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APU – MEF Directors

All of our directors are sponsors of students and or donors towards construction projects as well as active volunteers serving on various committees.

Helene Weir

After beginning her career with the YMCA of Edmonton, Helene Weir spent 13 years working with YMCA Calgary as a Branch Manager, General Manager and Vice President of Operations. She left Calgary in 2000 to become a Vice President and subsequently Senior Vice President of Operations at Valley of the Sun YMCA in Phoenix, Arizona, and later spent two years as CEO of the Westport Weston Family Y in Westport Connecticut. Helene became YMCA Calgary’s President and CEO in August, 2008, and is working to advance the organization as a leader in health and wellness. She is happy to be back in Calgary and looking forward to continuing the great work of the YMCA in Calgary. Helene has been involved with APU for many years, originally sponsoring one of the first 24 girls and later becoming a full sponsor to one of the current girls.  Helene’s experience with Non profit organizations is vast and her knowledge will certainly strengthen the APU MEF fledgling board.

Patrick Killoran – Treasurer

Pat was born in Toronto, Ontario, and obtained his B Sc in Agricultural Economics and Business for the University of Guelph in 1971. As an Agricultural Specialist with Scotiabank, he served in the Corporate offices in Toronto, as well as numerous appointments in Barrie, Ontario, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and Brandon, Manitoba before relocating to Lethbridge in 1996. In Lethbridge, his most recent role was managing the agricultural business line for the Prairies prior to his retirement in 2009. Pat has been a Rotarian for 19 years including short periods in Barrie Huronia (District 7010) and Saskatoon (District 5550) as well as 16 years as a member of the Rotary Club of Lethbridge (District 5360). He served as the President of the Rotary Club of Lethbridge in 2007–2008 and will be District Governor in District 5360 for 2013-2014. Pat is a strong believer in the service value and cultural understanding associated with the International projects and programs of Rotary.

Tricia Timmermans – Secretary

Tricia is a professional photographer/writer (a 1996 graduate of the Western Academy of Photography) living in Nelson, BC. She has travelled and volunteered in Africa, Asia, North, South and Central America, the Philippines, and Australia, and has lived in 6 Canadian provinces and territories. As a graduate teacher of the deaf from Australia, she has taught in Brisbane, Queensland, and in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 1989 she completed a three-year double-handed circumnavigation in a 43-foot sailboat. In 2005, Tricia completed a Masters degree in Communications at Royal Roads University in Victoria.

In November 2007, Memory and Henry most graciously hosted Tricia for a week when she visited Lilongwe and the APU site after a Rotary polio immunzation trip to Ethiopia and a visit to Rotary projects in South Africa. This trip solidified her decision to work towards helping Memory and Christie in the development of a Girls’ Secondary School.

Christie Johnson – Executive Director

Christie is a biology teacher (B.Sc. And B.Ed.) with 13 years of teaching experience in secondary schools in Alberta and British Columbia.  She is  currently working at Lester B  Pearson College of the Pacific (http://www.pearsoncollege.ca/), as a House Parent in East House. In the past four years she has taught Biology and Marine Science at both Pearson College as well as St. Michael’s University School in Victoria. Her first teaching position was at the Oliver School, Nellie McClung Girls’ Program in Edmonton.  She has also worked for Public Education at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Center on Vancouver Island.

David Stocks

David and Frances Stocks live near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. David obtained a B. Eng. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada. He is a management consultant. His professional activities include strategic planning and the design of business architectures in the public and private sectors. He has designed and delivered a variety of training courses in the fields of consulting practice and consultative sales. David has served on several non-profit boards and commissions. He recently served as District Governor for 5,000 Rotarians in 88 clubs on Vancouver Island and western Washington State. In 2009, David & Frances visited Malawi, met with the APU Trustees, and visited the school. They are delighted to be assisting Christie and Memory to support the young women of Malawi.

However, her best experience is leading teams of Rotarians, Rotaractors and Interactors to Africa and seeing how this volunteer experience changes their lives.

Lance Shaver

Lance Shaver is a medical student at the University of British Columbia. He enjoys following his many passions, including community service, social justice, promoting equity, and public health. Combining this education with his passion for serving his community, he hopes to improve the health of the communities around him.

Lance believes in the work of APU as he has learned how invaluable education is, both formal and informal, recognizing that an enormous influence on his life hasn’t necessarily been the material he learned, but rather the opportunity to learn freely has been of most value. Recognizing the impact that this has on community health is another place where Lance’s interest ties in to APU. Last but not least, Lance emphasizes the importance he sees in APU teaching the importance of community service, believing that by engaging one’s community they will also become more aware of the diversities that give value to our humanity.

Dariol Haydock

Dariol has been an educator for 22 years. She has taught in both public and independent schools over her  career, working with children from  Grade 3 to 12 level. Dariol is currently working at St. Michael’s University School (SMUS) in Victoria where she is a Vice-Principal with Middle Years’ children. Dariol has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Victoria, and a Bachelor of Education and a Masters of Education from the University of British Columbia.

Dariol has always had a passion for travel. This started at an early age when  Dariol  was  lucky enough to spend a year in Argentina as a Rotary Scholar. Since that time she has lived  and worked in the United States, Belgium, and Spain. Two years ago she took advantage of a sabbatical year from SMUS and travelled around the world with her family.  Dariol speaks French and Spanish fluently and  lives in Oak Bay with her husband, Robert, and two children, Bryn and Georgia.

Michele Parkin

Michele has served as a senior leader in post-secondary education for 14 years, and is presently the Associate Vice-President, Faculty Relations and Academic Administration at University of Victoria. She is trained as a lawyer and has a Masters degree in Business Administration. She has served on many non-profit boards as director, and has provided governance and strategic planning support to others. In 2016 Michele volunteered as a consultant to the tea industry in Malawi and saw first hand the need to educate its women and provide them with meaningful employment, as a means to ensuring the wellbeing of the country’s families and its economy. Michele has been a proud Rotarian since 2009, and has worked to support education related initiatives in several developing countries.

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APU Malawi Trust

Atsikana Pa Ulendo Girls’ Education Project is a secondary school in Malawi that is guided by the APU Malawi Trust, with the assistance of a dedicated core of staff and volunteers. The Trustees make decisions on policy, construction and operating budgets, staffing and salaries, etc. The school is registered with the Malawian Ministry of Education and follows the Malawi curriculum.

Memory Mdyetseni

An orphan from a young age, Memory struggled hard to complete her education. In 2006, Memory graduated from university with a degree in education, a lifelong dream she once thought to be unattainable. She is now the Director of APU Secondary School for Girls in rural Malawi. She is putting her considerable talents and passion into improving the lives of hundreds of other young girls who are suffering the same hardships that she has overcome. Through her work with girls and education, Memory has become a respected role model, and has single-handedly changed the views of the male leaders in her community. They are now encouraging their daughters to continue with their schooling. Not only are they willingly accepting leadership from a woman, but they are actively seeking Memory’s advice. Because of Memory, thousands of little girls now believe that they too can have a future – a future that includes education, health, independence and empowerment.

Richard Jackson

Richard Mdyetseni Jackson is a Professional Public Financial and Economic Management Expert  in the Ministry of Finance, Malawi Government  through  Public Financial and Economic Reforms Unit of the to ensure good economic government. He is an accountant by profession. He has over 10 years proven hands on experience in Public Finance and Economic Management (PFEM) disciplines and reforms in the Public Sector both in the main stream Civil Service and Donor funded Projects in the area of Financial Management and Advisory. Married with three kids, a boy (8 years), and two girls (3 years and 1 year). As a Trustee of APU, he plays a big role in accounting, financial management and project management.

Nahid Mazloum

Nahid has a doctorate degree in Education majoring in Guidance Counseling and Educational Administration. She also has a Masters Degree in Education and a Bachelors degree in Psychology. Nahid has been working in Lilongwe as a Counselor since 1990, providing individual and family counseling on stress management, loss management and HIV counseling.  Nahid’s experience in the nonprofit sector is vast. She was the Director of Worlds Of Women Together: A Centre For Immigrant Women, an organization she founded in 2008 in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada.  Nahid is currently serving as the Secretary for the APU Malawi Trustees.

Monica Changanamuna

Monica is married to McAlly; they have two girls, Takondwa, who is 11 years old and Tayamika, who is 7 years old. Monica is currently working as a Psychosocial Support and Early Childhood Development Coordinator for NOVOC, which is a network for all the organizations working with orphans and vulnerable children in Malawi. She is an MBA student majoring in management. She has experience in educational work and library work so her involvement is in the actual running of the school (ensuring there are students, staff, teaching and learning materials, etc.). Monica is from the area where APU is located so she is very happy to have “this wonderful opportunity offered to the girls in my area”.

Godfrey Kaipa

Godfrey is the treasurer of the Malawi Board. An accountant by profession, he is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). A graduate of the University of Malawi, his main experience is in Development Finance having worked with both Malawian and International Non-Governmental Institutions working in the areas of Agriculture and Food Security, Nutrition and Rural Livelihoods.

Henry Mdyetseni

Henry is an engineer by profession. As her husband, Henry has been supporting Memory in all her work to get APU on the road by handling the construction side of the project, starting with getting the architectural designs completed, the building planned, and the actual construction.