I faced challenges in the U.S. and Liberty’s Promise gave me a better understanding of my new environment and how I can relate to the people. —17-year-old Ethiopian youth

A ten-member Board of Directors oversees the activities of Liberty’s Promise. The Board, which meets quarterly, represents senior professionals from the private and nonprofit sectors and includes two youth representatives. Board members are:

Ms. Shuchi Batra (Board Secretary): Originally from India, Shuchi Batra is an Attorney in the Office of the General Counsel of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.  Previously, Ms. Batra was an Associate in the litigation department of Saul Ewing LLP.  Prior to law school, Ms. Batra was an Operations Analyst for the New York City Mayor’s Office of Operations.  Ms. Batra is active with various professional and civic organizations, and is currently Vice President of Finance on the Board of the South Asian Bar Association of D.C.  Ms. Batra earned her J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law and her B.A. in Political Science from Barnard College, Columbia University.

Ms. Tsolaye Dorsu:  Ms. Dorsu, originally from Nigeria, first participated in our downtown Silver Spring after-school program in 2008 . In her first program, she was elected the Historian and later returned as a peer mentor.  Her favorite parts of the program were the field trips, guest speakers, and gaining leadership skills. She also participated in our internship program, working as an administrative assistant in a local school. Ms. Dorsu is currently a sophomore at Trinity Washington University, majoring in Biology with a Mathematics minor.  She plans to attend medical school and someday open a medical office in Nigeria.  She hopes to travel a lot in the future as well. This is Ms. Dorsu  first term as a youth board member.

Ms. Krista Hendry (Board Chairperson): Ms. Hendry is the Executive Director of The Fund for Peace, an organization that works to prevent war and alleviate the conditions that cause war. She also serves as director of the Human Rights and Business Roundtable, engaging businesses, governments, and non-governmental organizations on issues related to sustainable development and security in weak and failing states. She holds an MBA from Georgetown University and a BA from the University of Virginia.

Mr. Abdul Kargbo: Born in Sierra Leone, Mr. Kargbo speaks Russian, French, and Krio. He is actively engaged in immigrant education and assimilation, as well as anti-trafficking and other social-justice issues in the Washington DC Metro area and has worked with such organizations as the Education Sector. Mr. Kargbo is a certified teacher of English as a Second Language and has more than 10 years of experience teaching both in the United States and abroad. Mr. Kargbo holds a Master of International Politics from the University of London and an honor’s degree in History from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Ms. Martina McAndrew: Ms. McAndrew currently leads the national recruitment efforts for Baker Tilly, the 13th largest accounting and advisory firm in the U.S. Prior to her current role, Martina spent eight years leading the recruitment department at Beers + Cutler, a DC-based accounting and consulting firm that merged with Baker Tilly in December 2009. Previously, she directed the staffing efforts for Marriott’s information technology group worldwide. Martina is a certified Senior Human Resources Professional (SPHR) and serves on the Staffing Expertise Panel for the Society for Human Resource Management. She has an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from George Washington University. Born and raised (until the age of 10) in the Philippines, Martina now lives in Alexandria, VA with her husband David and their dog Berkeley.

Ms. Ana Morales: Originally from Guatemala, Ms. Morales is currently the Vice President of Business Development for the Bank of Georgetown. Ms. Morales has been in the banking industry since 2001, most recently with Eagle Bank in Washington, D.C., as assistant vice president and commercial deposits officer. Prior to that, she held several positions with Fidelity & Trust, including branch manager. Ms. Morales earned an associate’s degree in business management from Montgomery College in Rockville, Md. She also completed courses towards a bachelor’s degree in business management at University of Maryland and completed the Maryland Banking School program in 2008.

Mr. Marcos Moya (Youth Alum Representative): Mr. Moya, originally from El Salvador, first participated in our after-school programs in Gaithersburg, MD in 2006.  Since then, he has continued to stay involved in Liberty’s Promise through frequent visits to our after-school programs, sharing his immigration story and college experience.  A graduate of Montgomery College’s Honors Program, Marcos is now enrolled at the University of Maryland, majoring in business.  He also serves on the finance committee of the LP Board of Directors.

Mr. Ricardo A. Reinoso: A son of Peruvian immigrants and raised in Oklahoma, Ricardo is a proud Eagle Scout with an undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis. He currently works at the International Monetary Foundation. A passion for the arts, he co-founded Latino-focused Radiofutura.com, Inc., founded Nuvo Music and the Eden Experience, served as consultant to both the Winter Music Conference in Miami Beach and the National Music Center in DC, and created and supervised the curriculum for a DJ school, the DJ Lab. In addition, he co-organized a number of local creative events including Pecha Kucha and X. He sit on the Leadership Committee for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man & Woman of the Year Campaign and is an elected representative of the International Monetary Fund’s Staff Association Committee.

Mr. Shreedhar Shah: Mr. Shah is currently President of Shah & Associates, Inc., a Power Systems Engineering firm located in Gaithersburg, MD. He believes strongly in helping immigrants improve their life through education, which will eventually lead to better employment opportunities. He is also actively involved with business issues relating to small business, and sits on the Maryland Department of Transportation Minority Business Enterprise Advisory Committee. He was a part of Governor Martin O’Malley’s Transition Team in January 2007, specifically for his expertise on small and minority-owned businesses. Mr. Shah holds a Masters in Business Administration from Georgetown University, and a BSBA in Finance from The Ohio State University.