US Advisory Team
As the Founder of The Mawanda Project, Michelle is responsible for the vision, strategy, and directly working with Daniel Mawanda in Iganga, Africa. During her first trip to Uganda in 2010, she immediately fell in love with the community, culture, and country as a whole. While volunteering, Michelle met Bonny Mawanda, a 12 year old boy, who she continued to stay in contact with after returning to California. This experience, combined with her passion for helping others and cultivating relationships still drives her today. Michelle received her B.S. in Bioengineering: Premedical, M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and currently works as a Systems Engineer for the U.S. Department of Defense in San Diego, CA.
Michelle Jue
Founder/Director
Advisory Board
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” (Nelson Mandela). Stephanie has a curiosity and passion to explore cultures and develop relationships through travel. She is guided by the belief that education is key to empowering young minds and provides opportunity for children to choose their own path in life. Stephanie directs program operations and strategic initiatives for The Mawanda Project and currently lives in Washington D.C. where she works for the U.S. Department of Defense. Stephanie is pursuing her M.A. in Statecraft and National Security Affairs at The Institute of World Politics and with a focus on security issues and development in the Great Lakes region of Africa.
Stephanie Cain
Gloria Garcia
Gloria Garcia
“It will be the people with the greatest love, not the most information, who will influence us to change” (Bob Goff). Gloria has a strong passion for encouraging and being there for others. After serving as a bilingual educator for 9 years, Gloria joined the executive team of her family restaurant business until child raising quickly became her priority. With four, now adult children, she devotes her time to the career and social development of young women. She invests her one-on-one time in assisting women to build the best version of themselves. She and her husband Robert reside in downtown San Diego, CA.
“It will be the people with the greatest love, not the most information, who will influence us to change” (Bob Goff). Gloria has a strong passion for encouraging and being there for others. After serving as a bilingual educator for 9 years, Gloria joined the executive team of her family restaurant business until child raising quickly became her priority. With four, now adult children, she devotes her time to the career and social development of young women. She invests her one-on-one time in assisting women to build the best version of themselves. She and her husband Robert reside in downtown San Diego, CA.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts” (Winston Churchill). Robert began a robust sales career in both telecommunications and the software industries. His business portfolio encompasses operations, human resources, and fiscal management. Robert eventually transitioned into the recycling industry where he built 28 years of recycling experience working for some of the largest waste and recycling companies in the nation. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer (COO)/Senior Vice President at RMG Recycling, Inc. and is continually searching for new opportunities to grow both personally and professionally.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts” (Winston Churchill). Robert began a robust sales career in both telecommunications and the software industries. His business portfolio encompasses operations, human resources, and fiscal management. Robert eventually transitioned into the recycling industry where he built 28 years of recycling experience working for some of the largest waste and recycling companies in the nation. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer (COO)/Senior Vice President at RMG Recycling, Inc. and is continually searching for new opportunities to grow both personally and professionally.
Robert Garcia
Robert Garcia
"Most child deaths are caused by diseases that are readily preventable or treatable…“ (IGME Child Mortality Report 2015). Driven by the opportunity to reduce unnecessary mortality, Erik has dedicated his life's work towards combating infectious diseases and improving the healthcare landscape in low-resource settings. Erik received his B.S. in Bioengineering at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and is currently pursuing a Bioengineering Ph.D. at Caltech. His research involves developing next-generation low-cost diagnostics technologies for use at the point-of-care.
Erik Jue
Joanne has been immersed in the technology industry for the last 30+ years. She serves as a management consultant at Cisco Systems where she has advised large healthcare and hospital systems on the development of an IT strategy that enables the goals and objectives of their long-term corporate strategy. Cisco’s technology architecture has helped hospitals to improve their patient care and patient experience. Joanne is always excited to find new solutions to old problems, especially where technology can be applied to make significant life improvements.
Joanne Kihara
With a strong passion for education, Alyssa believes every child deserves the right to a quality education and should to be empowered to know how much potential they have to impact the world. Ever since a study abroad trip to Northern Europe in 2015, Alyssa has found herself with a growing passion for working with education on a global level. She received her B.A. in Elementary Education with a focus in Literacy from San Diego State University, and hopes to work overseas teaching English abroad and bringing education to impoverished areas. Alyssa currently runs her own photography business based in San Diego where she has the privilege of traveling all over the world serving people through documenting and sharing their story.
Alyssa Sundelius
Kimberly joined the Mawanda Project in Spring 2017. Her involvement was catalyzed by her strong belief in the importance of education as a tool for both empowering and liberating youth -- particularly young women. Kimberly earned her B.S. in Chemistry from San Diego State University in 2011, and has always had a deep seated passion for encouraging women’s interest in the physical sciences. She currently works at a small startup in San Diego that focuses on the development and incorporation of metallic nanoparticles into diverse applications including low cost diagnostics.
