Mr. Twesigye J. Kaguri, Founder and Executive Director

Twesigye Jackson Kaguri was born and raised in Uganda in the small village of Nyakagyezi.  At a very young age he demonstrated an unquenchable desire to learn, which led him to study at and graduate from Makerere University in Kampala. During this time he co-founded the human rights organization, Human Rights Concerns, to help victims of human rights violations in Uganda and to educate the public about their rights. In the 90s he became a visiting scholar at Columbia University where he studied Human Rights Advocacy. Over the years he has been involved extensively in international community efforts as a human rights advocate, fundraiser, and inspirational speaker.

In 2001, Kaguri founded The Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project in response to the devastating effects of AIDS in his hometown. The organization, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, provides free education to children who have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS. In addition to two schools, it also operates a library, desire farm and nutrition program, medical clinic, clean water system, and a support program for the grandmothers who care for up to 14 children at a time.

Since founding the project, Kaguri has also become an author. In his book, A School for My Village he shares how he came to build the first school and the struggles he faced during the first few years. Last year, he resigned as Interim Senior Director of Development in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University to focus full-time on The Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project. Kaguri has been named a Heifer International Hero, recognized in Time Magazine’s ‘Power of One’ Series, and spoken to the UN about his work. When not visiting the schools in Uganda or working at his office in Okemos, MI, Kaguri travels the country to speak with students and supporters about the organization.

Robert Auld

Rob Auld has over 30 years experience in the finance, investment management and banking industries working with Fidelity Investments, Bankers Trust Company, Bank of America and the U.S. Export Import Bank. He has extensive international experience, having lived over 10 years in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore. Mr. Auld served in the US Army from 1968-1970 as an instructor at the Army Engineer School at Ft. Belvoir, VA.

Mr. Auld also serves as a Director and Treasurer of the Executive Service Corps of Colorado Mountain College which provides management assistance to non-profit organizations in the Aspen, CO area. Mr. Auld is a past Director of The Roaring Fork Conservancy in Basalt, CO which works to preserve and protect the watershed of the Roaring Fork Valley.

Mr. Auld graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, MA in 1964 and from Duke University in 1968 with a degree in economics. He grew up in Charleston, WV and now lives in Aspen, CO with his wife, Carol, and 2 dogs.

Chris Lowe has worked in and around the nonprofit industry in various capacities for the past 17 years. He has worked in managerial and instructional roles at 3 leading fundraising software companies, 2 consulting firms, and 3 nonprofit organizations. He is dedicated to the Nyaka cause and had the grand opportunity to attend the inaugural graduation at Nyaka in 2008...simply put, "Life-changing".

Nancy Colier

Nancy Colier is a psychotherapist in private practice. She is also the author of the book, "Getting Out of Your Own Way: Unlocking Your True Performance Potential," as well as many articles and essays. She is also a peak performance consultant, a public speaker, and a certified Focusing trainer. She is currently studying to become an interfaith minister and is now serving on the launch team of Faith House, an interfaith community in New York City. Nancy feels strongly that an education is a basic human right, and a fundamental component in watering the seeds of the human spirit. Nancy lives in Manhattan with her husband and five year old daughter.

Jennifer Thomson

Since earning her Master of International Affairs (MIA) from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University in 1997, Jennifer has worked in the field of microfinance and domestic community development finance. Her domestic work focuses on community development credit unions, having held positions at the Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union and consulted with the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions.

Due to her keen interest in Africa, Jennifer managed a loan fund of over $1 million in eight African countries while serving as the Senior Program Officer for the Africa Region of the Hunger Project. Her interest in microfinance began as an undergraduate student while living in Senegal, West Africa, working with African Environment and Development (ENDA) in Dakar.

Jude Mugerwa, M.D. FACC - Director

Dr. Mugerwa is a native of Uganda, East Africa. He is a board-certified physician in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine, and Nuclear Cardiology. Having graduated from medical school at Makerere University in Uganda, Dr. Mugerwa moved to Cleveland, USA where he successfully completed his residency training in Internal Medicine at University Hospitals of Cleveland - Case Western Reserve University. He then successfully completed his fellowship in Cardiovascular Medicine at Metrohealth Medical Center - Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

His interests span both academic research and clinical care in the field of HIV and Cardiovascular diseases in the emerging world. He has published some of his previous work in peer-reviewed journals both here in the USA and abroad.  Dr. Mugerwa’s interests include global networking and technology transfer in the field of health care access, health management and health informatics. It is his goal that one day, the average citizen of Uganda will have access to basic health information and modern health facilities at a reasonable cost.

He is currently in private practice as an Invasive Non-Interventional Cardiologist in Pennsylvania, USA.  Dr. Mugerwa is married and they have a son, Junior.

Emma Mugisha

Emma Mugisha is currently the Chair of the Board of Advisors. She is proud to be volunteering for Nyaka. She grew up in a home where she met the HIV/AIDS challenge early in life when several of her uncles and aunts passed away from the disease. Her parents had 5 children of their own but have brought up more than 15 children as a result. Learning to share the available living space and resources, and seeing her parents' sacrifice inspired her to contribute and help ease the suffering of many children in Uganda affected by the scourge of HIV/AIDS.

Emma currently works with Barclays Bank in Uganda as the Country Treasurer. In August of 2007, Emmas was a finalist at the prestigious Barclays Chairman's Awards due to her work with the Nyaka AIDS Foundation.

Emma holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and Social Administration (Makerere University), and an MBA from Rotterdam School of Management/Erasmus Graduate School of Business, the Netherlands. Emma has also gone through the Barclays Leadership For the Cutting Edge Programme at Gibbs University in Johannesburg.

Frank Byamugisha

Frank Byamugisha, a Ugandan citizen, was born in Uganda on December 6, 1953, and is married with 3 children. He holds a BSc in Agriculture from Makerere University, Uganda; a Masters degree in Agric. Development Economics from Australian National University; and a Master of Science in Surveying and a PhD in Economics of Land Registration from the University of East London, UK. He worked as Senior Economist and, thereafter, as Assistant Secretary for the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Papua New Guinea during 1980-1983. Since joining the World Bank in Washington DC as an Economist in 1983, he has held various technical and managerial positions there supporting development programs in East Asia, Eastern and Central Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, he is an Operations Advisor and a Land Reform and Administration Coordinator for Sub-Saharan Africa. He is also President of the International Community of Banyakigezi, an NGO that promotes culture and socio-economic development among the people that live or originate from South Western Uganda.

Janis Simon

Janis Simon resides in Glastonbury, Connecticut and Vail, Colorado. She has been married for 32 years and is a mother of four children and a host son from the ABC program (A Better Chance). She has her Masters degree in art education from Connecticut. She has taught art in the public schools kindergarten through 12th grade, and pre-school and Kindergarten for the Jewish Community Center. She has been on many boards of directors, including Hadassah, Congregation Kol Haverim, A Better Chance, and Hartwell Soccer.

Besides the Segal Foundation she is presently on the board of Artists in Real Time and The University of Hartford. She has held many board positions, such as President, Vice president, Secretary, Membership, Fundraising, and Event Chair. In addition, she has experience fundraising for the National Epilepsy Foundation and the American Cancer Society. In her free time she loves to play tennis, oil paint and ski. Her education background and organization skills make her an asset to the board.

Diane Goldberg Hunckler

Diane Goldberg's career was in the corporate event industry. As founder and president of Creative Entertainment, a full service event management and entertainment production company based in Chicago, she orchestrated successful events for many influentials in the non-profit world as well as corporate America.

In 2003, she decided to retire, trading her career to devote herself more fully to her passion of social justice and humanitarian causes, particularly the empowerment of women and children. Wanting to help those the voiceless and disenfranchised, she spent three months volunteering in the highlands of Peru. Working in women’s prisons and children in orphanages, she became committed to finding ethical solutions to the inequities that surround them. As a “free lance volunteer,” she would like to operate in partnership with sustainable community initiatives around the globe – helping to build businesses, schools and healthcare facilities.

Diane has traveled to Sderot, a border town between Israel and Gaza, and the West Bank working as part of Partnership 2000, trying to learn more about the challenges and opportunities that can make a difference in the ongoing conflict between the Palestinian and Jewish people.  Diane Goldberg attended Indiana University and the University of Dijon in Dijon, France.

Anu Frank - Lawale

Anu Frank-Lawale is a British– born Nigerian who currently lives in Virginia with his wife, Toyin, and daughter, Tessa.  Having spent a lot time living between the developed and developing worlds he is passionate about bridging the gulf between them.  He is trained as a quantitative geneticist with a speciality in aquaculture breeding.  Anu is currently the breeding research manager at the Aquaculture Genetics and Breeding Technology Centre in the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) where he is designing and implementing a selection programme for the Eastern Oyster.  He enjoys playing sports, cooking, photography, cinema and music.  He is actively involved in his church.

Dr. Graham Pike

Dr. Graham Pike is Dean of International Education at Vancouver Island University, Canada. Previously, he was Dean of Education at the University of Prince Edward Island and before that he was Co-Director of the International Institute for Global Education at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Pike has been a leader in international education, at K-12 and post-secondary levels, for more than 25 years. He has worked as a consultant for governments, United Nations, and civil society organizations in more than 20 countries. He has published widely for academic and professional audiences and he is passionately committed to the development of global citizenship through public education. Through his Specialization in International Education program at UPEI, student teachers gained experience in schools around the world - including at Nyaka School, which he visited in 2007.

Prof. Mohamed Zefzaf

Professor Mohamed Zefzaf teaches ESL and composition at Massachusetts Bay Community College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. He was born in Tangier, Morocco and grew up in Belgium. A speaker of several languages, he is a graduate of The Institut des Art et Métiers in Brussels; he holds B.A.’s in Sociology, Geography/ Earth Sciences, and a M.A. in ESL/Linguistics from the University of Massachusetts at Boston. He taught at The International Institute of Tourism in Morocco and at The American Language Centers, North Africa. Professor Zefzaf’s interest in diversity training has led him to present widely on the topic of cultural rapprochement. He received the Commitment to Excellence award from the Massachusetts National Guard, The NISOD award for Excellence in Teaching from The University of Texas at Austin, and is a graduate of the National Education Association’s Emerging Leader Academy.