NICOLE C. LEE, ESQ.
PRESIDENT

EMAIL: nlee@transafricaforum.org

Ms. Lee is the first female President of TransAfrica. As the President, Ms. Lee leads the formation of the organizations policies. Ms Lee has testified before Congress on the issues of aid and food security for the continent of African. In addition, she regularly briefs policy makers on key issues facing the Africa world. In addition, major media is calling on Ms. Lee as an expert on Haiti and the African Diaspora. She has appeared on ABC’s 20/20, CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, National Public Radio, BBC television and radio, Democracy Now and numerous radio stations around the globe. She has been quoted in the Washington Post and USA Today. Her opinion editorials have been published in The Nation, Tom Paine, theroot.com, and she is a weekly op-ed contributor to the National Newspapers Publishers’ Association wire service that serves more than 200 newspapers weekly.

MWIZA MUNTHALI
PUBLIC OUTREACH DIRECTOR

EMAIL: mmunthali@transafricaforum.org

For more than two decades, Mwiza has worked to further TransAfrica’s outreach in the broader community. Currently as TransAfrica's Public Outreach Director, Mwiza directs the growth of the library, develops educational programs and events for the organization, identifies research material, oversees publications, and directs volunteers and interns. He maintains communication links with information specialists of various multilateral agencies, U.S. government offices, and African and Caribbean embassies and organizations. Mwiza represents TransAfrica Forum in public forums, meets with international visitors, and speaks to student groups. Mwiza holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography with a concentration in international development studies from the University of Iowa.

JOIA JEFFERSON NURI
CHIEF OF STAFF

EMAIL: jnuri@transafricaforum.org

Joia is the Chief of Staff for TransAfrica. As second in command, Ms. Nuri frequently coordinates the staff, travels to promote TransAfrica and represents the organization before Congress, with donors and more. She crafts outreach strategies that take the organization's message to communities around the world and to mainstream and alternative media sources. She assists in the writing of op-ed pieces and policy talking points. Joia has an expanded vision ofcommunications. She believes a good communication strategy includes event planning, speech writing, networking, and interfacing with other organizations to advance a common agenda. Prior to joining TransAfrica, Joia worked in Washington media for close to 30 years. She served as Senior News Producer at C-SPAN, America’s Black Forum, BET, and NPR. As an independent producer, Joia created the “grateful student/illustrious alumni” profiles seen in the United Negro College Fund’s annual fundraising telethon. She also produced live specials for the Pacifica Radio Network. For more than a decade, Joia was a network television technician for both NBC and CBS NEWS. Joia ended her technical career in 1985 as the Technical Director of CBS’ FACE THE NATION. In 1991 and 1992, Joia lived and worked in West Africa, reporting on the presidential elections in Ivory Coast and Nigeria. Today Joia is researching and writing a book on religion in America.

NORA RASMAN
INTERIM DIRECTOR OF LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN POLICY

EMAIL: nrasman@transafricaforum.org

As the Interim Director of Latin America & Caribbean Policy, Nora works closely with the TransAfrica leadership to shape the organization’s policy and priorities around LAC topics. She represents TransAfrica as a liason with on-the-ground partners and NGO allies. She also provides information and analysis to Congressional allies and national and local media outlets. Prior to assuming this position, Nora worked as the Program Assistant at TransAfrica where her work included policy research and administrative assistance. Nora has worked nationally as an organizer of anti-racism and anti-oppression trainings and continues to work on issues of racial, economic and LGBTQ justice and representation.

MELINDA MILES
DIRECTOR OF LET HAITI LIVE

EMAIL: mmiles@transafricaforum.org

Ms. Miles is a long-time advocate for Haiti who first traveled there nearly twenty years ago. Ms. Miles has worked for over ten years with Haiti’s popular movement and community leaders on issues ranging from democratic participation to increasing national production while protecting the environment. As a Co-Director of the Quixote Center from 1999 to 2004, Ms. Miles fundraised to plant over one million trees in the northern Artibonite while coordinating advocacy efforts through the international Let Haiti Live Coalition. She led delegations to Haiti for policy makers, Congressional staffers, activists and leaders in the NGO community including independent observers for the 2000 elections and teams focused on human rights, the withholding of humanitarian aid from the democratically-elected government, women’s issues, and the first observation team after the coup d’etat in 2004.

In 2004, Ms. Miles co-edited an authoritative book on U.S. foreign policy towards Haiti called, “Let Haiti Live: Unjust U.S. Policies Towards its Oldest Neighbor” including contributions from Rev. Jesse Jackson, Edwidge Danticat, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Paul Farmer, Brian Concannon and many others. She founded the grassroots based Konbit Pou Ayiti/Konpay (Working Together for Haiti) in Jacmel, Haiti in late 2004 to work with human rights organization in post-coup Port-au-Prince and to build a national network of grassroots efforts to alleviate poverty through work to renew and protect Haitis’ environment.

After the earthquake on January 12, Ms. Miles co-founded the Haiti Response Coalition, a unique collaboration of international and Haitian non-governmental organizations. Ms. Miles is now the director of Let Haiti Live, a multi-dimension advocacy and solidarity project at TransAfrica. She lives half-time in Port-au- Prince and half-time in Washington, DC, does frequent media interviews and policy presentations and coordinates delegations to Haiti.