About Us
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Board of Directors |
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Left to Right: Mara Brock Akil, Kristen Kosinski |
Left to Right: Brian Silverman, Kristen Kosinski, Rebecca Lolosoli, Dr. Brian Perri |
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Mara Brock Akil Mara Brock Akil serves as creator and executive producer of the hit Paramount Network Television comedy series GIRLFRIENDS. She received a Bachelor's Degree in journalism from Northwestern University and was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. For her writing talents, Ms. Akil has received two SHINE (Sexual Health in Entertainment) Awards presented by The Media Project. GIRLFRIENDS has been honored with a Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame Award. Ms. Akil is a board member of the Center Theater Group (Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre). In 2002, Vibe Magazine listed Brock Akil as one of the Top 100 Hottest People and Honey Magazine named her as one of the 25 Hottest Women in urban entertainment. Ms. Akil enjoys mentoring young people, especially aspiring writers.
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Kristen Kosinski Kristen Kosinski is the Founder and President of The Samburu Project. The project was conceived while Ms. Kosinski was traveling through Kenya and working with women’s groups from the Samburu Tribe this past summer. Prior to her Kenyan departure, Ms. Kosinski was an Executive at Paramount Network Television in Hollywood, California. Upon graduating from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Communication, Ms. Kosinski taught elementary school in Houston, TX and Los Angeles through Teach for America, an organization that supports public education in the United States. Ms. Kosinski is committed to cross-cultural awareness and understanding. She is an advocate for women and children and works personally and professionally to uplift their position in our world.
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Lisa Rado Lisa Rado serves as marketing director for WORLD electronics Sales and Service since 1995 and operates a private consulting business focused primarily with alternative health care practitioners. Ms. Rado is an alumni of the Pennsylvania State University where she received a Bachelor Degree in Marketing. Upon graduation, she lived in Haverford , PA until her move to Los Angeles in 1998. Ms. Rado has been involved in charitable work throughout her life from committee chair positions, producer, organizational volunteer to non-profit officer. She co-produced Grid Iron Glamour for the 2000 Super Bowl in Atlanta , GA and Design Cure 2001 in Los Angeles . The events Ms. Rado collaborated on have benefitted Breast Cancer, Parkinson's Disease, MS, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, to local communitiy charities such as the West Coast Sports Medicine Foundation's Team to Win Program, Manhattan Beach Sister Cities Committee, Hurricane Katrina Relief and 9/11 Fallen Hero’s Children’s Fund. Ms. Rado is passionate about health, harmony and wellness in all areas of life and is committed to improving lives all over the planet – one person at a time!
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Dr. Brian Perri Brian Perri, DO is Associate Director of Orthopedic Surgery at the Cedar-Sinai Institute for Spinal Disorders. Dr. Perri's clinical specialty is cervical deformity and spinal tumor reconstructive surgery. Dr. Perri received his bachelor's degree from Allegheny College and his medical degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. He received his Masters in Neuroscience at the University of Hartford and University of Pennsylvania. Beyond his practice, Dr. Perri is interested in the state of health and well being for the people of communities in developing countries. He plans to lead a medical mission to Samburu, Kenya in 2006 with the intention of training tribal people on basic first aid and strategies for healthful living. Prior to practicing medicine, Dr. Perri worked for the American Red Cross.
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Brian Silverman Mr. Silverman’s vast experience includes work in government and non-government organizations, education and the performing arts. Graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Clark University with double majors in Government and Education, Mr. Silverman served for three years in the United States Peace Corps, first in Haiti and then Guatemala. While there, he focused on sustainable community development with rural farm families through agroforesty. He also taught sustainable agriculture at the University of San Carlos in Huehuetenango. Mr. Silverman earned a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government where he was the managing editor of The Citizen. He is currently a special education teacher working with The Help Group at Summit View School and an actor, writer and director working in Hollywood and with Vox Humana Productions. |
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Dr. Susan Baker, a graduate of The Chicago Medical School, is a rheumatologist and attending physician at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles . She is the President of Doctors Who Care, a non-profit organization aimed at doctors working in collaboration on charity projects. Dr. Baker is spearheading The Samburu Project’s upcoming medical mission to Samburu , Kenya with the intention of training tribal people on basic first aid and strategies for healthful living. |
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Saul Lempirikany, a Samburu, Kenya native, studied mathematics and physics at Egerton University in Kenya before receiving a track and field scholarship from Iowa State University . Upon graduation with a degree in Computer Science, Mr. Lempirikany began his career as a software developer and earned a masters degree in software systems. He is currently a Senior Software Engineer at Parametric Technology Corporation and resides in Minneapolis , Minnesota , with his wife and children.. As Mr. Lempirikany sees it, “There are very few things in my life that are as important as helping the people of Samburu”. |
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Southern California native, Michael Rossi is an alumnus of the University of San Diego where he received a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration . Upon graduation, Michael lived and worked overseas where an opportunity with an international trade company enhanced competitive sales, communication and analytical skills. His return to the US transitioned him into his current career of residential and investment real estate and an entrepreneur in the scope of restaurants, international hostels and real estate development. Complimenting Mr. Rossi’s professional life is continued community involvement in his hometown of Manhattan Beach , CA and internationally around the globe. Michael has served several terms as the Manhattan Beach Sister City Committee President, a representative of the Samburu Project, and an active volunteer for many charitable causes – International Community Foundation, Fallen Heroes Children Fund, Race to Erase MS, West Coast Sports Medicine Foundation Team to Win Program, Family to Family holiday program and other local organizations. His travels have
taken him around the world several times presenting him with the opportunity to continue to serve all of humanity. Michael enjoys surfing, tennis, golf, cycling, traveling, gardening and spending time with his family and friends.
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James Vellequette holds a degree in International Development Studies from UCLA focusing on poverty reduction in developing nations, specifically sub-Saharan Africa and Central America . He has volunteered and worked in HIV/AIDS prevention education for nearly two decades. Mr. Vellequette founded and facilitated the Positive 20s support group for young adults living with HIV/AIDS. He spent five years traveling around and living in Africa, spending every July traveling across southern Africa with UCLA Summer Sessions Study Abroad program as the program manager and co-teacher. Mr. Vellequette also volunteered with the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and the Amy Biehl Foundation Trust (ABFT) for three consecutive years. Mr. Vellequette has served on the Board of Directors for AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) and the Peer Education Program of Los Angeles (PEP/LA). He has recently completed a contract working with AIDS Research Alliance in Los Angeles. |
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