Thomas Keown
Executive Director & Founder of One Home Many Hopes
Thomas was born in Kilkeel, Northern Ireland and is a graduate of the Queens University of Belfast. His curiosity about the world, particularly the way in which ‘normal life’ here is not normal there, has led him to more than 30 countries around the globe and, eventually, to founding OHMH in the US and the UK in 2007.
His career has spanned not-for-profits, politics and the media, He is a former researcher in the House of Parliament in London, spent several years implementing peace building and economic development programs in the U.S. and U.K., and three years as a correspondent and columnist for newspapers and magazines in the U.S. and Ireland. He was a frequent commentator on radio and television on immigration issues during 8 years with the Irish International Immigrant Center and once moved furniture for Gillian Anderson.
Driven by his faith and motivated by a deep desire to energize others to battle the injustices around them, Keown credits the creation of OHMH with changing the direction of his life. He is a regular speaker in churches and conferences, has shared the OHMH story on 4 continents, and is much less witty than he thinks he is.
Daniel Grant
Daniel Grant graduated from Baylor University with Bachelor of Business Administration. He is currently the Director of Non-Profit Alliances at Teach For America, based out of New York City.
Daniel Grant joined One Home Many Hopes board 1.5 years ago after meeting Thomas at a Sojourners conference in DC and deciding to visit Mudzini during the summer of 2009. He has worked with needy children in South Africa and Namibia before, but the second he stepped foot on Mudzini’s 3 acres of land, and laid eyes on the most beautiful and resilient girls in Africa, he knew this mission and this home is different…is unique…is the perfect combination of grassroots impact combined with visionary direction. In a city and a country and a continent of corruption, this home was a place of refuge and restoration. His experience at Mudzini, with the girls and with Anthony, created an unshakable conviction that we can change the lives of our girls, and ultimately change this country. His visit also fostered an urgency to involve as many people in our mission as possible. Since his visit, Daniel has led our efforts to launch a One Home, Many Hopes chapter in NYC as our Regional Director, New York City.
Jen Hopcroft
Interim President, Development Chair
Boston native Jen Hopcroft joined the Board in 2009 and serves as the organization’s Interim President, as well as the Development Chair. A professional non-profit fundraiser, she has worked in recent years for social justice organizations, and is currently with YWCA Boston. She is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. Jen began volunteering with OHMH after hearing about Anthony Mulongo’s transformative work with children in Kenya. Her first visit with the girls at Mudzini Kwetu was in April 2011, and she is hoping to return in the near future.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Lauren Shahian
Clerk
Lauren joined the board as Clerk back in June of 2010 after having volunteered with OHMH for several years. She was also the regional leader in Boston during Breaking Ground 2010 and is so proud to have been a part of the amazingly successful effort to build the first OHMH school. Having spent six years working with at-risk youth at a Boston area Boys and Girls Club, Lauren is well acquainted with the importance of education in breaking the cycle of poverty. One of initial draws of OHMH for her was the value placed on giving the girls at Mudzini Kwetu the best education possible so that they can one day be the agents of change in their country.
A Boston native, Lauren spent a brief stint in the South, attending Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN where she studied Political Science and Math. However, she was never able to fully resist the strong pull of New England. She returned to Boston at the first opportunity and has been working in the Investment Division at John Hancock since 2008. In her spare time, Lauren runs. A lot. She is currently training for the 2011 Boston Marathon, as well as studying for the CFA, and loves cooking and being outside as much as possible. She’s an avid traveler and is looking forward to spending time with the girls in Mudzini Kwetu in the very near future.
Kathy Tunsley
Treasurer
Kathy was one of the first to join the board back in late 2007 when Thomas had this crazy idea of what he would like to accomplish for the girls in Kenya. Who knew how successful it would be?
With a background in management and accounting at the British Consulate in Boston, and finding more time on her hands, she was happy to help out with such a worthwhile cause. She had gotten to know Thomas through the consulate and its connection with the Irish Immigration Center and, although she did not anticipate such a commitment of time and effort, she has have become very involved with the organization. She took on this role knowing virtually nothing about fundraising for a non-profit but the experience with One Home Many Hopes has proved fulfilling in so many ways. She has met some amazing people and is honored to be part of it.
For fun and profit (not a lot!) Kathy plays with the dirt. Don’t all Brits love gardening? She has now developed her love of gardening into a new career as a landscape designer on the Massachusetts South Shore. The joy of growing beautiful plants and vegetables, together with the ability to create new spaces for clients is very fulfilling. Everyone should have the opportunity to be passionate about their work.
She loves to travel and was delighted to be able to visit Mudzini Kwetu with her husband Roger in December 2009 and meet all the girls. She is hoping to return again, at a time when it is hopefully not quite so hot.
Tracy Wemett
Public Relations Chair
Tracy has been in the forefront of the high tech industry for over 20 years. As the President and co-founder of BroadPR, she is the visionary leader that manages an enthusiastic team covering the public relations needs of enterprise, consumer, OEM and channels organizations. She has appeared on CNN, ABC, NBC, Bloomberg, CNET and TV.Com and has been quoted in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek and diverse trade publications. She has been published in various magazines, including Wealth Magazine and videoconference.com.
Tracy spends time outside of work volunteering locally and abroad, and serves as the PR Chair on the Board of Directors for One Home Many Hopes, where she leads the public relations and social communications activities. With a team of online volunteers who blog, manage facebook and twitter, she looks forward to raising awareness and increasing the One Home Many Hopes’ community!
