Board of Directors
HASAN elected a Steering Committee in April 2002 after it was decided to formalize HASAN's governance structure and operations. This Steering Committee, which was a transitional body, became the first Board of Directors once HASAN became incorporated in the State of Massachusetts, USA in July 2003. The term of the current Board members will end in November 2005.
Chair
Nana A. Y. Twum-Danso is the Founder and first Chair of HASAN's Board of Directors. She was born in Accra, Ghana. Nana obtained her undergraduate degree in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard College in 1994 and her medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1998. She served as social chair and co-president of the Harvard African Students Association (HASA) as an undergraduate and remained involved with HASA during her medical school years. Her specialty is in the field of preventive medicine and public health. Nana currently lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. for an international public health organization which assists African countries with their national programs to control river blindness and lymphatic filariasis and holds an adjunct faculty position at the Emory University School of Medicine.
Secretary
Aida Bekele is the Secretary of HASAN. She was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and grew up in the United States. She earned an A.B., cum laude, in History from Harvard College in 1994 and a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1997. Most recently, Aida was Corporate Secretary of The Goldman Sachs Foundation for three years. Previously she was a law clerk for Judge Harold Baer, Jr. in the Southern District of New York and practiced at Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Aida is currently Director of Strategic Partnerships at the New York City Department of Education.
Clerk
Modupe Akinola is the HASAN clerk. She was born in New York City, but her mother is from Togo and her father is from Nigeria. However, both of her parents were raised primarily in Ghana. Modupe is a Research Associate at Harvard Business School with the Harvard Public Education Leadership Project. The project is a new research collaborative between the Harvard Business School and Harvard Graduate School of Education working in partnership with urban K-12 public school leaders. Prior to joining the project, Modupe was a consultant at Bain & Company, a strategy consulting firm headquartered in Boston. While at Bain, Modupe assisted corporate clients in evaluating growth opportunities, developing business unit strategies, and assessing mergers and acquisitions. She also participated in several of Bain’s public service projects, including working as a consultant for the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School on long-term strategic planning and mentoring a 10th grade student at the Charlestown High School. Modupe has also worked in Accra, Ghana where she created a nursery and literacy center for poor children. The program currently serves approximately 400 mothers and children. Modupe holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and an A.B. degree in Psychology from Harvard College.
Treasurer
James Habyarimana was born in Kampala, Uganda where he also attended primary and secondary school. He is a graduate of the United World College of the Atlantic where he earned an International Baccalaureate diploma in 1994. He completed his undergraduate studies in engineering and economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1998 before embarking on graduate studies in economics at Harvard. He completed his doctoral studies in development economics in 2004 and is now an assistant professor in public policy at Georgetown University. His current research interests are in applied microeconomics with a predominant focus on education and health in Africa.
Vice President of Communications & Public Relations
Fungayi T. Kapungu serves as the VP of Communications and Public Relations for HASAN. While he was born and raised in New Rochelle, New York, both of his parents are from Zimbabwe. He earned a B.A. in Communications/Marketing with a Minor in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999 and currently is an MBA candidate for the Class of 2005 at Harvard Business School. Prior to business school, he worked for 4 years as a Marketing/Brand Manager for General Mills in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is fluent in the Mashona dialect of Zimbabwe and is passionate about African history, culture, empowerment, and business.
Vice Presidents of Recruiting & Member Relations
Adey Fisseha was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and grew up in the United States. She graduated from Harvard College in 1995 with an A.B. degree in Government and a Certificate in African Studies. While at Harvard she was a member of HASA and served as one of its co-presidents from 1994 to 1995. Adey is currently a Policy Analyst for the National Immigration Law Center, a non-profit organization working to protect and promote the rights of low-income immigrants and their families in the U.S. Prior to that, Adey worked as a Legislative Aide for Congressman Howard Berman, a Democrat from California. Adey, working together with Frank Minja, is a VP of Recruiting & Member Relations for HASAN.
Frank Minja was born and raised in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania where he earned an International Baccalaureate Diploma from the International School of Tanganyika in 1995. He graduated from Harvard College in 1999 with an A.B. in Biochemistry, and from Harvard Medical School with an MD. He is now doing residency training in Diagnostic Radiology at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Frank, working together with Adey Fisseha, is a VP of Recruiting & Member Relations for HASAN. He hopes to track down email addresses of each and every HASA Alumnus/a! He is also responsible for updating the HASAN Member Directory on a regular basis.
Vice Presidents of Fundraising
Nanayaa T. Dadson is a native of Ghana and currently lives in New Jersey. She is a Vice President in the Equity Derivatives Group at JPMorganChase in New York where she structures and markets equity derivative solutions to clients. Nanayaa has a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences from Harvard University. While at Harvard she was a member of the HASA and served as one of its co-presidents from 1990 to 1991. Nanayaa is a member of the Fundraising Team of HASAN.
Una O. Osili currently serves on the Fundraising Team of HASAN and is also the Chair of the Organizing Committee for the Philippe E. Wamba Memorial Fund for the Improvement of Road Traffic Safety in Africa, one of HASAN's programs. Una grew up in Enugu, Nigeria, and attended Federal Government College, Enugu, but finished her high school education at The Clarkson School in upstate New York. Una graduated from Harvard College in 1994 with an A.B. in economics. She went on to pursue graduate work in economics at Northwestern University, where she received her M.A. (1995) and Ph.D (1999) in economics. Una's research interests mainly lie in the field of development economics, and she has worked on topics in international migration, education and private income transfers. She is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Economics at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, and a faculty associate at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. Una serves on the board of several nonprofits with an interest in Africa. She resides in Indianapolis, with her husband, "Vop" Ifeanyi, and their son Arinze.
Kaniaru Wacieni serves on the Fundraising Team for HASAN. Kaniaru is a native of Kenya where he attended the Alliance High School before coming to pursue undergraduate studies at Harvard in 1994. After receiving an honors degree in Economics, he worked for several years in investment banking in New York and London. Kaniaru is passionate about investing and is a soccer fan(atic); in his spare time, he is currently pursuing an MBA degree at the Harvard Business School.
