Our exceptional team is made up of a diverse group of brilliant and compassionate individuals, who serve as members on our board, advisory board and strategic partners. With several decades of combined expertise in disciplines such as psychology, academia, executive coaching, public health, fundraising and social justice, they are dedicated to driving Azania’s mission of providing migrating populations with access to trauma care, healing and essential resources for a better life.
The Board of Directors
Board Members
Essey Bedilu Yirdaw
Essey Bedilu Yirdaw is the Senior Director of Data Analytics and Health Equity at Colorado Hospital Association. She received her master’s degree from Colorado School of Public Health in 2015 in Health Systems, Management and Policy. Before coming to work at Colorado Hospital Association, Essey worked for over six years at the University of Colorado where she served in several capacities in the Department of Medicine. Most recently working as program manager for the School of Medicine. Essey is most passionate about using data to help health care providers improve patient outcomes in an equitable, quality driven manner.
Dr. Allie Taylor
Dr. Taylor brings a powerful combination of psychological understanding, academic research, and hands-on business experience to her work with business owners, family members, management teams, and their advisors. Ensuring family business leaders have the right people in the right conversations is essential for addressing the complex business environment of today's world. Allie’s experience as a family business owner and an advisor to successful owners combined with rigorous academic research allows her to help clients achieve the clarity, confidence, and control they need to achieve their goals.
Allie and her husband, Andrew have a blended family of two dogs and six kids - 5 of whom have worked or are working for one of their two family businesses.
Dr. A. Brian Leander
Dr. A. Brian Leander is a strategic diversity, equity and inclusion professional, organizational development leader and executive coach. A staunch advocate for human rights and building bridges between people, he is a dynamic speaker, and consultant. His career spans the greater part of the last twenty-five years, in the U.S. and abroad. Brian is an empathetic leader who develops strong teams and encourages collaboration. A proud supporter of the Urban League of Long Island, he serves as a member of the organization’s State of Black Long Island Council and as an associate professor and director of intercultural leadership at Berkeley School of Theology.
Joe Reed
Joe Reed has over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector both nationally and internationally. During that time he has helped start and lead several nonprofits. He is passionate about creating networks of people and organizations that lead to thriving communities. Joe is the Founder and CEO of Exponent Group, an international 501c3 focused on discipleship, spiritual care, and empowering local leaders. Joe currently lives in Boston, MA with his wife Natalie and their three amazing children: Ezra, Keziah & Malachi.
Advisory Board
Tim Lockie
Tim Lockie has been in nonprofits and tech for over 20 years. Over the last decade, he founded Now IT Matters and The Human Stack, dedicated to helping nonprofits succeed with their technology.
As a former Salesforce MVP and Partner, Salesforce.org Equality Partner, and Microsoft Partner, his experiences have shown him the impact of system deficiencies on organizations. That's why he is passionate about creating access to Digital Transformation for all nonprofits, regardless of size. In 2021, Tim developed and launched Digital Guidance®, a methodology designed to move nonprofits from tech-resistant to tech-resilient and transform the nonprofit industry into a human-centered digital space.
Josie Kalipeni
Born in Malawi, Josephine Kalipeni has seen inequities in one of the poorest countries in the world and in one of the richest. As a former social worker, she saw firsthand the systemic challenges families experienced. She has since worked in policy advocacy, organizing, campaign and strategy development, and strategic planning for two decades centering those most marginalized. As a policy and movement expert, Josie is committed to transforming systems, policies, organizations and dismantling racism and toxic cultural norms and narratives of individualism, scarcity and “the deserving.” She is a connector that catches a vision and executes it. She holds a Bachelors in Sociology and Political Science and a Masters in Social Justice and Community Development. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Family Values @ Work.
Josh Abel
Josh Abel is dedicated to the service of nonprofit organizations, his professional career involves overseeing grants administration and providing legal counsel for the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, a private foundation that awards grants to nonprofit organizations in Indianapolis and Phoenix. Prior to this, he was an attorney exclusively advising nonprofit organizations. Before that role, he served as the executive director of a nonprofit organization offering free legal services to low-income individuals. He currently serves on the boards of directors of several non-profits focused on providing individuals and families with equitable access to funding and resources.
Strategic Partner
Dr. Luc Kabongo
Luc Kabongo grew up in the DR Congo. He got his PhD in Missiology at the University of Pretoria. He is a full-time, faith based community worker, serving and living in a community of poverty, a South African township. He is a research associate at the University of Pretoria. He has authored 3 books, 5 book chapters and 23 articles in peer reviewed academic publications. He is married to Petunia and he is a father of 3 children. Azania has partnered with Luc on several projects over the years, including a recent one—providing consultancy for an organization needing evaluation and training on anti-racism.