DR. MICHAEL O. AGHO
Nigeria Board Chair

A native of Benin City, Edo, Nigeria, Professor Michael O. Agho received his PhD in synthetic organic chemistry from North Texas State University in 1983. The following year Dr. Agho began his academic career at Bayero University, in Kano, Nigeria, where he distinguished himself as teacher and researcher. From 1990 until his untimely death on May 17, 2009, Dr. Agho served as a professor of chemistry at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) in Bauchi, Nigeria. Professor Agho was also founding director of ATBU's zero emissions research center. During his five-year tenure as Director, the FMENV/ZERI Research Center undertook several important studies and conducted intensive training programs on such varied topics as the construction and management of plastic biodigesters and sand filtration techniques for well water.

Dr. Agho served as Chairman of the Board for Leadership Initiatives (LI) in Nigeria until his death in 2009. He was deeply respected and trusted as both advocate and mentor in all aspects of LI's work in Bauchi State. When LI was new and unheard of there, he provided vital credibility with local press, students and university faculty. His advocacy within ATBU led directly to the successful launch of our first regional development program in Nigeria.

As LI became established at ATBU, Dr. Agho's reputation opened the doors of local community and business leaders and helped forge the partnerships necessary to build thriving skills acquisition, computer literacy, and fish farming programs that continue to transform hundreds of lives. Without Professor Agho, Leadership Initiatives would not be the strong presence in Bauchi that it is today. We are honored to have our continuing work there counted among the legacies he has left in his absence.

MANIK K. RATH
Founding Board Member (2006-2008)

Manik K. Rath is Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Logistics Management Institute (LMI). He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Washington Metropolitan Association of Corporate Counsel, and is on the steering committee of the General Counsel Forum of the Northern Virginia Technology Council. Before joining LMI, Mr. Rath was Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, and Secretary of Alion Science and Technology Corporation. He also served on the Board of Directors and acted as secretary to two of Alion's subsidiaries and as general counsel to one subsidiary. Previously, he was in private practice with the law firms of McGuireWoods and Baker & McKenzie. He obtained his Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Arts in Government and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia.

As a member of Leadership Initiatives' first Board of Directors, Mr. Rath played a guiding role in creating the organization's governance structure and bylaws. His influence brought credibility to the organization at a crucial time and helped add vital new blood to the Board. He was chief adviser to the company on legal and business issues, formalizing the standards to which we hold ourselves today. Mr. Rath played a pivotal role in helping Leadership Initiatives distinguish itself as an innovator at the forefront of the social entrepreneurship movement.

DAVID L. SCHAEFER
Board Member (2006-2009)

David L. Schaefer joined Armfield, Harrison & Thomas, Inc. (AH&T) in 1987 and is a specialist in commercial property and casualty insurance and risk management for complex risks. He is an expert in management liability insurance and the risks associated with being publicly traded. He has assisted numerous clients in obtaining proper D&O liability insurance coverage for their initial public offerings. In addition to establishing and directing AH&T's management liability practice, he was the founder of AH&T's technology practice and the principal architect of Ensuring Integrity, a nationally known D&O loss prevention program for public companies. Under Schaefer's leadership AH&T has been recognized every year since 1994 by Tillinghast-Towers Perrin's Directors and Officers Liability Survey as one of the top 10 leading national brokers for the placement of management liability insurance programs. AH&T has also been recognized as one of the top 100 private insurance brokerage operations in the United States for multiple years running.

As a member of Leadership Initiatives' Board, Mr. Schaefer insisted on the highest standards of transparency and accountability. He played a vital role in establishing early corporate sponsorships and he guided LI's first long-range planning efforts. He also personally sponsored several individual project initiatives, including our first fish farming initiative in Birshi village. David was a driving force within the organization and served as an example to us all.

STEPHANIE ROZSA
Co-Founder, Director of Administration and Operations (2004-2008)

A graduate of George Washington University, Stephanie Rozsa has most recently served with the Peace Corps as a municipal development volunteer in El Salvador. Prior to joining Leadership Initiatives (LI), she logged countless hours volunteering with the DC Rape Crisis Center. She was also a vibrant contributing member of many student organizations during her undergraduate years. After serving many months as a stalwart volunteer, Stephanie became LI's third full-time staff member in the spring of 2005.

Stephanie was the architect of Leadership Initiatives' organizational structure. She spearheaded our first formal Board search, finalized our bylaws and human resources handbook, procured D&O insurance for our Board and executive officers, coded our second website and issued our first press release. She recruited staff, interns, and advisory board members and designed our first structured orientation programs. She chaired several major fundraising events and was the author of our earliest grants. Stephanie also created LI's first formal budget and strategic business plan. The infrastructure Stephanie built became the template for all of LI's subsequent growth and her influence is felt throughout the organization to this day.

GIACOMO BERGAMO
Co-Founder, Director of Media and Technology (2006-2009)
Giacomo Bergamo joined Leadership Initiatives (LI) in December 2005 as videographer for a planned development program in Peru and became the Director of Media and Technology shortly thereafter. He was attracted to the position because it allowed him to combine his skills in film-making and development work while creating opportunities for underdeveloped communities in South America, where he was born. Prior to joining LI, he researched solutions to problems of counterterrorism, military strategy, labor economics, and health at the RAND Corporation (for clients such as the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Labor, the State of California, and the country of Qatar). Giacomo has also worked on broadcast documentaries for NOVA and the Discovery Channel, taught photography at the USDA Graduate School and been a cinematographer with Revolver Films. Fluent in both Spanish and Portugese, he has served as an interpreter in hospital settings. Giacomo studied economics, computer science, and film at Brown University and at the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU.

A talented graphic designer, Giacomo was responsible for creating Leadership Initiatives' visual image. He designed our logo, business cards and all of our early print materials. Giacomo transformed LI's look from that of a nascent student-run NGO to that of an enduring professional institution. Giacomo was a model LI Director, at one point running an entire program in the Philippines from course design to forging the community relationships necessary to establish viable development initiatives.

A man of great personal integrity, Giacomo strongly influenced Leadership Initiatives' professional standards. He streamlined our organizational cost structure while pushing for the strong code of ethics that continues to guide our operations every day.