Liliane Kamikazi
Board Member
Liliane was born in Rwanda and she survived the Genocide in 1994. She came to the USA in 2007 to pursue her studies in Business. She recently received her AA in Business and will transfer to a four year degree program. She speaks three languages fluently and loves to be involved in the community.
Haven Ley
Board Vice Chair
Haven is a Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where she makes grants that help to alleviate the multiple constraints that women farmers face in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Previously, Haven worked for the Environmental and Social Assessment group at the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) where she supported the implementation of bilateral treaties in Lesotho, Ghana, and Tanzania. Haven holds a MSC in Gender and Economic Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a degree in East Asian Studies from Cornell University.
Jessica Markowitz
Board Member
Jessica is 16 years old and a junior at Garfield High School. Jessica founded Richard’s Rwanda-IMPUHWE when she was 11 years old in the 6th grade. Jessica is passionate about creating a more equitable and educated world and has delivered speeches nationwide. She has traveled several times to the African continent including five times to Rwanda and is returning to Rwanda every summer with Richard’s Rwanda-IMPUHWE members.
Lori Markowitz MPA
Board Chair
Lori is the founder and executive director of the Youth Ambassador program. The Youth Ambassador program develops young leaders through compassionate service to the community. She received her master’s degree in public administration with a focus on non-profit management from the University of Washington, Evans School of Public Affairs. Lori has eighteen years of NGO experience including designing and implementing international cross-cultural exchange programs with students from the Middle East and Africa. She has traveled numerous times to the African continent.
Stephen Markowitz MD PhD
Board Member
Stephen was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa and has extensive knowledge of African affairs. Stephen attended medical school at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and completed his residency at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. Stephen is the Medical Director of the Seattle Surgery Center.
Lincoln Miller
Board Treasurer
Lincoln is currently the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Rural Development Institute (RDI) (www.rdiland.org ), an international non-profit organization working to secure land rights for the world’s poor. Previously Lincoln was a senior executive at a number of educationally focused, international tour operators. Lincoln is married with three children, one of whom is a member of RRI. He lives with his family in Seattle.
Emily Neilson
Board Secretary
Emily has visited Africa several times to learn about the work of different non-profit organizations. She was a teacher in schools in Chicago and New York and has her master’s degree in education from the University of Washington. She is an active community volunteer in Seattle, having served on the boards of several organizations. She is also the parent of two RRI members.
Carl Wilkens
Board Member
Carl is the former head of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International in Rwanda. He has worked as an educator and humanitarian for 13 years in 4 different countries in Africa. In 1994, he was the only one out of 257 Americans who chose to remain in the country after the genocide began. His choice to stay and help resulted in preventing the massacre of hundreds of children and adults over the course of the genocide. Wilkens was featured in Frontline’s “Ghosts of Rwanda” and “The Few Who Stayed: Defying Genocide,” an American Radio Works documentary which aired on National Public Radio. Wilkens’ humanitarian work has been recognized with several awards including the Dignitas Humana Award from Saint John’s School of Theology Seminary and a 2005 Medal of Valor from the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Carl and his wife Teresa founded World Outside My Shoes, a non-profit educational and professional development organization committed to inspiring and equipping people to enter the world of “The Other”. “The Other” may be under our own roof or on the other side of the globe.
ELIZABETH ABU-HAYDAR
Board Member
Elizabeth Abu-Haydar, a program officer in PATH’s Technology Solutions Global Program, works on maternal and child health projects (neonatal resuscitation, postpartum hemorrhage, preeclampsia test) and HIV/AIDS projects (microbicides applicator, safe injection projects). A major focus of her work is planning, introducing, and evaluating technologies and associated systems for developing-country health delivery programs. Ms. Abu-Haydar conducts research on topics related to maternal and neonatal health technologies, medical devices, immunization-related technologies, and international public health issues. Prior to her work at PATH, she was involved in serving many facets of the Arab-American community in Seattle through her work at the Museum of History and Industry and the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. Ms. Abu-Haydar attended the University of Michigan where she received an MPH in Health Education and Population Planning and Union College in Schenectady where she received a BS in Psychology.
