Mbuyu “Puma” Wa Mbuyu, President & Co-founder, is a master electrician in Washington, D.C. Every year since 1995 Puma has organized the AWIEF projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the summer while pursuing his job in the United States during the rest of the year.
James Carpenter is Treasurer and Chief Geek. Jim’s professional background is in IT. He has been active in his community for 30 years in energy and environment issues. He has traveled to the Congo four times with Puma since 2002 to build computer labs and teach.
Shannon Murphy, Secretary, is an outpatient physical therapist. She has a personal interest in global development and grassroots advocacy She is also an amateur photographer and a volunteer for the ONE campaign.
Rebecca Macina has 10 years experience in international development and now works in the Bureau of International Labor Affairs for the US Department of Labor. Rebecca was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali for three years after receiving her Masters in Education from Harvard.
Iwona Mielzynska, PhD, was born in Poland and is now a medical researcher at Innovative Biosensors in Rockville. Her most recent work is on molecular diagnostic testing for women's health that provides quick and accurate results.
Charles Schultz is a master electrician in Washington, D.C. He has a degree in English and, like Puma, he has an Eagle Scout background.
Ameena Shrestha is from Nepal and is working on a PhD in International Development at the University of Denver. She has held internships at AWIEF and the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC.
Norris Tweah is from Liberia and has worked on NGO projects in Africa. He is currently serving in the Scott Family Liberia Fellows Program to assist the government of Liberia transition from conflict to reconstruction and development.
