STAFF
Lisa MeadowcroftExecutive Director
Elizabeth Ngonyo Murimi
Education Manager
Nicole Schmitz
Chief Operating Officer
Since 2013, Nicole has served in numerous roles at WMI, working to expand the WMI Fellowship network, Community Development Grant program, Scholar Ambassador program, Global Advisory Board, and Scholar Review Board. She also leads the planning and logistical coordination of Dream Big Conferences and the WMI Academy and provides operational support across the organization.
Previously, Nicole served as the International Student Advisor and Scholar Services Coordinator at Mercer University and as a Program Assistant for Project Harmony International.
Nicole earned her BS in international business from Champlain College.
Bonny Mark Alinga
Community Development Grants Coordinator
Bonny Mark has significant grant management experience as a three-time beneficiary of the WMI Community Development Grant program which were pivotal in establishing and expanding Nissi High School in his home community. The secondary school currently enrolls 178 students and employs 26. Bonny Mark is also the founder of a thriving business and an NGO dedicated to supporting women, orphans, and vulnerable children. His extensive leadership experience includes many roles with Rotary International, including Regional Grants Support Officer for Eastern Uganda. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a specialization in human resource management from Bugema University and will complete his masters of business administration from Uganda Christian University in 2023.
Rachel Haddad
Development and Communications Manager
Success Odoemenam Eugene
Leadership Skills & Development Coordinator
Maria Hoaglund
Director of Human Resources and Finance
Mala Deep Upadhaya
Asia & Oceania Regional Coordinator
Joyce Shikuku
East Africa Regional Coordinator
Phoeby Musonda
Central & Southern Africa Regional Coordinator
Dr. Isaac Yeboah
West Africa Regional Coordinator
GLOBAL ADVISORY BOARD
The Global Advisory Board is comprised of WMI Scholars who are invested in the scholar experience and exemplify the values of partnership and community leadership. Board members provide insight, direction and recommendations for the growth of our organization and are integral to ongoing program development and implementation. Each member works 10 hours a month and serves a two year term.
Purity JangayaStudent Scholar Kenya
Sarah UmukoroGraduate ScholarNigeria
Liz JosiahGraduate Scholar Kenya
Norman MutsetseStudent Scholar Zimbabwe
Niraja Bhitrikoti
Student ScholarNepal
Ernest Cudjoe Anorbor
Student ScholarGhana
Acqueline NiyomahoroStudent ScholarRwanda
Daniel Femi
Student ScholarNigeria
FORMER GLOBAL ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
Dr. Hellen Kihoro
Medical Officer, Kenya
Mariam Sulleiman
Engineering Graduate, Nigeria
William Alira
Agriculture Graduate, Uganda Martyrs University, South Sudan
Alpha Bangura
Sierra Leone, Executive Director, Sustainable Education Africa
Charles Uwambajimana
Rwanda, Pharmacy Graduate
Dr. Melisa Bhebe
Zimbabwe, Medical Doctor
Success Odoemenam Eugene
Nigeria, Leadership Skills & Development Coordinator
Brian Juma Omala
Kenya, Executive Director, BoldStep Initiative
Moisés Gutiérrez
Medical Student, Autonomous University of Nicaragua
Raj Rauniyar
Graduate Scholar, Nepal
Isaac Yeboah
Ghana, Medical Doctor, Eastern Regional Hospital
Jawaria Shahzad
Pakistan, Biotechnology Graduate
Dr. Ephranzia Chao Malindi
Kenya, Radiologist Specialist
Sujan Gautam
Nepal, Graduate Student, Erasmus Mundus emPLANT
Thomas Servodzi
Ghana, Finance Manager, Asante Kotoko Sporting Club
Jeremiah Thoronka
Sierra Leone, Graduate Student, Durham University
MEDICAL SCHOLAR BOARD
The Medical Scholar Board is composed of WMI Scholars who are university students or professionals within the field of medicine and healthcare. The board’s mission is to strengthen support of the growing WMI Medical Scholar community through professional development activities, networking events and the sharing of relevant resources. Each member dedicates 10 hours a month and services for a one year leadership term.
Dr. Onesai ChiguvareZimbabwe
Onesai Chiguvare is a WMI Graduate Scholar and currently works as the head of managed care at the First Mutual Health Company in Zimbabwe. She obtained her bachelor’s in medicine and surgery at the University of Zimbabwe in 2017 and is particularly passionate about sexual and reproductive health, wellness, and wellbeing. Onesai served as a government medical officer in a provincial hospital where she developed a strong passion for health provision to the underprivileged in society as a way to facilitate future societal growth. Onesai then went on to complete a masters in sexual and reproductive medicine from the University of South Wales and is currently finishing her MBA at the University of Zimbabwe. She has become a notable advocate for accessible and affordable fertility care in her nation with the All Things Fertility medical business. Her mission on the WMI Medical Scholar Board is to create professional development activities and networking events.
Morie KoromaSierra Leone
Morie is a medical student at the University of Sierra Leone College of Medicine and Allied Health. At university he has served as the public relations officer for the student union government. Morie was part of the founding group of the WMI Sierra Leone Fellowship and has held the positions of outreach coordinator and secretary general. As a way to give back to the community, he led a team that conducted awareness campaigns about COVID-19 in the western districts of Sierra Leone. Morie was introduced to the idea of Global Health Strengthening, an approach that teaches young people about health in a way that is both scientifically sound and relevant to their area, and then incorporates community service to help them become leaders. Serving on the Medical Scholar Board he will be charged with instituting a monthly email blast promoting opportunities and providing oversight for medical and health focused community development grant applications.
Dr. Yvette NkurunzizaRwanda
Yvette Nkurunziza joined WMI in 2018 and graduated from the University of Rwanda with a bachelor of medicine and surgery with honors in 2021. Yvette currently works as an intern medical doctor at Rwamagana Provincial Hospital. In university, she had various leadership positions including the vice guild president of the College of Medicine and Health Science. Yvette served as a leader of Rwanda Girl Guides Association, touching the lives of many young women, and as a prenatal health project leader at Rwanda Village Community Promoters. She was a Wavumbuzi Entrepreneurship Program ambassador with the Allan and Gill Gray Philanthropy and is a certified young leader by Young African Leaders Initiative. Yvette has a strong interest in career guidance, mentorship and intergenerational experience sharing. As a board member she will be leading professional experience sharing events.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Gwenael Apollon
Secretary General, YMCA Haiti
Didier Blesin
International Training Consultant & Coach
Rick Claydon
CEO Emeritus, Ridgewood YMCA
Jag Dalal
Management, IT Expert and Public Speaker
Bob Dill
CEO, R2D2 LLC
Kenneth Forester
CEO, Meridian Aviation Holding Co.
Paul Jeruchimowitz
Senior Managing Director, Accenture
Rick Kushel
Co-Founder & General Partner, Fintop Capital
Christopher Lutz
Executive Director Wealth Management
Lisa Meadowcroft
Executive Director, WMI
Gail Nystrom
Founder & Executive Director, Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation
Afolabi Ogunnaike
Director of Corporate Strategy, Cross River
Dr. Mary Clark Romney
Retired, Medical Doctor
Margaret Rush
Chief Scientific Officer, Gryphon Scientific
Thomas Wells
Founding Partner, Wells, Jaworski & Liebman
& Founder & Board Chairman, WMI
ADVISORY BOARD
Marianne Dill
Retired Director of Operations, The Rink
Brent Edmonds
President and Founder, Edmonds Contracting
Susan Hunt
Occupational Therapist
Bob Jones
CEO Emeritus, Children's Aid and Family Services
Ernie Lamour
President & CEO, YMCA of Greater Rochester
Seta Nazarian
Nonprofit Organizational Management Consultant
Denis Salamone
Retired CEO, Hudson City Savings Bank
Leanne Tingay
Senior Associate for Programs, Orton Family Foundation
Carol Vitz Wells
Operations Director, Bristol Suites & Vermont Marketplace
Philip Wells
Architect, Wells Architecture