Current Board Members
Elsa Juko-McDowell
Chairwoman – Board Member
Elsa Juko-McDowell, Uganda native, has a passion for people and business and joined the East Africa Chamber of Commerce in 2015. The EACC is a dynamic organization that promotes trade and
investments between the United States and East Africa.In 2016, Mrs. Juko-McDowell became the first woman to hold the position of chair for the East Africa Chamber of Commerce. Her professional, small-business owner mindset led to her success in this role, in
addition to her strategic decision-making skills, client-centered management, and sales experience. For the past 18 years, Elsa has developed her expertise through her experiences in real estate as a realtor and
her managerial roles in the mortgage servicing industry. She now owns multiple businesses, which include real-estate development and investments, and consulting.
Elsa co-founded MYPOLARLIFE, a local mental illness advocacy company, in 2017 with her husband. As a mother of three, a wife, and a member of her community, she is passionate about helping those around her and abroad through thriving business development.
Bill Morgan
Vice Chairman – Board Member
Mr. Morgan is an Avistas Founding Principal, CEO and International Management Consultant with 22+ years of proven experience leading major business growth and transformation initiatives relating to secure Information and Communications Technology (ICT) deployments around the world.
Mr. Morgan is a strategist recognized for his gifts to rapidly identify solutions, prioritize the critical path, then organize and lead innovative growth initiatives. He has proven success in advanced due diligence, business development, product development, marketing, strategic planning, operations, information communications & technologies (ICT), and private project funding solutions for his clients.
He is a member of the Security Industry Association and has participated in many other international standards bodies with the development and harmonization of interoperable software security products. Mr. Morgan has made dozens of appearances on FOX, CBS and other nationally syndicated radio shows along with local TV affiliates as a cybersecurity expert addressing and commenting on current online threats ranging from clickjacking, identity theft and cyber bullying.
Mr. Morgan has presented at major technical conferences including ASIS regarding Security ROI, ISC Solutions on Leveraging the Power of the One-Card Solutions for Higher Education, and at DOJ’s Annual Cybersecurity Conference on Managing Risk in a Dynamic Environment.
Mr. Morgan supports major Economic Development initiatives both domestic and international relating to intelligent “smart” cities, ICT operating companies and related cloud services (G2G, G2C, G2B, B2B, B2C, etc.). One of his most notable accomplishments included the original ICT master planning for the King Abdullah Economic City in Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Morgan served as a Senior Technical Advisor on behalf of the World Bank to oversee the design, development, commissioning, staffing and operations of the Rwanda National Data Center (Tier IV architecture) and Internet Virtual Landing Point including the security of those technology assets and services housed within this significant Kigali facility. It currently operates, manages and protects over $380+ million USD of broadband technology assets supporting the East African Community’s emerging cloud services markets.
Mr. Morgan received his Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications Engineering Technology from Texas A&M University.
Benson Kasue
Founder
A graduate of Brigham Young University (Marriott School of Management) with a BS in accounting and an MBA from University of Utah (David Eccles school of Business), He has had progressive accounting and financial career with top USA corporations including FMC Corporation, HP, Dell, IBM, and United Technologies. Benson has extensive cost accounting knowledge, taxation, auditing, expert in financial planning reporting and analysis, budgets, and lean management skills. His dedication to work ethic is superior! He gets things “done”. Benson has led resource mobilizing efforts to save lives in East Africa and provided food and water to the needy. Benson is the founding chair of East Africa Chamber of commerce (EACC) in Dallas Texas and Kenya Diaspora Advisory council of Texas. Benson is an entrepreneur and continues to link businesses in both US and East African.
Elizabeth Roman Plumlee
Elizabeth Roman Plumlee earned an undergraduate degree from The University of Texas, Austin and a law degree from Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law. She is a trained mediator with a current business focus on economic development and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in her private practice. She has worked with foreign government agencies and officials, as well as the private sector, to shape various economic development strategies in East Africa with respect to security, technology, energy, agriculture, health, infrastructure issues and requirements.
Beth also serves as a trustee for the Rusinga Island Trust, a community-based Kenyan trust, located in West Kenya. She serves as a board advisor to the East Africa Chamber of Commerce where she works with the East African diaspora community to improve trade and investment in East Africa. Concurrently, she serves as an advisor to the Africa Business Portal, a company focused on establishing local connections nationwide to help U.S. and African companies safely and successfully trade and invest.
In addition to being a member of numerous professional organizations, Beth has a passion for service and has served as a board member of numerous non-profit organizations in the U.S. and Africa. Most recently, she has become a professional mentor for the Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law Exchange Program: and is a new board member for the Friends of the Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy.
Lydiah Tate
Board Member
My official business name is Lydiah Tate. I have been in the banking industry for the last 29 years. I have held many rewarding positions with different Financial Institutions over the years. Previous employers include First Tennessee Bank, Regions Bank, Suntrust Bank, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and currently Truist Financial. I have had the pleasure of leading great teams and working with small to midsize companies to provide tailored financial solutions to their organizations. My role as a Commercial Relationship Manager/SVP at Truist Bank affords me the opportunity to serve great organizations such as EABN.
Education: Studied at Darmstadt University in Germany. Obtained a Diploma in “German” from Goethe Institute Frankfurt. Obtained an undergraduate degree in Finance from University of Memphis, and an Executive MBA from University of Phoenix.
About my personal life: Passionate about family, faith and work. My biggest motivation is certainly my three wonderful children. I am driven to make a difference in people’s lives, both in the USA and abroad through my non profit organization Neema Mission International. Changing one life at a time is my motto. When I am not working, I enjoy spending time and traveling with my friends and family, reading, cooking and motivational speaking.
Network group memberships:
National Black MBA Association
National Association of Women Business Owners
Melissa Chamber Of Commerce
Karen Muigai Henry
Board Member
A Kenyan Native with an MBA and MIS from the Keller Graduate School of Management in Texas. She works as a Software Engineer in an Insurance Company. She is a small business owner, a community leader and Director of Kenyan Women In The USA (KWITU) Safe Haven which deals mostly with domestic violence
Karen is the founder and the CEO of Exceeding Grace Today (EGT) a 501c3 an organization that was started after experiencing several suicides in the community mostly from single parents’ homes. It is centered in helping to empower Single Parents who struggle to bring their children alone by holding meetings with them to encourage and offer counseling services for those in need.
Karen believes in these few words “My Case is Different”.
Ms. Jolly Kahunde
Board Member
Ms. Jolly Kahunde, a philanthropist and a children’s activist, is based in Dallas Texas. Ms. Kahunde has been in the healthcare industry for the past 9 years. Ms. Kahunde has always had a heart for helping those in need and her time in healthcare has heightened the heart of helping and giving back.
Ms.Kahunde has been active member in the Ugandan American Association of Greater Dallas/Fort Worth (UAA Greater DFW) organization since she joined the community over ten years ago up-to-date. She took her philanthropic heart to another level and founded an organization for less and under privileged children of Uganda.
Ms. Kahunde Is the Founder and Vice President of Malayika Rescue Missions (MRM). A 501c3 not for profit organization centered around providing education and healthcare for children deprived of opportunity in order to help them become productive members of their societies. This organization has sent over 30 children to school with all requirements. MRM has provided HIV counseling, proper nutrition and other basic needs to the scholars that have affected by the virus. Ms. Kahunde is also a member of Mid- Cities Pacesetters Rotary Club, that is based on the core values of lending a hand to surrounding communities and its people such as food drives and other community services.
She is strongly passionate about giving back and serving her community with different organizations in varying capacities.
Frank Kanobana
Board Member
Native of Rwanda, Frank has a bachelor’s degree in public administration from the Indiana University South Bend. After graduating he relocated to Dallas where he worked as a quality control manager for Nescon Services Inc. Frank has been in the forefront in promoting trade between US and Rwanda and has traveled extensively to establish trade relations.
Frank is co-owner and vice president of Niza LTD an international corporation that primarily focuses on real estate investment in Rwanda. He is also the owner of P and I Carrier LLC, a freight forward company that operates across USA and Canada. Frank is also active in the Dallas community and is the immediate former elected President of Rwanda American Community in Dallas/Fort worth. He currently lives in Fort Worth, Texas with his wife and two children.
Laban Opande —Juris Doctor (JD), MBA, BSc.
Board Member
Laban Opande has over 18 years of leadership, management and executive experience in a unique combination garnered in a vast array of fields including law, business, technology, science, agriculture and the Environment. As an astute businessman and professional, he is constantly seeking ways to expand his business, and enhance his knowledge on relevant regulations, laws, technologies, techniques, policies and procedures. His thorough understanding of US local, state and federal laws has proven to be advantageous to both his business as well as his clients.
Mr. Opande earned his Associates degree in Applied Science from Houston Community College System in the year 1999, and a Bachelor of Science (BSc.) degree in Environmental Science from the School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Texas Southern University (TSU) in the year 2001. In the year 2003, he enrolled for a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) program with a concentration in Global Management at the University of Phoenix before earning admission to the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at TSU in the year 2004. He graduated from the School of Law in the year 2007, and was certified to practice law in Texas by the Supreme Court of Texas in February of 2008. He is also licensed to practice Federal Law in the United States Federal Courts by the United States District Court, Southern District and Northern District of Texas. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Houston Bar Association, Texas Young Lawyers Association, and African Bar Association.
He serves on the boards of several for-profit organizations in the US, among them Kenya USA Diaspora SACCO, which is headquartered in Atlanta-Georgia, and where he serves as Chair – Supervisory and Advisory Committee, and Tumaini Investment Group (TIG) based in Dallas-Texas where he serves as a Legal Counsel. He also serves in the boards of several non-profit organizations including Houston-Texas based Kenyan Society in Houston (KENSHO), where he was Founding President and remains an advisor, Houston-Texas based Culturally Yours International (CYI) and Ohio based Gusii Educational Advancement Resource (GEAR).
FareedZein El Abdin
Board Member
Fareed retired as an IT Planning Manager following a 26-year career in Information Technology with Royal Dutch Shell Plc covering various positions of increasing responsibility in IT infrastructure and applications.
Fareed is the Board Chairman of the Sudanese American Public Affairs Association (SAPAA), a non-profit national organization of Sudanese Americans. Fareed also served on several non-profit projects in Sudan and South Sudan. He has been a speaker and leader in sharing industry trends and best practices across several business and non-profit communities.
Fareed obtained his B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Texas at El Paso.
Fareed was born Sudan, and is a fluent Arabic speaker and writer.
Florence Sugut
Board Member
Managing Director and founder of Ikapamedia East Africa- International Trade fairs and Conference Marketing Company
Florence holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration- Marketing option, Higher diploma in Human Resources ad currently Pursuing MBA with over seven years of experience in international Trade Fairs business. Has represented and worked with Trade fair companies in Germany: MesseDussedorlf, Messe berlin, Messe Hannover and MesseKoelnITB, Green week, Fruit Logistica, Import Shop- Berlin, K-show, Medica, interpack-Dusseldorf, Anuga- MesseKoeln Hannover Messe- Messe Hannover.Florence represents Egyptian trade fair companies locally and currently a member of Egypt- Kenya Joint Business Council as an Interim Vice chair. Worked with UK trade Fairs and Conference Companies: Clarion Events and Prescon LTD
Conferences: Mining Business International Conference, Africa Bitumen Conference, Cement Conference, FARAH conference among others
International Trade Fairs
Food Processing and Packaging Exposyum, Kenya Chemex, WEPEX, Infra East Africa Trade fair, Cairo Leather Expo, Kenya Manufacturing Machinery Expo, Rwanda Women In Business Forum, China- Africa Trade Fair among others
Cynthia Kafwihi
Board Member
I am a member of the East African community and very passionate about being impactful in anything that I do.
I have a Bachelor of Science in International Trade and Marketing. I have volunteered and served in the diaspora community for the last 20 years.
I am grateful to have been voted in to serve as the newest EABN Board member and excited to work in this organization. My goal is to create value for all diasporans, especially women. No matter the size of your business or the experience you have in the business world, everyone has a talent and can be impactful when given the chance. When talents are developed and applied, a lot can be accomplished. I come with years of experience in planning and marketing, and I plan to contribute positively to achieve more success stories.
I currently run PK Mfadhili LLC, our mission is to raise funds to furnish rural healthcare centers in Kenya and other countries in Africa with medical equipment and supplies. We currently work with the approval of the local county governments, to upgrade the small clinic’s medical facilities. I am an entrepreneur, who is good at seeking better business.
Advisory Board Members
Tana Juko
Dr. Tana J. Hicks serves as the Senior Director of the Labor Market Intelligence Center at Dallas College. She joined the team in the spring of 2018 to explore and analyze local industry data to aid in the effort of better aligning Dallas College students with local workforce needs. Now, she leads the team under the mission of addressing socioeconomic barriers that revolve around the academic experience. Tana is passionate about equity and inclusivity, and as such, she leans on it as a focal point in all the work she does, starting as far back as her dissertation work, which she completed in 2017. Dr. Hicks has worked in the education sector for over 15 years as an instructor, professor, and researcher.
Tana earned her Doctorate of Philosophy in African American Literature at the University of North Texas and holds both a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology and a Master of Arts degree in English from Texas Tech University. She is a new mother to a beautiful baby boy and has been married to her husband since September 2020.
Caili Morgan
Caili Morgan is a Texas native and proud University of Texas at Austin graduate with a passion for serving the East African Community. She holds degrees in Philosophy and Government while minoring in Arabic and holding McCombs School of Business certifications. Caili has spent the past seven years as a peak performing software as a service (SaaS) Sales Executive while driving social media, event management, product management, product marketing, project management and user experience efforts where needed both domestically and internationally.
Currently an Account Executive at HHAeXchange, a major national homecare solution for healthcare providers and payers to optimize patient care, Caili leads target communities through complex patient care “best practices”. Caili began volunteering with EABN in 2013 as a digital marketing campaign coordinator and registration intern. Over the years she has served the Board in a variety of capacities including facilitating moderating Women Connecting Women leadership panels.
Connie Bryant
Consolata Ayoo-Bryant is a native of Kenya. She has been in the healthcare industry for over 30 years and holds an MBA in Healthcare administration. Ms. Bryant is the Founder of two medical companies, Professional Home Health, and Divine Hospice in North Texas. She is also the Managing Director of Organi Limited, an Agro-processing sweet potato company based in Kenya, a Co-owner of Bayrise Fish based in Kenya, and she also designs for Sassyn, a clothing brand in USA.
Ms. Bryant has a wealth of experience in healthcare management, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Startups, Business strategy and Executive management. She serves in the advisory board for East African Chamber of Commerce and has served in several other advisory councils and boards that include the University of Texas Dallas (UTD), Global Business Advisory Council, Texas Home Health and Hospice association, Clinical committee advisory Board and Dwele foundation, an organization that promotes awareness of Chronic Hepatitis B.
Ms. Bryant has been a recipient of numerous awards including a National Leadership Award as Honorary Co-Chair Business Advisory Council, Queens Night International Ministry Excellence in Career and business Inspirational Award, Diaspora Entertainment Award & recognition winner of Businesswoman of the year/Entrepreneur award Sept 2015 ceremony held in the USA.
Ms. Bryant resides with her family in Colleyville, Texas.
Awards
A National Leadership Award as Honorary Co-Chairman Business Advisory Council from Congressman Tom De Lay.
Queens Night International Ministry Excellence in Career and business Inspirational Award.
Diaspora Entertainment Award & Recognition winner of Businesswoman of the year/Entrepreneur award Sept 2015 ceremony held in the USA.
Roy Kayizzi
Roy E Kayizzi MBA, is an experienced Consultant in Tax, Investment, Securities, Portfolio, Insurance, financial and credit risk Analysis. Mr Kayizzi, is the past President of the Uganda American Association of Greater DFW and pioneered the Group life Insurance plan. Currently Senior Vice President Freedom Equity Group. He is the CEO of Impex Tax & Financial and Managing Director of Proclient Insurance Associates Inc. He is a bachelor’s in economics, MBA Finance/Accounting from University of Texas Arlington.
Current Board Members EAC Region
Aziza Kahlifa
Anglea Olowo