Governing

Board

OUR Board

Self Help Africa US is governed by an independent Board of Directors. This board directs policy and strategy for the organization, as well as providing operational and financial oversight.

Chair: Norman D Sheehan

International Development Consultant

Norman's Profile

Norman D Sheehan is an international risk management and mitigation specialist, advisor and crisis responder to NGOs and International Organizations. His expertise spans more than 28 years of developing and implementing operational security programs, policies, crisis response, critical situation negotiations and implementing and advising humanitarian assistance initiatives.

Working alongside the United Nations, NATO, European Union, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), international and national non-governmental organizations (NGO) and national governmental military structures. his experience also includes negotiations with diverse elements and warlords in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Somalia and Iraq and local militias throughout central and east Africa such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, the Darfur region, borders areas of Chad, Central African Republic and Uganda.

In 1985 he joined the humanitarian and development organization GOAL, leading emergency response deployments for prolonged periods in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Sudan, Bosnia, Rwanda, Burundi, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, East Timor, Kosovo and Albania.

Between 2003-2006, he served as CEO of WarChild, an organization dedicated to assisting children affected by war. Since then, he has worked with a variety of international NGOs, including the Academy for Educational Development, FHI360 and Chemonics.

He currently serves on the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) as a council member. He also serves on the boards of the International NGO Safety and Security Association, and Hostage USA.

Liam McClennon

Kettle Cuisine

Liam's Profile

Liam is CEO of Kettle Cuisine, a Massachusetts-based food company. Prior to this, he was CEO of Greencore USA from 2010 to 2015.

Liam has over 25 years’ experience in the food industry, having previously worked with Hazlewood Foods plc (later acquired by Greencore Group), Chase Food Service, Geest South Africa and John Rannoch Foods.

Liam has extensive experience of fruit sourcing and processing in Africa.

Megan Fairlie

Florida International University

Megan's Profile

Megan is a founding board member of Self Help Africa US and an Associate Professor at Florida International University (FIU) College of Law in Miami. Prior to joining FIU’s law faculty in 2007, she was a member of the Transitional Justice Institute at the University of Ulster in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She is an honors graduate of Washington and Lee University School of Law and holds an LL.M. (first class honours) in International Peace Support Operations and a Ph.D. in International Human Rights Law, both from the Irish Centre for Human Rights, National University of Ireland, Galway.

Jim Galvin

Lakeview Energy

Jim's Profile

With 20 years international experience in developing renewable energy businesses across Europe and the US Jim is CEO and Director of Lakeview Energy, a biofuels manufacturing, commodities trading, agribusiness and wind energy company based in Chicago. Jim currently holds a number of directorships in companies including its two bio-refineries Three Rivers Energy in Ohio and Plymouth Energy in Iowa and is a member of the US Grains Council Ethanol Advisory Team. He is also a board member of the Marine Renewables Energy Association. Jim holds a Bachelor Degree and Masters Degree in Agricultural Science from University College Dublin in Ireland and an MBA degree from University College Cork in Ireland.

OUR Advisory Board

New York

Chair: Karl Wall
The Carrick Group

Marc Abrams
Mintz Levin

Carletta Downs
Independent Advisor

Ronan Downs
Restauranteur, NYC

Orlaith Farrell
150Bond

Hugh Finnegan
Norris McLaughlin

Paul Galligan
Tullet Prebon

Fiona Gibbons
Independent Advisor

James Kelly
Independent Advisor

Nneoma Maduike
Otterbourg

Mary McEvoy
PepsiCo

Neasa Nic Dhonaill
Ticksmick Corp.

Tom Nichols
The Carrick Group

Paul O’Connor
Restauranteur, NYC

Nicola Parish
Parish PR

R. Sharon Smith
Ambac Assurance Corporation

Cara Tallon
Restauranteur, NYC

Boston

Chair: Dr Peter Hirst
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Stuart Abbott
Somers Group

Phil Hartmann
Ernst & Young

Ben Hincks
Torres, Scammon, Hincks & Day

Veronica Kelly
Google

Peter Lennon
Brookline Bank

Kevin Malloy
Avison Young

Rob MacGoey
HarborVest Partners

Gillian McColgan
Independent Advisor

Mark McDivitt
Context Labs

Lisa McKelvey
GreenFeet

Sidney McLaurin
Material Impact

Peter Merrigan
Taurus Investment Holdings

Eddie Roche
Roche Bros

Brad Routhier
Ernst & Young

Francis Sempill
Walter Scott

Brian Sugrue
Bernstein

Matt Taylor
Fidelity

San Francisco

Mark O’Sullivan
Matheson

John Manning
Avison Young

David White
Ne Timeas Group

Associate Board

New York

Co-Chair: Merit Webster
Warburg Pincus LLC

Mike Bubolo
USI

Emily Hansen
EY

Michael Hutchinson
Alliant

Siobhan Keenan
PayPal

Chantal McLaughlin
Independent Advisor

Alexandra Schrecengost
Culture with Us

Sean Schrecengost
Contentsquare

Boston

Co-Chair: Laura Cuddihy
Boston Public Consulting Group

Matt Allen
EY

Jenna Brink
Avison Young

Rebecca Chitro
Avison Young

Christina Easton
Avison Young

Alexandra Ferreira
Avison Young

Michelle Healy-Serpa
Invest Northern Ireland

Christina Lambertson
Avison Young

Stephanie Myrie
Avison Young

Conor Peal
TK Elevator

Matt Ross
Massachusetts General Hospital

Governing

Board

OUR Board

Chair: Norman D Sheehan

International Development Consultant

Liam McClennon

Kettle Cuisine

Megan Fairlie

Florida International University

Jim Galvin

Lakeview Energy

OUR Advisory Board

New York

Boston

San Francisco

Associate Board

New York

Boston

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