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About Us - Isaka Memorial Foundation

Isaka Memorial Foundation (IMF) was incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of Michigan in the United States of America.  IMF's primary goal is to facilitate access to essential services by orphans and vulnerable children located in the most economically depressed communities.

IMF's first project is to assist in the establishment of a children's center at Nyamila Community Center, in Western Kenya.

The Board

The inaugural board that oversees all the operations of the foundation is comprised of the President, Secretary, Treasurer and board members.

President & Co-Founder

Alloyce Juma Achoki is the current president. Mr. Achoki is an Electrical Engineer who previously worked as an Engineer - Test & Validation at Sensors, Inc., in Saline Michigan where he was responsible for the development of air pollutants monitoring equipment since 1997.  Prior to this, he worked for Xycom Inc., also in Saline, in the development of industrial computers used in production automation in the automotive industries.  Mr. Achoki has worked in various fields of engineering since 1981.

Back in Kenya where he hails from, he worked for five years as the Computer Training Manager for Amarco (K) Limited, an associate of Data General of USA. His initial job after graduation with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Nairobi, was Electronics and Telecommunications Engineer at the Kenya Directorate of Civil Aviation, rising to become the engineer-in-charge of the telecommunications division. He was also the Chairman of IT Training Standardization Committee in Kenya.

Mr. Achoki has had extensive technical training at the Federal Aviation Academy in Oklahoma, USA and Thomson CSF Electronic Center, Brest, France.

His professional memberships include: Institution of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE) – USA; Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK); and Engineers Registration Board of Kenya.

Secretary & Co-founder

Dr. Mary Otieno holds the position of Secretary. Dr. Mary Otieno is currently the Technical Adviser for HIV/AIDS and Young People with the HIV/AIDS Branch at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Formerly the Director of the Health Unit at the International Medical Corps (IMC), Mary oversaw technical activities of the Health Programs. She also guided the development of global and regional strategies for comprehensive interventions in Primary Health Care, including Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS, and Gender Based Violence.

Prior to IMC, Mary worked with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) as the Senior Technical Advisor, responsible for Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS and Gender based Violence, where she was instrumental in a number of initiatives that significantly advanced the field of reproductive health in humanitarian settings, including: An HIV manual for humanitarian settings, a Gender Based Violence Assessment tool; and a course on the management of sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS.

Before moving to the United States in 1994, Mary served as the Population Officer, Senior Population Officer, and Head of Programs Division respectively, for the National Council for Population and Development in Nairobi, Kenya.

Mary holds a BA degree in Sociology and MA degree in Population Studies from the University of Nairobi and Masters Degree in Public Health (MPH) in Population Planning and International Health and PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Treasurer:

Lena McLennon - Lena McLennon is currently the Director of Human Resources at Pfizer Inc., in New York.  Lena was previously the  Vice President of Human Resources at MasterCard Worldwide where she has global responsibilities for the Coaching and Mentoring functions. Prior to MasterCard, Lena was Vice President of Leadership Development at JPMorgan Chase for seven years. In this capacity she developed and managed an organization-wide Coaching Practice that was rated in the top five by Executive Knowledge Works in its 2001 National Benchmarking Report- Executive Coaching – Emerging Trends and Best Practices in Corporate America. While at JPMorgan, Lena also managed the Executive Education function and developed general management and leadership programs for the top 2000 senior executives of Chase across the globe.

For more than 20 years she has served as a line manager and Corporate Human Resources executive. Prior to Chase, Lena was a manager in Corporate Human Resources at the New York Times Company (NYT) where she worked extensively with the publishers and station presidents of the regional newspapers and television stations across the country. Her work was focused on organizational development interventions.

Earlier in her career, Lena held management positions in Human Resources and Finance in New York and Boston, at the Dun and Bradstreet and Mobil Oil Corporations.

In addition to serving as an executive coach, Lena has wide-ranging experience in talent management, performance management, strategic leadership development, executive education, building high performance teams, as well as 360 assessment, interpretation and feedback.

Lena is an active member of the New York City coaching community and the Conference Board’s Executive Coaching Council where she has been a repeat speaker at the Conference Board’s National Coaching Conferences. She is also an active member of Bezer Holiness Church, Inc. in New York, where she has been serving as Executive Secretary for many years.

Lena earned a B.B.A. in Accounting from Iona College, has pursued graduate training in Human Resources from Manhattanville College (M.S. /ABD) and is a Certified Paralegal. Her other certifications or accreditations include Strategies for Enhancing Executive Influence (Harvard University); Leading Revolutionary Change (Executive Forum International); Understanding Group Dynamics (Sole and Associates); HR Consulting Skills Certificate Program (Linkage Organization); Strategic Executive Education (Executive Development Associates); and Senior Leadership Program for Professional Women (Rutgers University).

Board Members:

Charmaine Davis-Murray -

Charmaine is the Managing Director of Property Accounting for FirstService Williams, where she is responsible for the asset management and financial reporting of over 200 Commercial Properties. She manages a large staff and a multi-million budget.

Charmaine serves as an officer on the board of the Association of Real Estate Women (AREW). She is an active member of the charitable fund committee that raises funds and support Women in Need. Charmaine organizes and coordinate an annual “Secret Santa” program that provides toys for children living in Women-In-Need shelters. In 2007 Charmaine was given the Women of Valor award for her contribution in assisting underprivileged members of New York by the Capuchin Food Pantries.

Charmaine holds a Master of Public Administration from New York University. She received her undergraduate degree with honors from Bernard Baruch College, City University of New York.

 Martin Nelson - Since 1997, Martin L. Nelson has served as Senior Pastor of Bezer Holiness Church, Inc., New Rochelle, New York. Under his leadership, the church has experienced a noticeable increase in membership, attendance and spiritual growth and development of its congregation.

His passion for missions, evangelism and bible study has challenged the congregants to move from complacency to activity. Today, the church supports more than 12 different missions and missionaries around the world who are working to transform the lives of countless numbers of people through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Prior to his arrival at Bezer, Pastor Nelson served for many years as the Assistant Pastor and Youth Pastor at Calvary Church of the First Born in Brooklyn. He was also a faculty member of Manhattan Bible Institute and Dean of the New Rochelle Extension School. His other occupations included, President and general manager of New Rochelle Christian Books, Chaplain, Social Worker and President of his own Construction Company.

Pastor Nelson’s affiliations and involvement in the New Rochelle community include President of the Coalition for Mutual Respect, Board member of the Inter-Religious Council of New Rochelle, and member of the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce.

He received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Theology from the Manhattan Bible Institute. He also graduated from New York School of the Bible and Nyack Mission College. His Associate Degree in Social Work is from New York Technical College.

Karen Ashley - Karen works for FactSet Research Systems as the U.S. Investment Management Marketing Manager. She is a devout member of Bezer Holiness Church and has been instrumental in organizing fund-raising activities associated with the Church and also at her workplace. In 2007, Karen organized a hunger awareness function at FactSet and raised a considerable sum of money not just for Isaka Memorial Foundation, but for other charities as well. She plans to continue this function on an annual basis. Karen also doubles as the IMF's documentation specialist.

Marcia Lyttle - Marcia works for Yonkers Public School System as a Global History Teacher. She has great organizational skills exemplified by her putting together a walk-a-thon called Kid-for-Kids in 2007 for the exclusive benefit of Isaka Memorial Foundation. The event brought together members of Bezer Holiness Church, People-to-People organization as well as Girl Guides of Westchester. Marcia plans to organize annual walk-a-thons on behalf of Isaka Memorial Foundation.

Zahra Waliji - has been interning for United Nations in New York. She holds a Master of Arts in International Policy Studies, Specialization in International Development from Monterey Institute of International Studies, CA; and a BA in Development Studies, Government, Economics and Social Policy from Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA