Board Members

	Polly Dolan, Founder & Executive Director Polly holds a Master’s degree in International Administration, and has been living and working in Eastern and Southern Africa since 1996.  From 1998-2002, Polly coordinated community development and environmental conservation projects for CARE in Tanzania; and since that time she has continued to work in health, education and vulnerable children programming areas as an independent consultant.  Polly believes that educating girls is a cornerstone to overcoming poverty and social injustice in Tanzania.  Polly resides in Tanzania and also serves on the SEGA board. Contact Polly Polly's Statement on Education
	Tracey Dolan, Board President Tracey has used her Masters Degree in Adult Education in a variety of administrative and teaching positions over the last 20 years. She is a strong advocate for experiential learning and personal passion as a call to self-discovery and vocational exploration. Tracey brings to the board her life experiences, skills, and insights to support Tanzanian girls who desire to pursue service to their communities and beyond. Tracey's Statement Tracey's Statement on Education
	Ashley Devery  Ashley has worked as public relations and marketing specialist for 18 years. This has enabled her to develop a strong network of media contacts across the USA. She has always been a firm supporter of education in her local community, volunteering with various organizations such as the YMCA. Ashley visited several local schools during a trip to Tanzania in 2006 and returned home with the staunch belief that education is a critical component of any plan to end poverty.
	Juma Said Ally  A native Tanzanian, Juma has worked extensively in relief, environmental, conservation, and community development in his home country. He worked for CARE International for three years before moving to the US in 2000. Juma currently works as a contract coordinator at the Clinical Laboratory and Standards Institute (CLSI) in Pennsylvania. He firmly believes in the magnificent potential of the people of his home country and brings his unique understanding to the work of Nurturing Minds.  Juma's Statment
	Ashley Moran  Ashley has been an educator for 18 years and her experience in this sector is vast. She has supervised student teachers, conducted training workshops, and was a founding teacher at the Connecticut Friends School. In 2005, she spent 5 weeks touring private and public schools in Tanzania, meeting with administrators and teachers. It was during this time that Ashley realized that her experience in creating positive school communities in the US could translate into a valuable resource to the school communities of Tanzania.
	Tom Wales After a 2005 visit to Tanzania, Tom was deeply affected by all that he experienced there. Throughout his trip, he witnessed the profound impact of women on Tanzanian society and his interest was sparked in the education of girls. He serves on the board, bringing not only his Tanzanian experience, but a self-starter mentality. Tom and his family were instrumental in the delivery of supplies to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and he has Red Cross experience. Currently, he resides in Vermont where he manages investments and real estate. Tom's Statement
	Laura De Dominicis  Laura holds a Masters degree in International Affairs and has worked on economic development and conservation issues for over 10 years. From 1999-2000, she coordinated an alternative income generating project for CARE in Tanzania. This project supported female artisans from eight villages who were able to export their crafts through an importing business that Laura initiated. She also has extensive experience fundraising for prominent causes. Today, she resides in Massachusetts with her family and is thrilled to assist Nurturing Minds in helping to educate young girls and give them an opportunity to advance in the future.
	L Clarke Blynn  L Clarke has a B.S from Cornell University in the School of Hotel Administration. For 27 years, he has built and managed hotels in and around Philadelphia. He devotes much of his free time to volunteering in local organizations. After visiting Tanzania in 2001, he was able to draw on past experiences and fully understand that the key to positive future global development is education. As Board Chair, Clarke offers his leadership, development, construction, and financial expertise to the ongoing project of Sega Girls’ School.
	Kendall Webb  Kendall has been largely instrumental in the development of online charitable giving, working on the founding team of More.com and serving as the principal founder of JustGive.org, created in 1998. As a Harvard undergraduate, she also helped launch the WorldTeach program and later volunteered in Uganda. For the past 10 years, she has been an expert voice in Internet giving, offering her expertise to many organizations and companies that are incorporating charitable giving programs.
	Lori Llerandi   With a B.A in Fine Arts and a Master’s  in Education, and trained as an architect,  Lori currently teachers Art in a middle school outside Boulder CO, for the past four years. She and her family visited South Africa in 2008 and after, felt compelled to begin doing her part to affect change in the lives of underprivileged African girls. Lori brought her experiences back to her students and now works to educate them about challenges faced by African girls. She has also involved her students in fundraising efforts for the Sega Girls School School and provides architectural consulting to the expansion of The Sega Girls School.
	Sherley Young  Sherley holds an M.S in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. She brings experience in a wide range of careers to the Nurturing Minds board; including a history teacher and the founder and executive director of two health clinics for women. Sherley has been active on over 10 boards in the Philadelphia area that focus mainly on education and health care/family planning. She has also led over 10 build trips for Habitat for Humanity International, many of which have been to Africa. Sherley is passionate about Africa and believes that educating girls is the best way to help communities.
	Lynda Spence  Lynda has led a diverse professional life, first in publishing with Doubleday and Co. and with University of California Press. Following her stint in this industry, Lynda moved into the travel industry, founding her own travel company in 1982 in Massachusetts. After selling her company a decade later, Lynda still works as an independent travel consultant, creating custom trips for individuals and small groups. Throughout her life, she has also been active as a volunteer with a number of groups ranging from the Junior League, to North Beach Citizens, a San Francisco organization serving the needs of at-risk community members. Lynda is an avid traveler, visiting the farthest-flung corners of our earth, where her deep commitment to the equality of women was solidified. She believes that education and economic independence are keys to closing the equality gap, particularly in lesser developed nations.
	Marion Ballard  Marion is currently active in multiple Washington D.C area organizations which includes the Executive Committee of Montgomery Women, board member of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington and Levine School of Music. Upon graduating from Smith College and receiving a degree in Mathematics, Marion participated in Operation Crossroads Africa, a precursor of the Peace Corps. With a partner, Marion was involved in the founding of DataPlus, Inc., a software development firm that assisted nonprofits with fundraising software. Today, she holds two Master's degrees in Business Administration and Mathematics, from American University and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively.
	Susan Hannah Susan holds an M.A. and M.Phil.in Anthropology from Columbia University and has been involved in international development and conservation for the past 30 years. She spent two years in Kenya for her doctoral research, examining the “broker” role of non-profit organizations involved in income-generation and water projects, especially as they related to women; served as Director, International Support at Wildlife Conservation Society and NE Executive Director, at CARE.  Susan is an inveterate global traveler with a 20-year career at Pan Am that fueled her lifelong affair with Africa. Susan strongly believes that the way forward for any country is through education, training, and economic opportunity for all.     Chris Ozeroff Chris is the Co-founder and Senior Vice President of ARCA Biopharma, Inc, Adjunt Professor of University of Colorado Law School and Founder of the University of Colorado Entrepreneurial Law Clinic. He brings a wealth of law knowledge and legal experience to the board, along with Stanford and Colorado business connections and interest in helping with our microbusinesses.  He is a firm supporter of the Rocky Mountain Chapter fundraising events, and visited the Sega Girls School in November 2011- he says "The school is beautiful, and the girls are amazing. Polly and her team have done an incredible job, and the feeling we got from the girls was very positive"

Staff

Nikki Shearman, Executive Assistant Director  Nikki's career has taken a winding path, starting as a research scientist in the United Kingdom, her country of origin, and then, realizing that administration was her career of choice, working in exams and non-profit administration.  She relocated to the USA in 2006 with her family and was soon introduced to Nurturing Minds by neighbor and board member Laura DeDominicis. Impressed by the vision and the commitment of all involved with Nurturing Minds, Nikki joined first as a regional volunteer, then as an advisor, and finally becoming the first Nurturing Minds employee. She is experienced in financial management, donor database management, marketing and website development, and has a special interest in developing both communication styles and technological capacity to attract and retain donors.  Nikki lives in Newton, MA, with her husband and two children. Her daughter served as a service learning student at the Sega Girls School in 2010-11, which gave her a great excuse to visit the school and students, one of the highlights of her life.

Advisors Special International Advisor Witney W. Schneidman, Ph.D.,  President, Schneidman Associates International  Dr. Witney W. Schneidman, Special International Advisors to Nurturing Minds, has an extensive background in African affairs and economic development. Earning a Ph.D and a M.A in International Relations from the University of Southern California, and University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, respectively, he served in the Clinton administration in the State Department bearing regional responsibility for Southern Africa. Dr. Schneidman was involved with many decisions and legislation involving African interests, including the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act. Dr. Schneidman’s experience in world affairs is vast. Prior to his time in the State Department, he worked for the World Bank as a Senior Policy Analyst and was Senior Vice President at Samuels International Associates. He made frequent visits to South Africa while working for the Responsibility Research Center. Aside from various writings on African economic and political issues, he has also served as a commentator for CBS News, CNN, NPR and South Africa Broadcasting Corporation. Brooke Dolan, Business Consultant Advisor Brooke’s career spans over 18 years in the communications industry in which he is presently a managing member and founder of ClearShot Towers LLC, ClearShot Management LLC and Elite Towers LP, that develop, own and operate wireless communications towers located in twenty-two states along the US eastern seaboard.  Additional executive affiliations include managing member of The Sprague Group, LP, and Board of Directors of Southco, Inc., a privately held global manufacturing company with operations in thirty nine countries.  Brooke's earlier career entailed two entrepreneurial start-up businesses --both which he sold for significant profit and added economic development to the local community.  Brooke is most drawn to Nurturing Minds/The Sega Girls School based on his family connection to the founders,  interest in expanding his already extensive global travel, and non-profit board service. He anticipates playing a significant role in helping the Sega School achieve its goal of self-sustainability through school-run businesses. Beth Miller, Bookkeeper and Donor Database Manager Beth has considerable experience in banking, working in high-level positions at Virginia National Bank and at First Pennsylvania Bank. Upon her retirement, she started the Haverford Swim Club, a 501(c)3 corporation, serving as both treasurer and President during her tenure on the Board. Lola Georg, Nonprofit Development and Social Internet Networking Advisor A former board member of NM, Laura now continues in her advisory role. For 15 years, Lola worked for the non-profit Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) as Vice President of Finance and Member Services. CLSI provides standardized best practices for accurate laboratory testing worldwide. They partner with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to improve the capacity of laboratories in several African countries (including Tanzania) to detect HIV/AIDS. Today, she is employed by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting as Director of Business and Finance. With one of her two Masters degrees in Pastoral Care and Counseling, Lola also finds time to volunteer her services those who cannot afford to pay for therapy. April Kelly, Outdoor Activities Coordinator April developed her passion for the people and continent of Africa after traveling to East Africa as an instructor for Outward Bound. She led climbing trips to Mt. Kilimanjaro, taught rock climbing and camping skills, and assisted in the development of students’ interpersonal and leadership skills. Now back in the United States, she continues working administratively with Outward Bound. She assists Nurturing Minds in providing opportunities for Tanzanian girls that will expand their horizons and help them make positive life choices. Chris Hammarsjkold, Student Sponsorship Coordinator Chris began her professional life began as a primary school educator in Philadelphia, followed by a time as Director of Admissions at a special needs school. Following a career change, she began working in the healthcare industry performing software installation and education. She strongly advocates a single-sex educational environment, and after a 2007 trip to South Africa and Botswana, she began serving Nurturing Minds in her advisory role. Charlie Richards Following graduation from Yale Law School, Charlie taught law at what was then the University of East Africa in Dar es Salaam at the time when Tanzania was the only independent country among Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya, and the University of East Africa constituted an attempt to have a university system for the three British colonies.  After a year in Africa, Charlie returned to his home town of Delaware and became a member of, and eventually President and CEO of Richards, Layton & Finger, the largest law firm in Delaware. While there, his practice emphasized corporate law, and he was particularly active in mergers and acquisitions, both in terms of advising boards of directors and litigating such matters. He retired from the firm in 2008.  Since his return to Delaware, Charlie has made many trips to Africa, including Botswana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, South Africa and three times to Tanzania.  Charlie is married, with three grown children and five grandchildren. Laurie Marshall Laurie holds a Bachelors in Education from the University of Vermont, where she also worked in marketing and admissions. She has served on several boards, including The West Hill School and The Agnes Irwin School (all girls school in PA). Laurie is Chair of the Philadelphia Committee of The Garden Club of America and raises funds from all Philadelphia members garden clubs of The Garden club of America, along with serving as a grant reader for the organization. Laurie is closely involved in one such program: a children's garden at Bartram's Garden - America's oldest botanical garden situated in the midst of a very poor section of Philadelphia and serves as a garden learning center. Laurie looks forward to visiting Tanzania and the Sega Girls School in the future; meanwhile her energy, range of interests and networking will be helpful to the school.