Executive Board
The REACH Executive Board works with the Advisory Board in setting policies and strategies for REACH in line with the mission, objectives and vision of the organization. Together, these two units shape operational guidelines, work plans and projects for the NGO and provide policy and program support. The Executive Board represents REACH in the larger community and its members communicate and network effectively and broadly to execute the objectives of REACH.
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
Maame Sampah's commitment to medicine, international health and advocacy are the driving force behind her involvement with REACH's executive board. This interest was developed and cemented during college summers spent at University of Chicago Hospital and the Mayo Clinic researching cardiovascular disease and cancer. Back on the Grinnell College campus, Maame completed a Bachelor's degree in French and Biological Chemistry, alongside serving as the Activities Coordinator for the on-campus Multicultural Organization, facilitating the overall management and direction of the group's communal and volunteer programs. She is currently a doctoral candidate at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine where she studies the mechanisms underlying treatment failure in HIV patients on anti-retroviral therapy. She loves travel, dance, writing, design and decorating,.
Email: maame.sampah@reachghana.org
ORGANIZATIONAL & OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
Aida Nana Ama Manu is a Research Coordinator at Washington DC's Georgetown University Hospital, where she oversees the logistical, regulatory and financial aspects of clinical trials in scleroderma and pulmonary hypertension. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience from Smith College, where she gained additional experience in biomedical research working in the cellular and molecular neuroscience laboratory. She also worked at the J.H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County on a project aimed at improving the care of asthma patients from disadvantaged backgrounds. Aida's interest in REACH is attributed to this experience, as well as an internship at Accra's Korle-bu Teaching Hospital, where she watched several neurosurgeons perform only what could be considered miracles based on their limited resources. Outside of the health-care world, Aida tutors high school students, follows tech blogs, and is learning to play the guitar.
Email: aida.manu@reachghana.org
TREASURER
Jonathan Hutchful has a vision to see development work in Ghana escalate to a level that both Ghanaians and the international community can appreciate and emulate. He sees the Ghana government as a principal player in the success of development work and would like to dedicate his efforts to supporting the public sector in providing a platform for private and public entrepreneurial efforts within the country. Currently, Jonathan works in an IT project management capacity and his involvement in REACH will provide him with an opportunity to invest resources in a venture focused on development in Ghana's healthcare system. Academically, Jonathan has a Masters of Public Administration from Grand Valley State University and a B.A. in Economics and Business Finance from Calvin College.
Email: jonathan.hutchful@reachghana.org
COMMUNICATIONS & INFORMATION OFFICER
Seyram Avle is currently working on her doctorate in Communication Studies at the University of Michigan. She studies global flows of communication and information, particularly around media, technology and policy in developing countries. Her interest in REACH comes from her belief that much can be achieved when research and policy incorporate existing knowledge from the communities they are focused on. She brings in experience from the non-profit world, having worked as a founding executive of the GhanaThink Foundation, intern at AllAfrica, and researcher at Internews. Seyram received a dual BA in Economics and English Literature, with honors, from Brandeis University and has worked in sales and business development for a financial technology firm in Burlington, MA.
Email: seyram.avle@reachghana.org
FUNDRAISING & GIFTS MANAGER
Edo Bedzra began his journey through life on the hallowed shores of Ghana and through a comedy of errors, is an MD, MBA candidate at Harvard University. He defines success by the people he uplifts on the way to achieving it. A Ghanaian by birth and at heart, Edo has seized every opportunity to serve his nation. After high school, he was an executive in "Youth-In-Limbo" which organized motivational seminars and tutored junior high students. He has sent books to the University of Ghana Medical School, actively worked on increasing international student admissions into his undergrad, Oberlin College, conducted bench and economic research into malaria and researched health maintenance in 7 communities in the Volta Region of Ghana. With degrees in Biology and Economics and investment banking experiences at JPMorgan, Edo plans a career as a cardiac surgeon with business concerning the design and implementation of health delivery systems for underserved communities. REACH is one of many steps on that journey.
Email: edo.bedzra@reachghana.org
RESEARCH CHAIR
Aya Ghunney characterizes herself as "a Ghanaian who happened to be born in the U.S.". She was raised between the Washington D.C. metropolitan area in the U.S. and Ghana, living in both Kumasi and Accra. Aya completed her secondary education at Wesley Girls' High School in Cape Coast. She went on to receive a B.S. in Psychology at the University of Maryland- Baltimore County (UMBC) in Baltimore, MD. During and after her undergraduate training, she worked as an individual intensive support therapist for children and teenagers with autism. She was also heavily involved in research and worked with researchers at both UMBC and the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Aya is currently a graduate student in the clinical psychology doctoral program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Email: aya.ghunney@reachghana.org
EDUCATION CHAIR
Emmanuel Lamptey was born and raised in Ghana, and is passionate about public service. Emmanuel has enjoyed spending time with young people and has worked with orphans and street children in Northern Ghana, and inner city high school students in Washington DC on several projects including HIV/AIDS education, youth empowerment and Model United Nations. From 2007 to 2009, Emmanuel was a program coordinator/faculty advisor for EnvisionEMI, LLC where he helped plan, implement, and manage leadership programs. He has a Masters degree in Diplomacy and International Relations from Seton Hall University and a B.A. in Political Science from the College of Wooster. Emmanuel is a Program Assistant at PACT International and is currently pursuing a Masters in Educational Leadership. He hopes to become a career diplomat and educator.
Email: emmanuel.lamptey@reachghana.org
COMMUNITY INITIATIVES CHAIR
Kofi-Buaku Atsina is the third of four children born to Ghanaian parents. He spent most of his formative years in Ghana where he attended Bishop Bowers School for elementary and Junior High education. Immediately following JSS, he enrolled at Presbyterian Boys' Secondary School where he took lots of science courses aimed at preparing him for a career in either medicine or engineering. After 17 years in Ghana, he came to the US for college at Yale and majored in Biomedical Engineering. He subsequently spent a year doing research in a Biomedical Engineering lab that focuses on designing drug delivery systems to the brain.Kofi is currently in his third year of medical school at Yale. His research involves the study of insulin resistance and diabetes in children.
Email: kofi.buaku-atsina@reachghana.org
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR (Regional)
William Okyere Frempong holds a B.Sc. in Medical Sciences and presently studying medicine at the University of Ghana Medical School. He brings to REACH an insatiable passion for positive youth mentoring & empowerment, the pursuit of purposeful directed living and excellence in all spheres of life. Willie is a motivated self-starter with a gift of vision, initiative, communication and leadership. He is a creative writer, youth coach and lay minister. He is also the Founder and President of the CLiNS Group, a Christian Youth Life development Organization based in Korle-Bu, Ghana. He reads, plays chess and enjoys writing at leisure.
