We are privileged to have strong leadership from our Board of Directors in Uganda and the United States. Our Uganda Board provides guidance on local governance, community priorities, and organization strategy while our U.S. Board serves as strong advocates for The SOUP through fundraising, community building, and expert consultation. We are proud to have such a dedicated and esteemed group of people working for the betterment of Nabikabala Village and Uganda at large.
Uganda Board of Directors
Sarah Olumbe
Rural-Agro Processors and Trainers Association (RAPTA)
Esau Kyankone
Compassion International Kiringa Child Development Center
Can. George Mpande
Teacher
Dr. Humphrey E. Gusango
Director of Education
Reverend Wilson Kaidhigha
Nsoola Parish Namutumba
Dr. Joshua Gukiina
Lecturer
Makerere University Business School
Robina Nabwire
Accountant
Dr. Mirionsi Wamukolo
Retired General Surgeon
Michael Kaidhiwa (Ex-officio Member)
Acting Executive Director
The African SOUP
Board of Directors
U.S. Board of Directors
Carrie Conway
Chair
Robert W. Woodruff Foundation
Carrie Conway is a Senior Program Officer serving the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation, the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation and the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, located in Atlanta, GA. Her grant making focus includes higher education, independent school education, arts and culture, and refugees. She worked previously as Executive Director of the Southeast Region for CARE USA, a global poverty-fighting organization, where she led regional fundraising and had the opportunity to see CARE’s work first-hand in Rwanda, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Ecuador and Bosnia. Prior to CARE, she directed major and planned giving at Salem Academy and College, the oldest institution in the country continuously dedicated to the education of women. She spent her early career teaching history and anthropology at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, TX.
Carrie graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Duke University with a B.A. degree in history and received a Master of Arts in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College. She volunteers with refugees in Atlanta and enjoys travel, the arts, reading, and the great outdoors.
Tieler Giles
Breakthrough Collaborative
Tieler Giles is a marketing communications expert and nonprofit leader who is passionate about helping organizations engage and influence the audiences that matter most. Her work has advanced such issues as gender and racial equity, youth development, women’s health, and civil and human rights. Currently, she is Associate Director of Marketing and Communications at Girls Inc., where her focus is on shaping the organization’s voice and increasing awareness of the issues girls face and the solutions that best address them. In previous roles, Tieler inspired change as a marketer, fundraiser, and campaigner at the Drug Policy Alliance, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, and Porter Novelli.
A proud HBCU alumna, Tieler is a graduate of Florida A&M University. She holds a master’s degree in communications from the University of Georgia, and is also certified as a personal and executive coach. Tieler is a native of South Carolina and currently lives in Washington D.C., where she can be found enjoying the city’s best parks, bookstores, and small-plate spots.
Audrey L. Jacobs, JD
The Sarafina Group, Inc.
Audrey Jacobs is the founder and principal of The Sarafina Group, Inc., an organization providing consultation services to philanthropic and non-profit organizations. Audrey is the former Director of the Center for Family Philanthropy at the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. As a philanthropic advisor, Audrey worked with philanthropists and families in developing and implementing strategic philanthropic plans, including succession planning, fund development, next generation involvement, legacy planning, gift planning, along with program development and evaluation. With more than twenty-five years of experience in the non-profit sector, Audrey helps non-profits fulfill their mission by helping with fund development, strategic planning and Board development.
Audrey has worked with several organizations in New York City, including Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, and the New York Women's Foundation. Audrey is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta, is a former member and past president of the Emory University Board of Visitors. Audrey received her undergraduate degree from Barnard College, Columbia University; and a juris doctorate degree from New York University School of Law.
Laura J. Johns, Ph.D.
Vice Chair
Propulsion Squared
Laura J. Johns, Ph.D., is a managing partner of Propulsion2 (Propulsion Squared) a private consulting company focused on education system reform. Her current domestic and international work addresses access to quality education programs, holistic child development, cultural competency, family engagement, equity and intentional teaching practices to support child outcomes at three interactional levels -- families (microsystem), schools, (mesosystem) and community (exosystem). In addition to her vast education systems experience, Laura is currently an adjunct instructor at Georgia State University and has also worked as Director of Education for an early care and education franchise system, a multi-site operations director, and a center director and teacher. She has supported a number of community organizations including Special Olympics, Odyssey of the Mind and The United Way and is currently working internationally with The African SOUP School and CARE International Cambodia.
Dr. Johns earned her Undergraduate degrees from San Diego State University. She received her doctorate degree from the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Elizabeth McLaughlin
Vice President, Global Foundation, Organizations and Institutional Partners
Elizabeth “Liz” McLaughlin is a senior member of Habitat for Humanity International where she leads efforts to strengthen and grow global partnerships. From 1993-2019, Liz held a variety of roles at CARE USA and CARE International, including serving in Assistant Program Country Director and Country Director roles in Pakistan, Sudan, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo. In those roles, she led disaster risk reduction, construction, post-conflict, refugee return, economic development and conflict resolution programs. She then moved to CARE USA headquarters in Atlanta to serve as Executive Director for Institutional Partners, Professional Foundations, Bi- and Multi-Lateral donors, Gulf donors, Corporations, and Social Enterprise. Liz was also instrumental in developing and implementing changes across CARE’s country and regional offices to strengthen institutional partnerships and fundraising.
Throughout her career, Liz has developed strong leadership and change management skills while working for social justice across the globe. She is known for her collaborative decision-making, conflict management skills, commitment to DEI, and ability to inspire others to achieve their highest potential. Her peers describe her as a strategic visionary who leads with a heart for mission, combining confidence to challenge and influence at all levels with the highest integrity, infectious enthusiasm and belief in human empowerment.
Marti Morton
Treasurer
Marti Morton retired as the Controller of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation, the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation and the Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center Fund. She previously worked as the accountant for the Junior League of Atlanta and was involved with the Atlanta Children's Shelter and the Junior League's Atlanta Literacy Project whose focus was pre-schoolers and their parents. She has been involved with the public schools and Northside Methodist's Metro Atlanta Project (MAP). MAP's focus is on youth serving the community by providing roofing and home repairs to low-income Seniors and playgrounds for daycare centers. Marti embraces MAP's motto of "Rebuilding a City...One Life at a Time" and believes we should further apply it to the world. She feels our best chance for success is by helping children.
Marti graduated from Emory University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting and did graduate work in International business at Georgia State University. She enjoys travel and loves visiting the African Soup school in Uganda.
Brin Enterkin
Co-Founder The African SOUP
In 2009, college student Brin Enterkin traveled to Kampala, Uganda to spend her summer teaching microfinance. Humbled by paper ledgers and contracting malaria two weeks into her stay, she began to wonder about her future in Africa. Her host, Michael Kaidhiwa, told her that what she was experiencing wasn’t the “real” Africa. He took her to the village where he grew up – Nabikabala, Namutumba District, Eastern Uganda. Upon their arrival, she saw hundreds of malnourished children sitting under the mango trees, thirsting for knowledge while attending informal “school.” Their teachers were community members and village elders with no formal teacher training.
Propelled by her experience and passion for social change Brin partnered with Michael to found the African SOUP that year. After receiving foundational funding for the organization, she traveled to three continents to study methods and achievements of social entrepreneurship. The African SOUP and its programs were built on the best practices she observed. Seven years later, The SOUP is a holistic, dynamic, and sustainable community development organization leading the nation of Uganda in a variety of important initiatives. Brin currently lives in Uganda and supports the leadership team to dream big and inform strategic thinking, builds and develops local capacity, and connects with key partners to expand the SOUP’s mission and impact. She loves the SOUP kiddos full time, while also working in a bio-energy group and on her new venture, Lion’s Thread. Overall, Brin loves orange soda and inspiring people to change the world!
Judson Graves, JD
Alston & Bird
Jud Graves is a retired trial lawyer who practiced law with the Atlanta based firm of Alston & Bird for over 40 years. In 2000, Jud was named among 10 of the top trial lawyers in the United States by the National Law Journal!
He and his wife Kathryn developed a love of Africa many years ago and between them have visited over a dozen countries there. Their daughter Ashley lived in Kenya for a year after college and is now preparing to move her entire family to Zambia for a year on a Fulbright. They have supported a school for Maasai girls in rural Kenya for several years and were attracted to The African SOUP through friendships with some of its board members and attendance at several Atlanta events. Jud’s membership on The SOUP’s Board of Directors is driven primarily by his interest in supporting the education of young women and girls in emerging countries, coupled with his love of Africa and its myriad cultures and fascinating history.
Joel Jassu
Perkins+Will
Joel Jassu was born and raised in the slums of Kampala, Uganda in a neighborhood called Banda. He received a scholarship to the University of Memphis where he earned his undergraduate degree in Architecture. He then joined the Georgia Institute of Technology where he earned two master's degrees in Architecture and Urban Design.
His experiences being raised in Uganda have shaped his understanding and empathy of design, communities and people. He has spent the last eight years creating start-ups, trailblazing both local and global initiatives as well as leading teams from United States, Italy, Sudan, Togo, United Kingdom and Uganda to be involved in cross-cultural projects around the world. These pursuits have been primarily focused on bringing cultural awareness and design together. His most recent projects include The Droneport project in Tanzania, a design build initiative with Georgia Tech and a Uganda based organization called World Shine Ministries, and Start It Up Global - a 12 week business training course focused on supporting young entrepreneurs in developing countries. These are just a few of the many accomplishments that led the Georgia Tech Alumni Association to nominate Joel for one of their most prestigious awards, the 2021 class of 40 under 40.
His professional experiences include working on different project scales with Looney Ricks Kiss in Memphis, TN, serving on the Institute Planning and Design Commission for Georgia Tech and founding partner for eightvillage. He currently works in the Atlanta Perkins+Will studio as an Urban Design Project Manager and teaches part time in the Masters of Urban Design program at Georgia Institute of Technology.
Alexander Kyerematen
Global Fund for Children
Alexander Wofa Kyerematen leads Global Fund for Children’s grantmaking, capacity strengthening, integrated programming, and stakeholder engagement across Africa. This is his latest role in almost fifteen years of experience in strategic philanthropy, grant management, financial services, and consulting. Previously, he managed the disbursement of $120 million to support public-private partnership projects. Most recently, he designed and implemented strategic multi-year, multi-sector philanthropic investments across private, public and civic society in Africa. His journey from the private sector into philanthropy has positioned him to offer unparalleled expertise and value to all stakeholders seeking to create impact through their work or giving. His true passion lies in expanding the reach of global development and cultural understanding in Africa, inspiring advocacy for tangible change.
He obtained an economics degree at College of Wooster and earned a master’s degree in business administration from Hult International Business School. He is certified in Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprise lending and Environmental & Social Risk Analysis.
Jimmy Mills
Jimmy spent his career consulting to large employers to manage benefit costs and improve the health of their employee populations. Jimmy retired following the sale of his company Dominium where he focused on building high-performance teams and coaching his employees to realize their highest potential. Over the years, Jimmy has served in leadership roles for organizations supporting underserved children, families, the elderly as well as independent schools.
Currently, Jimmy is a member of the Board of Councilors of the Carter Center, Trustee of the Lovett Schools, Advisory Board Member of Children’s Rights, Board Member of the Franklin College of UGA and is a former Vice Chair of the Board of St Patrick’s Episcopal Day School and Board Chair of Families First. He and his wife Ibby recently Co-Chaired a capital campaign for AG Rhodes Homes to build a facility providing patient centered care to individuals suffering from memory loss. Jimmy has traveled extensively throughout Africa and in January 2023 he summitted Mt. Kilimanjaro with fellow SOUP board member Jud Graves.
Lizzy Smith
Secretary
Robert W. Woodruff Foundation
Lizzy Smith serves as Grants Program Director for the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation, Lettie Pate Evans Foundation and the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation. Although each is governed by a separate charter and self-perpetuating board of trustees, the Foundations share a common office and administrative staff.
Prior to joining the Foundations’ staff in April 2005, Lizzy was with the fundraising consulting firm of Coxe Curry & Associates for more than seven years. In her role as Campaign Director, she provided consulting services on capital and annual campaigns for numerous metro Atlanta nonprofit organizations. Prior to Coxe Curry & Associates, Lizzy was Director of Special Events for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in Raleigh, N.C.
A native North Carolinian, Lizzy is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Economics. Lizzy serves on the board of The African SOUP and is a member of the steering committee of the Georgia Grantmakers Alliance. She also is a former trustee of the Southeastern Council of Foundations and a past chair of Candid’s Atlanta Advisory Board.