CFK Africa has benefited from tremendous leadership on the ground and on our Boards for over 20 years.
Mary is a seasoned strategic leader with vast experience working in the development sector for close to 20 years.
Her expertise covers multiple functional areas, including organizational strategy and development, financial management, budgeting and budget implementation, procurement, operations, audit and risk management, internal controls systems design and set up, grants and contracts management, sub-awards management, project lifecycle management, HR, and IT systems management. She has managed projects from donors such as USAID, USDA, DFID, CDC, SIDA, IrishAid, EU, GIZ, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Mastercard Foundation, and The Rockefeller Foundation, among others.
Mary has held senior management positions in Kenya, East Africa, and Southern African regions. Prior to joining the development sector, she was an Auditor. Mary holds a Master of Business Administration degree (Finance and Strategy) from the United States International University and a Bachelor of Commerce from Daystar University. She is also a Certified Public Accountant of Kenya (CPAK).
Jeffrey has been a part of CFK Africa for more than 10 years.
He has strong roots in the Kibera community and finds joy in providing services that help uplift adolescents and youth. Growing up in Kibera and experiencing the power of education firsthand, Jeffrey serves as a powerful role model for youth in informal settlements. He manages CFK’s education and livelihoods initiatives and co-founded the Best Schools Initiative, CFK’s largest education research project.
Jeffrey is committed to empowering people to empower themselves. He served as a 2019 Metis Fellow, working toward accelerating the pace of education reform across Africa. Jeffrey earned a Bachelor of Science in Project Planning and Management from Moi University and a certificate in Business Mathematics.
Eddah is a progressive community health advocate with more than 10 years of experience in community health and health service delivery.
She has served as a Health Surveillance Officer for various organizations, including Washington State University, Avo Global Enterprise, and KEMRI/CDC. Eddah oversees CFK’s Primary Health Care facilities and community outreach initiatives and has been instrumental in facilitating CFK’s COVID-19 response and expanding the organization’s water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) initiatives to additional informal settlements.
Eddah earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Systems Management from the Kenya Methodist University and a diploma in Clinical Medicine and Surgery from the Kenya Medical Training College.
Wilkister is a Public Health Specialist with over 10 years of progressive experience in programs design and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and research in health and livelihoods programs.
She has previously designed, directed, and managed numerous Monitoring and Evaluation programs under PEPFAR (CDC, USAID and HRSA) and Embassy of Netherlands funded programs. Her experience in monitoring and evaluation includes work in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Livelihood, Biomedical Engineering, and Adolescent and Youth Health programs.
Wilkister holds a Master’s degree in Public Health (Epidemiology and population health option), a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences biotechnology option with Information Technology from Maseno University, and a certificate in Monitoring and Evaluation from the Kenya Institute of Management with a follow up Monitoring and Evaluation training by an International Organization, Inside NGO (now Humentum). She has previously successfully submitted two Monitoring and Evaluation Abstracts to the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) 2017 held in Ivory Coast and International AIDS conference (IAC) 2018 held in Amsterdam Netherlands. Her Mantra is “The only way we can know where we are coming from and going is through guided measurements and documentation of all processes.”
Valentine is an accomplished Human Resources Specialist with over 10 years of progressive work experience in Human Resources and Administration
She is a people enthusiast and a thought leader who has previously held Financial Planning Manager and Customer Care roles at British American Asset Managers and Airtel Kenya respectively. She believes in choosing and seeing people in their light and influencing them from that space.
Valentine holds a Master of Management Degree in International Business from Central Queensland University in Sydney Australia (CQU-Sydney) and a Bachelor of Science Degree in International Business Administration from the United States International University Africa Campus (USIU-A). She is a Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP-K) and an award winner of the most Outstanding National Performer in the Reward Management Unit from the Human Resource Management Professionals Examination Board (HRMPEB). She is also a full member of the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM) having been awarded a winner of a trivia organized by the institution for demonstrating excellent skills as a team player.
Yunus is a Community Health and Development Specialist with expertise in community mobilization for action, project management and implementation, coordinating research studies, and facilitation skills developed over the last 12 years.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Political Science from the University of Nairobi and a Diploma in Community-Based development and Project Management from PREMESE Africa Development Institute. Previously, he served as a Program Officer in a Public Health position and has also worked with different organizations such as AMREF, Africa Network for Health Knowledge Management (AFRI-AFYA) and KEMRI/CDC in coordinating several community-based projects.
Beth-Ann is a non-profit leader, higher education administrator, and multimedia producer with 20 years of experience specializing in global research and education development, data analysis, and international evaluation.
She has completed professional work with organizations including Carnegie Mellon University, the Nature Conservancy, the UNC Mathematics and Science Education Network, and served as a Senior Program Officer and Fulbright Program Advisor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Beth-Ann served over three terms on CFK Africa’s Board of Directors and produced Without a Fight, an award-winning documentary that explores how soccer can facilitate social change in Kibera. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Terrestrial Ecology from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. She enjoys playing bass guitar in a good rock and roll show on occasion.
Emma is a global education and outreach professional with 10 years of experience in non-profit settings and at academic institutions.
She has worked with institutions of higher education such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University to support global initiatives and engage in outreach efforts to share university resources and knowledge with the broader community. She has also held positions with internationally-focused nonprofits including WorldDenver and LEAF Global Arts. A passion for strengthening global understanding and partnerships drives her work.
Harver holds a M.A. in International Education, a B.A. in Global Studies and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and has studied Arabic and French.
We have a dedicated team of Board and Advisory Council members who volunteer their time and expertise to maximize CFK Africa’s impact. They provide us with a strong, steady foundation even through the most difficult times. We are forever grateful for their support and expertise.
Our Kenya Board of Trustees and U.S. Board of Directors operate together on a Joint Board.
Co-Founder, CFK Africa; Co-Founder and CEO, With Honor
Angel Investor and Advisor to Start-ups, Technology Entrepreneur
Professor of Integrated Science and Technology, School of Integrated Sciences, James Madison University
Co-Founder and Vice-President, Drone Data and Film® Photography; Professor (retired), Department of Health Behavior, UNC-Chapel Hill
Manager, IT Audit Services, Duke Energy Corporation
Chief Executive Officer, ACRE Africa
Senior Associate, Anjarwalla & Khanna (ALN Kenya)
Professor and Associate Dean, Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC-Chapel Hill
Senior Finance, Administration and Compliance Manager, Malawi at Counterpart International
Executive Director, Smart Power Africa, Power Initiative, The Rockefeller Foundation
Regional Director, Southern and East Africa, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)
Senior Associate, Health Industries Advisory at PwC
Kenan Professor of Anthropology, UNC-Chapel Hill
In 2020, we convened a diverse group of international leaders and volunteers that will guide CFK Africa’s strategic decisions and assist us as we continue to develop local leaders and catalyze change in informal communities.
64th U.S. Secretary of State
Education Activist
Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State; former CFK Africa Peacock Fellow
Executive Director, UHAI: East African Sexual Health & Rights Initiative
Emory University Professor; Former Director, CDC Global Disease Detection Division in Kenya
Founder and CEO, Second Front; former CFK Africa Peacock Fellow
Professor, Harvard Business School; former CEO, Medtronic
Partner, Riverston; Professor of Practice, Imperial Business School in London
Group CEO and Managing Director, The Standard Group PI
Vice President for Global Health, Emory University; Director, Emory Global Health Institute
Cahners-Rabb Professor of Business Administration; Co-Unit Head, Negotiation, Organizations & Markets, Harvard Business School
Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor, Harvard University Center for the Environment, Harvard Kennedy School, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
CEO, UNC Health Care; Former Director, U.S. CDC
Board Member, Sall Family Foundation; Adjunct Professor, UNC School of Public Health
Executive Vice Provost, UNC-Chapel Hill
CFK Africa has benefited from tremendous leadership on the ground and on our Boards for nearly 20 years. We recognize the tenure of our past Board Chairs, who volunteered and helped us grow at each stage of our movement to be a model of participatory development and responsible research in informal settlements gripped by cycles of extreme poverty and around the world.
Professor of Integrated Science and Technology, School of Integrated Sciences, James Madison University
Executive Director, Smart Power Africa, Power Initiative, The Rockefeller Foundation
Cahners-Rabb Professor of Business Administration; Co-Unit Head, Negotiation, Organizaitons & Markets, Harvard Business School
Senior Advisor, GIZ-PSDA
Chief Executive Officr, ACRE Africa
Division Director of Human Resources, Isuzu East Africa Ltd.
Deputy Managing Director, Bank of Africa
Owner of Bull City Running
Training Consultant, SelectTempStaffing
With experience traveling and living in informal settlements in Africa, India, and China, our newest Advisory Council member, Steve Arnold, reflects on the importance of social context and listening in effective development work.
We were fortunate to have Madeleine Albright as a member of our Global Advisory Council. Co-founder and board chair, Rye Barcott, reflects on his friendship with Secretary Albright and shares three lessons we can learn from her life of service.
CFK Africa is a registered NGO in Kenya and 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the U.S. that improves public health and economic prosperity in informal settlements through participatory research, primary health care, and education.
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