The UUOEF Board of Directors is comprised of volunteers, one located in Uganda, another in Hong Kong and the rest in US. A spirit of commitment, caring and teamwork has enabled the organization to utilize more than 95 percent of the donations it receives directly on spending to educate deserving orphaned children in Uganda.
 | Barbara Kamya is president and a founding member of the UUOEF. Barbara is retired from a career in IT. Over the last 35 years she has been a board member of several social service, interfaith, health advisory boards, and anti-racism organizations in both Massachusetts and North Carolina. more |
 | Michelle Conrey became a Board Member of the US-Uganda Orphans Education Fund in March of 2015. She is the Managing Director for Impact Africa Capital Partners, a firm founded to make positive health, social, economic or environmental impact in East Africa through for-profit investments in debt, private equity and |
 | Darshan Dave joined the UUOE board in 2015. Darshan currently works at Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp) as a Senior Financial Analyst, providing financial planning visibility and advising senior leadership on global IT projects. Prior to LabCorp, Darshan worked in Asset Management at |
 | Joel Kamya is a co-founding member of US-Uganda Orphans Education Fund. He is a retired Vice President of the former Progress Energy which is now part of Duke Energy. He was the company executive responsible for engineering and construction of all major non-nuclear generating facilities in the southeast. |
 | Darlene has fond childhood memories of living in Kampala, Uganda for a short time with her father and brother and was fortunate enough to attend school with no concern about payment of tuition and books. As an adult, she realized that the free K-12 public education she received in the United States was a privilege that many children in Uganda |
 | Laura Setliff Whittaker, along with her husband Don, joined the US Uganda Orphans Educational Fund (UUOEF) board in 2016. Laura brings to the board many years of experience in health, education, and management, both nationally and internationally. Her academic experience includes undergraduate and graduate degrees in |
 | Ziyi Zheng joined in Board of the UUOEF in March of 2017. He works as a financial analyst at Lenovo in its worldwide financial planning team. Ziyi has working experiences in Beijing, Raleigh, and Hong Kong, and likes to travel a lot. During his free time, Ziyi enjoys reading memoirs and exploring local restaurants. |
 | Don Whittaker joined the UUOEF Board in 2016, along with his wife, Laura. Don is currently the Program Manager of the Quality Management division of Washington, DC’s Office of the Inspector General. Prior to that, Don served as the Director of Workforce Development for North Carolina’s Wake and Johnston |
 | Sid Gandra joined the UUOEF board in the summer of 2019. Sid currently works at IQVIA as a Clinical Planning Analyst, where he creates and analyzes multiple site list reports to help determine ideal clinical trial sites. Previously at IQVIA, he was a Clinical Research Associate where he provided site management. |
 | John Adams became a Board Member of the US-Uganda Orphans Education Fund in February of 2019. He is the Vice President of the Precision Coatings business at Ahlstrom-Munksjo, a division that develops and manufactures high performance release liner solutions for use in aerospace, medical, automotive, industrial, and more consumer applications. Previous roles included Senior Vice President of the Growth Practice at Lean Focus, LLC; Senior Vice President and Managing Director at Transcontinental Advanced Coatings, a business unit of TC Transcontinental; Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing in Danaher Corporation’s Sensors & Controls platform; and roles of increasing responsibility at Teradyne Corporation, including General Manager of the Test Cell Solutions Business Unit. He spent three years as an ex-patriot in Taipei, Taiwan, building teams and organizational capability in Taiwan, Korea, and Singapore to support global growth initiatives. John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Master of Science in Manufacturing Engineering and Master of Business Administration degrees from Boston University |
 | Kevin Fitzcharles has spent over 25 years living and working in international development issues overseas, including four years as Country Director of CARE International in Uganda. In Uganda he oversaw a program supporting internally displaced people in Northern Uganda, and other programs focusing on health, orphans and more vulnerable children, agriculture, education, and local savings and loan groups. He has also lived and worked to support poor and vulnerable groups and victims of natural and man-made disasters in Mozambique, Egypt, Jordan, Kosovo, and Bangladesh. He is now retired and lives with his wife in North Carolina. |
 | Chyna N. Crawford is an associate professor of Criminal Justice and Chairperson of the Department of Social Sciences at Elizabeth City State University. Chyna was born and raised in Charlottesville, Virginia. Chyna’s academic research interests lie in the areas of Media and Crime, Juvenile Justice, Victimology, Women and Minorities. more Chyna teaches in the areas of Research Methods in Criminal Justice, Juvenile Justice and Delinquency, Homeland Security, and Sociology of Race, Crime, and Deviance. Outside of academia, Chyna can be found engaging in genealogical research and enjoying the hobby of photography. Chyna is also an avid football fan — How ‘Bout Them Cowboys! She received her B.S. as a double major in Criminology and Psychology from Longwood University and an MA in Forensic Psychology from Marymount University. In 2016 she was the first in her family to earn a doctoral degree. She holds a Ph.D. in Juvenile Justice from Prairie View A & M University. |
Barbara Kamya is president and a founding member of the UUOEF. Barbara is retired from a career in IT. Over the last 35 years she has been a board member of several social service, interfaith, health advisory boards, and anti-racism organizations in both Massachusetts and North Carolina.moreBarbara has extensive association and non-profit experience including as former president and co-founder of The Sickle Cell association of Massachusetts. Barbara was also a former president of the Wake County ACLU in North Carolina. She served as treasurer of Bridges Sickle Cell Foundation in Durham, North Carolina.
Michelle Conrey became a Board Member of the US-Uganda Orphans Education Fund in March of 2015. She is the Managing Director for Impact Africa Capital Partners, a firm founded to make positive health, social, economic or environmental impact in East Africa through for-profit investments in debt, private equity andmoreother private investment vehicles.
Previous roles include Global Mergers and Acquisitions Lead at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company where she executed transaction totaling in excess of $10 Billion USD, Oncology Portfolio and Asset Strategy at Bristol Myers Squibb, Director of Corporate Development for a privately held biotech, NexGenix Pharmaceuticals, Management Consulting in corporate finance, M&A and business development, and Manager of Investor Relations for publicly traded biotech company, Adherex Technologies.
Michelle is also currently a Board Member for the American Chamber of Commerce in Uganda. Michelle holds a bachelor of Science in Biology from Canada’s Carleton University, and her Masters in Business Administration from Duke University’s Global Executive Program, and has completed the Canadian Securities Course with honors.
Darshan Dave joined the UUOE board in 2015. Darshan currently works at Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp) as a Senior Financial Analyst, providing financial planning visibility and advising senior leadership on global IT projects. Prior to LabCorp, Darshan worked in Asset Management atmoreInternational Business Machines (IBM) Corporation, helping IBM clients achieve positive outcomes with regards to their IT and software licensing strategies to optimize results, reduce overall IT spend, and efficiently hedge financial and legal risk, while simultaneously delivering first-class service.
Prior to IBM, Darshan has held various positions at: 7 Mile Advisors – a global mergers & acquisitions (M&A) firm focused on assisting firms that leverage IT across various industries and verticals; Shelton Leadership Center – a leadership center that strategizes to promote the development of values-based leaders locally, at various universities, at the state and national levels, and globally; and Tire Intelligence – a one of a kind firm that leverages expertise in both technology and tire industries to offer compelling business services to industry professionals that significantly improves their competitiveness in the market.
Darshan holds a post-graduate certificate from Harvard University, as well as a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Finance and IT from North Carolina State University – Poole College of Management.
Joel Kamya is a co-founding member of US-Uganda Orphans Education Fund. He is a retired Vice President of the former Progress Energy which is now part of Duke Energy. He was the company executive responsible for engineering and construction of all major non-nuclear generating facilities in the southeast.more
Mr. Kamya was a co-founder of the Massachusetts Sickle Cell Association. He served on boards of several no-profit organizations in Massachusetts. He also was member of several power industry professional associations. He currently serves on the board of Hope Charter Leadership Academy, Raleigh North Carolina.
Darlene has fond childhood memories of living in Kampala, Uganda for a short time with her father and brother and was fortunate enough to attend school with no concern about payment of tuition and books.
As an adult, she realized that the free K-12 public education she received in the United States was a privilege that many children in Ugandamoreare never afforded due to circumstances beyond their control (e.g. lack of free public education, deceased parents, limited or no financial resources).
Darlene considers herself a life-long learner and notes that the poignant Nelson Mandela quote “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” is one that resonates with her. She desires to make a positive contribution in both her local and global communities.
Darlene is currently a UUOEF Board Member and has previously held the position of Treasurer.
Laura Setliff Whittaker, along with her husband Don, joined the US Uganda Orphans Educational Fund (UUOEF) board in 2016. Laura brings to the board many years of experience in health, education, and management, both nationally and internationally. Her academic experience includes undergraduate and graduate degrees inmorenursing from Virginia Commonwealth University, a Master’s in Public Health from The Johns Hopkins University, and a Clinical Doctorate (DNP) in nursing from Yale University.
Laura recently completed a fellowship in school health at the CDC in Atlanta. Her professional experiences allow her to understand the strong link between education and health. Her employment with the Baltimore City Health Department, holding various international roles within the Peace Corps, and serving on the board of directors of several community organizations have helped Laura develop a keen understanding of the opportunities and challenges faced by organizations whose mission is to provide assistance within the global village while striving to make a positive impact.
Laura is honored to serve on the board and is excited to support the mission of the UUOEF in developing partnerships and providing educational scholarships for children in Uganda.
Ziyi Zheng joined in Board of the UUOEF in March of 2017. He works as a financial analyst at Lenovo in its worldwide financial planning team. Ziyi has working experiences in Beijing, Raleigh, and Hong Kong, and likes to travel a lot. During his free time, Ziyi enjoys reading memoirs and exploring local restaurants.more
Ziyi was born and raised in Shanghai, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from University of Southern California.
Don Whittaker joined the UUOEF Board in 2016, along with his wife, Laura. Don is currently the Program Manager of the Quality Management division of Washington, DC’s Office of the Inspector General. Prior to that, Don served as the Director of Workforce Development for North Carolina’s Wake and JohnstonmoreCounty’s Workforce centers, overseeing numerous programs and activities designed to help disadvantaged and unemployed individuals find gainful employment.
Don previously lived in the DC area for over ten years while being employed with the American Petroleum Institute, serving in the capacity of Manager of the Quality and Certification Programs within API’s Global Industry Services Division, overseeing the licensing and certification of companies to API specifications and standards used throughout the world. Mr. Whittaker also managed API’s Corporate Affairs Department, overseeing activities in the areas of Accounting, Finance, and Risk Control policy.
Don has over 25 years of quality management, business development, certification and standards development experience. He holds an MBA from Averett University in Virginia as well as a BS in Economics and Sociology from Virginia Tech. As a native of Virginia, Don is actively involved in outdoor activates such as jogging, hiking, and motorcycle riding, and enjoys travel throughout the world with his wife, Laura.
Sid Gandra joined the UUOEF board in the summer of 2019. Sid currently works at IQVIA as a Clinical Planning Analyst, where he creates and analyzes multiple site list reports to help determine ideal clinical trial sites. Previously at IQVIA, he was a Clinical Research Associate where he provided site management.moreOutside of work, Sid has held many leadership positions. As of today, he is the current treasurer and past president of RTP PowerSpeakers Toastmasters, an organization aimed to improve public speaking and leadership skills. He also founded and oversaw Don’t Tell Me to “Slow Down” 5K, the first 5K in North Carolina to raise awareness for Stuttering.
Sid holds a post-graduate certificate from Harvard Business School, as well as double degrees from North Carolina State University in the area of Polymer & Color Chemistry- Medical science and Biochemistry.
John Adams became a Board Member of the US-Uganda Orphans Education Fund in February of 2019. He is the Vice President of the Precision Coatings business at Ahlstrom-Munksjo, a division that develops and manufactures high performance release liner solutions for use in aerospace, medical, automotive, industrial, andmoreconsumer applications. Previous roles included Senior Vice President of the Growth Practice at Lean Focus, LLC; Senior Vice President and Managing Director at Transcontinental Advanced Coatings, a business unit of TC Transcontinental; Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing in Danaher Corporation’s Sensors & Controls platform; and roles of increasing responsibility at Teradyne Corporation, including General Manager of the Test Cell Solutions Business Unit. He spent three years as an ex-patriot in Taipei, Taiwan, building teams and organizational capability in Taiwan, Korea, and Singapore to support global growth initiatives.
John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Master of Science in Manufacturing Engineering and Master of Business Administration degrees from Boston University
Kevin Fitzcharles has spent over 25 years living and working in international development issues overseas, including four years as Country Director of CARE International in Uganda. In Uganda he oversaw a program supporting internally displaced people in Northern Uganda, and other programs focusing on health, orphans andmorevulnerable children, agriculture, education, and local savings and loan groups. He has also lived and worked to support poor and vulnerable groups and victims of natural and man-made disasters in Mozambique, Egypt, Jordan, Kosovo, and Bangladesh. He is now retired and lives with his wife in North Carolina.
Chyna N. Crawford is an associate professor of Criminal Justice and Chairperson of the Department of Social Sciences at Elizabeth City State University. Chyna was born and raised in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Chyna’s academic research interests lie in the areas of Media and Crime, Juvenile Justice, Victimology, Women and Minorities.moreChyna teaches in the areas of Research Methods in Criminal Justice, Juvenile Justice and Delinquency, Homeland Security, and Sociology of Race, Crime, and Deviance. Outside of academia, Chyna can be found engaging in genealogical research and enjoying the hobby of photography. Chyna is also an avid football fan -- How ‘Bout Them Cowboys!
She received her B.S. as a double major in Criminology and Psychology from Longwood University and an MA in Forensic Psychology from Marymount University. In 2016 she was the first in her family to earn a doctoral degree. She holds a Ph.D. in Juvenile Justice from Prairie View A & M University.