Vice President

Lisa Ondrejcek

Lisa is President and Co-founder of DF/Net Research, a local firm specializing in clinical trial data management and data analysis for non-profit, academic, and biotech companies locally and worldwide. In 2014, DF/Net acquired a software development company in Canada to further its research projects. DF/Net now has 65 employees in its Seattle and Canadian offices.

Lisa grew up in New Jersey, went to college in Virginia, studied in Paris, moved to California, then eventually settled in Seattle in 1994. She is married to Darryl Pahl, and they have two daughters, Camille and Eleanor. Lisa has served on the PTA Board of her daughters’ school as well as on the governing council of her church. She holds a B.A. in French and Psychology from James Madison University, and an M.A. in French Language and Civilization from New York University.

Treasurer

Karla Armstrong

Karla was the controller at Plymouth Housing Group, a nonprofit agency providing permanent low-income housing in Seattle. Prior to Plymouth, Karla served as treasurer of the board for The Compass Center (Compass Housing Alliance) and later spent four years on staff where she was responsible for the finances of the nonprofit agency.

Secretary

Jeannette Banobi

Jeannette’s career in education began as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching high school science and math in Fiji. She later taught English and math at a high school in Tanzania run by the Lutheran Church, where she and Michael met. After returning to the US, Jeannette taught ESL to adult immigrants and refugees at Shoreline Community College for many years, and also worked for several years in administration at Seattle Central College. She recently retired in order to devote her time to her duties as board secretary and volunteer for CORE Tanzania.
Jeannette has a B.S. in physics from Penn State University and an M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Board Member

Steve Burdick

Board member Steve Burdick has had extensive experience as an elementary school teacher in the Seattle area. He also served as a volunteer teacher and mentor of Vietnamese refugees for many years, and has been on the board of several local nonprofit organizations. Steve has a B.S. in Elementary Education and a M.S. in Adult Education with an emphasis on English as a Second Language.

Board Member

Chris Lindberg

Chris Lindberg has been a part-time faculty member at several Colleges in the Seattle area for the past ten years. He currently works as an I-BEST instructor in the CNC machining program at Shoreline Community College in addition to teaching a 3D printing class. Chris also assists participants in the Seattle Joint Machinist Apprenticeship program at South Seattle College and teaches ESL at Highline College, where in the past he has taught Business Technology classes as well.

Chris spent ten years Africa, the first three in Burkina Faso as a Peace Corps Volunteer in a village woodlot program and promoting efficient woodstoves. Later he spent two years as a USAID Forestry advisor in The Gambia. He subsequently spent time training Peace Corps Volunteers in Agroforestry, analyzing Peace Corps Forestry programs and training in-country training facilitators across Africa.

Chris has a B.S. in Forestry, and an M.Ed. in Teaching English to Speaker of Other Languages.

Board Member

Mariko Kakiuchi

Mariko has worked in the non-profit and public sector throughout her career. She recently retired from Shoreline Community College where she most recently served as Acting Dean of College Access and Advising and Title IX Coordinator. For several years she was Director of Youth Reengagement, overseeing programs that provided a fresh start and support services to students who were unable to complete high school. Her initial role at Shoreline CC was as Public Information Officer, managing all internal and external college communications. Mariko previously worked at the American Heart Association as Communications Director and Operations Coordinator. She has a B.A. in Communication and a B.A. in Psychology from Stanford University.

Board Member

Assegid (Alex) Asfaw

Alex is from Ethiopia, but has lived in the Seattle area for a number of years. He served as a technical advisor for a low-cost housing project in Addis Ababa, and also worked in The Gambia helping locals to start their own businesses using appropriate technology. Alex recently completed a program in Mechatronics. His interest in CORE Tanzania stems from a desire to give back: “Many people and generations did their best to make my life better than theirs. I feel I owe them a lot and participating to make a better society will be my appreciation and payback.”