Madame Kona-Facia Nepay is a Maryland certified Administrator I and II who is the former principal at Robert Goddard French Immersion School in Prince George’s County, where she has full responsibility for that school’s French Immersion Program. She is bilingual (in English and French) and has had teaching and administrative roles in the Prince George’s County k-8 French Immersion program since 1992. She brings a wealth of experience relevant to all aspects of the proposed BIA, notably in language immersion teaching and curricula, teacher recruitment and professional development, and administration.

 

Mrs. Susan Miller is currently a Program Manager on the Washington D.C. Public Charter School Board. For more than eleven years, she was the Director of Magnet Programs for the Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) and oversaw the administration and development of the PGCPS’s language immersion programs. She has been professionally involved in every aspect of specialty program management, including ensuring compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act requirements. She will provide advice concerning program implementation and evaluation.

 

Natalie Collins, Esq. is a Family Law lawyer, both self-employed in Baltimore and a Contract Attorney with the Women’s Law Center of Maryland. She is able to provide pro bono legal advice.

 

Nadine Turner, Esq. is a Member of the Maryland Bar and a Certified Mediator who is currently employed as the Manager of the Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Employment and Development. She brings a range of legal and professional skills to the BIA board.

 

Mr. Theo Thorpe is a certified Chartered Public Accountant with extensive experience in not-for-profit accounting. He is currently employed as the Compliance and Internal Audit Manager with World Relief, Inc. and he will support budget and accounting oversight for the BIA.

 

Reverend Patrick K. Nepay is the founder and Senior Pastor of the Baltimore Branch of Bethel World Outreach Church; a part of Bethel World Outreach Ministries International. He has served the Baltimore Community for more then a decade. He started a church of one nationality which now has 24 nationalities. He is also skilled in electronics.

 

Mr. Joe Nimely is a Network Systems Engineer in the Mayor’s Office in the City of Baltimore. He is a multi-certified systems engineer and network administrator who will provide a range of technical support concerning Information Technology and Computing. Mr. Nimely is a potential parent of a BIA student.

 

Dr. Agbessi Amouzou is a research assistant in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a consultant to the World Bank’s Health, Nutrition and Population Unit. He is an international, bilingual (in English and French) expert in the cultural, social and economic determinants of population and health in developing countries. His varied background will help the BIA to integrate international issues into the curriculum, and to support a strong science curriculum. Dr. Amouzou is a potential parent of a BIA student.

 

Dr. Mary Mildred Minter is an experienced elementary school principal, currently leading William Paca Elementary. In 2003-2004, she was recognized by the Maryland Board of Education as a Distinguished Principal. Her familiarity with Baltimore City Public Schools will be valuable to the BIA board.

 

Ms Yelena Sologub is a bilingual (in English and Russian) professional music teacher with a Master's degree in Performing Arts and a teaching certification. She will act as both a Russian language and music resource person on curriculum and instruction issues.

 

Ms Mariam Breant is a foreign language teacher who is fluent in English, French, Spanish and Bambara. She has developed curricula for the teaching of Bambara (a West African language that is taught to American Peace Corps volunteers) and has expertise in program development.

 

Ms Norah Olaly is a bilingual (in English and French) certified French and Special Education teacher who currently works as a Special Education teacher at the Robert Goddard French Immersion Program in Prince George’s County. She brings expertise in serving students with Special Education needs in the context of a language immersion program.

 

Ms Rebekah Berger currently runs an after-school French Program “Soutien-Scolaire” in association with the Pikesville Department of Recreation and Parks and the Baltimore County Wellwood School. She is a bilingual (in English and French) artist with computer graphics experience who is interested to support the BIA’s art programs.

 

Ms Diane Porgo has international teaching experience, fluency in French and some Spanish and has recently completed her MBA in International Studies at Loyola College.

 

Ms Donna McDowell works as a Social Security Administration Claims Examiner. She is a parent of children educated in an immersion program and is an active volunteer in her community who will help with dissemination of information about the BIA, recruitment, and the outreach to potential partners for the BIA.

 

Ms Eri Delabrer is a volunteer fund-raiser par excellence who has made major contributions to the French Immersion schools that her children attended.