About Us » Who We Are

"If you want a work well done, select a busy man: the other kind has no time."

-Elbert Hubbard

 

A critical part of Solace’s success is the in-country project managers and staff that drive and support its programs. By mentoring and eventually hiring students and business entrepreneurs who show commitment and energy, Solace attracted a team of hard workers who represent the next generation of business and community leaders in their region. The salaries Solace pays for in-country project managers have been the greatest return on investment of any part of its efforts, and proved an irreplaceable piece of its operational philosophy. Solace is proud of the determination and passion its staff has shown.

Solace Stateside Staff and Contractors

Nate York, Executive Director

Nate founded the Afghanistan Girls School Project in 2002 after returning from work   with aid organizations in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. Moved by requests from Afghan teachers and students, Nathaniel began fundraising and also overseeing the construction of schools in rural villages in Northern Afghanistan. While traveling back and forth from Afghanistan and Alaska, Nathaniel earned a BA in Liberal Studies from Alaska Pacific University in 2002.

Marlo Shedlock, Project Coordinator

Marlo Shedlock joined Solace International in 2004 and currently serves as the Project Coordinator. In addition to fundraising, project management, and donor outreach she is responsible for establishing the fair trade art project between Overstock.com and a community art gallery in Malawi Africa. Marlo brings to Solace a diverse background and wealth of experience in non-profit and issue advocacy campaigns. Marlo has a BA in Environmental Geography from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Barbara Propes, Director of Fundraising

Barbara Propes recently joined Solace after leaving a position as President/CEO of the World Affairs Councils of America, the largest grassroots foreign policy association.   Barbara brings 20 years of non-profit management experience.  She also was founder and owner of Scandinavian furniture stores for nearly twenty-five years.  Barbara  also worked for the United States Senate and  for Jay Hammond a former governor of Alaska.  She has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Jaclyn Ralph, Manager of Fundraising

Jaclyn Ralph raised thousands of dollars in 2007 to fund her own work in Kenya. Through her work at Young Generation Center, she was introduced to Marlo Shedlock and Nate York. Based in California, she has a background in theater, and will be coordinating several events in 2009.

Stanfill Marcus Stanfill, Lead Marketing Contractor

Stanfill Marcus Stanfill played a key role as Solace’s Administrative Director through 2005, and knows the organization inside and out. Through his independent Seattle-based communications company, Stanfill Media, he has continued to produce marketing and web materials for Solace. Marcus has a multi-disciplinary BA in Technical and Visual Communications from the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

Field Staff

Rayadin (Adin) Sinurayna, Field Director, Indonesia

Adin grew up surrounded by the war and conflict in the hotly contested Ache Province, Indonesia. He became a teacher to help rebuild the regions educational system. After meeting Nate York in 2005, he agreed to oversee school construction projects and vocational programs in Ache Province. He has been instrumental helping negotiate with the many conflicting elements in the region.

Ayub Azizi, Field Director, Malawi

Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, Ayub was the first of his family to attend a university, where he studied philosophy and writing. Because of the dangers posed by the Taliban in Kabul, Ayub fled with his family to the Northern City of Sheberghan. Ayub joined the Solace team in 2003 and was vital to the success of every Solace project in Afghanistan. In 2007 Ayub and his family moved to Malawi where he is now the Field Director for Solace. His tireless work in developing the Solace Mangochi Fish Farm has led to one of the few successful fish production facilities in a country where most other farms – funded into the millions of dollars – have failed.

Mingma Lama, Field Director, Nepal

Dr. Mingma Lama grew up in the remote Napali village of Phaplu in the Solu Khumbu District. He walked nearly an hour each way to attend the local school. He carried this determination to his studies at Sarswati Multiple Campus – Kathmandu, Nepal. In 1995, he earned a Ph.D. in Information Technology from Sydney Institute of Technology in Australia. Mingma began his work advancing the cause of rural education in Nepal in 2004, acting as treasurer for the Belgium aid organization Cunina. With Solace in 2005, Mingma facilitated the construction of the Dorothy Byren Primalry School in his home village of Phaplu, convincing his family to donate land for the project.

Banze (Benjamin) Odera, Project Manager for Guatemala

A childhood friend and business protégé of Simon Okelo, Banze has demonstrated a tireless work ethic and strong ability to manage logistics and junior staff. He has been critical in developing the Vocational Training Center in Mbita, Kenya. He is now managing Solace's projects in Guatemala.

Helvin Moses Binda, Project Manager

Born in a rural village in Liberia on March 10th,1976, Moses was the youngest of seven brothers and sisters. He moved to the capitol, Monrovia, until civil war reached the city in 1990. Moses survived in a refugee camp. War once again returned in 1996. Moses and his family were targets of one of the rebel leaders, and narrowly escaped being burned alive in their home. Moses was able to buy passage on a Russian freighter, but the ship was eventually forced to return to Liberia after a harrowing passage. Moses made his way to Ghana and, with his studies in computers, was able to find work as an agent for two airlines. He met Nate York in Ghana and helped manage the building of an AIDS clinic in the Ho region. Taking note of his abilities, Nate sent him to Liberia to oversee the construction of a new school in the site of the notorious Belle Yella prison. Moses holds degrees in computers and project management, and has worked for Solace in Ghana, Liberia, Kenya, and Malawi. He is currently helping to craft a plan for a pilot sanitation project in Monrovia.

Mathew Dennis, Project Manager

A member of the Kpelle tribe of Liberia, was born on December 29^th, 1982 in the Todee District of Montserrado County to a family of five brothers. As a child he lived with his family supported by his father’s work in the Bong mines. When civil war erupted, his father took him to the town of Todee and enrolled him in the Killingsworth Mission School. Within a year, rebels attacked and overran the town and Mathew’s parents were captured. Mathew narrowly escaped only to spend several years fleeing from one village to another as the battle lines of the conflict shifted. During a brief lull in the fighting, Mathew enrolled in school in the village of Gbarnga. Word reached him that his parents were alive in a town close to Monrovia. Reunited with his family, Mathew returned to the village of Todee and enrolled once again at the Killingsworth Mission School. He  completed his high school degree in August 2001. He later enrolled in the Booker Washington Institute, where he studied accounting. He is now a seasoned project manager for Solace and has worked in Malawi and Liberia.