RWANDA - GIRLS INITIATIVE

 

Soozi's background is in psychology, working as the liaison for Costco Wholesale, with the non-profit Communities in Schools program and currently serves as an advisor to the Sinegal Family Foundation.  She is focused on the success of RGI and warmly engages people in the project to share the vision.  She is confident the project will have a lasting impact on those directly and indirectly involved with RGI.  Soozi has a BA in Sociology from the University of Washington and a MA in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University in Los Angeles, CA.  She lives in Seattle, WA with her husband and three children.

 

Shal worked in the finance industry and currently serves as a Trustee for The Foster Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the Pacific Northwest.  She is a numbers person with a keen sense of detail, combined with compassion and the ability to always remain inspired and focused to make a difference in the lives of girls.  Shal has a BA in Economics from the University of Washington, lives in Seattle, WA where she and her husband are raising their four children.

 

Linda graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in English literature with a writing emphasis.  She spent 4 years with Microsoft in the Redmond and Paris offices where she was in event management for the systems and developer divisions.  Linda is an emeritus trustee for the  Guild Association Board of Seattle Children’s Hospital and is the founder of both the Phil Smart Sr. Guild and We Believe Guild for Seattle Children’s.  She currently serves on the board of trustees for St. Thomas School in Medina, WA.   Linda also spent a number of years volunteering for the Make A Wish Foundation as a member of their speaker bureau and a wish granter.  Linda has structured her passion for volunteering and philanthropy around the belief that no child should be without superior medical care, education, nourishment  and a little bit of magic.  She and her husband are raising their three children in Seattle, WA.

 

Rita has a PhD in Public Health with an emphasis on maternal and child health in developing countries from UCLA. She completed her internship and doctoral work in Kenya. Rita passionately believes education, particularly the education of women and girls, is one of the most powerful tools in alleviating poverty. She serves on the board of Mona Foundation where she focuses on grassroots educational initiatives.  She lives in Seattle, WA with her husband and three children.

 

Darcy Hollie

 

Darcy has long had a passion for children’s and women’s issues and believes education is the best conduit for assisting in their empowerment.  She volunteers as a Certified Mediator, focusing in the area of parenting and family issues. She has held Board positions with Assistance League of the Eastside, founding member of the We Believe Guild for Seattle Children’s, member of Washington Women’s Foundation and The World Affairs Council. She has held marketing and sales positions with Microsoft Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Corporation and British Telecom Plc.    Darcy holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Oregon and resides in the Seattle area with her husband and two children.

 

Kimberly Mecham

Kimberly is the Director of Information and Communication Technology at St. Thomas School, a leading P-8 P-8 independent school in the Seattle area.  Prior to joining the world of education, Kimberly was a Senior IT Product Manager at Microsoft, where she worked on leading edge and award winning software solutions for Human Resources.  She is a co-founder and past-president of the We Believe Guild, a top 10 Seattle Children's Hospital guild supporting Uncompensated Care.  Kimberly has a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of the Pacific, and a certificate in Product Management from the University of Washington.   Her husband Mark, and she have 3 children and live in the Seattle area.