NICOLE C. LEE, ESQ.
PRESIDENT

EMAIL: nlee@transafricaforum.org

Ms. Nicole Lee is a human rights expert and the first female President of TransAfrica. Ms. Lee has conducted numerous human rights investigations and missions documenting violations of human rights and dignity of the world’s most vulnerable populations. Ms Lee has testified before Congress on international policy issues effecting Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and racial minorities worldwide.

 As the President, Ms. Lee leads the formation of the organizations policies.  Under her leadership, TransAfrica instituted numerous campaigns and strategic initiatives that have informed and shifted US foreign policy towards Africa and the Diaspora. Highlighting issues facing the Africa Diaspora, aid accountability and a focus on vulnerable populations are trademarks of these new initiatives.

In addition, major media is calling on Ms. Lee as an expert on Africa and the African Diaspora. She has appeared on ABC, NBC, CNN, BBC, National Public Radio, Pacifica/ Democracy Now, Voice of America and hundreds of TV and radio stations around the globe. She has been quoted in numerous international and national newspapers and her opinion editorials have been published in The Nation, Tom Paine, theroot.com, 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.

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.