An interview with Bernadette and William from My Own Voice Choir at the AMF 2018 Gala

Founder and Executive Director of African Bridge Network (ABN) and the ADEA Initiative (African Diaspora Engaging Africa). His life purpose to help develop the potential of the African Diaspora. The African Bridge Network (ABN) is a grassroots effort currently working in Massachusetts to create an enabling environment for the African immigrants in Massachusetts to leverage their qualifications and experiences to maximize their potentials in the US market and to help them support communities in their countries of origin. Emmanuel is an experienced Urban, Environmental and Policy Planner with more than ten years grant program management experience in urban housing, land use, land conservation, urban tree planting and community development.

Emmanuel is married with two girls and lives in Newton, Massachusetts. 

Nana is an experienced professional with a unique blend of HR, Law and Security with cross functional experience in multinationals, start-ups and consulting practice. He is passionate about making a difference in people’s lives, particularly the underprivileged and disadvantaged in society. He has a keen interest in providing support for children who are neurodiverse and aged people with Alzheimer’s.

Professionally, Nana has been focusing on human behavior risk in security and working to shape organizational cultures that emphasize the human element in security. Currently he is responsible for Knowledge Protection and security culture at ASML. Essentially to enable employees become more security conscious and thereby, reducing risk of information security breaches. Before transitioning into the security space in 2013, Nana worked in Human Resources spanning a period of thirteen years, in various capacities from consulting practice to group and regional roles in global multinationals in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe. He holds a Master of Business Administration in Human Resource Management, Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Arts in Economics/Geography, Pg Diploma and is a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Gallup Strengths Coach and MBTI Coach.

Ms. Ruff is the Operational Vice President at Seven Hills Rhode Island, an affiliate of Seven Hills Foundation, and has worked at this organization in a variety of programs since 2006. Seven Hills Rhode Island is a comprehensive health and human services organization supporting more than 1,000 residents throughout the state. Seven Hills has more than 60 years of experience providing a wide range of supports for infants, children and their families, adults, and seniors with various disabilities and life challenges.

Ms. Ruff has her master’s degree in psychology from Grand Canyon University and is currently working toward her Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership at this same institution.

Ms. Ruff serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors at YWCA Rhode Island and serves on the Burrillville Juvenile Hearing Board in Burrillville Rhode Island. 

Ms. Ruff has committed herself both personally and professionally to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as advocating to generate policy and legislative change to improve access to care and inclusive opportunities across the disability community. 

Ms. Ruff is a mom of two children and lives at home with her husband and children in Pascoag, Rhode Island where she has resided for the last eight years.

Natasha currently serves as the AMF Program Coordinator. She comes to AMF with several years of experience in program administration and evaluation, after completing her B.A. in International relations and minor in Public Health from Boston University in 2017. She hopes to use her training in public health and her work experiences to help increase awareness and resources available to those with autism. 

Kojo Idun is the Managing Principal of Costrak Consulting LLC and has over 23 years’ experience as a top-notch seasoned cost planner in the construction industry. He has worked in most of the major sectors in the construction industry including Residential, Commercial, Leisure, Cultural, Education, Healthcare and Master Plan Infrastructure for both private and public clients.

Prior to founding his own firm, Kojo was the project quantity surveyor with Taysec Construction Limited a subsidiary of Taylor Woodrow Construction in the U.K and as the lead cost estimator for Lend Lease in New York and Davis Langdon An AECOM Company. Kojo is a Member of Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) and a Certified Construction Manager (CCM)

He manages construction costs which range from thousands of dollars to over a billion dollars from concept design till final design completion for various sectors in the construction industry.

Kojo is dependable and a team player and very passionate about mentoring young people to take up leadership roles to make the world a better place for the future. Currently, Kojo serves as the executive secretary for the Ghanaian Engineers Association of America and the Vice Chairman of the Board of Education for the Van Ripper Ellis Christian School in Fair Lawn in New Jersey.

Kojo holds a bachelor’s degree in building technology from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and a master’s degree in construction management from Steven’s Institute of Technology.

Kojo Addae-Mensah is the Group CEO of Databank. He has 20 years of combined experience in commercial and investment banking. He started his career at Databank in 1998 and then proceeded to work at Standard Chartered, Barclays and finally GCB Bank, before returning to Databank in 2014. Outside of work, he has three passions: his son, football and education. He is a Director of the Changing Lives Endowment Fund, which has been supporting bright and needy children for the past 11 years. In 2017, he also started a similar project on a personal level in his hometown of Abetifi to improve JHS results. He is a national TV pundit on football and finance. Kojo is motivated by his desire for excellence and positive results, which is reflected in every task that he completes, both inside and outside of the office, and in the people that he surrounds himself with.

She is also a certified special education teacher. Alison received a Master’s Degree in Intensive Needs with a concentration in Autism Studies and a Bachelor’s Degree in Moderate Disabilities (PreK-8) and Psychology. She has experience as a classroom teacher for children with multiple disabilities and currently works with private clients in the city. Her primary focus is on early intervention and technology integration to break down communication barriers and bridge gaps between learners. 

Alison has a strong passion for working with children and families affected by autism and thrives off of making a difference in lives of others and helping people realize that the possibilities are endless when we work towards each individual’s success and acknowledge their unique learning style.

 Alison enjoys participating in endurance sports events to raise awareness and funds for the foundation. She is honored to represent the Alexis Miranda Foundation and looks forward to being an integral part of all that is to come.

Lisa A. Borges is CEO and Founder of Anchor Foundation Consulting, LLC, helping foundations fulfill their dreams and achieve long term sustainability.  She recently served as Interim Executive Director for the Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer Care and also consults with other nonprofit foundations in the Boston area.

Prior to Anchor Foundation Consulting, Lisa served as Executive Director of the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for over eighteen years where she was responsible for the overall leadership and strategic development of the organization.  In her role, Lisa successfully raised over $25 million dollars to support individuals with autism, launched a social enterprise to employ adults with autism, managed multiple grant programs and led the Foundation through several strategic plans and a rebranding process.  

Lisa serves on the board of several nonprofits in a leadership capacity and has been a guest speaker or presenter for multiple conferences, workshops and college level courses. Lisa earned a JD from New England School of Law and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Clark University. Lisa also founded the Celebrity & Athlete Foundation Forum in Boston to build a network and share best practices in this specialized charitable community.

Cassidy Chapman is the Office Administrator and Social Media Strategist. She is currently a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst working on her Bachelor of Science Degree in Neuroscience. Cassidy’s passion about working for the autism community stems from her love and respect for her brother CJ, who was diagnosed with Autism in 2001.

Cassidy has used her personal experience and capabilities to work with individuals with autism in the classroom, in the community, and in their homes. She feels that it is her privilege and responsibility to give back to the autism community because so many are in need of support and she has the ability to help.

Isaac Osae-Brown earned his Masters’ degree in Special Education with an emphasis on Moderate/Severe disabilities at the California State University, Dominguez – Hills. He also received his level II Education Specialist Clear Credential (Moderate/Severe disabilities) and Administrative Service Credential from the California State University to manage public schools and provide instruction to all students with multiple disabilities, including autism in the United States. Isaac has taught in urban Special education classrooms for over ten years and had also served as a graphic design and publication consultant for the United Nations office in Lagos, Nigeria.

Isaac also holds a Masters degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan and a bachelor of Fine Arts (Graphic Design) from the University of Ife in Nigeria. He is certified by the U.S. Board of Education and is authorized to provide instructional services to all students with disabilities and to lead in public school administration. He is a member of the National Education Association (NEA), California Teachers Association (CTA), and Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).

Currently, Isaac works with the Los Angeles public school system as an Education Specialist and beginning teacher mentor in Compton, California and a columnist on the education page for the Business Day newspaper in Lagos, Nigeria. He is an advocate and speaker for Special education services in the United States and abroad. He can be reached to provide public speaking engagements and professional developments in Special Education.

Chris is currently part of the asset allocation management team for one of the largest global asset managers. Previously he was head of Portfolio Management-Americas within the Investment Solutions Group at State Street Global Advisors (2010-2014). Prior to joining State Street Global Advisors, he held a number of different roles at Fidelity Investments and Pyramis Global Advisors, a Fidelity company, beginning in 1997. Prior to that he was a CPA with Kaplan Moran & Digennaro in the public accounting field (1995-1997). Chris earned his BA with a concentration in accounting and his MBA with a concentration in finance from Bryant University where he is now also an adjunct professor of finance. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, the Chartered Alternatives Investment Analyst designation, and he is also a CPA. In addition he is the patent inventor of the financial ratio called “Legacy Risk.”

Kwasi Dadzie-Yeboah is a Senior Investment Professional with 15 plus years experience in the Investment Management industry. His most current role is Quantitative Equity Research Analyst at Fidelity Management and Research Company. Prior to joining Fidelity, he worked as a Project Manager / Quantity Surveyor for Property Services Consultancy in the UK, a multi disciplinary construction consulting company. He was responsible for providing strategic advice to real estate and property developers. Mr. Dadzie-Yeboah received his undergraduate degree from University of Science and Technology, Ghana and his Masters of Science degree in Investment Analysis from University of Stirling, in the UK.

Kwasi believes in giving back to his community and helping mold the minds of our youth into responsible members of the society. He has participated in various volunteer activities through his employer.

Lynn Dadzie-Yeboah is Founder and President of Alexis Miranda Foundation. Lynn is a mother of a daughter on the Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has been advocating for her child and other children. She  has over 15 years experience in investment management. Her most recent role was Assistant Vice President and Portfolio Manager at US Trust Bank of America Global Wealth and Investment Management. Prior to that, she held numerous roles at Fidelity Investments with her last position being Legal Product Manager. Lynn graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in Economics and French.

Lynn has been involved in various philanthropic and volunteer projects. She sits on the Advisory Board of a number of organizations as well as a number of Fundraising committees. Lynn worked with the University of Texas to raise funds from Alumni to support the school. She also worked for the Arlington, Texas Mayor’s campaign and tele-fund. At Fidelity and Bank of America, she participated in Habitat for Humanity projects. Lynn was a Mentor for Junior Achievement and enjoyed teaching 6th graders about the Stock Market. She believes in giving back to our communities and teaching our young ones to do the same.

Esinam Dzameshie is the Development and Operations Manager. She has experience in the banking industry where she was a Customer Service Representative with Databank Group and Stanbic Bank Ghana. She graduated from The University of Ghana, Legon with a degree in Information Studies and Sociology.

Esinam has been actively involved each year in a summer school program for children as a volunteer. She also has a passion for making a difference in society.