The Pendulum Project

The Pendulum Project is comprised of a small but very dedicated group of passionate and committed individuals. The diversity of our personal and professional backgrounds enables us to approach the fight against the AIDS epidemic in a unique and entrepreneurial way.

>Board of Directors - USA
>Board of Directors - Malawi
>Advisory Board

STAFF

Ellen McCurley, MSW, MPH
Executive Director
Ellen has over 15 years experience as a business and marketing executive for various companies including Thunder House, a division of McCann Erickson Worldwide Advertising. She co-founded the Donovan Group, an Inc. 500 advertising agency headquartered in the Boston area, where she headed up new business development and client services for a diverse client base comprised of Fortune 500 and high technology companies. She has served as a board member, advisor and fundraising volunteer for several US humanitarian non-profit organizations devoted to women and children and the AIDS effort. She has produced two documentaries on the AIDS pandemic in Malawi, and often works on the ground in Malawi. She is a Clinical Social Worker and received her Master’s degree in Public Health at Boston University in 2006.

Rachel Lyn Okun
US Project Coordinator
Rachel came toThe PEndulum Project as a student volunteer in 2005 and has worked with The Pendulum Project consistentlyfor the past three years. She has been a regular intern with The Pendulum Porject and worked on the ground in Malawi in the summer of 2007 where she assisted with project monitoring and evaluation, grant writing, and project proposal review. She is a senior at Simmons College, graduating in May 2008 with a joint degree in political science, international relations, and economics with a focus in international development. Her studies have focused on Africa and the Middle East, encompassing crisis management and peace keeping as well as developmental economics, women's issues, and HIV/ AIDS epidemiology. On campus, Rachel has been an activist for women's rights, directing a student production of The Vagina Monologues and working to re-insitute the Feminist Union. In her free time, Rachel works as a paralegal in Newton, MA.

Paul Kwengwere, MA (Econ)
Malawi Project Director
Trained as Development Economist, Paul Kwengwere has extensive experience in Policy and Development work in Malawi and Sub-Saharan Africa, mainly in areas of food security, Trade and Investment, education, HIV/AIDS and Health. He has a track record good management of community development projects, national programmes and national/ regional/international networks. For 18 years Paul has been at core of development issues having worked in Banking Sector (Malawi’s Central bank), Public Sector (Malawi Government), Parastatal (Malawi Investment Promotion Agency) and one of the top International Charity Organizations (ActionAid International). While with ActionAid, Paul was instrumental in perfecting the efficiency and effectiveness of Local AIDS Projects (LAPs). In 2003-2005 he served as President of Economics Association of Malawi (ECAMA), consequently, became a central figure in analyzing most government decisions that affect Malawians economically. In 2004 Paul was awarded Yale World Fellowship by University of Yale (USA) for his outstanding performance in program and policy work in an environment with complex issues related to poverty, hunger and HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Valentine Chagwira Malawi Office Manager Valentine joined the Pendulum Project in May 2007. She is a graduate of the Polytechnic, a constituent college of the University of Malawi and holds a Bachelors Degree in business administration. Before The Pendulum Project, Valentine worked as an Attaché Manager at CeeGee Secretarial and Internet Cafe. She has also worked on a number of research projects for Malawian organizations. In her free time, Valentine enjoys baking, following current affairs, and reading.

>Jeanne Alberts
>Ellen McCurley
>Betsy Edmunds
>Elizabeth Ann Sheehan
>Josh Moore

Jeanne Alberts Chairperson of the Board
Not for Profit Consultant
Jeanne currently serves as a consultant to not for profits, academic institutions and leadership organizations providing strategic planning and relationship building during times of growth and new initiative development. In September of 2006, Jeanne will join Changing Our World, Inc. as a Senior Director, teaming with the Effective Philanthropy division. Previously, Jeanne served as the Chief of Staff and Director of Operations to Harvard University's Center for Public Leadership, under the direction of David Gergen and Betsy Myers. While at Harvard University, she also held posts at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies and the Office of External Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government. Her experience includes program management, strategic operations (both domestically and internationally), leadership development, change management, fundraising and relationship-building with diverse constituents. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from Texas Tech University. Jeanne lives in New York City with her husband, John Alberts.

Elizabeth Ann Sheehan, PA, MPH

A keen gardener, yoga practitioner and mother to two adopted children, Ms. Elizabeth Ann Sheehan, is a graduate of The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. Upon graduation in 1982 with a Bachelors of Science, Ms. Sheehan went on to earn her Masters of Health Sciences/ Physicians Assistant Program from Duke University Medical Center. In addition, she also has a Masters of Public Health, Policy, and Finance from the prestigious London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and the London School of Economics. Ms. Sheehan’s work experience has spanned across the globe from North Carolina, New York City and Boston, where she worked as a Physicians assistant, to working in Mozambique, Cambodia, Tanzania, and England. In 1996, she worked for the HALO Trust, a British charity committed to village based mine clearance. She has generated public health reports for Physicians for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, and Save the Children UK. Most recently Ms. Sheehan lived in Dar el Salaam Tanzania where she volunteered her medical skills at various orphanages, woman’s clinics, and health posts. While there, she also established a small fund for women and girls human rights. Ms. Sheehan was formerly the Chairperson of the Board.

Ellen McCurley, MSW, MPH
Executive Director, Board Member
(See above)

Betsy Edmunds, JD, MEd
Board Member, Treasurer
Ms. Edmunds has professional training as a teacher, an education administrator, and an attorney at law. After earning a Masters Degree in Education from Tufts University, she served as the head teacher at Tufts Day Care Center. She then went on to receive her law degree from Northeastern University and to work with the Juvenile Court Advocacy Program as the Managing Attorney for Greater Boston Legal Services. Ms. Edmunds also served as an Administrative Hearing Officer for the Massachusetts Department of Education. She currently works in tax law at Edmunds & Shur, a firm she founded in 1982. She is an active member of the Boston service community and a mother of three. She resides in Cambridge, MA with her husband Mike Haroz.

Josh Moore
Josh Moore is a Director at Changing Our World, a leading philanthropic consulting firm based in New york City. He works with a wide range of nonprofits, including the UN World Food Programme, Christen Blind Mission, and World Vission. Josh also writes for onPhilanthropy.com, a leading online media source for topics in philanthropy. Before Chaning Our World, Josh worked as an Assistant Researcher at Mount Sinai School of Medicines's Adolescent health Center, where he assisted in the development of research grants and research studies. He has also been a part of research teams to Brazil and Senegal, studying educational practices for high performing schools in these regions. In addition, h has been involved in study and humanitarian volunteer work in Vietnam, India, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Guyana, and Thailand. In 2007, he worked with The Pendulum Project in Malawi where he conducted needs assessments, developed monitoring and evaluation tools, and advised the Malawi office on data collection and fundraising procedures. Josh graduated Magna Cum Laude from New York University with a B.S. in Psychology and Sociology.

>Mr. Patrick Chilambe
>Laws Chiunda
>Dick Cremmins, SJ
>Dorothy Khonde
>Ellen McCurley, MSW, MPH
>Zachary Mullewa
>Falles Namacha

Mr. Patrick Chilambe, CPA
Chairperson of the Board, Accountant General-Government of Malawi
Mr. Chilambe is has served the government of Malawi for over 15 years in the finance and accounting office of the Government of Malawi. He presently serves on the Board of Maula Helpers/Kaggwa Home Care for Orphans located in the Kaggwa district of Lilongwe, Malawi, Africa. He has joined The Pendulum Project as a board member to further his efforts to help the orphans and people impacted by the AIDS epidemic in his homeland. Mr. Chilambe resides in Lilongwe with wife and family.

Laws Byson Chiunda
Board Member
Laws worked for over 25 in the civil service of Malawi in various capacities. For the last 15 years Laws has been working with several community based organizations on issues related to human rights for youth and women and people living with HIV/AIDS. He works as a volunteer with Maula Parish's home based care team and is currently the chairman of The Malawi Human Rights Youth Network. Laws lives in the Kawale area of Lilongwe with his wife Martha and three children: Peter, Elizabeth and Edna.

Dick Cremmins, S.J.
Associate Rector at Maula Cathedral, Board Member
Father Cremmins is a native of Ireland. He has been living and working in Malawi for over 30 years and is associate rector at Maula Cathedral located in Lilongwe. He is one of the founders of Maula Helpers, a community based organization that supports orphaned and vulnerable children by providing secondary school fees and psychosocial support.

Dorothy Khonde
Board Member
Information to be added soon.

Ellen McCurley, MPH, MSW
Executive Director
(See above)

Zachary Mullewa
Board Member
Information to be added soon.

Falles Namacha
Board Member
Information to be added soon.

>Suzi Peel
>John Alberts
>Jeanne Alberts
>Martha Vibbert
>Jack Manes
>Mike Haroz
>Ellie Humphries

Suzi Peel
Associate Director of Orphan & Vulnerable Children,
Family Health International
Suzi brings a variety of experience to The Pendulum Project having been involved in the AIDS effort for the last ten years. Currently she is the Scientific Coordinator of the ICASA – African AIDS Conference. Recently she has been a consultant on Children and AIDS to the International Federation of Red Cross Societies, working as the Special Advisor to The World Conference on Religion and Peace and an advisory board member of the Firelight Foundation. She served as Executive Director for the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud US Foundation and worked at the UNAIDS Secretariat in Geneva contributing to the Unified Workplan and Budget for 2000-2001. Suzi learned from many of the front-line AIDS actors as the Scientific Coordinator of the 12th World AIDS Conference.

John Alberts
Photographer
John Alberts is an award-winning filmmaker and photographer and has worked in the field of direct care with mentally challenged adults in the New England area. His most recent photography installation features work from his time documenting AIDS in Africa, a great deal of which was taken at Orphan and Vulnerable Care Projects associated with The Pendulum Project. His latest film, These Unsettling Days of Wonder, debuted in October of 2004 as part of The New England Film and Video Festival and was the recipient of the Best Short – Audience Award. Alberts’ work has been shown throughout the United States, and his photography in Paris was published internationally in the 2002 edition of The Photo Review. John is currently working toward a Masters of the Arts degree at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

Joelle Kanshepolsky, M.A.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Central MA/Metrowest
Joelle Kanshepolsky is Vice President of Development at Big Brothers Big Sisters Central MA/Metrowest. She has ten years of experience in nonprofit administration, consulting and philanthropy. In 2002, Joelle completed her Master of Management and Social Policy from the Heller School at Brandies University. Prior to joining BBBS, she was Director of Development and Communications at Greater Worcester Community Foundation. Joelle has served as the Marketing Manager at a parenting organization and as the assistant director of a human rights organization. In addition, she has consulted with various Boston based organizations in the areas of development, communications and strategic planning. Joelle has traveled to over 30 countries around the world and in 2004 spent one month volunteering in Malawi. In addition, she teaches a class at Cambridge Center for Adult Education on traveling the world on a budget, volunteers with several Boston-based nonprofits including Community Servings and the Rodman Ride for Kids. Originally from Wisconsin, Joelle is a graduate of Tufts University and lives in Chestnut Hill with her husband Andy Gotshalk.”

Martha Vibbert, PhD, MEd
Boston Medical Center
Martha is Executive Director of the Children’s AIDS Program which annually operates medical/therapeutic daycare, summer, and after school programs for over 85 children up to age 12 with HIV/AIDS. CAP is part of the Section on Infectious Diseases within the division of Pediatrics at Boston Medical Center. She is also Coordinator of the Ryan White Medical Health Team in the Pediatric AIDS Program at Boston Medical Center as well as Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at BUSM. With over fifteen years of experience in the delivery of comprehensive mental health services to children, adolescents, and families living with HIV/AIDS, Dr. Vibbert was Principle Investigator for research involving initial compliance and adherence with HIV drug therapies in young children. In addition, Dr. Vibbert administers a number of private foundation grants for the support of pediatric programs and manages a training contract with the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology Program at Boston Medical Center. She received her B.A. from Connecticut College, holds Masters Degrees from Harvard Graduate School of Education and New York University and her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from New York University.

Jack Manes, MBA
Chairperson of Advisory Board, President, Performance Coaches, Inc.
A seasoned Human Resources executive with over 35 years experience in diversified, multinational, multicultural working environments ranging from entrepreneurial start-ups to Fortune 100 conglomerates. He founded PERFORMANCE Coaches, Inc. in January 2000, a consulting practice that coaches executives, managers, individual contributors and teams to successfully tackle problems that block the execution of business plans, and to effectively manage planned change. He has also instituted a formal program in the area of Life Planning, a highly structured process for managing planned life transitions. He holds an MBA in Organizational Behavior & Change from Drexel University and a BS in Business & Economics from Austin College. Jack lives in Lexington, MA.

Mike Haroz, JD
Mike is a partner in the law firm of Goulston & Storrs, a firm he has been at for over 25 years. Prior to G&S he was a lawyer in a public interest law firm and a civil legal aid organization for 10 years. At G&S his practice is focused on commercial real estate and the firm's pro bono matters. He is married to Betsy Edmunds, a Pendulum Board member, and the father of 4 children. He has served as the principal contact between Pendulum and G&S and initially brought the two together.

Ellie Humphries
Ellie left The Pendulum Project in the fall of 2006 and now works as the Assistant Director of Development at the Harvard Varsity Club. She remains dedicated to The Pendulum Project's mission and looks forward to maintaining an active role on its Advisory Board. A West-coast native who grew up in Seattle, Washington, Ellie attended Harvard College and graduated with a degree in Biological Anthropology in 2004. She has taught high school biology and worked in external affairs at St. Stephen’s School, an international school in Rome, Italy. Ellie has experience in alumni relations, fundraising and administration. She has also served as an academic and residential advisor for freshmen at Harvard College. Ellie resides in Cambridge, MA but still maintains that the Pacific Northwest is the best place on earth.