Ghana Together Directors

Maryanne Ward
President & Treasurer

Maryanne Ward

Maryanne is a founding member of Ghana Together. She sees to the day-to-day details of our non-profit and also manages our relationships between Ghana Together and other partner organizations, including Axim-based Western Heritage Home.

She is an Honorary Member (Nkosohema) of the Lower Axim, Ghana Traditional Council and has developed extensive knowledge about the Axim community and the Axim-based NGO Western Heritage Home (WHH). She is also an Advisory Member of the Western Heritage Home Board and has done extensive work to establish accountability systems for WHH.

Earlier, she was co-director of the initial Global Citizen Journey Ghana Project in 2006. She has 18 years management experience.

Rich Ward
Director

Rich Ward

Rich is a founding member of Ghana Together. He led the project to bring science materials to Manye Academy, a public school in Axim. He also worked extensively with Jerome to test all the experiments and lesson plans for the Junior High Science Center. He has extensive knowledge of the Axim area and also the operations of Western Heritage Home, our NGO partner in Ghana.

Rich is active behind the scenes in our operations, helping Maryanne and the rest of our Board with the many tasks necessary to keep a non-profit running.

Rich is a retired Director of Probation and Compliance Services for Skagit County, in Washington state, and has extensive administrative experience.


Jerome Chandler
Director & Science Projects Team Lead

Jerome ChandlerJerome is a founding member of Ghana Together and was a participant in the 2006 Global Citizen Journey Ghana Project. Early in his life, Jerome spent 10 years living and working in Sekondi, Ghana as Headmaster of St. John's School.  In December 2007, he returned to Ghana to review progress on the Western Heritage Home building project, and helped move orphans into the facility.

He supports Ghana Together with extensive knowledge of culture, language and all aspects of Ghanaian life. Jerome is a retired community college science instructor. He led the Manye Academy Science Project, organized workshops for Junior High science teachers in the Nzema East Education District, and in 2011, led the JHS Science Resource Center project. He has traveled to Axim multiple times to facilitate projects.

Louise Wilkinson
Secretary

Louise Wilkinson

Louise is a founding member of Ghana Together. As a professional teacher and facilitator of intercultural workshops, Louise also develops intercultural awareness among the Board and project participants whether North American or Ghanaian.

She facilitates leadership development, and is skilled in curriculum design and facilitation of diversity and intercultural awareness and competence.

She is also skilled as a video writer, producer, director and editor of documentaries, dramatic films, information and training video, and sales, marketing and PR films. Louise holds a Doctorate in Education Leadership with a focus on intercultural education.

 

Nathan Ward
Director

Nathan Ward

Nathan joined our Board of Directors in 2016. As an international businessman, he is familiar with Ghana, having traveled there several times. His skills and experience in international business add depth to our team. He is especially knowledgeable about commmunication technologies that can be used with third world countries.

He has visited Axim, has met some of the leaders we work with there, and is very familiar with our projects. In fact, it was a during a business trip to Ghana, in 2005, where he met James Kainyiah and other Western Heritage Home folks, that Ghana Together was launched. The Ghanaians showed him their determination to help children in their community, and Nathan challenged and inspired his parents, who had just retired, to lend a hand.


Diana Ward
Director

Diana Ward

 Diana joined our Board of Directors in 2017. She is an Industrial Engineer and an International Business Specialist with more than 20 years of experience in management and commercial areas.

She was born in Colombia and moved to Seattle in 2015 where she works as a Business Development Consultant, helping companies to connect and do businesses internationally, especially with Latin America. Diana belongs to the executive committee of the Seattle Latino Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

She is fluent in English and Spanish as well. Her combination of international business and technical experience is especially beneficial to Ghana Together.

 

 

In Memoriam

Tom Castor

Tom Castor

We lost Tom Castor on May 16, 2014. Tom was a founding member of Ghana Together and an Advisory Member of the Western Heritage Home Board from inception until his last day. He served as our Vice President and Secretary.

Tom participated in the initial Global Citizen Journey Ghana Project in 2006.  He served on a committee for Manye Academy’s school science project in September 2007. He led a project to fund the water tank for the WHH facility in Axim. He worked to bring One Laptop Per Child computers to Axim and trained children there in their use. He visited Axim multiple times.

Tom wonderfully used his 20 years of business leadership and management experience in technical communication, writing, and photographer to help the children and the community of Axim.

Leif Pederson

Leif Pederson

We lost Leif Pederson in June 2010 from complications of foot surgery. He was a founding member of Ghana Together, and served as our VP of Technology and Planning. Leif traveled to Axim three times. He was a favorite of the WHH children, who particularly loved his shorts (not often seen on men there, in spite of the temperature!). They teased him about his admittedly bold but clumsy attempts to do their dances and jump rope games. We were touched when the St. James Methodist Church in Axim dedicated a special service to memorialize Leif's passing and acknowledge his contributions to the Axim community.

He worked tirelessly with the WHH staff to introduce and develop computer technology. His legacy includes a fully-functioning internet cafe, the first in Axim. Leif, a highly-skilled retired Microsoft manager, conducted 21st century-style workshops for the WHH staff on management, teamwork, goal-setting, values setting, etc.

He used his practical skills to install the pipes on the water tower. He contributed behind the scenes, too---he developed our first website, and used graphic arts skills on our logo. It's hard to know how to do without him. He continues to grace us with inspiration and commitment. We are so grateful his wife Sue continues to serve with us.

We are grateful for the leadership this team has so amply demonstrated, and we thank each for their generous service.