Orphans to Ambassadors is a 100% volunteer based, Non-Profit Organization.  Thanks to over 200 dedicated volunteers and a passionate board of directors, we reached our 2010 Fundraising Goal of $40,000.  Our volunteers helped raise money, spread the word, and coordinate projects around the world.  See Appalachian State University’s recent article on us. - Jake Gentry, Founder

Board of Directors

Orphans to Ambassadors Board of Directors are committed to the organization’s mission of helping marginalized children in refugee affected areas worldwide.  Each of our board members has pledged a commitment to the organization and is dedicated to protecting the best interests of our students and their futures.

Jake Gentry

Jake attended Appalachian State University and earned a Bachelors and Masters degree in Geography in 2009. He completed his thesis titled “Refugee  Impacts on Host Communities in Western Tanzania” which allowed him the opportunity to visit Kibondo, Tanzania for field research.  His thesis allowed  him to develop a relationship with the street kids and community leaders in Kibondo.  After seeing the area with his own eyes he developed a sincere  passion to do what he could to help these children gain the skills and education necessary to become contributing members of society.  As a Western  Youth Network Mentor, Jake developed a great friendship with his mentee Jesse Fletcher and felt confident in taking his volunteer work to the next level  with the support of family and friends.

In March of 2009 Jake started his career with FEMA in Seattle, WA as a Hazard Mitigation Risk Analyst and was immediately deployed to Anchorage, Alaska.  He currently works full time in Seattle, Washington and spends the majority of his free time developing Orphans to Ambassadors and exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Suzanne Fossum

Suzanne graduate from Appalachian State University with a Bachelors in Psychology.   She started her career as a Behavior Specialist at Smart Start in Wilkesboro, NC.   She then served for one year before traveling to Africa to assist in a research project in Kibondo, Tanzania.  She  traveled with fellow director Jake Gentry to work on his thesis “Refugee Impacts on Host Communities in Western Tanzania.” Suzanne spent 6 weeks in the field developing a great appreciation for the way of life in Kibondo and has partnered with Jake Gentry to help establish Orphans to Ambassadors as the first organization that implements Sustainable Orphanages in Refugee Affected Areas.  She is currently enrolled in Mental Health Counseling Masters program at Antioch University in Seattle.

Heather Wieker

Heather is a native of Washington State and currently resides in Des Moines, Washington with her husband Brian.  She became involved with O2A after Jake and Suzanne returned from Africa and she witnessed their passion to make a difference for the children that touched their lives.

Heather has spent 23 years working for a non-profit labor organization and currently holds the position of International Auditor for the Teamsters Union, performing financial and procedural audits in local unions throughout the United States and Canada.  During her career with the Teamsters she has organized countless charitable fundraisers.  She graduated in 1985 from Central Washington University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration.

Jacob Hanks

Jacob Hanks is a long-time friend of O2A Founder Jake Gentry and holds a BA in Organizational Communication from UNC Charlotte.  Jacob began volunteering as a dedicated fundraiser for the organization in April 2010 and since has formed a Development Team in Charlotte, NC to help further develop Orphans to Ambassadors.  He loves the outdoors and serving youth locally and overseas.  Jacob works in Charlotte coordinating two after-school tutoring and art programs where he has helped create a garden to teach basic sustainability practices.  He hopes to create other hands-on awareness building opportunities for inner-city youth.  In June 2011 Jacob coordinated the Nazareti orphanage project in Ngara, Tanzania with the help of the Charlotte Development Team and Vice President Suzanne Fossum.  In December 2011 he coordinated our first bio-sand water filter project in Embu, Kenya and now serves the volunteer role of O2A’s International Projects Manager.

Angela McMann

Angela McMann is a Mentoring Program Director at the Western Youth Network, where oversees their mentoring program, AmeriCorps Promise Fellows, and several branches of the mentoring program in neighboring counties.  Angela manages a network that provides positive role models for “at-risk” youth in her community and boasts one of the largest programs of this kind in the state of North Carolina.   She has worked for the agency for five years and was an After School Site Director and Program Assistant before being promoted to the Mentoring Program Director position in 2006.  She has spent her professional career working with “at risk” youth as direct service community support, respite worker, and now in the non-profit sector.  Angela is a member of the NC School Counseling Association.   She has a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Humboldt State University (Arcata, Ca); and is working towards a M.A. in Professional School Counseling at Appalachian State University.

Tom Burt

Tom and his family are residents of Bainbridge Island, Washington.   Tom has served on the Boards of several charitable organizations, including environmental and arts-related non-profits.  Tom is a friend of Jake Gentry and uncle of Suzanne Fossum who became interested in O2A after hearing about their experiences in East Africa and the challenges faced by orphan children there.  He has practiced law for 30 years, the last 14 at Microsoft Corporation, where he is a Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Strategic Litigation.

Organizers

Josh Griffin

Josh is a Spanish Instructor and Global Education advocate at a Charlotte area community college.  He is passionate about the importance of international travel and service.  Currently, Josh is working on his thesis on the benefits of Web 2.0 technologies for teaching language and culture.  He’s also an avid baseball and soccer fan.

Nathan Hanks

Another long-time friend from Wilkesboro, Nathan now works in Charlotte managing the O2A website and developing volunteering events with his brother Jacob.  He graduated from ASU in 2008 with a BA in Literature, began working in Japan as an English teacher and now works with young children again at a ‘toddler gym’.  Nathan is also a writer and keeps a science blog at CuriouserDaily.

Lisa Redman

Lisa Redman works for the Center for Entrepreneurship at Appalachian State University where she promotes entrepreneurship education and opportunities to residents of northwestern North Carolina. She has professional experience in grant writing, fundraising, group facilitation, grassroots advocacy, community outreach, and nonprofit management. She was Development Director for a Community Action Agency in northwestern North Carolina for three years, where she helped secure over $500,000 in grant funds for programs and general operations. Her academic experience includes research in human-environment systems, environmental planning, energy conservation in rural communities and for minority populations, environmental stewardship, and bottom-up approaches to leadership and community development. She holds a BS in Community and Regional Planning with a concentration in Environmental Planning and is currently pursuing her MA in Geography from Appalachian State University. Lisa enjoys spending time with her two sons, playing outdoors, exploring the world, and helping those in need.