Erna was born and raised in Denmark and immigrated to the US in 1978. She received her undergraduate degree from City University of New York in American Studies and her master’s degree from the University of Colorado in Linguistics and Teaching English to Students of Other Languages (TESOL). After raising three sons and working as a language teacher and translator for 20 years, Erna now devotes her time to philanthropy in general and Maji Safi Group in particular. Erna has volunteered for aid organizations in the US, Tanzania, Guatemala, and Argentina. She visits Shirati annually to provide educational instruction and help with the development of MSG teaching materials and methods.

Stefan Maus is the Founder and Chief Scientist of Magnetic Variation Services LLC (“MagVAR”), a company with about 80 employees that was acquired in 2017 by Helmerich & Payne of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Stefan also holds a Senior Scientist position at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at University of Colorado at Boulder. He received a BSc in Mathematics in 1988 and an MSc in Geophysics in 1993, both from the University of Munich, Germany, followed by a PhD in 1997 at the National Geophysical Research Institute in Hyderabad, India. After a post-doc in Leeds, UK, he taught Geophysics at the University of Braunschweig and Free University Berlin. From 2000-2004, he worked as a satellite mission scientist for Helmholtz Center Potsdam. In 2004, he relocated to Boulder to lead the geomagnetism team at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a position from which he resigned in 2013. Stefan has authored and co-authored over 100 publications in international peer-reviewed journals. He has been highly successful at obtaining research and development funding from government agencies and private industry. His services to the community include editorial duties for scientific journals, project leadership of an ISO standard and the membership and chairmanship of various international work groups and committees.

Kristen M. Daly received her doctorate from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where her research focused on technology, new media and cinema. Kristen has worked in independent film, documentary, and community radio both in the United States and abroad. Working with WITNESS and Ciné Institute, she has pursued her interest in technology and new media in development, a passion continued through a Master in Global Public Health at the Colorado School of Public Health. Working with Healthy Boulder Kids, Kristen campaigned for the excise tax on sugar drinks in Boulder, and with Boulder County Public Health, she co-designed and evaluated a targeted social media campaign for HIV testing. She has published chapters in edited volumes of Transitioned Media and The New World of Transitioned Media as well as articles in journals such as Cinema Journal, Peace Review, and The Human Touch.

David is now retired. He has a PH.D. in Psycholinguistics and Masters degrees in English Literature and Linguistics. As an academic, David published papers in theoretical linguistics and developmental psychology and taught courses at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State. After his academic career he practiced as a clinical psychologist and wrote technical documentation for a number of computer companies. Since 2006, David has been interested in promoting development in rural Tanzania. In addition to MSG, David is on the Board of Directors of the nonprofit REACH Shirati, one of our partner organizations. REACH Shirati focuses on education and health in the Shirati area of Tanzania.

Emily Bull is a San Antonio, Texas native. She received a double B.A. in Psychology and Religious Studies from Austin College and a Master’s in Social Work with a concentration in International Social and Economic Development from Washington University in St. Louis. As a Senior Grant Writer for the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Emily acts as intermediary for the institution’s faculty, researchers and staff interested in developing philanthropic relationships with private foundations.

Emily is no stranger to Maji Safi Group. She served as MSG’s Director of Operations and Development for nearly six years (2013-2018). While working in Tanzania during MSG’s formative years, Emily contributed to many of the successes we see today. Her strengths in monitoring and evaluation, participatory development action tools, sustainable development practices, and grant management were translated for donors, governments and local stakeholders and utilized to develop the strategic direction of the organization.

David Pavicich, a California native, fell in love with Colorado after his first go around – a five-year period in Boulder for his undergraduate studies. David graduated from the University of Colorado with his BFA in Sculpture, his BA in Art History and his BSBM in Business. Wanting to learn the ins and outs of real estate, David returned to California where he started his career from the bottom, as a maintenance technician for a private company in the San Francisco Bay Area. David is the co-founder of HYPHEN, a real estate company in Boulder, currently serving as their asset manager. He is thrilled about being back in Colorado and bringing fresh and innovative ideas to property management and real estate in the Boulder area.

Max Perel-Slater grew up in Berkeley, California. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies & Earth and Environmental Science from Wesleyan University. As part of his degree, Max completed a graduate-level field course in hydrogeology at Clemson University. The course included well drilling and borehole geophysics. He also studied abroad in Tanzania with World Learning and completed an independent research project about the water situation in Shirati. He continued his research the following summer as part of his Senior Capstone Project at the Wesleyan College of the Environment. In 2009, he led the construction of a ferro-cement rainwater catchment system and has worked on similar projects since then. In 2011, Max worked for the community-based organization Shining Hope for Communities in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya. He coordinated a water project and co-led a summer program for American university students.

In 1998, ad executive Frank Assumma retired as Chairman and CEO of Wells PDDP Holding, at that time the third-largest communication holding group worldwide. Previously he served as Chairman and CEO of Backer, Spielvogel & Bates. Throughout his career, Frank shaped brands for Miller Brewing Corporation, Estee Lauder, Chase Manhattan Bank, Hertz Rental Cars, and many more.

Today, Frank consults for US companies such as Pour Moi, Omnicom, and International companies such as Horphag Research and Canada’s leading supplement manufacturer Jamieson Nutrition.

Philanthropically:

• From 1995 – 2005 , Frank served as a Board  member of Sanctuary for Families , the largest non-profit in NYC dedicated to aiding survivors of domestic violence by  providing them with housing , legal aid , financial and psychiatric counseling and more .
• From 1989 until 2000 , Frank was on the Board of the Columbia Land Conservancy working with other members to keep land open to the public through conservation of private land holdings in Columbia County , NY .
• In the last 10 years Frank and his wife Ulli have supported individual students as well as 2 entire classes from grammar school up to high school with the Thorn Tree project . Thorn Tree operates in the villages of Ndonyo Wasin, Seriolipi and Lerata to provide educational opportunities for the children of the Samburu tribe in Kenya .