Sister Maria Gorreth Nassali
Sr. Maria was born and raised in Byerima Village, in the Rakai district in Southern Uganda. At age thirteen she was sent to the Bwanda (Daughters of Mary) convent in Masaka by her father to be educated by the Sisters. She was very fortunate that her family could afford to send her to school but Bwanda was far from her village and she only saw her family once or twice a year. When she finished secondary school she wanted to continue her education but after working for a year she had managed to save only a tiny portion of the necessary funds. The Sisters suggested that she enter the novitiate and Maria was sponsored by a benefactor who had previously only sponsored priests. Sr. Maria took her vows in 2006 and in 2009 she was selected by her Mother Superior to take part in a program jointly sponsored by the Sisters of Providence and Seattle University that brings Sisters to the US for higher education. She studied hard, passed the tests and has been attending Seattle University since her entry to the US. She has achieved a BS in Mathematics, a MA in Transformational Leadership, and an EdD in Educational Leadership.
Cindy Pickreign
Cindy was born in upstate NY and raised in Western MA but has lived her entire adult life in the Pacific Northwest. She earned a BS and MS in Computer Science from Western Washington University and has worked for over 25 years in corporate IT as a Software Engineer, Project Manager and Analyst. She has been successful “in the American sense of the word” and over the years has continually put a percentage of her discretionary income towards a “make the world a better place” fund, sponsoring two children and donating to various charities and NGOs. Becoming increasingly dissatisfied with her life’s work, and concerned about the state of the world, she decided she wanted to spend her energy and intellect on a daily basis to affect positive change in the world and not just financially support those who do. She earned an MA in Transformational Leadership from Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry, quit her job, and co-founded Empower Your Neighbor so that she could actively participate in the challenge of making the world a better place and stop just cheering along from the sidelines.
Dave Brooks
Dave is a Pacific Northwest native, having lived in the greater Seattle area all his life. He’s worked in IT for over 20 years as a Software Engineer and Project Manager and is also an entrepreneur who started and operated a restaurant and consulting company. Dave’s passion is to devise simple and effective solutions to complex problems and he is driven by a commitment to group goals and success. He enjoys recognizing and developing opportunities that enable each individual to do their best work and contribute to the team’s objectives. He is honored to be able to play a part in making the world a better place for impoverished families and children.