Enawgaw Mehari, MD

Dr. Enawgaw Mehari has a distinguished leadership reputation in healthcare, most notably as the founder and president of People to People Inc., (Ethiopian Diaspora Healthcare Professionals Association) which was established about two decades ago to address the AIDS epidemic in Ethiopia. Under his leadership, P2P is now showcasing over 10,000 members and is the leading adviser to the current COVID-19 pandemic guiding the Ethiopian Government's response. He is also the chair of the High-Level Advisory Team that is assembled by Ethiopia's Ambassador to the US. He oversees the fundraising and knowledge transfer from the Diaspora community helping raise over one million USD in about six weeks.

Dr. Mehari is an internationally recognized expert in neurology, pain management, and Neuro- AIDs. He has been a frequent speaker at international conferences, published articles, authored chapters in books, and has worked among the authors of the Ethiopian medical history manual and Triangular Partnership and the Power of the Diaspora. He earned his medical degree from Commenuis University in Czechoslovakia, and completed his neurology residence at University of Kentucky and completed his fellowship in pain management and neurophysiology at Case Western University in Cleveland.

Dr. Mehari also completed a fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis in Neuro-AIDS. In 2006, Dr. Mehari won a distinguished service award from the Society of Ethiopians Established in the Diaspora (SEED), and in 2007 was nominated as a CNN Hero. In addition, he was awarded a Humanitarian Award by the Black Hall of Fame, as well as the 2010 Patient Advocate award by the American Academy of Neurology.

Tigist Ruga

Tigist Ruga is a Senior Project Analyst with over 15 years of experience in government contracting. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science and has led several small, large and complex projects meeting project deliverables on time and on budget. Tigist has a passion for adapting and developing industry best practices and believes that personal and professional growth never end and should continue to evolve. She is a team player and a consensus builder and has led several teams in project management and organizational growth. Furthermore, Tigist is very much involved in community based initiatives and has played an instrumental role in the establishment of Young Ethiopian Professionals (YEP), a Washington DC based Ethiopian Professionals Association that mentors and encourages Ethiopian Youth to aspire. YEP members serve as mentors and volunteers for several youth focused initiatives.

Tafere Melaku, PHD

Dr. Melaku is the current president of Debre Markos University. Debre Markos University is one of the two largest universities in the Amhara region. He started his career as a high school teacher and rose through the ranks with his admirable work ethics and leadership development. He took the helm of Debre Markos University in 2010 and the university has enjoyed unparallel growth during his tenure. The university that started out in 2007 with 760 regular students in the Education Faculty has grown to a student population of over 30,000 and has increased the depth and breadth of its programs. Dr. Melaku has brought in several strategic partners including international donors focused on education to help Debre Markos university increase and expand its program offerings.

Martha Tesfaye

Martha (Marti) currently serves as Chief of Staff to Reading Partners and has nearly a decade of experience in nonprofit education leadership. Prior to becoming Reading Partners' interim chief of staff, Marti served on the Reading Partners national development team as the national director of major gifts. Marti started her career as a family law attorney and later pivoted to nonprofit fundraising. She has served as a fundraiser at organizations including Teach For America, Center for Inspired Teaching, and Charter Board Partners. Marti holds a bachelor's degree from Columbia University, a Juris Doctorate from Howard University School of Law, and a Certificate of Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University. In her spare time, Marti serves on the boards of oneTilt and Teach For Ethiopia, enjoys traveling whenever she can, and loves exploring new restaurants. Marti lives in the Washington, DC Metro area with her husband and three young children.

Andreas Martin

Andreas Martin was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia from 1965 to 1968. He taught for two years at Medhane Alem Secondary School, in Harar and administered the night extension classes of what was then called Haile Selassie I University. He spent his third year in Addis Ababa, producing educational programs for Ethiopian Schools Television, which had just begun broadcasting. After he returned to the U.S., he received a Master of Education degree from Columbia University in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and went on to become a teacher, supervisor, and teacher trainer in the greater New York City area. He returned to Africa for six months, to teach English in Algeria. Upon his return, he authored three English learning textbooks and eventually found employment in the textbook publishing industry where he worked for a number of English language teaching publishers, including both Oxford and Cambridge University Press, in sales, marketing and editorial. He retired in 2010 but continues to do consulting as well as managing several Facebook pages targeted at English language teachers around the world. Since February 2020, he has been working with the Tenacity Ethiopia project, to provide educational and technological enhancements to rural schools in Ethiopia.