Back in the spring of 1999, as Ashesi's co-founders started the process of shifting the Ashesi project from a business plan to an actual functional entity, one of our first orders of business was to recruit a strong Board of Trustees. Mining the rich resources of UC Berkeley, we were able to bring in three Trustees, each able to contribute different assets and much enthusiasm to the Ashesi project. As Dean of International and Area Studies at UC Berkeley and an accomplished Political Science scholar specializing in African studies, Dr. David Leonard brings much experience and knowledge about academic institutions and Africa to the project. Dr. Leonard has lived and researched in various parts of Africa throughout his career. Having known founder Patrick Awuah for years, he has known about the idea of Ashesi practically as long as Awuah has - and he has followed its development and provided advice along the way.
Joining Dr. Leonard are Keval Desai and Annie Chan, both MBA graduates of UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and classmates of Ashesi's founders. With graduate degrees in computer science and business, Desai brings solid managerial experience culled in Silicon Valley's high technology field as well as an entrepreneurial flare to our nonprofit startup. Annie Chan has agreed to assist especially with Ashesi's financial management by serving as the Treasurer of our board, making full use of her strong financial background.
Our well-qualified Trustees have committed themselves to meeting quarterly and making themselves available throughout the year to work closely with the Foundation's management team to make strategic decisions, monitor our financial status and join in fundraising efforts. They have already been actively contributing their various skills, ideas and enthusiasm toward making Ashesi's goals a reality. While nominations for a few more members are currently being considered, Ashesi plans to maintain a Board of no less than three and no more than 15 Trustees.
(For information on all of our advisors and trustees, see About Ashesi.)