Our Board of Directors:
Chair of the Board of Directors, 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 and his wife Sarah. 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 now resides in Devon, Pennsylvania.
President, Martha L. (Mel) Bonder has been instrumental in creating and promoting donations programs which have supported the Ugandan schools. Mel has sustained and maintained her relationship with the Reverend David Serunjogi and his wife Sarah since her first visit in 2000. She brings her organizational skills as an educator, volunteer coordinator and business owner to the task of managing and directing ECHOES Around the World Board of Directors. In the fall of 2006, Mel completed the fundraising certification program at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Philadelphia Chapter and resides in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Secretary, M.J. Ormsbee is a retired educator who has taught English, history and special curriculum for the gifted to middle school children until her retirement in 2006. She volunteered at her sons’ schools when they were growing up, serving in many capacities from president of the parent-teacher organization to member of a curriculum advisory board for a secondary school. M.J. graduated Phi Beta Kappa majoring in American Institutions from the University of Wisconsin. She is keenly interested in the work that has taken place in Uganda over the past 12 years and has answered the call to further our work by joining the board. M.J. lives in Wayne, PA.
Treasurer, Betsy Fadem, joined the Board in August 2007. Mrs. Fadem has over 11 years experience in the financial services industry as a project manager. She has been a Tredyffrin/Easttown School Board member since December of 2001 and has served as the chairperson of the Board Finance, Policy and Public Information Committees. Betsy graduated from Lafayette College with a degree in Economics and continues her connections with the College by serving as her class correspondent. She dedicates her time to many other local organizations including; TE youth soccer, and St. Monica’s CYO and parish council. Betsy lives in Devon, PA.
Stephanie Hedges is an educator and a frequent visitor to Uganda. She is active in the fundraising effort which has produced an increase in the physical plant size of the schools and the available technology. She is passionately interested in the welfare of the students and the schools in Uganda, though her focus is on education everywhere. Stephanie maintains her relationship with Reverend David Serunjogi and his wife Sarah, inviting and exposing them to both boarding and day independent schools. Stephanie teaches high school mathematics and is a crew coach at Greenwich Academy. She lives in Greenwich, Connecticut, where she is also an active volunteer in the community.
H. William Knapp brings to our Board of Directors extensive experience in the field of Information Technology. A former teacher of computer programming and information systems and student at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Bill completed all classroom work and exams for a Ph. D. in Business and Applied Economics as well as an MBA. He is a successful entrepreneur and recently resigned as President and CEO of ITI, Inc. a software development firm which he co-founded in 1980. One of ITI’s products was spun out from ITI and eventually sold to Lotus Development Corporation in 1994. He sits on a number of Advisory Boards and Boards of Directors for technology companies. Bill has taught at Eastern College and Villanova University, while endeavoring to create yet a new firm delivering end-user database software and services to organizations over the web. Bill’s experience as a business leader, educator and IT specialist is invaluable to ECHOES now and in the future. Bill lives in Wayne.
Joseph Bonn, M.D. is Director of Interventional Radiology at The Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. Dr. Bonn recently came to his position after two decades in academic medicine as an educator, researcher and clinician. He is the immediate past chairman of the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation, the research and education arm of this founding specialty of minimally invasive surgery. He graduated cum laude with an honors degree in biology from Williams College, for which he served as fundraising class agent for more than a decade. He received his medical degree from the University of Virginia, and he now serves on the board of the UVA Medical Alumni Association. A member of St. David’s Church, Dr. Bonn is chair of the Organ Committee, having directed the planning of the church’s new Dobson pipe organ, and having served as co-chair of the Growing in Faith Phase II campaign to fund its acquisition. A recent visitor to Uganda, Dr. Bonn is helping develop the new Double Cure Medical Centre.
The Rev. W. Frank Allen is Rector of St. David’s Episcopal Church, a 3,000 member church in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Frank has served in this position since 1997 and serves on several boards of the Episcopal Church and local community organizations. He graduated magna cum laude from Duke University in 1981 and received his MDiv. from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1995. Prior to entering seminary, Frank was an executive in a large construction company in Philadelphia for eleven years. Frank has visited and traveled extensively in Uganda and Guatemala and has been involved in raising funds for schools and churches. Frank brings experience and interest in developing micro-businesses in developing countries.
Arthur Klein Esq. is an attorney and has been practicing law within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for over 35 years. As a general practitioner, Mr. Klein has extensive experience with a wide range of issues involving the family, non-profit corporations, real estate, business and personal injury. Mr. Klein has recently been appointed as Support Conciliator Officer for Montgomery County. He is an active member of the Montgomery County Bar Association working through his professional association to study and promote best practice in the Law in order to better serve his clients’ needs. Mr. Klein is licensed to practice Law before the Supreme Court of the United States, the local Federal Courts as well as the Supreme Courts of Pennsylvania and Florida. Mr Klein also does pro bono work as an attorney and volunteers as a child advocate representing children who are abused. He lives in Wayne PA..
Advisory Board Members
Carla Fritz, M.D.
Betsy Legnini
Kenneth Marx, M.D.
Rev. David (Romans) Serunjogi
Sarah Serunjogi
Joseph Volpe
Sylvester Odeke, M.D
Cynthia Anderson
Bonnie Schmidt