BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Since BethanyKids is made up of separate legal entities working together in the USA, Canada and the UK, we have three national boards of directors. In addition, we have an International Board made up of representatives from the three national boards. These boards are made up of people who are leaders in their own fields and who voluntarily serve as sources of inspiration, guidance and wisdom for BethanyKids.
CANADA
‘Deola Sanwoolo, M.Sc.
‘Deola has lived on three continents and has first hand experience providing care to children living in high risk situations.
Born in West Africa, she lived in western Canada for many years and currently works as a child psychologist in the Middle East with her family.
Charles Marful, BSc, MIR
Charles is a highly sought-after human resources leader who has over his career constantly been acknowledged for his excellence. He currently works with Ernst and Young, one of Canada’s largest accounting firms and has regularly volunteered for development organizations serving Sub-Saharan Africa.
Dan Poenaru, CM, MD, PhD, FACS
Dan is an adjunct professor at McGill University and a pediatric surgeon. He is deeply committed to increasing access to safe surgeries for children living across Africa. He is a founding member of the Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery (GICS) and has served with both the Pan-African Pediatric Surgery Association (PAPSA) as well as Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS).
Felista Karanja, PMP, MA
Felista is a Project Management Consultant with InScope and is working on a contract with the Government of Manitoba. She was a founding member of the Embakasi Slums Hygiene and Sanitation program in Kenya and has served as the Secretary and Board Director of the Kenya Association of Manitoba Inc.
John Broadhead
John is the Senior Executive Pastor with Village Church, a rapidly growing national ministry based out of Vancouver, British Columbia. Before this, John served as a Vice President for Roland Corporation US; previously, he practiced as an engineer and project manager with MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates.
Marjory Kerr, PhD (Chair)
Marjory is the President and Vice Chancellor of Tyndale University in Toronto; the second time she has served as president for a major Canadian post-secondary institution. She is a registered psychologist in Ontario, an executive coach, and holds membership in several professional associations. She has 20 years of board experience and has a deep understanding of policy governance for boards.
Shalea Beckwith, MD, MSc
Shalea is a Kingston-based pediatrician, having served in similar roles throughout the region. She has extensive board experience, having recently served as the pediatric section vice-chair for the Ontario Medical Association and she has taken a number of trips to low-income countries to provide medical care in short term capacities.
Susan Robarts, BSc, BHScPT, MSc
Susan is a registered physiotherapist and healthcare consultant in Ontario with over 15 years experience in the hospital sector including patient care, innovation, and change management. Her clinical and research expertise is in orthopaedics. She has extensive experience in redesigning and scaling up models of care to improve the patient experience and access to orthopaedic surgery. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Physiotherapy Association.
Yohan Mahimwala, MBA
Yohan is a business leader with a range of experiences spanning over 15 years in multiple sectors including Finance, Logistics, Supply Chain and Not-For-Profit. His current mandate is to help manage and grow premier commercial banking clients in North America with RBC. He is a Principal at Growthsimple and serves as Vice-Chair for The Meeting House’s Board of Directors.
UNITED KINGDOM
Ade Adebajo, BSc, FCA, ACT
Ade is a London-based investment banker whose focus the past 20 years has been emerging markets in sub-Saharan Africa. He’s a Fellow Chartered Accountant and a member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers. He has served as a trustee and advisor on a number of high profile projects.
Jonathan Kamya, BSC, MILM
Jonathan is a Deputy Head Teacher at Hendon School in London, UK with years of experience both as a teacher and in management at schools across the UK. He has a passion for seeing students thrive in all walks of life and has sought to accomplish that both in the school system and as an educational consultant.
Michelle Safo, BA, MCIM, (Chair)
Michelle is a results-driven business woman delivering growth orientated strategies for her array of micro-business clients. As a Youth Enterprise Mentor, Michelle provides mentoring and encouragement for young people seeking to bolster their business knowledge and experience through entrepreneurial opportunities.
Natassia Brown, LLM
In addition to her budding career as a lawyer, Natassia has been involved as a volunteer for the National Centre for Domestic Violence and also runs a podcast where guests from around the world share their testimonies and stories of faith.
Solomon Osagie, LL.B, PhD
Solomon is a Corporate Lawyer with substantial in-house and private practice experience, currently serving as the General Counsel & Company Secretary for Cashplus Bank. He authored the book “Integrating Financial Services Regulation: Exploring Some of the Challenges Posed by the EU Data Protection Regime”
Vimbai Egaru, MSc
With her clinical background in children and young people’s mental health, Vimbai works for NHS England specializing in care for people with rare and complex treatment programs. She is currently Chair of the London Sickle Cell improvement board and has led on the design, delivery, and implementation of key programmes to improve access and treatment for people with complex conditions.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
April Knutson, MEd
April is an accomplished and experienced educator having taught in five countries on four different continents. She continues to travel extensively and is excited to bring her perspective as an educator to the BethanyKids Board.
Cynthia M. Gregg, MD, FACS
Cynthia has received multiple awards for her work as a plastic surgeon. Before founding her private practice she served as an assistant professor at Duke University. She provides pro bono surgeries for survivors of domestic violence in the national Face-to-Face Program and has frequently travelled to sub-Saharan Africa to provide cleft lip and palate surgeries to those in need.
Daniel Gwan-Nulla, MD, FACS
Dan is the Director of Thoracic Surgery and Thoracic Oncology at Piedmont Columbus Regional and the John B. Amos Cancer Center. He has experience working across the continent of Africa, including many BethanyKids sites, and is currently working on developing a state of the art Children’s Hospital in his birth country of Cameroon.
Fred Rescorla, MD, FACS
Fred is a pediatric surgeon at Riley Children’s Hospital and a Professor Emeritus of Surgery at Indiana University’s School of Medicine. He is highly regarded for his 40 years of work as a surgeon in Indiana and known more broadly for his research.
Jim Taubitz, MS
Jim is an engineering/construction professional who served 25 years on submarines in the US Navy and is a member of Engineering Ministries International. He is currently serving as a Construction Superintendent for medical diagnostic and treatment facility equipment renovations at several hospitals in Michigan.
John Phillips, MD, FACS
John is a retired ENT specialist who has not only practiced in the United States for decades, but has also travelled extensively with Samaritan’s Purse to ensure people living in under resourced communities have access to appropriate surgery.
Justus Mwiti Marete, MPA
Justus serves as the CEO of Maua Methodist Hospital in rural Kenya. Prior to his appointment as CEO, he worked with BethanyKids as the Director for Africa. His extensive experience in the medical services also included serving at both Kijabe Hospital and Kenyatta National Hospital in Kenya.
Mike Delorenzo (Chair)
Mike serves as the Creative Manager for Communications at Africa Inland Mission’s head office providing logistical support to hundreds of missionaries serving across the continent. Prior to this he has served as a communications specialist and missionary bush pilot for decades on the continent of Africa.
Ranjan George, PhD
Ranjan is a Business Instructor at Rutgers University, Camden. He is an accomplished lecturer and researcher having studied issues of gender disparities in the workplace.
Richard Bransford, MD, FACS
Richard grew up in East Africa and has seen the work of BethanyKids first hand. He is an orthopaedic surgeon, professor of Orthopaedics and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle.