Our Leadership

Chris Bradshaw, Founder/President

Chris Bradshaw was inspired to help start libraries in Africa after being told on a pony trekking trip in Lesotho that the country had just one library. As Founder of the African Library Project and President of the Board, she has led the organization, coordinating Americans across the United States and Africans in eight countries to start and improve small libraries. Life before libraries includes a junior year in college at Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone and travel in 58 countries on five continents including 19 African countries. Chris was a professional YMCA camp director and home schooled her two children. She has a B.A. in Sociology with minors in African Studies and Studio Art.

Carolyn Gannon, Co-Treasurer

Carolyn Gannon joined the ALP board as Treasurer early in 2007 after being impressed with the passion, methods, and success of this young organization. Carolyn maintains personal contact with several local people in the 11 African countries she has visited and is keenly aware of the difference that reading and education make in the lives of young Africans. After 30 years of senior level high tech positions, Carolyn now volunteers in education and mentoring areas. In addition to ALP, Carolyn is on the board of the Bechtel International Center at Stanford University and for eight years was a trustee of Bennington College in Vermont. She has a BA in Mathematics and MS in Electrical Engineer/Computer Science.

Mehul Rawal, Co-Treasurer

Mehul Rawal's interest in Africa stems from his family roots in East Africa and a desire to improve lives in less developed countries. In his recent travels, he saw firsthand how different Africa was from the family stories, photos, and movies he grew up with. He was drawn to ALP's grassroots model to help communities in Africa while creating awareness and connection with volunteers in the US. As an avid recycler, Mehul is energized by the chance to help redirect books that would otherwise go unused or end up in landfills. Mehul is a graduate of UC Davis with a BS in Managerial Economics.

Nadine Toby Diezmann, Secretary

Nadine Toby Diezmann has been actively involved since 2006.  She has served as the book drive coordinator for Girl Scout troops, conducted her own book drive, edited the 2008, 2009 and 2010 ALP Newsletters, and served as Board Secretary.  A long time homeschooling mom, Nadine loved reading to her children and learned along with her son and daughter as they devoured book after book. Nadine feels the beauty of ALP is the direct and personal ability to help other children have access to books so they, too, can learn to love reading. After working with homeschooling families for five years, Nadine now works as an Office Manager at a nonprofit.

Meredith Miller Vostrejs, Board Member

Meredith Miller Vostrejs joined the ALP board after witnessing ALP's support of libraries in Swaziland firsthand. While living in Swaziland, Meredith worked to support national HIV/AIDS care and treatment, building on a career in global health and development to increase women and children's access to care. Meredith was attracted to ALP's literacy efforts in rural areas largely because of her belief that women's education is essential to international development. In addition, Meredith appreciates ALP's focus on volunteerism, having herself worked with the US Peace Corps and AmeriCorps. Meredith  shares a personal passion for books with her two children.  She has a M.A. from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a B.A. in Politics from UC Santa Cruz.

Mira Foster, Board Member

Mira Foster knows firsthand about the impact of libraries and literacy on African students. While teaching in Namibia as Peace Corps volunteer (1999-2001) she developed a school library and was on the receiving end of book drives organized by schools and and churches in the US. Mira has studied in Ghana, taught in China, and earned a BA in International Studies from Vassar College and a Masters in Library and Information Science from Rutgers University. She is currently a librarian at San Francisco State University with subject specialties in international relations, international business, political science, and public administration.

Deborah Freedman Lustig, Board Member

Deborah Freedman Lustig is a cultural anthropologist whose research has focused on gender and education in the United States and Kenya, where she was a Fulbright Senior Scholar in 2004-5. As a high school teacher in Kenya in 1988, she started a library in her school because she saw the "book hunger" in Africa. She is currently a Research Associate and the Graduate Training Coordinator at the Center on Culture, Immigration, and Youth Violence Prevention at UC Berkeley. She also volunteers as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children in foster care and serves on the board of Six Seconds--The Emotional Intelligence Network. She has a BA in economics from UC Berkeley and a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Michigan.

Tamara Dunaye, Board Member

Tamara Dunaye has seen firsthand the role reading plays in fulfilling the dreams and aspirations of Africa’s youth and in shaping its next generation of leaders. In 1991, she contributed her organizational and technical skills to a mix of educators, journalists, political and labor leaders dedicated to preparing community-based organizations for the new South Africa. Tamara returned to Africa in 2000, co-founding a Senegalese startup organization that provided Internet access, training and economic opportunities to the youth of Senegal. Tamara looks forward to working with ALP to evolve its organizational systems, building capacity and expanding ALP’s reach. Tamara is a Salesforce consultant and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a minor in Computer Science.

Alison Polkinhorne, Board Member

Alison Polkinhorne connects strongly with ALP’s ability to inspire activism in young Americans, and she has seen what a profound difference a book drive can make in a local life.  After a career spent mostly in the high-tech start-ups of Silicon Valley, she is keenly aware of what can be accomplished by very small groups of very focused people, and now spends her time volunteering for groups working for social equity and justice.  She has a BA from UCSC and an MA from Stanford in Modern Thought and Literature.

Laura Hill, Board Member

Laura Hill has had a lifelong passion for libraries and readers. She was drawn to ALP's ecosystem of US book drives partnered with specific African communities hungry for books. She specifically sought out a volunteer opportunity that would allow her to connect real volunteers to real results. She has worked as one of two ALP book-drive coordinators for over a year and is thrilled to step up her involvement as a full board member. Laura has many years experience in the high-tech industry and is currently the Director of Information Analytics at HP Laboratories. She has an M.S. in Physics from M.I.T. Never one to take it easy, she is also pursuing an MLIS degree at SJSU.

Bella Oguno, Board Member

Bella Oguno joined the African Library Project board after witnessing how passionate, involved and experienced each board member is about educating African youths. During her recent travels and volunteering efforts to disadvantaged countries, she realized the immense need and demand for education, especially in Africa. She believes that through ALP, anyone can positively affect the educational possibilities for African children.

Bella is a Clinical Operations Manager at Amgen, a Biotech company, where she works on innovative therapies to treat serious illnesses. She has an M.P.H. from Benedictine University and B.A. in Sociology from UC San Diego.