Board of Directors

Please feel free to send an email to us at contactus@slvp.org.  The appropriate Board Member will get in touch with you.

President, J. Albert Kamara

Bio: Born in Mamaka, taught in Kamabai and Lungi elementary schools.  Was a Language and Cultural Instructor (LCI) for the Peace Corps at Binkolo, Mapaki and Matotoka villages in 1982.  Worked as a pharmacist for hospitals in Freetown, Makeni and Lungi.  Has served on the staff of UCSF Medical Center as a Pharmacy Technician for the past 20 years. 

Executive Vice President, John Amman

Bio: Served as Peace Corps volunteer in Fadugu (Koinadugu District) from 1979 to 1982.  Went on to get an MS from Cornell in 1990.  Currently works as a Business Representative for the International Cinematographer’s Guild in New York City and has published two books, including a collection of letters detailing Sierra Leone’s rebel war, Black Man’s Grave.

1st Vice President/Acting Treasurer, Mary Jane Lavin       

Bio: Served as Peace Corps volunteer in Gbendembu (Bombali District) from 1979 to 1982.  Retired from a 27 year career in the federal government as Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Recently received her MPA degree with a focus on non-profit management, leadership, and global policy from the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

Secretary, Edward Monaghan       

Bio: Served in the Peace Corps at Makeni Teachers College (MTC), Makeni (Bombali District, Northern Province) from 1979 to 1982.  Received a doctorate in Curriculum & Instruction from New Mexico State University in May, 2001.  Currently serves in the US Department of Education in Washington, DC.

Executive Director of Development, Maureen McNamara

Bio: Worked in corporate marketing for 11 years before travelling to Sierra Leone twice in 2009 to visit SLVP projects.  Currently applying for a post-graduate degree in International Development.

Board Member, Willie Kim Kamara

Bio: Moved to the US many years ago, but still has many close family members living in Sierra Leone.  Received a master’s in Economics from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.  For the past eight years has held a position as a professor of Economics for the Dallas County Community College.

Board Member, James O'Donnell       

Bio: Served in the Peace Corps as a Primary Workshop Educator in Kabala (Koindadugu District) from 1980 to 1982.  Received a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1990.  Returned to Sierra Leone in 2008 on a Fulbright Scholarship.  Currently the Department Head of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction in the College of Education at New Mexico State University.

Board Member Fundraising Committee, James Phillips       

Bio: Served in the Peace Corps from 1978 to 1980 in Bapuya, Samu Chiefdom Kambia District (25 miles west of Kambia) and during 1981 in Makeni.  Went on to get a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics.  Currently working as an Agricultural Economic Consultant stationed in various locations including Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Afghanistan.

Board Member Fundraising Committee, Lissa Rockwood        

Bio: Served in the Peace Corps as a Teacher Trainer in Matotoka from 1980 to 1982.  Went on to become a nurse and has worked in health care for 23 years.  Also developing a line of eco-friendly accessories with percentage of proceeds going to SLVP.