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Our Board of Trustees is comprised of ten professionals from four different continents - each with a unique background and each a dear friend of Nancy Crooks. It is out of their friendship and love for Nancy that each board member has volunteered their skills, time, and efforts to see Nancy's hopes and dreams realized. Paul Squires, Chairman, USA
Paul is the General Manager and one of the co-founders of Choo Choo R Snacks, Inc. - a beef snack distribution company based in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, USA. Since its inception in 1990, Choo Choo’s trademarked line of Buffalo Bills Premium Snacks now exceeds 90 items and is available in stores in over 40 states. In 2007, Inc. Magazine named Choo Choo R Snacks, Inc. one of the Top 5000 fastest growing companies in the USA. Prior to Choo Choo R Snacks, Paul worked throughout East Africa as a Special Projects Manager for two of Howard Crooks’ companies – Service & Supply International and KK Security. Clients included the United Nations, USAID, Pan Am Airways, and numerous international oil-related companies. Prior to working with Howard Crooks, Paul worked in Saudi Arabia as a Project Specialist for Aiand International’s food service contracts with the Saudi Ministry of Health and Ministry of Defense & Aviation. Paul is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University (Providence, Rhode Island, USA) with degrees in Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management.
James Dry, Vice Chairman, Kenya
Jim is the founder of Dry Associates Limited - a Nairobi, Kenya-based investing banking firm specializing in corporate finance, treasury management, and government and business consulting. Prior to opening his firm in 1994, he worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to assist the Kenyan government in creating the Capital Markets Authority and rejuvenating the Nairobi Stock Exchange. Prior to his move to Kenya in 1990, Jim worked for the USAID in Washington, D.C. as a Financial Manager for their loan portfolio guarantee program and earlier as a Project Manager assisting in the establishment of stock markets around the world. In addition, he was an Advisor to the USAID's Office of Donor Co-Ordination working extensively with the World Bank and the African Development Bank. In the private sector, he was a Financial Controller for Coca Cola in Cairo, Egypt and an Accounting Manager with Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Jim holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Wharton School of Economics and Commerce from the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) and a Masters degree from the London School of Economics (London, UK). He is currently a Trustee of the August 7th Memorial Park Trust in Nairobi and a former Chairman of both the American Business Association (Kenya) and the Foreign Businessman's Council (Cairo, Egypt).
Jolene Wood, Secretary, Kenya
Jolene is a published photographer, writer and editor; and an image-manipulation specialist with extensive experience in digital editing and graphic design. She attended university at the American College of Switzerland (Leysin, Switzerland) and Harlaxton College (Grantham, UK) and has a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, Colorado, USA). Jolene has been teaching in a variety of capacities for the past 20 years, including children with developmental delays, computer literacy and digital photography. Originally from California, Jolene has lived in Kenya and been involved in charitable development projects for over 35 years.
Lawrence Donahoo, Treasurer, Kenya
Larry arrived in Kenya in 2004 as the Project Manger for the construction of the new USAID facility within the US Embassy compound. The project was completed in September 2006. Since that time Larry has completed consulting engineering assignments in Southern California, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. Currently, Larry is an active member of the Nairobi Rotary club and is a Trustee of Lift Up Africa (a US 501C registered organization). Prior to arriving in Kenya, Larry spent 25 years working in the Middle East primarily for Saudi Aramco as a Project Manager and Manager with responsibility for the design and construction of major oil and gas processing facilities. Assignments during these years allowed Larry to live and/or work in Europe, the United States, Canada, Japan, and Korea. Larry is an avid sailor and has crossed both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and sailed in many other parts of the world. He has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA).
Janet Carmony, Kenya
Jan is a fourth generation Californian associated with the travel industry for more than 35 years. Focusing on pre-med studies and business she was educated in public and private Californian educational institutions. She acquired a travel agency in the San Francisco area and, while developing it into a sizeable presence in the market, was considered the youngest female owner/operator of a travel agency West of Germany. She also developed and operated five restaurants in Southern California. After times living in England, Texas and Kenya, she created a professional African safari planning business in Mexico, based on her knowledge of travel, safaris and Kenya. Jan was an active member and board member of Rotary Clubs in Houston, Texas, USA, Nairobi, Kenya, and Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico. Now, living in Kenya, she claims to be “basically retired” however, Jan definitely stays busy with the local and international community. She is a founding and current Trustee of the AWA Charitable Trust (Nairobi, Kenya), maintains long-term active memberships and Board participation with the American Women’s Association and East Africa Women’s League, both in Kenya, and as a representative to the Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas. She has traveled to more than 150 countries - ranging from Antarctica to the Himalayas - and continues to add to her list.
Donna Donahoo, Kenya
Donna has worked in the East African Art scene since her arrival in Nairobi, Kenya in 2004. She developed the Art Rental Program for RaMoMA: the Museum of Modern Art, serving both corporate offices and individuals. In addition, she managed the Museum Shop, at the same location. In 2010, Donna left RaMoMA, but will continue to promote East African Artists through International Exhibitions.
Prior to coming to Kenya, she worked as the Assistant Director and Exhibition Director for the San Juan Historical Museum in Friday Harbor, Washington, USA. Donna and her husband, Larry, have a stateside home in the San Juan Islands. Most of her life has been spent in Europe and the Middle East. She taught in London, UK, for two years and then moved to Beirut, Lebanon, where she taught at the American Community School for seven years. While on sabbatical, at Bank Street College in New York City to gain a Masters Degree, the Lebanese civil war broke out. She subsequently received a Ford Foundation Grant and remained in New York City to work on a book on Early Childhood Education which was published by Houghton Mifflin. With hope that the civil war would soon end, she moved to Saudi Arabia to teach in the Aramco Schools and finally worked as a Programs Analyst for Engineering and Construction projects in the same company. Donna has a Bachelor of Science from Eastern Washington University (Cheney, Washington, USA), a Masters Degree from Bank Street College (New York City), and a Certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Washington (Seattle, Washington, USA). She is also an avid sailor and has crossed the Atlantic ocean and sailed in many other parts of the world.
Kim Edmunds, Kenya
Kim is the Marketing Manager and co-founder of the Glen Edmunds Performance Driving School (GEPDS) based in Nairobi, Kenya. GEPDS is an advanced driving school specializing in security driver training such as counter-carjacking, hostile environment, armored vehicle training as well as defensive driving training and 4WD instruction. Training is conducted throughout the African continent. In addition, Kim authors and publishes a weekly security newsletter, which updates the Nairobi community of local crime trends. Prior to joining her husband in managing GEPDS, Kim was a safari guide for many years, as well as a wildlife consultant for numerous television documentaries portraying African wildlife (mostly in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit from Bristol, England). She also worked as a naturalist/behaviorist at Djomba Intrepids Club in the Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) accompanying visitors to see the endangered mountain gorillas and lecturing on gorilla behavior and ecology of the local area. Kim is a graduate of Hiram College (Hiram, Ohio, USA) with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Biology.
Richard Levy, USA
Rick is the president, executive director, and treasurer of Lift Up Africa, an organization he cofounded that is NECF’s fiscal sponsor in the United States. He was a board member and finance committee chair of the Medic One Foundation, an organization that provides pre-hospital emergency medical assistance in King County, Washington, USA. Rick is currently the chief financial officer of SCOLR Pharma, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company whose corporate objective is to combine its formulation expertise and patented CDT platform to develop novel pharmaceutical, over-the-counter and nutritional products. Rick has more than 30 years experience in the leadership of financial institutions with a particular emphasis on international private banking, world banking, and multinational holding companies. He has lived in Hong Kong, Manila, and Sydney and has conducted business throughout Europe and Asia. He holds a degree in Business Economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara (USA) and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in both California and Washington. He is an Eagle Scout and has been active with Boy Scouts of America for years.
Ricarda McFalls, Switzerland
Ricarda currently works in Geneva, Switzerland for a multilateral institution promoting public policies and business practices supportive of a sustainable development agenda. She brings more than 22 years of International Management and Business Development experience, primarily in transition and emerging markets of Central and Eastern Europe and Africa. While residing in Africa for 13 years, she established, managed, and built regional distribution networks for industry leading IT companies (including Compaq/HP and Mustek) with operations in Nairobi and Lagos. Based in Kenya from 1993-2005, she was active in the business community, serving a decade on the board of the American Chamber of Commerce (then known as the American Business Association), and as its Chairman in 2003. In a move to apply her business experience to more sustainable development policies and interventions in the region, she earned a Masters Degree in Sustainable Development from Stellenbosch University (Matieland, South Africa). Her case study research “Testing the Limits of Inclusive Capitalism” is published by the Journal of Corporate Citizenship and UNISA Press. She holds an MBA/MIM from Thunderbird Global School of Management (Glendale, Arizona, USA), and BAs in Business Economics and German Languages from the University of California Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, California, USA).
Christina Vincent, Australia
Christina brings a combination of international business experience and entrepreneurial success to the Nancy Ellen Crooks Foundation. She currently works for the Queensland (Australia) State Government where she has held senior positions for the past 15 years – at present, she manages their regional development infrastructure programs. Prior successes have included building venture capital and investment angel schemes to support businesses throughout Queensland. Christina has an excellent entrepreneurial pedigree, doubtless inspired by Howard and Nancy Crooks being involved in numerous successful worldwide business ventures. Prior to moving to Australia in 1989, she owned and operated a marketing and consultancy firm in Nairobi, Kenya, servicing the hospitality industry throughout East Africa. Prior, Christina was a founding director of three of Kenya’s most acclaimed dining establishments - the Tamarind (Nairobi and Mombasa), the Carnivore (Nairobi), and the Tamarind Dhow (a floating restaurant in Mombasa). In addition, she co-authored, with Nancy Crooks, the popular travel book The Kenya Trivia Guide. Christina has an international academic history, having completed a Bachelor and Master of Arts from the University of Houston (Houston, Texas, USA) and a degree in Hotel Management from Brunel College (Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK). While in the States, Christina taught Public Speaking at the University of Houston, where she was a member of the American Marketing Society. She is also an alumni member of the Australian Venture Capital Association’s Foundation course. |
