Anna has worked for the past 20 years to improve the lives of some of Africa’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. Through project management with nonprofits like Action Aid, the Norwegian Refugee Council, the International Rescue Committee and Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children, Anna has worked in Mozambique, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Rwanda and her native Malawi with refugees and others affected by armed conflict, people living in extreme poverty, and people living with HIV/AIDS. In recognition of her empowering work with women in Malawi, she was the first recipient of Whole Women Healing Award: “Women of Compassion Award for 2007”. Anna divides her time between Mzuzu, Malawi and Nyack, New York, where she lives with her husband and two sons.
Anna can be reached at Anna@maloto.org.
After first joining Maloto as a board member in 2015, Liza then received her Master’s in International Development with a concentration in Global Gender Studies from NYU’s Center for Global Affairs in 2017. Her thesis, “A Case Study in Gender Analysis and Development: Evaluating an Integrated Program for Women’s Empowerment in Mzuzu, Malawi” was an opportunity to spend time in Malawi, up-close with the amazing Kwithu Women to understand the positive, sustainable impact of Maloto’s programs. This experience led to her current role as Executive Director, where she aspires to take on any job that provides support for the work of the women making a difference on the ground in Malawi. Liza lives in Manhattan with her husband, John, and is the mother of two wonderful young adults.
Liza can be reached at Liza@maloto.org
John brings almost 40 years of international development experience to Maloto. John was recently Safe Water Network’s Executive Vice President, where he worked for five years. Prior to that, John worked for 18 years at the International Rescue Committee, where he led international relief and development programs and US domestic refugee resettlement assistance programs. As Maloto’s COO, John is responsible for finance and administration, and supports the President and Executive Director in program management and development. John lived and worked in Africa for 14 years, with extended assignments in Togo, Malawi and Rwanda. He began his international development career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo.
John can be reached at John@maloto.org
Claire Johnston is a partner in LOOC Art, an independent art consultancy. She has a BA from the University of Virginia. Claire and her husband Bart currently live in Southampton, NY. Prior to raising her four children, Claire ran the trade show division of SIGS Publications, a publisher of magazines and journals for software development professionals. She is currently working with Campus Bound Scholars, an organization that mentors and supports first-generation college freshman to ensure they successfully transition to the world of higher education.
Jake is a Brand Manager with The Clorox Company in Oakland, CA. His inspiration to jump into the world of Consumer Goods was a result of his work with Maloto between 2012 and 2013 where Jake spent a year in Mzuzu, Malawi. Jacob worked with the women of Kwithu Women’s Group to launch Kwithu Kitchen, the first and only tomato canning business in Northern Malawi. He’s continued to advise and support the growing enterprise from the U.S. Jake has an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business and a BA from Williams College. He currently lives in San Francisco, CA with his wife, Claire, and two sons, Simon and Charlie.
Andrea grew up in NYC and graduated from Georgetown University in 1988 with a B.A. in Art History. She and her husband, Guillaume, have raised three children in NYC. Andrea has been involved in philanthropy for many years, initially through the Nichols Family Foundation, a multi-generational family foundation founded by her great grandfather whose mission was to support community organizations that create meaningful change through education, the arts, sciences and humanitarian causes. In 2007, Andrea and Guillaume created their own family foundation which focuses on education, the arts, social and environmental causes.
Phlyssa (Phlyp) Koshland is a sculptor of figurative art, producing works mostly in bronze, but occasionally in aluminum, plywood and plastics. The sculptures represent human movement and spirit, very energetic but not muscular. She has produced works for private commissions in the US, Australia and Europe as well as sold to collections in Australia and Asia.
Although art is her primary passion, Phlyp has always been involved in philanthropy, especially concerning education. When she met Anna, she found the right person to get her involved with Africa. Phlyp’s faith in Anna has been deeply rewarded over the 15 years she has been on the board of Maloto.
Kate was introduced to Maloto’s Founder in 2005, and was so captivated by the love that Anna showed for the people of Malawi that in 2011, Kate traveled to Malawi to see the great work that Maloto had been doing. Kate was incredibly inspired by the positive impact the organization was making and wanted to become involved. As a former collegiate athlete, Kate no longer plays competitive sports, but has found a passion in the outdoors and spending time with close friends and family. She lives in Concord, MA with her wife, Erin, and two young boys, Max and Hunter. Kate is currently working part-time doing Interior Design and residential staging for Real Estate Brokers in the Boston area.
After graduating from Miami University of Ohio where she studied in Psychology and Marketing, Rose moved back to the East Coast for an Account position at a healthcare advertising company in NYC. Rose then joined Indagare, a luxury, boutique travel agency specializing in curated content and customized itineraries. Rose then moved on to Eleven Experience, a global experiential hotel brand, as Director of Sales for two years. In 2023, Rose returned to Indagare, as Director of Safari Experience AND married Jeff Taylor!
Meredith is currently an active retiree! In 1978, Meredith founded the iconic NYC store, Penny Whistle Toys, and has written 8 Penny Whistle books on parenting and children’s activities. She is also the author of Big Sky Cooking, inspired by her love of Montana.
Meredith remains dedicated to the work of two organizations she’s supported for years – Conservation International and Maloto. CI believes that it’s too late for pessimism towards climate change; Maloto finds optimism for change by feeding, educating, and empowering people in Malawi. Meredith was also the seed behind Maloto’s Kwithu Kitchen – she taught the Kwithu Women how to can tomatoes, a skill she learned growing up in South Dakota. Meredith is married to her childhood sweetheart, journalist Tom Brokaw.
Elizabeth is a social impact strategist and founder of the Antelope Foundation. Elizabeth works with start-up initiatives and organizations in transition. Recent examples of Elizabeth’s work include comanaging the development and launch of the Global Survivors Fund, an initiative established by Nobel Laureates, Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad and co-founding AMPLIFY Girls alongside 18 community driven organizations in eastern Africa. Bohart also worked to support the development of Maloto and Kwithu Kitchen, Malawi’s first tomato canning business and served as the founding Board Chair of Maloto. Elizabeth was selected as a Nantucket Project Scholar in 2016 and currently serves on several non-profit boards and is pursuing her MA in Global Health Leadership at Northwestern University.
Melissa has always had a passion for community service and a deep love for Africa. Prior to learning of Maloto, Melissa spent multiple summers as an undergraduate volunteering in South Africa and working with young children. After graduating with a BA in Communications from Syracuse University, Melissa moved back to the East Coast to begin her marketing career and soon learned of the incredible work of the Maloto Young Professionals Board. Melissa has been a member of the YPB since 2018 and was fortunate to visit Malawi in 2019. It was during this YPB trip that she met her future husband, Michael Allen! Melissa currently works full time in Influencer Marketing.
