On safari, 2006.JPG

Jim Thomas

During off hours from his day job, Jim Thomas founded and was president of Africa Rising. In his day job, he is a professor of epidemiology at University of North Carolina and Director of the MEASURE Evaluation project. Jim lived for two years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire, at the time) as a nutritionist at a rural mission station, and one year in Kenya for his doctoral research. He has worked in more than a dozen African countries, and has worked in or visited more than 50 countries altogether. MEASURE Evaluation is typically active in 25 countries at a time. As a scientist, Jim studies organizational networks and their ability to coordinate disease control. He has a passion for creating environments that bring out the best in others, including African social entrepreneurs.


US Board

People serving as board members for one or more years were: Jim Dobbins, Amber Dunn, Mamie Sackie Harris, Allegra Jordan, Christopher Kikongo, Andrew Long, Jenny Nicholson, Jana Piepenbring Kimball, Jana Raedy, Bill Stevenson, Gayle Thomas, Jim Thomas, and Khou Xiong.


African Advisors

Cosma Gatere, Mark Kioko, Mary Muhara, Mueni Musili, Evans Mwangi, Muthoni Njage, Muteru Njama, Con Omore, and Ella Wafula-Muigai.


Mary  Muhara

Mary Muhara served as the African Director of Africa Rising for entire life of the organization. She was born in Nyeri, Kenya and lived in Nairobi while directing Africa Rising. With a degree in community development, and a highly engaging personality, she had the intellectual knowledge and the interpersonal skills to earn the trust of the African organizations and knit them together into a network. 


US-Based Directors

Three women each served as the Director of African Rising for a few years.