Board of directors
president: Don Ghostlaw
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Don Ghostlaw has been the driving force in the creation of Africa Education Partnership and has served on the AEP Board since its inception in 2009. He has visited Nigeria twice, and has participated in all AEP fund-raising activities.
Don also serves on the Board of The Rob Branham Foundation, a nonprofit organization serving leukemia patients and their families, and is legal guardian for several mentally handicapped adults. In his work life, Don is a practicing attorney specializing in non-patent intellectual property matters, with a focus on technology clients. Don has a B.S. in Computer Science from Boston College, and a J.D. from Western New England College School of Law. He is a member of the Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York state bars, and has been practicing for over thirty years. Don is married with one child. |
Secretary: Barbara Hoff
Barbara Hoff is retired from a career in software project management for financial service companies. Supporting education is a passion of hers, from volunteering in classrooms to leading the parent-teacher organization, to advocating for school building projects in her town.
Barbara has served on the board since the organization was started.
Barbara has served on the board since the organization was started.
project manager: Elaine Chagnon
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Elaine has a Master's degree in Special Education from Westfield State University. She is retired after a 35-year teaching career. Her assignments were split between the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) at Two Rivers Middle Magnet School and the Granby Public Schools, both in Connecticut. After serving as a special education teacher, she finished her career in Granby as a Consulting Teacher for grades 7-12.
Elaine has been married to husband Bob for 45 years. They have two children, Nathaniel and Andrea, son-in-law Brad, and three granddaughters. Elaine is passionate about Nigeria and treasures the friends she has made there. She has completed ten trips, traveling to check on the progress of various school projects, providing opportunities for teacher dialogue and sharing of ideas, facilitating conversation, and brainstorming solutions. She has been involved with Africa Education Partnership since its beginning in 2009. |
board: The Rev. Peter Dewberry
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The Rev. Peter Dewberry was born in South Africa. After Seminary, he received ordination from the Baptist Union of Southern Africa. In 1971 he began a Church planting ministry. During the next 32 years, he planted and pastored four churches including two in South Africa-Goodwood Baptist Church, in the suburbs of Cape Town and Emmanuel Baptist Church in Durban.
In 1985 Peter and his family moved to the USA. He became the founding pastor of White Marsh Baptist Church in Gloucester County, Virginia. In 1992, Peter became the founding pastor of NewLife Christian Fellowship in Glastonbury, Connecticut. In the summer of 2003 Peter founded Free Inside, a non-profit charity working for the rehabilitation of prisoners facilitating their reintegration into society. Peter is married and has three children, a son and two daughters, and seven grandchildren. He traveled to Gusau, Nigeria in 2009 with Don Ghostlaw and Bob Chagnon to help establish AEP and has served on the board since that time. |
Board: The Rev. Amjad Samuel
The Rev. Amjad Samuel comes to the board of Africa Education Partnership with a world of experience both here in the United States and internationally. Born and raised in Pakistan, he accompanied his father, a bishop, and his mother to church gatherings and visits. He was able to come to the United States to study, attending Alma College with a divinity major. After graduation, he went on to Duke University Divinity School to study theology. He also holds a degree from Hartford International University for Religion and Peace (formerly Hartford Seminary).
Returning to Pakistan, Rev. Amjad was ordained and helped start a school in his native Multan. He worked extensively with both Muslim and Christian students. In 2006, he was forced to flee Pakistan for his commitment to faith.
Since that time, he has served as rector in Ohio and currently in Connecticut. He has been married to his wife Mollie, a special education teacher who also holds a degree in theology, since 2009. They enjoy the company of their large furry dog, Lady Eleanor.
Returning to Pakistan, Rev. Amjad was ordained and helped start a school in his native Multan. He worked extensively with both Muslim and Christian students. In 2006, he was forced to flee Pakistan for his commitment to faith.
Since that time, he has served as rector in Ohio and currently in Connecticut. He has been married to his wife Mollie, a special education teacher who also holds a degree in theology, since 2009. They enjoy the company of their large furry dog, Lady Eleanor.
Board: Rev. Dr. Shaw Mudge
Shaw's background includes formerly serving as a business executive and board member in a family-owned international business, with licensing arrangements in England, Mexico, and Brazil, a manufacturing operation in Singapore, and agents around the world. His main emphasis was overall management and included an emphasis on African and Middle Eastern affairs.
As a subsequent career, Shaw became Episcopal (Anglican) clergy, and during this latter role, he has also served as Secretary of a diocese and subsequently became a missionary to Peru, made two short-term mission trips to East Africa, and established an online theological college for the Church in Belize (with permission of the Archbishop of the Church in the Province of the West Indies). As a boy, Shaw was inspired by his father's Sunday School presentation about Dr. Frank Laubach's African work with the "Each one teach one" literacy program, his elementary schools print shop director who was a missionary to West Africa, and his maternal grandparents who were phenomenal teachers. When one of his grandfather's former students had been elected President of the United States, the former student telephoned Shaw's grandfather and said "remember when you said..." alluding to Shaw's grandfather's inspiration. Over the years, Shaw has maintained a vision for helping people in Africa to achieve their goals, particularly through education. In addition, Shaw has served on a state employment and training commission, on a national advisory council to a federal government agency, on the board of one of the largest state business associations in the country, on a local government neighborhood planning task force, and has served as a diocesan advisor, consultant, and educator. In Belize, he was briefly a chaplain to three diocesan Anglican schools at the same time. Shaw's doctoral thesis (D. Min.) concerned his creating and teaching the diocesan deacon-formation-program curriculum in the diocese where he was resident. |
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board: Angela Dimezza
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Angela DiMezza trained in the UK as an RN and subsequently worked in medical clinics in Akron for 24 years. After retiring in 2006, Angela volunteered with Hospice, parish nursing, community meals and Stephen Ministry to name a few.
She has had a special interest in Africa since she was a young girl in England. In 2011 she traveled with a humanitarian team to Nigeria. Her first week with the team was spent in the medical clinic in Kateri, Kaduna State. In the second week she joined another group and traveled to Gusau in Zamfara State, to learn more about the educational needs of the region and to view the progress of the building of Graceland International School. Angela has served on the AEP board since 2014. She is married to Peter, a cognitive-behavioral therapist in Akron. She has two sons, Matthew and Daniel, and two grandchildren. |
Treasurer: Robert Chagnon
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Bob has B.S.B.A. from Western New England College majoring in Accounting. Now retired, he served as a controller for several Connecticut companies including Schaller Auto World, Inc. and DATTCO, Inc. both of New Britain, CT, where his last 25 years of employment were enjoyed.
Bob is married to Elaine and they have two children, Andrea and Nathaniel, son-in-law Brad and three wonderful granddaughters. Bob has served as Senior Warden, Assistant Treasurer and several other leadership roles at his church. Bob has traveled to Nigeria five times. His experiences have included traveling to and observing distant villages, establishing accountability with Nigerian partners, working numerous roles in medical outreach programs, and visiting school sites with Elaine. In 2009, he traveled with Don Ghostlaw and Peter Dewberry to assist with the start-up of Africa Education Partnership in Gusau, Nigeria. In January 2021, Bob accepted the role of treasurer for Africa Education Partnership. |
emeritus: Paul Frank
Before retiring, Paul was the President of Gilbert Lumber Company, a manufacturer of industrial wood products. His adventures in overseas work for the Episcopal Church include Chairman of the Diocese of Ohio Companion Relationship Committee with Brazil, member of the Joint Standing Commission on World Mission of General Convention, member of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church and its committee on world mission, and member (for almost 25 years) of the Covenant Committee with the Diocese of Liberia. He also represented Executive Council on the UTO board and the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief.
He was a valued member of the AEP board, serving from 2014-2019.
He was a valued member of the AEP board, serving from 2014-2019.