Our Founders
Nadine Gauldino
Angola
A banking professional with US bank, Gauldino is dedicated to providing cultural awareness for the people of Angola in the U.S. She is a founding member of Kudissanga, the association of Angolans in America. She has organized and hosted the Miss Angola United States and the Angola Peace Conference.
Sitinga Kachipande
Malawi
A professor of sociology and Africana studies, Kachipande specializes in the global political economy and women’s studies. She has experience in the non-profit healthcare sector. She was a social media and research fellow with TransAfrica. She is the former President of the Malawi Association in Washington. She earned her PhD from Virginia Tech.
Lisa Netha
Namibia
Dedicated to strengthening unity among Africans, Netha has led poverty‑alleviation efforts in both Namibia and the USA, including clothing drives and feeding programs in Washington, DC. Lisa is an active member of the Namibian community with a BA degree in business administration from the University of KwaZulu‑Natal and a master’s degree from Middlesex University.
Rachel Nghiwete
Namibia
Nghiwete is a business woman who was born in Angola by Namibian parents, and raised in England and the USA. She attended American University in Washington, DC, where she attained a master’s degree in health Promotion Management. She is the author of Valentina: The Exile Child, a historical book about Apartheid in Namibia.
Margaret Perakis
South Africa
Margaret Perakis is an educator in the Maryland school system. She has also served a long time as a liaison between the South African community and the South African Embassy. She coordinates the annual South African Freedom Day picnic in the DMV, a major cultural event that draws thousands. A passionate advocate for the arts, she promotes South African culture, supports fundraising efforts, and collaborates with organizations such as Umoja and the Mandela Foundation.
Mimmy Polan
Botswana
A former foreign service administrator, Polan helped establish the Botswana community in the USA (BACUSA) and has spent six years coordinating events that bring BaTswana together. Polan’s most prominent events includes organizing the 2008 West Coast Conference for BaTswana in the Diaspora to address HIV/AIDS, and coordinating annual Botswana Independence Day celebrations that unite BaTswana and friends of Botswana across America.
Cassandra Sibanda
Zimbabwe
Sibanda is a community organizer for the Zimbabwe Diaspora Community in the DMV area, a software Engineer at a fortune 500 Engineering-construction company, secretary for the Love Sisters Christian Group, board member of Women of Dominion International and a chef at Cassandra’s kitchen. She holds degrees in Computer Science from Geneva College and Strayer University.
Omega Tawonezvi
Zimbabwe
Tawonezvi is interested in economic development and improved healthcare access & outcomes for Africans on the continent and in the diaspora. She works with established groups in her native Zimbabwe to promote micro-enterprise and health wellness programs. Tawonezvi holds an MBA & master’s in International Management from the University of Maryland system and a BA in Economics from Austin Peay State University.
Founding Member
Mathews Mutale
Zambia
Mutale is a founding member of the Diamondale Foundation and author of An Eye Opener for SMEs. He holds marketing and project‑management degrees from UMUC, plus CAPM certification. His career spans insurance, retail management, and marketing roles in Zambia and the U.S., including work with the United States Capitol Historical Society.