Our Board of Directors
Darren Smith, President
Darren Smith is the Co-Founder and Portfolio Manager at 337 Frontier Capital, a NYC-based, dedicated African investment firm. He was born and raised in Canada but has lived in South Africa, South Korea, Dubai, and Washington, DC, before settling in the NYC area. Darren previously worked as the Head of Research for Credit Agricole’s MENA brokerage business, and he is currently on the Board of Directors of Bank of Kigali Group, Rwanda’s largest bank. Darren has traveled extensively across Africa, having dedicated his professional career to understanding and contributing to capital markets development on the continent. He has been on the board of AGE Africa since 2018 and has been contributing to its mission for nearly ten years.
Darren is married with two young daughters and would love to see Malawian girls have the same educational opportunities as his daughters. He received his bachelor’s in finance from Bishop’s University in Quebec, and he is a CFA charter holder. Darren loves camping, downhill skiing, practicing yoga, and spending time with his family and friends.
Ambassador (ret) Jeanine Jackson, Vice Chair
Ambassador (ret) Jeanine Jackson is a retired Senior Foreign Service Officer and a retired U.S. Army Reserve Colonel. As U.S. Ambassador to Malawi (2011-14), she led a $250 million development, governance, and security assistance program. As Ambassador to Burkina Faso (2006-09), she increased security cooperation, infrastructure, and development assistance and oversaw a significant girls’ education program.
Ambassador Jackson was the operations director to open new U.S. Embassies in the 13 former Soviet republics in 1991-2, in Afghanistan in 2001, and in Iraq in 2004. She focused on U.S. interests in Hong Kong during the British Colony’s reversion to Chinese sovereignty. In Kenya, following the Al Qaeda bombing of the U.S. Embassy, she helped reestablish operations and infrastructure. She also served in Switzerland, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and the Bureau of African Affairs.
She serves on the Boards of FCA Corp (AFRICAP fund) and Developing Radio Partners and studies classical piano. She is married to Mark Jackson, a retired Senior Foreign Service Officer and Army Colonel. Enamored of Africa’s cultures, they have independently traveled more than 30,000 miles overland on the African continent.
Cord Dannen, Treasurer
Cord has over 20 years of investment experience working with large institutional clients and managing complex portfolios. As a Senior Portfolio Advisor within Northern Trust’s Global Family Office practice, Cord partners with family office clients to develop, implement, and monitor investment programs. Cord has expertise with investment policies, asset allocation, portfolio implementation, and investment due diligence across long-only investment managers, hedge funds, and private equity investments.
Prior to joining Northern Trust, Cord was an Investment Director at Cambridge Associates. He worked on a team that functioned as an outsourced investment office for several institutional clients. Early in his career, Cord worked in private equity at a real estate firm where he underwrote the acquisition of apartments nationwide.
Cord received his BBA from Emory University, his MBA as well as MS in Accounting from American University. Cord is a CFA Charterholder and member of the CFA Society in Washington, DC.
Cord enjoys spending time with his wife and his two young children as well as playing the piano and guitar, ice hockey, golfing, skiing, gardening, and traveling.
Dr. Jeni Gamble, Secretary
Dr. Jenifer Gamble has worked to improve policies, systems, and services for the most vulnerable throughout the US and globally since 1997. Gamble currently serves as the Assistant Dean and Director of Field Education & Experiential Learning at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work. She holds a BA, MSSW, and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville, respectively. She is also board secretary for Finn Church Aid Americas, an Ambassador (KY) for the United State of Women, and is former faculty of West Virginia University. Gamble’s domestic nonprofit experiences focused on eliminating gender-based violence and improving criminal justice and victim service programs.
In Washington, DC, she focused on global and girls’ education policy. She has held leadership positions with national and local organizations, such as the Brookings Institution and the National Alliance to End Homelessness. She often consults with organizations around social entrepreneurship, strategic planning, and growth. Gamble lives in Lexington, KY, and is an avid runner and craft beer enthusiast.
Susan Banda-Mudiwa
Susan Banda-Mudiwa is an Executive Coach with international experience. With 20+ years of leadership experience in the development sector and the corporate world, Susan brings her skills and knowledge to all interactions with her clients.
Before becoming a full-time Executive and Leadership Coach, Susan worked in the corporate and development sector, including leading the development and implementation of a $350 million investment in the power sector in Malawi financed by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (www.mcc.gov).
As an Executive and Leadership Coach, Susan has worked with clients in leadership and other positions in both the development and corporate sectors. Some of her clients have included staff in UN agencies, the financial sector, FCMG companies, and NGOs. Originally from Malawi and married to a Zimbabwean, Susan is based in Kenya and has worked with clients worldwide, including Australia, the United States of America, Southern Africa, East Africa, Asia, and Europe. She has two Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Malawi and Elizabethtown.
Duane Beasley
Duane Beasley serves as General Counsel at Invictus Capital Partners, LP, where he oversees the firm’s legal, regulatory, compliance, and governance functions. In this role, he advises senior leadership and the investment committee on complex transactions, fund structuring, risk management, and strategic initiatives across the firm’s private investment platform. Duane brings extensive experience in corporate law, fiduciary governance, and operational oversight, with a practical, solutions-oriented approach that supports both institutional integrity and long-term value creation.
Prior to joining Invictus Capital Partners, Duane was a partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP and advised financial institutions on a variety of capital markets transactions. His background provides him with a strong foundation in governance best practices, stakeholder engagement, and mission-aligned decision-making.
Duane is passionate about expanding access to education and opportunity for underserved communities. He is particularly committed to initiatives that empower young people through education, mentorship, and long-term support structures. His legal and governance expertise, combined with his commitment to mission-driven service, position him to contribute meaningfully to Age Africa’s board in areas including organizational governance, strategic planning, and sustainable growth.
Duane holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University and Juris Doctor degree from the UCLA School of Law. He is currently admitted to practice law in California and Washington, DC.
Rodrigo Briceno
Rodrigo Briceno, CFA, is a Managing Director at Invictus Capital Partners. He joined the firm in 2012 and is responsible for executing Invictus’s securitization strategy. Mr. Briceno has overseen the issuance of over $15 billion of residential mortgage loans across thirty-five securitizations under the Verus shelf. With this help, Invictus became the first Non-QM issuer to have its inaugural transactions rated AAA by three different rating agencies. His primary responsibilities include managing the rating process, security structuring, bond investor marketing, and underwriters/legal coordination. While at Invictus, Mr. Briceno also helped manage and report on the $2.0 billion RMBS portfolio.
A native of Chile, he holds an MBA from The George Washington University, where he was the Men’s Tennis Assistant Coach, and a B.A. in business administration from Wichita State University. Rodrigo has participated in the past two editions of the AGE Africa Ride for Malawi, where he learned about the challenges faced by young women in Malawi to get an education and is committed to making an impact by joining AGE’s board.
Cathy Dimarchos
Cathy Dimarchos is a dynamic Global Advisor and Strategist with over 35 years of expertise in securitization, finance, counseling, and conscious leadership. Passionate about social justice and economic security, Cathy champions bold, equitable solutions that transform communities and create sustainable impact. Her Antifragile framework empowers visionaries, philanthropists, governments, and business leaders to bring their innovative ideas to life while fostering inclusive and democratic outcomes.
A staunch advocate for global change, Cathy offers strategic advice, financial literacy, and leadership mentoring with a focus on building robust frameworks and circular supply chains to promote sustainable cities and communities. She is known for her unparalleled ability to uncover unseen opportunities, listen deeply to the unspoken, and guide transformation towards a better future.
Through her work with courageous changemakers, Cathy furthers her mission to elevate social justice and consciousness globally. Her commitment to fostering meaningful impact, especially in underserved communities, aligns seamlessly with AGE Africa's mission of empowering young women through education and opportunity. Cathy’s efforts inspire others to move beyond limitations, shifting paradigms and delivering results where others have struggled.
For Cathy, creating global impact means daring to lead with purpose and transforming aspirations into lasting change.
Nga Do
Nga Do grew up in poverty in Vietnam and refugee camps in Thailand before immigrating to the United States. Nga worked for technology start-up companies and the County of San Mateo, CA in her early career. In 2003, she received the Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship. She earned a master’s degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University and joined the U.S. Foreign Service. As a U.S. diplomat, Nga served in Washington, D.C., Mexico, Peru, and Botswana.
After the Foreign Service, Nga started a social enterprise, Artisan Handwork, to create an online platform marketplace like Etsy for people in developing countries to sell their handmade goods. Subsequently, Nga went on to work for Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center as a Director of the Women’s Business Center in San Francisco, helping women start and grow their small businesses.
Nga is fluent in Vietnamese, Spanish, and English. She graduated from Holy Names University with a major in Philosophy and two minors, computer science and mathematics. She enjoys hiking, mushroom hunting, growing tropical fruits, volunteering, and traveling with her husband Matthew.
Ambassador (ret) Thomas Dougherty
Ambassador (ret) Thomas Dougherty is the Milward L. Simpson Professor at the University of Wyoming, and from 2021-2023 he was the Warburg Chair in International Relations at Simmons University in Boston. A career Foreign Service Officer for over 27 years, he served in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Australia, and Washington. He was U.S. Ambassador to Burkina Faso and served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Australia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Malawi. Other overseas assignments were in Senegal, Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Eritrea, Germany, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Iraq, where he was Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs. In Washington, he was Director of West African Affairs and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Africa Bureau.
Upon retiring from the State Department, he was Executive Director of the Australian-American Fulbright Commission from 2016-2021. During his tenure, the Commission secured more than $50 million in funding, including the largest single philanthropic donation to the global Fulbright program in its 75-year history. A Fulbright awardee himself in Indonesia and Singapore, he is a graduate of Brown University, did postgraduate work in Italy and California, and taught in Belgium and Switzerland. He is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy and the Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs, and is on the advisory board of Emissions Monitoring Satellites (EMSat).
Ellen Engels
Born and raised on Long Island, NY, Ellen received her BA in Secondary Education English and taught grades 10-12 for two years. She left teaching to work in a rural county-run federally-funded program for disadvantaged youth, providing work experience and teaching General Educational Development (GED) to dropouts for 5 years. Ellen earned her Master’s in Public Administration part-time during this period. She then joined the National Association of Counties in the District of Columbia, where she traveled country-wide to help county employees administer similar programs.
In 1984 Ellen received a Presidential Commission as a Foreign Service Officer specializing in Management. Her career focused on managing operations, human resources, finances, logistics, and contracting at Embassies in the Middle East: Tunis, Tunisia; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2 tours); Algiers, Algeria; Muscat, Oman; Islamabad, Pakistan (where she supported the reopening of the Embassy in Kabul); and Baghdad, Iraq (the world’s largest Embassy at the time). At the State Department in Washington, DC, Ellen became an expert in the entire human resources life cycle, including compensation, hiring, career planning, evaluation, discipline, and training. Ellen retired after 30 years but stayed another ten years at the State Department working remotely, part-time, reviewing reports of the Office of Inspector General, which inspects US Embassies and State bureaus.
Ellen travels widely, loves to play bridge, socialize, and spend time with her grandchildren. She brings a passion for girls’ education based on her many years as a teacher and mentor. Ellen resides in St. Petersburg, Florida. Ellen participated in AGE Africa’s 20th Anniversary celebration in 2025, witnessed the power of CHATS, and met some of AGE Africa’s confident and enthusiastic secondary and university scholars.
Victor B. George, JD
Victor B. George is the Founder and Principal of Ethixera Advisory, a Raleigh, North Carolina–based firm focused on ethics, anti-financial crimes compliance, and regulatory risk. With more than 15 years of experience, he advises Fortune 500 institutions, financial services firms, healthcare organizations, and emerging fintech companies across the United States and global markets.
Victor’s work centers on strengthening governance frameworks, improving oversight, and helping organizations navigate complex regulatory environments. His experience includes Anti-Money Laundering (AML), anti-bribery and anti-corruption, enterprise risk management, and independent audit across multiple industries. He has supported organizations operating under federal regulatory oversight and partnered with global advisory firms on enterprise governance initiatives.
He earned his Juris Doctor from Mitchell Hamline University School of Law with a concentration in regulatory compliance and has obtained professional certifications and specialized training in compliance and ethics. In addition to his advisory practice, Victor speaks nationally on governance, responsible innovation, and the evolving role of institutions in protecting both markets and communities.
Victor lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his wife and their two children and is committed to strengthening systems that expand opportunity and long-term stability across communities.
Jimmy Lipunga
Jimmy Lipunga is a Malawian of significant stature. Currently Board Chair of Ilovo Sugar and National Bank of Malawi, Jimmy also provides advisory services in investment, banking, business restructuring, valuation, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance at La Via Nuova LTD.
Jimmy previously served 14 years as the Chief of Malawi’s Public-Private Partnership Commission. In that position, he built a vast network of government, private sector, and non-profit contacts in a variety of sectors, both in Malawi and internationally. He was instrumental in the formulation of the Government of Malawi’s 2063 vision.
Previously, he was the lead negotiator in the revitalization of the railway concession involving Vale Logistics of Brazil and the Government of Malawi. He led the establishment of a regional fiber optic connectivity and virtual landing point in Lilongwe, resulting in lower internet costs, and the Digital Foundation Malawi Project to facilitate last mile connectivity and digital platforms in the public sector. Jimmy championed and established a new national airline. Malawi Airlines Ltd. with Ethiopian Airlines. He implemented high-profile initial public offerings on the Malawi Stock Exchange. A hydro-electricity project, privatization of Malawi Telecommunications LTD, and development of the radio and TV satellite signal distribution platform are also key successes.
Jimmy is a chartered accountant, public-private partnership specialist, corporate finance and project management specialist, and corporate strategy and governance specialist.
Jimmy is a graduate of The Kamuzu Academy and qualified as a chartered accountant under the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants of the United Kingdom. Jimmy has attended courses around the world, including at Harvard International Institute of Management, University of Chicago, Institute of Public Private Partnership, and SETYMS of Canada.
During the 20th anniversary of AGE Africa, Jimmy participated in the ceremonies, in visits to schools to observe CHATS sessions, and in several corporate discussions regarding partnerships with AGE Africa.
Yvonne Mhango
Yvonne Mhango, Bloomberg Economics' Africa Economist, is based in Johannesburg, South Africa. With two decades of experience, she provides in-depth analysis and forecasts on African economies, helping institutional investors and pan-African corporates make informed strategic decisions.
Before joining Bloomberg, Yvonne was Head of Africa Research and Africa Economist at Renaissance Capital, and later Chief Economist at Equity Bank. She holds a Master’s degree in Business Science (Economics) from the University of Cape Town.
Sruti Patel
Sruti Patel grew up in Nairobi and lives in London. She studied International Relations and Politics of Empire at the LSE. This propelled her into the world of finance with a focus on SSA. Her most recent adventure has been at EFG Hermes. She joined in 2017 as Head of Frontier Equity Sales.
Before EFG Hermes, Sruti headed Equity Sales at Exotix, responsible for building the firm’s international client franchise and sales platform, initially based in London and then New York. She previously worked on the Equity Sales desk at Africa’s largest bank, Standard Bank, where she set up an international client base for SSA equities via London. She was a research analyst covering SSA financials at Renaissance Capital.
Sruti considers it her obligation and privilege to promote and contribute to the development of SSA, from its capital markets to transferring skills to women in the local financial industry to providing girls with the same opportunities and support that she was lucky enough to benefit from.
Elene Tskhadadze
Prior to this, she supported the public financial management reform efforts in Zambia as part of the advisory provided by the German Development Cooperation to the Zambian Ministry of Finance, Revenue Authority, and Public Procurement Authority following the country’s sovereign default. She previously worked as a USAID fellow at the Budget and Finance Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, focusing on fiscal policy and financial sector oversight, as well as within the state grant agency of the Georgian Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development.
Eugene Ubalijoro
Eugene is Molson Coors Regional Vice President for the USA Central Region, overseeing 10 states, with +100 distributors and a $1.6 billion revenue business. Gene is a 34-year veteran of the global beverage business with Heineken, joined Molson Coors in 2020.
Before joining Molson Coors, Gene led Heineken International’s operations in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies as Managing Director of Heineken Ethiopia. Prior to that, Gene held a variety of leadership roles with Heineken, including Managing Director -- Caribbean and Americas Export, Managing Director -- Brasseries de Bourbon on the island La Reunion (Indian Ocean), Commercial Director – Sub-Saharan Africa, USA Southeast Regional Marketing Manager in Atlanta and Commercial Director in Rwanda. Gene has been serving on the board of Bank of Kigali as a non-executive director since 2021.
Gene holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Georgetown University and an MBA from Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec.
He is married to Pascale Gamard from Lyon and they have 3 children (Alexandra, 26 and Harvard Alumna; Jonathan 24 and Rice Alumnus, Ashley 21 senior at Northeastern in Boston).
Honorary Board Members
Her Excellency Justice Esme Jynet Chombo
Her Excellency Justice Esme Jynet Chombo is the Ambassador of the Republic of Malawi to the United States. Before she was appointed Ambassador, Esme Chombo served for 18 years as a Judge of the High Court of Malawi, serving as a judge with powers of unlimited original jurisdiction, appellate and review jurisdiction over all subordinate courts in civil, criminal, administrative, and industrial relations matters.
Her adjudication experience spans over 28 years. She first joined the Malawi Judiciary as Chief Resident Magistrate from 1986 to 1995, supervising all magistrates and overseeing the management of all lower courts in the Northern Region of Malawi. Before progressing to the High Court, she worked as Company Secretary for Press Corporation Limited and Press Agriculture Limited between 1995 and 2002.
Esme Chombo has also served in many other key roles in Malawi and Southern Africa related to prisons, adoptions, abortion, and judicial commissions and associations. She was the founding President of the Women Judges Association of Malawi’s Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges.
Esme Chombo holds a Master’s in Women’s Law and Human Rights from the University of Zimbabwe (2008), a Master’s in Strategic Management from the University of Derby, UK (2001), and a Bachelor of Law – (LLB) (Hons) from University of Malawi (1986).
Martin Banda
Martin Banda is the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Malawi. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Soil Surveys from the International Institute of Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences of the University of Twente in the Netherlands and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Malawi. He has 39 years of experience in the public and private sectors.
Martin served for 15 years as the Agriculture Development Program Specialist at the U.S.Agency for International Development in Malawi. In 2012 he briefed then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a women’s dairy project. He implemented agriculture programs that focused on diversification of the agriculture sector into such commodities as dairy, soy, legumes, and sweet potatoes. These programs targeted smallholder farmers, especially women. His work included emergency food assistance for those affected by natural disasters and addressing the underlying causes of hunger.
Martin’s first jobs were at the Ministry of Agriculture in extension services and the Land Resources Conservation Department, where he was responsible for land use planning, soil surveys, soil and water conservation, and land evaluation. He moved on to manage a Winrock International project to strengthen agricultural extension services. At the Delegation of the European Union to Malawi, he was Project Manager for Rural Development and Food Security.
Emeritus Board of Directors
- Xanthe Scharff, Founder (2005 – 2015)*
- Bill Bailey (2009 – 2011)
- Christine Beggs (2010 – 2015)
- Johan DeBruijn (2011-2017)
- Marcella Distrutti (2019-2022)
- Valerie Gilpin (2009 – 2015)
- Steven Koltai (2013 – 2015)
- Sebastiaan Kwakkenbos (2017 – 2020)
- Ambassador Stephen D. Matenje (2013 – 2015)
- Ambassador Necton D. Mhuru (2015-2016)
- Jane Nankwenya (2013 – 2017)
- Roland Pearson (2012 – 2019)
- Kathleen Kimiko Phillips-Lohrmann (2008-2017, 2024-2025)
- Curt Reintsma (2012 – 2019)
- Rinn Self (2006 – 2010)*
- Roger Sullivan (2009 – 2011)
- Sarah Sullivan (2012-2018)
- Jessica Turco (2006 – 2009)*
- Astri Van Dyke (2015 – 2021)
- Kwaku Akowuah (2016- 2022)
- Clara Brillembourg (2016- 2022)
- H.E. Ambassador Edward Yakobe Sawerengera (2015- 2021)
- Margaret Mwanza Gadabu (2015- 2021)
- Dr. Aubryn Allyn Sidle (2017-2023)
- Zokeseh Labala (2018-2025)
- Lisa Boucher (2023-2025)
- Mary Kurek (2025-2026)
* Indicates Founding Board Member