Who We Are

The volunteering professionals on Educate Tanzania’s U.S. Team are characterized by their character, competence and compassion. They are forward-thinking world citizens who are generous with their time, expertise, and global connections. The U.S. Team collaborates with global partners to bring water, nutrition, health and education to needy parts of the world. We are dedicated to bringing economic opportunity and social transformation to NW Tanzania.

Formed in 2010, the Educate Tanzania Board of Directors is made up of top-notch professionals in Education, Engineering, Medicine, Business, Finance, and International Development. The board, officers and volunteers are from diverse backgrounds with men and women from the U.S., Tanzania and other African countries. Directors meet bi-monthly to review financial, policy, and program updates, and to encourage each other in their work.

Board and Officers: 2020

Jan B. Hansen, Ph.D., Co-Founder, President/CEO

Co-Founder, Center for Engineering Education, University of St.Thomas, MN

Steve Hansen, Co-Founder, Director

Senior Vice President, EVS Engineering, Eden Prairie, MN

Geet Bhatt, Director; Investor, Advisor; (Pursuing MBA-Wharton School, UPENN)

Mel Breed, Director; Owner/President, Brotoloc Health Care Systems (ret)

Thomas M. Johnston, Treasurer; JOHNSTON Law Group, Waconia, MN

Becky McCathie, Vice President, Director; Project Manager-Orthopedic Service Line, Fairview Health Services

Gracious Msuya, Ed.D., Vice President, Advisor-Liaison, Tanzania

Educator, Albertville/St. Michael Schools, Albertville, MN

Addy Perkins, Secretary; Associate Project Manager, Don’t Blink, MN

Educate Tanzania partners with some highly effective organizations globally to bring water, food, health and education to needy parts of the world.  Joined by their mutual commitment to building economic security and social transformation, professionals from Higher Education, Engineering, Architecture, Medicine, Business, Finance, and International Development have volunteered hundreds of hours to help shape Tanzania’s future.  ETI is able to donate most of its funds directly to programs in Tanzania because of ETI’s cadre of competent partners.

Technical volunteers are selected based upon their professional capabilities to deliver expertise in areas that assist ETI in reaching their stated goals. Volunteer opportunities generally begin with real-life requests from our global partners and require a specific set of skills that reside within a professionally trained expert. In no case is an opportunity meant to be short-term volunteer experience for the sake of travel.

Current Technical Teams:

• Architecture, Engineering, Site Planning and Construction; Bruce Engel Architects, MSAADA Architects, University of St Thomas School of Engineering
• Curriculum and Program Development; University of Minnesota, EARTH University, KARUCO Task Force
• Communication, Media, Website; HardlyNeutral Consulting, GoKart Labs – Eric Johnson, Christel Ngani
• Evaluation, Needs Assessment; University of Minnesota, Chris Johnstone; Cohn Consulting, Sarah Cohn
• Rural Economic Development; Magnus Fredricson; Per-Ove Persson, Rural Economic Agricultural Society, Sweden
• Solar Power, Infrastructure, and Energy; Solar Advisory Team; Dan Edgerton, Stantec; EVS-Engineering
• Water Harvesting Design, Construction and Delivery; Christopher Jones; MSAADA Architects

We are looking for qualified volunteers for:

• Extension Education (Seminars on Agriculture, Livestock, Farm Technology)
• The Technology Team

Contact us for more information!

Where would ETI be without its volunteers and interns providing necessary help behind the scenes. A diverse, robust and enthused group of volunteers and interns assist the Board and Officers of Educate Tanzania with everything from office organization to coordinating fundraisers to overseeing social media to arranging accommodations for visiting partners, to writing information packets regarding ETI – to name just a few tasks. Although our interns and volunteers are too numerous to list, we want to acknowledge them in meaningful ways. Join us at our yearly fundraiser and hear the stories.

Without you, we wouldn’t be where we are today!