board of directors
Joseph Munyambanza
Joseph Munyambanza, a multi-award-winning social entrepreneur and thought leader, has dedicated nearly two decades
to transforming communities and changing lives in Africa. His leadership in education and inclusion for refugees, women,
and youth is evident in his work at the Mastercard Foundation, where he has championed youth engagement, launched
alumni chapters in seven African countries, and leads efforts to include 25% refugees and displaced persons in the
Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program’s goal of 100,000 scholars by 2030.
Joseph’s passion for positive change in Africa stems from his own experience growing up in a refugee camp in Uganda. He co-founded CIYOTA in 2005, an innovative, youth-led organization that educates thousands of refugee children and youth in Uganda. Joseph has challenged world leaders at global forums like the World Economic Forum, Skoll World Forum, and World Bank to empower local communities and youth to address their own challenges. His commitment to shifting power dynamics represents a transformative approach to problem-solving and leadership.
Joseph Munyambanza is an alumnus of the African Leadership Academy and a holder of a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry and a Postgraduate Diploma in Innovation & Design Thinking. His dedication to improving lives through education, inclusion, and youth engagement has earned him numerous recognitions, including the Global Citizen Award and Top 99 Under 33 Foreign Policy Leader by Global Citizen and Diplomatic Courier respectively. Joseph is committed to community service, mentorship, writing recommendations, and serving on local high impact organization committees.
Richard Swarttz
Richard Swarttz serves as Chief Financial Officer at Lead For America (LFA). Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
Richard attended Philadelphia University and received both his bachelor's degree in accounting and master's in business
administration with a concentration in management. In addition, he is a certified public accountant.
Richard brings over 35 years of experience as a Chief Financial Officer in various industries such as manufacturing,
information technology and various non-profit agencies such as Volunteer Florida and the United Way. Prior to joining LFA, he was appointed by the White House to serve as the CFO of the Peace Corps, where he spent almost three years overseeing almost 100 employees in the Office of the CFO as well as direct involvement in strategic planning and policy-making within the Agency. In addition, he has held positions as an adjunct professor for Tallahassee Community College and a tax instructor for H&R Block, Inc.
Richard is also currently a Board member of Americas Service Commission (ASC) where he was also previously elected Treasurer for a two year period. He currently resides in Estero, Florida with his wife Harriett and four dogs.
Rumbidzai Chisenga
Rumbidzai is the Director of Programs at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development.
She leads the Amujae Initiative, the EJS Center’s flagship program that prepares African women to unapologetically
take up roles in the highest echelons of public leadership. Rumbidzai is one of twelve globally identified civic innovators
who were part of the inaugural class of Obama Foundation Scholars (2018 -2019) at Columbia University in New York City.
Prior to that, Rumbidzai was a Program Manager at the Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS), a pan-African think tank that advocates for the adoption of Afrocentric approaches in addressing the continent’s socioeconomic development challenges. Rumbidzai was instrumental in establishing the MINDS Scholarship Program for Leadership Development, setting up the program’s operational processes at inception. She was also in charge of the MINDS Youth Program on Elections and Governance, a civic education initiative that equips African youth for meaningful participation in governance. Under this program, Rumbidzai coordinated an alumni network spread across 53 African countries.
Rumbidzai received a bachelor’s degree of commerce (Economics and Accounting) from Rhodes University in South Africa and a master’s degree of management (Entrepreneurship) from Wits Business School in South Africa. She has extensive experience working as a cross-sectoral management consultant and has previously founded a social enterprise. Rumbidzai is an alum of the Emerging Leaders programs of the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance (University of Cape Town) and the Policy Center for the New South (Atlantic Dialogues).
