Mercy Center Foundation - Board of Directors

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Kenyan Team

Sister Rose Wangui, VHM - Founder

Sister Rose Sister Rose, VHM was born and raised in the impoverished district of Lare, Kenya. She is a professed religious of the Sisters of Visitation of Holy Mary and came to the United States from Kenya in 1995 to join the community at the Georgetown Visitation Monastery in Washington DC. Prior to this, she was a sister of the Little Sisters of Saint Francis in Kenya. She began her quest for donations for her home village of Lare during the drought of the late 1990's. In 2001, she and three other local Kenyans founded Mercy Project Lare and registered the organization as a 'self-help' organization under the Kenyan Ministry of Social Services which is equivalent to a US non-profit organization. Her vision is that one day, Mercy Center would become a center for community development, organization and empowerment so that the people of Lare can emerge from the burden of poverty and disease and become self reliant.

Reverend Evanson Njogu

Fr. Evans is currently serving as the pastor of St. Peter's Catholic Church in Elburgon just outside Nakuru. Fr. Evans joined the Mercy Center Lare Board in 2006 serving as President. Fr. Evans was a Spiritual Director for many diocesan seminaries in Kenya from 1995 to 2006. From 1991 - 1995, Fr. Evans studied at St. Thomas Aquinas University in Rome. Fr. Evans supervises the finances of MCL which includes the audit and insurance contracts. In addition, Fr. Evans has interfaced directly with the Kenyan Ministry of Health, Kenyan Ministry of Electricity, Catholic Diocese of Nakuru, Baraka Agricultural College and Nyumbani as well as other NGO's in Kenya who are potential partners for MCL.

John Njoroge

John Njoroge John is a building contractor in Nakuru and has supervised construction work for schools, medical facilities and private residences in both Nakuru and Nairobi. John serves as a Board member but is also compensated by MCL for is services as the Facilities and Site Manager for the project. John has coordinated the purchase of land, secured architectural drawings and competitive bids for construction, supervised all construction on site and oversees the disbursement of the payroll each month. John also assists in the procurement of needed medical supplies and equipment. John is one of the founding partners of MCL working closely with Sr. Rose from the beginning.

David Methu, Member-at-Large

David Methu David is Head Master of Nakuru Hills Special School one of two public residential schools in Kenya that serves mentally and physically disabled children and young adults. David has been instrumental in strategic planning and implementation for Mercy Center Lare.

Sr. Ester Wairimu, LSOSF

Sr. Esther Wairimu Sr. Ester is a nun of the religious order of Little Sisters of St. Francis, a registered nurse midwife, and the Medical Director of St. Anthony's Health Centre in Nakuru. St. Anthony's is a 10 bed maternity hospital which also provides basic health care and VCT to the community. Sr. Ester works one day a week at Mercy Center Lare as our paid Medical Director supervising staff, overseeing the maternal and child health programs and acting as the liaison to the Kenyan Ministry of Health and the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru Health and Human Services Departments.

Mercy Center Foundation, USA

Fred J. Rice, M.B.A., President

Rick Rice Fred J. Rice, III aka “Rick” was elected President in 2009 and has served on the Board since 2004. Rick has traveled to Mercy Center Lare in 2006 and in 2008 when he conducted strategic planning sessions for both Boards. Rick is Chair of the Finance Committee for MCF USA. Rick retired in 2007 as Managing Director with the Residential Funding Corporation, a subsidiary of GMAC in the Washington, DC area. Rick has been active in many community and professional organizations in the Washington, DC area. He holds an MBA from Rutgers University and is a graduate of Wheeling Jesuit University.

Joseph Fanone, Vice-President

Joe Fanone Joe joined the MCF USA Board in 2008 and serves on the Organizational Committee. Joe is a partner in the law firm of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. His focus is in Public Finance and is a member of the Transactional Finance Group and the Public-Private Partnerships Group. Joe previously served as assistant attorney general for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Joe received both his undergraduate and law degree from Georgetown University.

Brian Doherty, Treasurer

Brian joined the MCF USA board in 2008 and serves on the Development Committee where he is the special liaison to Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School. Brian works for the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC) and is the Assistant to the President for Industry Development. He was a consultant and auditor for the AFL-CIO from 1995-1996, an organizer with the Masters, Mates and Pilots from 1993-1995, and a Vice President and pension fund Trustee for the Seafarers International Union from 1983-1993. He has been a Labor Commissioner on the Labor Advisory Board for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor. He is a graduate of George Mason University and holds an MA from the University of Massachusetts.

Eileen Rice, M.Ed., Secretary

Eileen Rice Eileen was elected Secretary to the MCF USA Board in 2004. Eileen serves on the Development Committee and is responsible for Website Management. Eileen is a reading specialist and a Teacher Consultant with the Northern Virginia Writing Project. She is active in literacy initiatives and has had articles published in newspapers, magazines, and professional journals. Eileen has an MA in Education from George Washington University and earned her BA in Education from the University of Maryland.

Members at Large

Carol Blee, RN, MSN, CMSRN

Carol Blee Carol joined the MCF USA Board in 2006 and is currently serving as Chair of the Medical Committee. Carol traveled to Lare in March 2006 to oversee the distribution of medicines during a mission camp and again in October 2006 to review the status of the dispensary since its opening in August 2006. Carol is a Hospital Education Coordinator at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC and is responsible for ongoing education of nursing and hospital staff. Prior to this position, Carol worked at Potomac Home Health Care focusing in the area of patient palliative care. Carol has also taught in the nursing school Marymount University in Arlington, VA and is a certified Medical-Surgical Nurse. Carol earned her BS in Nursing from Georgetown University and her MS in Nursing from Catholic University.

Dennis L. Jasinski, PE, MBA

Dennis L. Jasinski is a Master of Civil Engineering as well as a Master of Business Administration. He is Tetra-Tech’s Vice President of Business Development, the pre-eminent company for small development services in developing countries worldwide. He is a retired Air Force civil engineer Colonel with extensive experience in small development projects, specifically water usage, pavements and environmental sciences. Dennis joined the Mercy Center Foundation Board in August, 2009. He and his family also traveled to Lare and successfully collaborated with our Kenyan team.

Geraldine Jasinski, RN

Geraldine Jasinski was born and raised in Ireland, traveled and worked in Saudi Arabia and has extensive expertise as a nurse-midwife throughout Ireland and the Arabian Peninsula. Currently, she is a specialist in the field of medical data collection. Her desire to serve was evident in her mission to Lare in August 2009. While in residence, Geraldine advised our clinic staff to ensure a successful delivery of a newborn baby and to protect the life of the mother. Geraldine joined the Mercy Center Foundation Board in August, 2009.

Dr. Patrick Kelley, MD, DrPH

Paatrick Kelley Patrick has served on the MCF USA Board since 2005, traveled to Lare in 2006, and serves on the Medical Committee. Patrick works at the Institute of Medicine of the US National Academies serving as the Director of the Board on Global Health and the Board on African Science Academy Development. Patrick retired as a Colonel in the US Army Medical Corps in 2003 after 23 years of service. During his military career, Patrick worked as a physician, residency director, epidemiologist, and program manager. Patrick has lectured in over 20 countries, published over 55 scholarly papers, book chapters, and monographs and served as the specialty editor for the textbook Military Preventive Medicine: Mobilization and Deployment. Patrick obtained his MD from the University of Virginia and his Doctorate in Public Health from the John Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.

Nathalie B. Sullivan

Nathalie B. Sullivan is the Director of Alumnae and Parent Relations at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School. In addition, Nathalie served on the Diversity Committee of the Board of Trustees at Visitation. She has created development programs that meet the needs of all alumnae, regardless of varying demographic and geographic factors and other work/family interests. Nathalie joined the Mercy Center Board in August, 2009.

Nancy Tanner

Nancy Tanner Nancy joined the MCF Board in 2008 and served as the GALA 2008 Coordinator, which raised over $75,000.00. Nancy worked for Montgomery County Public Schools for 26 years as both a teacher and administrator. Nancy received her BS in Family Studies from Cornell University and a M.Ed. in Human Growth and Development from University of Maryland.