VillageReach – Seattle

Allen Wilcox

President

Allen has had a long association with VillageReach, first as a volunteer before his appointment as president in early 2008.

Allen is active in all elements of VillageReach’s activities and oversees all aspects of VillageReach’s strategic development. He is currently focused on applying his international distribution experience and organizational and project management skills to further develop VillageReach’s tools and programs to expand the reach and benefit of its work.

Previously, Allen served as Associate General Counsel of Microsoft Corporation. While at Microsoft, he supported Microsoft’s international expansion and developed new and innovative distribution channels for Microsoft products. Allen has an LLM in International Business Legal Studies from University of Exeter (England), a JD from Southern Methodist University and a BA from University of Texas. He was a Rotary Foundation Scholar.

Craig Nakagawa

Director of Social Business

Craig co-founded VillageReach in 2000 with Blaise Judja-Sato with the vision of bringing essential health services to rural Mozambique and beyond.  Craig led the development of VidaGas, a pioneering social business that provided an unconventional solution to the infrastructure problems plaguing health centers in rural Mozambique.

Currently, Craig is VillageReach’s Director of Social Business.  Craig is working to expand VillageReach’s social business program by finding new opportunities to launch social businesses as well as consulting with existing companies who are expanding their operations to serve last mile communities.

Craig has an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BA from the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and previously worked at Lehman Brothers and Teledesic.

John Beale

Director of Strategic Development

As Director of Strategic Development, John is responsible for creating opportunities for VillageReach’’s social business development capability in support of the organization’s health system strengthening field programs. He also oversees VillageReach’’s marketing and fundraising strategy.

John has worked for more than 20 years in business development, marketing, and communications both in the US, Europe and throughout Asia. Prior to joining VillageReach, John worked for eight years in the wireless industry, first at the wireless technology company, QUALCOMM, as vice president of marketing for its semiconductor division, and then as head of marketing with the venture capital-backed wireless software company, Volantis Systems, based in the UK.

In these roles he has developed extensive experience in defining market opportunities for businesses and their products and services, designing and executing go-to-market programs to capture the opportunities, and soliciting investor support for these ventures.

Tom Martin

Director of Operations and Chief Financial Officer

Tom is responsible for managing the internal operations at VillageReach. In this capacity, he sets policy and oversees all administrative aspects of the organization, in the areas of finance, budgeting, human resources, and grants management. Through his participation on the management team, he also contributes to the development of the organization’s strategic direction.

Tom has more than 20 years of work experience in the nonprofit sector. He served as Grants and Budget Manager with Health Alliance International for more than six years, and has consulted with numerous other international NGOs, including Mercy Corps, CARE India, and Grameen Technology Center. In Washington, DC, Tom served as Development Director of Bread for the City, a human service organization serving low-income residents of that city. He holds an MPA from the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, and a B.A. from Bates College, Lewiston, ME.

James Dailey

Chief Technology Officer

James is VillageReach’s Chief Technology Officer and is responsible for updating, troubleshooting and maintaining the Management Information System. James is responsible for developing systems globally that leverage technologies that work across low resource environments, including an innovative SMS text messaging platform that reports on cold chain status, medicines, and deliveries.

James holds a BBA in Management Information Systems from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters in International Environmental Policy from the University of Washington. He is co-founder of the award winning social venture, MicroEnergy Credits, bringing clean energy to microfinance borrowers, and a board member of Climate Solutions. Previously he worked on information systems for microfinance in many low resource countries.

Leah Hasselback

Program Manager

Leah Hasselback joined VillageReach in 2005. She serves as Program Manager, with responsibility for the design, development and management of health system intervention programs.  Leah managed VillageReach’s Mozambique vaccine distribution system project that served over 260 rural health centers and over 5 million people and oversaw the Impact and Cost-Effectiveness Studies measuring the impact of the program.  Leah works closely with VillageReach’s leadership team to find new sources of funding and new opportunities for programs.

Leah holds a Master’s in Public Administration and Master of Arts in International Studies from the University of Washington and Bachelor’s degrees in French and Interdisciplinary Studies from Michigan State University. Previously she worked with CARE, Facing the Future, and as a consultant for American Mangement Systems as well as volunteering with nongovernmental organizations in Afghanistan, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Thailand.

Emily Bancroft

Program Manager

Emily is a Program Manager responsible for the design, development and management of health system intervention programs at VillageReach. Emily is also responsible for building new relationships and opportunities for the health systems team at VillageReach.

Emily has over a decade of experience in program management, monitoring and evaluation, community-based assessment, health informatics, and program development. Most recently, Emily worked on health worker capacity building and health system strengthening initiatives in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda. Prior to joining VillageReach, Emily worked with the International Training and Education Center on Health (I-TECH), Physicians for Human Rights, and NPower. Emily has an MPH from the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine and a BA from Princeton University.

Nick Amland

Administrative and Program Assistant

Nick joined VillageReach in 2008 as the Administration and Program Assistant.  Nick supports both the program and technology teams and provides a key interface between them. He manages the Management Information System (vrMIS) currently deployed in Mozambique and provides technical support on the system to in-country staff. Nick also manages VillageReach’s social media presence including updating the VillageReach website, Twitter, and Facebook accounts.

Nick graduated with a B.A. in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Puget Sound. Nick tutors Somali children refugees in mathematics and reading and assists computer literacy courses through local community service organizations.

Ethan Wong

Operations Assistant

As VillageReach’s Operations Assistant, Ethan manages most administrative operations and assists in budget production and financial reporting. Ethan also helps manage VillageReach’s fundraising and development efforts.

Ethan holds his BA in Economics with an emphasis on business administration and history from Western Washington University. Previous to joining VillageReach, Ethan acted as the Director of Financial Operations for a small online retailer and as a Senior Personal Banker at Bank of America. Ethan currently sits on the board of directors for Firelight Project, a non-profit which provides mentoring and scholarships to children in Gulu, Uganda.

Jessica Crawford

Program Associate

As Program Associate, Jessica Crawford brings global health expertise to the project team. She provides key support for research, field assessments, and documentation. Prior to joining VillageReach, Jessica worked on risk management and quality control at Harborview Medical Center. Jessica also served as a community health educator as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania.

Jessica holds a BA in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Washington and is currently pursuing a duel MA in Policy Studies and MPH in Health Policy and Analysis from the University of Washington.

VillageReach – Mozambique

Maria Gomes Afonso

National Director

Maria Gomes Afonso is responsible for all financial, administrative, legal, and regulatory matters for VillageReach in Mozambique. She coordinates planning and program implementation, oversees financial controls and reporting, and manages government and partner relationships.

Maria has over 25 years of experience in planning, finance and accounting, and program development with the government of Mozambique, local and international NGOs (non government organizations), and international development organizations. Prior to joining VillageReach, Maria was at VillageReach’s strategic partner, FDC, where she was responsible for financial and administrative matters. Maria is originally from Portugal but has lived most of her life in Mozambique. She is fluent in Portuguese and English.

VillageReach – Malawi

Patrick Phiri

Project Manager

Patrick Phiri is the Malawi project manager. Patrick manages the Balaka region community health project, as well as helping VR establish itself in Malawi. Patrick comes to VillageReach with a long career in health and development, having worked for the Ministry of Health as well as Management Science for Health.
Patrick took this job because he finds the experience of being part of a startup organization challenging and interesting. He likes the challenge of setting up a proper foundation that will facilitate meeting the project objectives.

Patrick is joined in the Malawi office by administrative assistant, Chrissie Katunga, Joy Chipiko, the driver, and three health surveillance assistants that VillageReach employs in the Balaka region.