Imani Project’s All Volunteer Board of Directors
Eliud Imbuye President
Born and raised in Kenya, Eliud holds a Master's Degree in Economics from Portland State University. He brings over 20 years of experience from his career as an Analytics Consultant, where he created systems development and data efficiencies for major organizations, including Visa, IBM, and Bonneville Power Administration. Now retired, Eliud splits his time between Kenya and the United States.
Anne Draper
Anne has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Imani Project for several years. Anne has served on the boards of Unitarian churches and other not-for-profit organizations. She has a master’s degree in management from the Atkinson School at Willamette University and is now retired from a 36-year career at the Bonneville Power Administration.
Stephanie Harlow
Stephanie's involvement in the Imani Project began in 2018 when she joined Marlene and other volunteers on a trip to Kenya. In Kenya we taught classes in HIV/AIDS prevention, taught a class on oral hydration support of diarrheal disease and met with village midwives. Stephanie has a Masters degree in nursing and is a retired Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.
Dana Hawkins
Dana’s interest in the Imani Project began in 2008 when she went to Kenya with Marlene to help teach classes on HIV/AIDS awareness. She returned to Kenya in 2025 to help with the preschool renovation. Dana has a Masters degree in education and taught in public schools in Oregon for 34 years. In retirement, she volunteers with the Imani Project, the Portland Food Project, Make-A-Wish Oregon and her church.
Ken Hawkins
Ken Hawkins married into The Imani Project when he and longtime IP board member Dana Smith Hawkins wed in 2012. Dana’s involvement with Imani began when a Lake Oswego school colleague – Marlene Anderson shared her vision for a small Kenyan village in need during the AIDs crisis in the early 2000’s. One visit to the orphan children of Kilifi County and Dana was hooked.
After hearing the stories of the Imani families for so long, Ken made his first visit to Kenya in June. He returned home with an invitation to join the board in 2025.
Mack Kigada
Mack is an accomplished professional with a background in technology, Electrical Engineering, and Telecommunications.
Mack is passionate about making a tangible difference in the lives of vulnerable children and families. His interest in The Imani Project in Kenya stems from its vital mission: providing education and nutrition to the vulnerable. Joining the board allows him to leverage his strategic leadership, technological expertise, and philanthropic spirit to directly impact community development, ensuring a brighter future for those most in need.
Kimberly Lewis Treasurer
Kimberly has lived in Portland, Oregon since 1960.
She has worked at Oregon Health Sciences University since 1995. Her current position there is the Executive Assistant with the OHSU, Partnership Project which provides an array of comprehensive services to people living with HIV/AIDS, their families and those at-risk.
As an Imani Project board member, Kimberly’s role is the nonprofit’s treasurer. She has been an Imani orphan sponsor since 2009.
Beth Rice
Beth lived in a small village in Kenya where her father was a secondary school teacher. She attended Nairobi Primary School for 3 years. Her career began as an analytical chemist before moving into research and development for a major semiconductor company. She retired in 2014.
Beth has traveled extensively and returned to Kenya with The Imani Project to volunteer with medical clinics. She is an avid photographer, volunteers with Hospice, and loves to cycle.
Jason Rison Secretary
Jason joined Imani Project in 2020 at the suggestion of fellow Board member, Stephanie. Though he hasn’t yet been to Kenya, he has a B.A. in International Political Economy and spent a few consecutive summers working on research projects in Botswana.
Jason works in technical support and sells vintage housewares in his free time. He currently serves as the Board’s Secretary.
In Memoriam
Marlene Anderson – FOUNDER
Marlene Anderson,founder of the Imani Project, passed away in September 2024. Marlene changed the lives of hundreds of Kenyan children and adults through her legacy of the Imani Project, which continues to serve villages on the eastern coast of Kenya. Marlene’s life was dedicated to helping others. She epitomizes the fact that just one person’s actions can change the world.