Meet our team
A nonprofit organization is as strong as the community that holds it up. Together, we can do more than we can do alone. Let's bring our abilities and passions together to build a global community.
FOUNDER,BOARD PRESIDENT, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR &CHOREOGRAPHER
Yvonne Nsabimana
Yvonne B Nsabimana is a dedicated educator and community leader. She experienced firsthand the benefits of African dance on coping with the war trauma she faced in Rwanda in 1994. She holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration and founded NACC with a vision to create a culture learning space about Africa for all.
FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER
Deidre Green
Deidre Nicole Green is theologian, philosopher, and athor of Works of Love in a World of Violence. She has traveled to Africa to interview religious women of various countries, including Rwanda and that's how she met Yvonne in 2016. After listening to her vision for NACC, she offered to become a founding board member.
Meet our Board of Directors - TREASURER & FINANCE DIRECTOR
Phoebe Anderson
Phoebe is from Minnesota and mother of 5. She has a degree from BYU in Theater and English education where she took some modern dance classes laying the foundation to join the NGOMA dance team. She loves to learn more about the beautiful music, dance, and languages of Africa and to connect with diverse people.
Meet our Board of Directors - MARKETING DIRECTOR
Reginald Maonedzo
Reginald Maonedzo is a recent MBA-Finance graduate who is passionate about African drumming and african music in general. He enjoys volunteering and bringing his entrepreneurial experience to help move the organization forward.
Meet our Board of Directors - RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Vimbai Tembo
Equipped with a BSc in Marketing, Vimbai Murisi chose to serve in Non-Profit development work. She is an MPA graduate student with special skills in Resource Development, Project Implementation, Data Analysis and Administration. Her role in various projects has improved many lives in the rural communities of Zimbabwe.
Meet our Board of Directors - ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Annette Knight
Annette Knight has an interest in International Affairs having studied International Public Law, Comparative Constitutions and as a Research Assistant for the International Center for Law and Religious Studies. She enjoys volunteering and bringing public awareness to our organization both locally and internationally.
Meet our Board of Directors - FINANCE COMMITTEE
Leslie Hadfield
Born and bred in Logan, Utah, Leslie Hadfie, now a History professor and the Coordinator for Africana Studies at Brigham Young University. Having lived in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, she speaks Xhosa and Swahili. Hadfield earned her PhD in African history at Michigan State, after which she began teaching at BYU.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & NGOMA DANCE INSTRUCTOR
Shakira Smith
Shakira Smith. She is an afro- futurist cardiac ICU nurse and a novel writer with a bachelors in Neuroscience and Nursing. She has lived in Seattle, WaD.C. and Fayetteville, NC. Since colleges, she has always enjoyed dancing and cooking as her hobbies. She has been performing with Yvonne and others in Utah since 2007.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & NGOMA DANCE INSTRUCTOR
Julie Robinson
Julie Robinson studied dance at BYU, the Martha Graham Dance School in NYC,and then earned an MFA in modern dance performance at the U of U in 1998. She studied African dance at the U of U and at the RDT. She believes dance is a powerful tool to build community and to explore our cultural identity and family heritage.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & NGOMA DANCE INSTRUCTOR
Madelaine Lamah
Madelaine Lamah (aka Maddie/Mado) is originally from Guinea West Africa. In addition to English, she speaks French, Haitian Creole, and three other tribal languages from her country. She is learning Korean "Anyeong Aseyo". She graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor's Degree in Finance and Theatre.
Meet our Instructors - JIFUNZA SWAHILI CLASS
Joy Richards
Joy Sitawa Richards is a Human Resources professional, BYU Adjunct Faculty for Swahili, and Coordinator for the Swahili Interpretation team with the LDS Church conferences. She immigrated from Kenya and graduated from BYU with a MPA degree. She loves being connected to her African roots and enjoys everything African.
Meet our Instructors - JIFUNZA SWAHILI CLASS
Karani Namunyu
Karani is from Kenya where he worked in radio as a breakfast and political talk show host for 5 years prior to graduating in Broadcast Journalism-TV from BYU.
He joined NACC because the organization connects him to his roots back in the motherland as a Panafricanist. He feels spirits of his ancestors through drumming.
Meet our Instructors - UJUZI YOUTH ARTS & CRAFTS
Annette Campbell
Annette Campbell is from Jamaica and has a Bachelor's degree in Social Work with an emphasis in photography, sculpture and art studies. She enjoys painting, drawing, taking pictures, and traveling. Her favorite quote: “Every child is an artist". The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”Pablo Picasso.
Meet our Instructors - UJUZI COOKING CLASS
Bibiche Ehounou
Bibiche Ehounou is from DR of Congo. She has a Business degree and owns an African restaurant called "Restaurant Le Carrefour". She teaches the cooking class to help those interested to learn how to make African food. She believes in the importance of keeping our culture alive even though we live in a foreign country.
