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About us
We are a group of passionate individuals dedicated to improving the health of people across the African continent, by supporting and funding projects such as sanitation, clean drinking water and disease prevention.
PRESIDENT
Curt Calcaterra, MD.
Curt is a physician specializing in Internal Medicine. In his 35 years of caring for patients, he witnessed how simple, low cost disease prevention measures can save lives. This knowledge of disease prevention as well as his love for Africa and its people drew him to to help found this organization.
VICE PRESIDENT
Jenna Tonet
Jenna has a Master of Public Health from Boston University. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 12 years, working in community health, academic, and hospital settings. Having a background in public health and having spent time in Africa, she found her way to this amazing and inspiring group of individuals who are equally passionate to be up to something bigger than ourselves.
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SECRETARY
Ashley Rund
Ashley is a project manager for an IT consulting firm. In 2017, Ashley was introduced to an organization which would take her to beautiful Kenya. There, a love and passion for the Kenyan people and their communities was born. She is thrilled to be a member of AIPHA where she can continue to help and support these communities.
Fran Lewbel
TREASURER
Fran owned and operated a Real Estate company for 25 years. She decided to return to school in 2014, where she earned a master’s degree in Spiritual Psychology with an emphasis on Consciousness, Health and Healing. She currently works in this field and considers herself a counselor in consciousness. Fran has spent time in Africa participating and volunteering in service to the environment and humanitarian needs. There she met many of the like-minded and like hearted people who ultimately came together to create AIPHA. She considers it an honor and a privilege to be part of this organization.
BOARD MEMBER
Mary Andre, PE
Mary is a professional civil engineer with more than 27 years experience in water and wastewater engineering and owner of a consulting engineering firm in Steamboat Springs, CO. She was inspired to become a civil engineer at age 16 when she lived in Kenya for 9 months with her family. She traveled through Kenya and Zimbabwe observing the need for sustainable systems for safe drinking water and sanitation. She obtained her BS and MS in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University. She works with and leads multi-disciplinary consultant teams to provide engineering services for planning, design, bid, construction and operation of projects involving water supplies, pipelines, pump stations, storage tanks and water and wastewater treatment facilities. She brings this knowledge and experience along with a passion for helping others and shared love of yoga to this organization. Mary, her husband Scott, and their 2 daughters live in Clark, CO where they enjoy hiking, biking, kayaking, and cross-country skiing.
BOARD MEMBER
Phyllis Hurwitz
Phyllis is a 5th grade teacher for a Title 1 inner-city school in Philadelphia. She has a master’s degree in Education and has been an educator for over 20 years. Through the years, she has supported projects in Africa, specifically in Kenya and Rwanda. She is an advocate of sustainable solutions that effectively address the needs of the African people. Through education, she hopes this knowledge will pass to the next generation, who will be the heroes of change our future is dependent upon.
BOARD MEMBER
Cheri Taliaferro
Cheri spent 12 years as a wildland firefighter/smokejumper, and 6 of those years also working in Antarctica in her “off-season.” When she wasn’t working, she was traveling, and actively avoiding putting her Kinesiology BA degree to use! She has been a jewelry designer for the last 20 years and gets profound joy from putting beauty out into the world. In the late 90’s she spent a life-transforming trip in Kenya working for Habitat for Humanity, and of course fell in love with the beautiful culture and people of Africa. Now she looks forward to serving these beautiful people in every way possible through AIPHA.
BOARD MEMBER
Parth Bhawalkar
Parth grew up in Mumbai, India before moving to the United States to pursue higher education. Having grown up in a country with poor access to sanitation and healthcare, he has seen first hand how much of an impact it can have to the quality of life. He is incredibly humbled by the opportunity to help make a difference in peoples lives by being a part of AIPHA.
He currently works at a large media company in Silicon Valley, and has helped bring AIPHA online. He lives in San Francisco, CA with his wife Gina, and is known to make friends with every dog he sees on the street.
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