President and CEO - Global Camps Africa was founded by Reston attorney Phillip Lilienthal, who, for 30 years, was the owner and director of Camp Winnebago in Maine. Mr. Lilienthal, who joined the Peace Corp following law school, had started Ethiopia’s first residential summer camps in 1967 and 1968. He then moved back to the U.S. to start his law practice and raise a family.

Executive Director – Emily Crowder joined Global Camps Africa (GCA) in 2010 to continue her work supporting children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.  In her role as Executive Director at GCA, she is responsible for organizational and Board development, operational management, and the strategic coordination of fundraising and communications activities.  Prior to joining GCA, Emily served as the Executive Team Lead at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, where she facilitated the organization’s global strategic planning efforts, co-produced a documentary film about the Foundation’s work, and managed the Executive Office of the President and CEO.  She received her graduate degree in global health policy in 2011.

Chairman – Regina Bouie, Reston, VA, has spent the last 23 years enriching the lives of children in the Northern Virginia area.  As a teacher, curriculum developer and Board of Directors member at the premiere preschool in Reston, Virginia, L.A.N.K (Lake Anne Nursery Kindergarten), she has gone above and beyond in preparing her students for their journey through life.  In addition to giving children under her tutelage the necessary emotional and social foundation to succeed every single day, she has also captured her young academics enthusiasm for science, language, mathematics and art.

It is this kind of commitment that has  allowed her to put forth such great efforts as it relates to volunteerism in Northern Virginia..  She has served on the Fairfax County Public Schools Minority Achievement Committee, volunteered for Reston Interfaith and at the Embry Rucker Shelter, and has been a member of the Selection and Dinner Committee for the Best of Reston Awards for several years.  Needless to say, she has enjoyed serving the community and will continue to do so for years to come.

Vice Chairman - Kohann H. Williams, McLean, VA, has more than 30 years’ experience in communications, business development, and public affairs management; public policy leadership; and community service. She retired from Northrop Grumman as Director, Strategic Communications & Public Affairs and is past chairman of the Fairfax County School Board and the Fairfax County Park Foundation.  She also serves aboard member and officer of the Greater Reston Arts Center and the Initiative for Public Art – Reston.

Secretary – Susan Jones, Reston, VA, is an organization development consultant who specializes in board and staff development in the nonprofit sector.  She is president of Susan Jones Consulting that offers customized training and workshops in team building, communications, strategic planning, conflict resolution and leadership skills, as well as meeting planning and facilitation.  She has over thirty years experience as a nonprofit board member in a wide range of community organizations including the Reston Association (past president); the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (past chair); the Greater Reston Arts Center (past president); Reston Interfaith; and the Initiative for Public Art Reston.

Treasurer – Hunt Howell, Reston, VA is a consultant on economic development issues. He formerly was the Principal Economist at the Inter-American Development Bank (1980 – 2006). He has extensive experience preparing and carrying out economic development programs throughout Latin America, with emphasis on the Andean countries and the English-speaking Caribbean.  In addition, he serves as a member of the Board of the Cleveland H. Dodge Foundation (New York) since 2002 and is a volunteer with the I Have a Dream Foundation sponsored program in Anacostia (D.C.) since 1998 and was a member of  Fairfax County / Reston YMCA Board of Management (2002 – 2008).

Maribeth Carroll, Hoboken, NJ, has more than 15 years experience in Human Resources within the financial services industry, across a broad range of HR disciplines including employee relations, talent and performance management, compensation, recruiting, organizational change and integration.  She is a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park with a B.A. in Journalism and concentration in Public Relations.  She joined the board of Global Camps Africa in 2011 after serving as a counselor at Camp Sizanani in 2010.  Maribeth has supported a number of philanthropic organizations, which serve the needs of underprivileged women and children both in the local and global community.  Maribeth is also a member of the Board of Trustees of WomenRising, Inc, formerly the YWCA of Hudson County, NJ since 2006.

Daniel S. Gordon, Washington, DC, is currently Chief of Staff to the Chief Academic Officer of the District of Columbia Public Schools. He formerly was a public high school English teacher and trial attorney in the US Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Educational Opportunities Section.

Matt Hill, New York, NY, is a business development manager with Major League Soccer and its properties arm, Soccer United Marketing.  A native of Washington, D.C., he has been living in New York, NY for 13 years.  After receiving his BA from Columbia University in 2001, Matt spent five years in public relations and corporate communications at the National Football League, before returning to Columbia to complete his MBA with a focus in marketing and media management.  Matt has been active in fundraising for Global Camps Africa and other non-profits like Save Darfur and uNight, having organized multiple events to raise money and awareness for each of their causes.

Ginger McGuire, Austin, TX, is a Senior Vice President with Lancaster Pollard Mortgage Company, and has more than 30 years experience in housing public policy and program management. She has worked for the federal government, Texas state government, nonprofits and private corporations. She has served as a board or advisory member for numerous organizations including the Congressional Federal Credit Union, Fannie Mae, Dallas Affordable Housing Coalition and Volunteers of America Texas.

Eric L. Sass, Reston, VA, is the Chief Operating Officer and President of Strategic Communications & Learning for healthy Companies International, an international research and management consulting firm in Arlington, Virginia. Previously, Eric spent 22-years as a senior executive at the PBS TV Network, leading national programming, fundraising, technology development, administration and computer services, human resources, audience research, joint ventures, and business development. He is a director and vice chairman of the Greater Reston Arts Center and has served on the Board of Directors of the National Urban League.

Mission

Global Camps Africa changes the lives of South Africa’s vulnerable children and youth by providing HIV/AIDS prevention education and training through a high-impact residential camp experience and continuing education, equipping young people with the life skills that will support them in becoming safe and productive adults who have hope for the future.

Founder, President and CEO

Veteran U.S. Camp Owner and Reston, Virginia Attorney Phillip Lilienthal

History

• Established in 2003 –  Global Camps Africa is incorporated in the United States and received its 501(c)(3) exemption.
• First residential camp program held in 2004 in South Africa — Camp Sizanani.  Sizanani means ‘to help each other’ in Zulu.

Facts and Figures

• Since 2004, up to six camp sessions are held per year at Camp Sizanani, a rented site about an hour from Johannesburg, South Africa.
• Coed and single gender camps serve South African youth, ages 11 to 16, mostly from Soweto.
• More than 4,000 children have attended camp; up to 150 per session.
• Thirty five counselors per session with 3-4 days pre-camp training; counselors include South African staff and international volunteers who pay their own transportation, room and board.
• Seven 1-hour classes each day with critical life skills woven into each component in addition to special life skills classes.
  • HIV/AIDS prevention education
  • Nutrition
  • Sports
  • Swimming
  • Theater, storytelling, dancing and drumming, poetry
  • Arts and crafts
  • Adventure and Teamwork
• Evening programs include campfires, skits, games, and issues discussions.
• Follow-up provided via biweekly “Kids Clubs” held on Saturdays, year-round at six locations around Soweto. Between 650 and 1,000 children attend each of the 23 sessions held annually.
• Leveraged success by training and partnering for four added camps: KwaZulu Natal and Limpopo provinces and Cape Town in South Africa, and Children of Grace Camp in Uganda.
• Global Camps Africa has no endowments or government grants. Its support comes from more than 1,500 generous individuals, as well as from foundations and businesses; donations cover costs associated with camps and Kids Clubs; no charge to participants.