BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Co-Founder and President, Nereida Gordon is the driving force behind the genesis of ECHOES Around the World. An educator and frequent visitor to Uganda, Nereida has a close personal, and working relationship with the Reverend David Serunjogi, his wife Sarah, and their adult children. She is in contact with the Serunjogis on a weekly basis and oversees the accountability aspects of money expenditures. Nereida first visited Uganda in 1995 and has both led groups and returned on her own. An inveterate fundraiser, her network provides invaluable resources to the Ugandan schools and critical information to the ECHOES foundation and Board of Directors. A world traveler, Ms. Gordon hails from Sydney Australia, and lives with her husband, Tom, in Phoenixville, PA.

Vice President, Martin Kimmel is a principal and co-founder of Kimmel Bogrette Architecture + Site, Inc. He earned his Bachelor of Architecture from Temple University, Magna Cum Laude. He has more than 25 years of architectural design, land planning, historic preservation/restoration and project management experience; his work spans a variety of building types including, but not limited to, higher education, ecclesiastical, corporate, retail, industrial and residential projects. Martin has gained additional experience by being the point-of-contact person on all the firm’s projects. This experience has given him the knowledge and understanding of institutional work, including the true meaning of accountability. Martin serves on several other local boards and is an advisor to several Academic boards. He has held multiple leadership roles at St. David’s Episcopal Church and is a Mission Advisor to numerous faith-based and non-faith based organizations. He and his wife, Sherri, live in Devon.

Co-Founder & Director Emeritus, Martha L. (Mel) Bonder served as President of the Board from the inception of the organization in 2005 through 2009, then again from November 2013 through December 2015. As a co-founding director, she has been instrumental in creating the framework for ECHOES. In the fall of 2006, Mel completed the fundraising certification program at the University of Pennsylvania and has used that knowledge to advance not only the operation of the board, but also programs and fundraisers which have attracted both returning and new donors. Mel has sustained and maintained her relationship with the Reverend David Serunjogi and his wife Sarah since her first visit to Uganda in 2000, returning in 2004, 2008 and 2013. She was a frequent visitor and volunteer of St. James School, and continues to support ECHOES and their fundraising efforts. She lives in Venice, Florida with her husband, John.

Secretary, Betsy Fadem served as ECHOES' Treasurer from 2007-2010, took a short break and, being passionate about the work of ECHOES, rejoined the Board in her current position. Upon graduating from Lafayette College, she spent eleven years in the financial services industry as a project manager. After that, while at home raising her two sons, she became a dedicated community volunteer, serving on the Tredyffrin/Easttown School Board for twelve years, while also being involved in many school, church, and civic organizations. Betsy has served as an Easttown Township Supervisor since 2014. She is known in the community for being fiscally responsible and fair-minded, and brings those qualities to her work with ECHOES. Betsy and her husband live in Devon, Pennsylvania.

Teasurer, Donna Nichols joined the board in 2019. As a CPA, Donna has held multiple positions in the life sciences business over the past 25 years. She has been instrumental in taking 3 start-up companies public and responsible for all of the SEC reporting that is required in a public company. She was Director of Financial Reporting for Adolor Corporation, Director of Accounting for Auxilium Corporation and VP/Chief Accounting Officer for Recro Pharma. After retiring, she has taken a part-time position at a start-up and is responsible for all of the accounting reporting on a monthly basis.

Assistant Treasurer & Education Advisor, Leslie Roy joined the Board in 2015 after making trips to Uganda in 2012 and 2014 and falling in love with the country and our partners. She is currently the liaison for the ECHOES club at Conestoga High School. Leslie is the founder of Project Ensonga, one of ECHOES' key projects. She has raised funds and mobilized many local community members and high school students to participate in this venture that allows girls to stay in school, no matter what time of the month it is. She serves as the head of the Uganda committee at St. David’s Church. A graduate of Duke University with a degree in computer science and management science, she worked as a computer consultant until retiring to raise her three daughters. She currently manages multiple rental properties and is involved with fund raising at People's Light, a local theatre company. Leslie lives in Wayne, PA with her husband Tom and is looking forward to planning the next trip to Uganda.

Medical Advisor, Peter Motel, M.D., is a physician board certified in Internal Medicine and Dermatology, in a practice he started and has operated since 1993. He graduated with honors from Muhlenberg College and earned his medical degree from Hahnemann University. He served as a physician in the US Air Force for four years. He is a member of the local school board since 1999 and has served the school board as its President, Chair of the Facilities Committee and member of the Finance, Policy and Education Committees. As chair of the Facilities Committee he has overseen major renovations of five schools, the school district’s administration offices and information technology center. He also has considerable experience as a youth leader with over 20 years as a Boy Scout leader. He and his wife live in Berwyn, Pennsylvania with their three children. Pete, along with Stephen, has traveled to Uganda to help build and educate the facilities and staff at Double Cure Medical Centre.

Medical Advisor, Stephen J. Gluckman, M.D., F.A.C.P is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Medical Director of Penn Global Medicine. Dr. Gluckman received his undergraduate degree from Brown University and his medical degree from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. He trained in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the University of Pennsylvania. He has been in the practice of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases for over 35 years. Dr. Gluckman has provided care and taught in many countries in a number of different capacities. He has worked and taught at mission hospitals in Liberia and India. He has taught and evaluated HIV and other public health programs for CARE international in Afghanistan, Haiti and Tanzania. He has taught for Health Volunteers Overseas in Kenya and Uganda. He has taught HIV care in China at the request of the Chinese Medical Association. From 2001-2008 he worked in Botswana dividing his time between helping develop the Botswana National HIV Program, teaching on the wards of Princess Marina Hospital and helping establish Botswana's first medical school. He is a founder of Penn's Refugee Clinic which provides free health care to recent political refugees in the United States. He serves on the boards of the African Family Health Organization, which helps to resettle African immigrants and of Calcutta House which provides housing for homeless people living with HIV/AIDS. He and his wife Pat have lived in Mt. Airy, Pennsylvania, for the past 40 years, where they raised their family. They are now committed empty-nesters. Stephen has traveled to Uganda in support of ECHOES to help assess and educate the staff at Double Cure Medical Centre.

Medical Advisor, Teresa Marlino, M.D. graduated from Archbishop Prendergast High School, attended Temple University in Philadelphia, PA earning a Bachelor of Science in physical therapy. After practicing physical therapy for seven years and as a reservist in the United States Navy, Teresa was activated and deployed to Fleet Hospital 15 in Al Jabaal, Saudi Arabia where she served as the Department Head of Physical Therapy during the Persian Gulf War. Upon returning home, she attended medical school and graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at The Lankenau Hospital. She joined Paoli OB/Gyn Associates and practiced at both Lankenau and Paoli Hospitals until she opened a solo practitioner practice in Paoli Hospital. Teresa and her husband live in Devon, Pennsylvania, where they raised their th her husband of 30 years and four children. She enjoys traveling, reading and knitting.

Nursing Advisor, M. Frances Keen, RN, DNSc Fran graduated from the Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing with a diploma in nursing. She continued her nursing education with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in nursing are from University of Maryland; and her Doctor of Nursing Science (DNSc) from Catholic University. Her area of specialty is the care of adults with medical-surgical conditions in hospital and home settings. Following completion of her doctorate, Fran was a faculty member and administrator at the University of Miami and Villanova University. While at University of Miami, she coordinated a Bachelor of Science in Nursing extension program in Kingston, Jamaica, and held a secondary appointment to the Graduate School of International Studies.Globally, she served as a Consultant with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in the Bahamas and Jamaica and as Nurse Educator with Project HOPE in Honduras. She was a Fulbright Scholar at Kamuzu College of Nursing, University of Malawi, in Lilongwe, Malawi.At Villanova University, as Director of the Undergraduate Programs in the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, she was instrumental in developing a global health minor and providing international experiences for students. While accompanying students to Durban, South Africa, Fran became acutely aware of the relationship between menstrual health and school attendance. Days for Girls International provided the solution; nursing students taught educational sessions on menstrual health and distributed Days for Girls kits each year to students in a primary school. Fran’s involvement with the Days for Girls, Wayne PA team subsequently led to involvement with ECHOES and the Double Cure School of Nursing in Uganda. She traveled to Uganda in November 2023 to assess plans for further developing and expanding the nursing programs at the hospital. At Villanova, Fran served in both faculty and administrative positions and retired as an Associate Professor Emerita. In retirement, she has enjoyed volunteering with the Medical Reserve Corps, Days for Girls, and Habitat for Humanity Global Village builds in eastern and southern Africa. She lives in Lancaster spending time with family and friends and working in the family vineyard.

Susanna W. Gold, Ph.D. is an art historian and curator specializing in 19th-21st century American art. She served on the faculty at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art for nearly a decade, and has also taught at the University of Pennsylvania, her alma mater. She has curated academic and community-based exhibitions at Woodmere Art Museum, Drexel University’s Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, Temple University's Tyler School of Art, InLiquid, and NoBA Artspaces, and continues to work with private, corporate, and institutional clients to build their collections. Recent publications include Africa in the Arts of Philadelphia: Bullock, Searles, Twins Seven-Seven (2020); The Unfinished Exhibition: Visualizing Myth, Memory, and the Shadow of the Civil War in Centennial America (2017); The Expanded Caribbean: Contemporary Photography at the Crossroads (2017); and We Speak: Black Artists in Philadelphia, 1920s-1970s (2015). She lives in Bryn Mawr, PA with her husband David, son Peter, and daughter Sophie, who traveled to Uganda with her in 2017.

Eileen Kraut earned a BA in Economics and Business at Lafayette College and moved to the Philadelphia area where she worked in Wealth Management for Wachovia bank (and processors) for fifteen years as a fiduciary officer handling trusts, estates, IRAs, and charitable trusts. After a short break to concentrate on raising her children, she returned to the paid work force at an investment firm where, for five years, she managed client data and handled investment reporting. She is an avid volunteer in the local community, in particular with Project Ensonga, one of ECHOES’ programs, and is now a Days for Girls ambassador. She has attended mission trips both domestically and internationally, most recently traveling to Uganda in 2023 with several ECHOES board members. She is a life-long tennis player and loves to garden. Eileen lives in Wayne, PA with her husband and two children.

Leslie Lewis, OTR/L is a practicing Pediatric Occupational Therapist serving elementary school children in Chester, Montgomery, Delaware, and Philadelphia counties. With a BA in Psychology and Occupational Therapy training at Thomas Jefferson University, Leslie has been making a difference for children and families for the past 20 years by helping children access their educational environments with as much independence as possible. Leslie is an active member of St. David’s Church and volunteers in the local community, serving many Outreach projects, notably Project Ensonga, one of ECHOES’ programs. She is committed to caring for others and supporting her community. Enjoying travel, Leslie was part of a 2017 mission trip to Uganda where she was profoundly influenced to support the Serunjogis in the work they are facilitating and the profound impact resulting from their work. She likes to garden, read, and spend time with friends and family. Leslie lives in Devon, PA with her husband Dr. Todd Lewis and her two sons, Hayden and Owen.

Elizabeth Vandiver earned a BA in Political Science from San Diego State University and a MS in Comparative Politics from The London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London. A specific area of study and teaching has been Nations, Nationalism and Democracy with an emphasis on Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. Elizabeth has had a long life passion for education and teaching. Before taking time to raise her two children, she previously taught at Villanova University in the Political Science Department and in the Honors Program and at Chestnut Hill College. She was a graduate seminar presenter at The London School of Economics and tutored and advised students in Political Science and English at San Diego State University. Prior to that she taught school groups in an Outdoor Education Program at Camp Stevens Episcopal Camp in Julian, California. She formerly worked at the Westminster Adult Education Institute in London. Elizabeth was published in The Reader’s Guide to Social Sciences: “Nation”, “National Identity”, “Nation-State” and “State” (2000). Elizabeth has had prior involvement with The American Political Science Association, World Affairs Council, The Economist and Charter 88, and The London School of Economics Debate Society. Elizabeth has actively volunteered at St James School, The Episcopal Academy, The Haverford School, The Benchmark School, The Parent Leadership Council at Trinity College, Days for Girls-Project Esonga and serves on the Outreach Commission at St. David’s Episcopal Church, coordinates the St David’s Thanksgiving Blessing Bag Program and she has participated in mission trips to Cuba to install water filtration systems, Guatemala for volcano disaster relief work and Houston for hurricane disaster relief work. Additionally, Elizabeth is Vice-President on the board of Harriton House and is actively involved in other community events and organizations. Recently, Elizabeth attended the presentation by United States Ambassador to Tanzania Michael Battle “Committed to the Future: Diplomacy Abroad”. Elizabeth has traveled the globe extensively particularly in southern and eastern Africa and most recently traveled to Uganda with ECHOES in 2023. Elizabeth loves the theater, reading, traveling and time with her family and friends.

Advisory Board Members
Betsy Aikens
The Rev. W. Frank Allen
Marybeth Christiansen, Esq.
Cissy Claypool
Anne Cunningham
Lauren Hart
Jeff Kaiser
H. William Knapp
Sean Legnini
Kim Cunningham Marren
Caroline O'Halloran
The Rev. David Serunjogi
Dr. Lydia Nakitende Serunjogi
Sarah Serunjogi