She also taught youth at various high schools in Kenya. She is committed to health, wellness, education, training, and lifelong learning.

Chiseche serves as the chair of the Mpanzi Board. She has served in various leadership roles. including as Director of International Research at the Guttmacher Institute, a leading policy research advocating for gender equity and sexual and reproductive health and rights. She has experience in the development sector as a former board member and subsequently, Director of Gender Initiatives at Episcopal Relief & Development. She has previously taught at the City University of New York and Stanford University, and is the author of Sex and International Tribunals: The Erasure of Gender from the War Narrative (Penn Press). She serves on various boards including, More Art and the Rustin Fund for Global Equality. She is an inaugural fellow of Trinity Church Wall Street’s Leadership Fellows Program.Chiseche studied Law at the University of Zambia and she has a Doctorate in International Human Rights Law from Utrecht University.

Diane is a board member of Mpanzi. Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, Diane has lived in Roanoke, Virginia since 1974,  with husband Bill, where they raised three children. Since 2009, she has owned and managed Local Roots, a restaurant serving local, organic, and sustainably-produced food.  Having attended an all-girls high school and college, Diane is well aware of the need for education and support of women and girls if we are to have a better world for all. During a summer visit to Kenya in 2017, Diane became deeply impressed with the work of Mpanzi and its women members who devote themselves to both their community and their individual growth. She is proud to be on board for this important endeavor.

Brian is the board treasurer at Mpanzi. He is Professor of Hebrew Bible at Messiah University (Pennsylvania). He began volunteering for Mpanzi in 2016, and has traveled to Kenya three times to visit and support the work. He has worked as a consultant in the area of faith and gender in development and has published on the use of Christian Scriptures in relief and development agencies. From his first introduction to Mpanzi he has been impressed by the organization’s holistic focus on the lived experiences of women and girls, and by the attention to leadership development within the Mpanzi membership.

Christine Mangale serves as board treasure of Mpanzi and is the Program Director at the Lutheran Office for World Community representing the Lutheran World Federation and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at the United Nations in New York. She provides leadership on matters relating to international development, socio-cultural affairs, and women's rights. Christine has over 15 years of experience with youth on peer  education, poverty eradication, HIV/AIDS, and peace and development. She is a  

passionate advocate for gender justice and focusses her efforts on preventing and  eliminating gender-based violence, advancing education for women and girls,  

promoting participation of women in decision making processes and training on  

women’s human rights. 

William Elliot is a board member of Mpanzi. He formerly served as CEO of Davis H. Elliot Company. He has extensive experience in executive business management, and has served in various board.

Ms. Tsiry Endor Rakoto is originally from Madagascar. She has served in the

nonprofit sector for 13 years with humanitarian, healthcare and international  

development organizations. Ms. Rakoto's experience spans from project and grants  

management to communications, marketing and outreach. Her career has allowed  

her the opportunity to work with communities in Africa, Eurasia, Latin America and  

the US. Tsiry has a passion for social justice and is a strong advocate for effective  

social, economic and healthcare systems that support communities.

Sheba Onchiri is an academic specialist at Michigan State University in the  

USA, Sheba has extensive experience in education for youth and adults. She has  

served in various educational roles including as an academic specialist and student  

adviser, university instructor, high school teacher, a deputy school principal and a  

graduate research assistant. She has extensive experience in community capacity 

building training and managing professional development institutes and is a skilled  

gender and diversity expert. She has implemented community level outreach  

programs for vulnerable populations such as refugees, orphaned children, urban  

youth, girls, and women on governance, social justice and equity, education, human  

rights, and conflict resolution issues.

Jeannie Harvey has worked for many years to advance gender equality and  

female empowerment. As a gender expert with USAID, Jeannie led efforts in  

promoting the empowerment of women and girls in livelihoods and food security  

programs across the world. At InterAction, Jeannie supported member NGOs to  

integrate gender in organizational processes, programming and evaluation. For over  8 years, Jeannie worked at the university of Idaho where she directed the women’s  center, developed programs and fundraised for gender equality programs. Jeannie  started her career as a peace Corps volunteer and has served in the Idaho TRIO  

AmeriCorps. She has a PhD. in international development/gender auditing from the  university of Idaho.