Chair

Rachel Hoy Deussom, Co-Founder
rachel@efainternational.org

Rachel believes that one’s destiny should not be determined by the circumstances of his or her birth. Upon graduating with a BA in French and Business from Georgetown University, she served as a Peace Corps community health volunteer in northern Cameroon, advising a CARE International project on rural development and malaria prevention and treatment. Since Rachel first worked with members from EFA’s original HIV+ youth support group in February 2005, she has been impressed by their leadership, potential to grow, and the necessity for community of psychosocial support. She completed her M.Sc. in Global Health and Population at the Harvard School of Public Health in June 2009. Rachel’s areas of expertise include reproductive and sexual health, program management, monitoring and evaluation, and health systems analysis. Rachel and her husband currently live in Washington, DC where she works for IntraHealth International.

Vice Chair

Dana Allen-Greil
dana@efainternational.org

Dana Allen-Greil volunteers to improve and expand EFA’s online communications efforts, including management of EFA’s quarterly email newsletter, the organization’s Web site, and social media outreach.  Dana is the New Media Project Manager at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C.  Prior to joining the Smithsonian, Dana coordinated online communications and publishing efforts for the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, including the Daily HIV/AIDS Report on kaisernetwork.org.  At the Foundation, her work included innovative online campaigns targeting young people with sexual health information, including partnerships with MTV’s It’s Your Sex Life campaign and BET’s Rap It Up project.  Dana holds an M.A. in Museum Studies from The George Washington University and a B.A. in English and Women Studies from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Treasurer

Andrew Koleros, Founder
andrew@efainternational.org

Andrew works as a Technical Advisor in Monitoring and Evaluation for the National AIDS Control Commission (CNLS) of Rwanda, assisting in the implementation of the National HIV Strategic Plan, as part of the MEASURE Evaluation project. Andrew has a B.S. in Biology from Stonehill College and an M.P.H. in International Health and Development from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Andrew is an avid traveler and music lover. Andrew was inspired to start EFA International serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon. Assigned as an HIV/AIDS Technical Advisor for CARE International in Maroua, he was approached by a few HIV+ youth in February 2005. From their conversations, Andrew realized they needed a support group that addressed the needs of HIV+ youth and their futures and helped them found AJEPS. Once this youth support group was started, he immediately saw members’ spirits and confidence rise. Youth who were scared to speak at the first few meetings were soon conducting community education activities. The success of AJEPS to support and empower these youth inspired Andrew to establish EFA International in order to extend the benefits of these collaborations.

Secretary

Kathryn Dickens McKissick
kayt@efainternational.org

Kathryn’s involvement with EFA started in 2006, in a guidance role with the first youth group while she served as a Peace Corps  Information/Technology volunteer in Maroua, Cameroon.  She was smitten with West Africa and vowed to return.  In 2008, with money earned in a social enterprise business plan competition, Kathryn and a group of women in Maorua started an international social enterprise for local seamstresses.  She continues to be closely involved with several projects with Cameroonians.  Kathryn has a B.A. in International Relations from the University of California at Davis, and an M.Sc. in Public Policy & Management from Carnegie Mellon University.  She is currently working in Cape Verde.

Members-at-Large

Whitney Isenhower
whitney@efainternational.org
Whitney started working with EFA International in 2007 while serving as a Peace Corps Community Health Volunteer in Maroua, Cameroon. She provided technical assistance to the country’s regional office there, including conducting monitoring and evaluation site visits. Whitney now is a member of EFA International’s Communications Committee and coordinator of domestic and international volunteer activities. As someone striving to combat and disband stigma associated with HIV and AIDS, she believes in EFA International’s mission of helping individuals most affected by the epidemic to raise awareness of and inform about their situations, whether in their own neighborhoods or to the global community. Whitney has a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication and Political Science from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She currently works as a Communications Assistant for the USAID Health Care Improvement Project at University Research Co., LLC and volunteers as an HIV tester and counselor with the Whitman-Walker Clinic.

Jeremy Salome
jeremy@efainternational.org
Jeremy became aware of EFA International in 2008 through his wife and though EFA board alumni Erin and Michael Nilon, all of whom served in Peace Corps Cameroon. Jeremy became an immediate supporter of EFA’s mission to remove the stigma of HIV/AIDS in Cameroon and around the world. Jeremy is now a board member on the EFA International Fundraising Committee, and hopes his network and business background can bring EFA’s mission to a wider audience. Jeremy has a dual B.A. in International Relations and Economics from Boston University and lives in Cambridge, MA. He currently works for Sunrise Technologies, Inc., an IT consulting firm based in Winston-Salem, NC.

Charly Templar
charly@efainternational.org
Prior to joining EFA International, Charly worked and collaborated with Peace Corps Volunteers in Cameroon for almost 4 years, working with environmental problems, HIV/
AIDS prevention, youth and gender issues. He is currently based in Asia where he is best known for delivering messages through his music; mixed in with the funky beats
are his trademark MC messages of peace, hope and unity, providing clubbers with a more meaningful musical experience. Charly is a professional DJ and teacher rooted to the humanitarian purpose (MDGs) of assisting the under-privileged people by helping and sharing experiences while bringing opportunities to bettering lives through music. Charly is a member of EFA’s Communications Committee.