Kurt Thurmaier, Ph.D
FOUNDER & PRESIDENT
Kurt founded TDS in 2008 with his wife, Jeanine. In addition to serving as President, he is also a Distinguished Engagement Professor in the Department of Public Administration at Northern Illinois University.
Tricia DeBoo, MPM
TREASURER
Tricia joined the TDS Board in 2011 and is the current Treasurer. She is a retired nurse and currently works in property management. Tricia also volunteers extensively in DeKalb County.
James Cohen, Ph.D
BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2017
James is an Associate Professor of ESL/Bilingual Education at Northern Illinois University. He is a Fulbright Specialist and has been awarded multiple times in the areas of education, social justice, and diversity.
Jennie Hueber, Ed.D
BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2019
Jennie spent her 30 year career in education, serving as both a teacher and administrator. She recently retired after serving as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction in the DeKalb School Distirct.
Paul Saeman
BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2019
Now retired, Paul spent 37 years working in state and federal government, as well as the nonprofit sector. Through his career, he worked on programs focused on supporting low income families and social justice reform.
Jason Michnick, MPA
BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2016
Jason served as the first Executive Director from 2019 to 2023 before returning to the board. He was a TDS study abroad student in 2015 and also served as Vice President of TDS between 2016 and 2018. He is currently pursuing his PhD at the University of Illinois Chicago and working as a sustainability coordinator.
Eric Hill
BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2024
Eric joined the Board in 2023 and served as the Executive Director in 2024. Traveling with TDS to Tanzania in 2022, along with the successful summit of Kilimanjaro was a peak experience for him: it included the realization that big problems can be overcome with small steps, pole pole.
Edith Njuguna, MPS
VICE PRESIDENT
Edith joined the board in 2016 and currently serves as Vice President. She is also the Director of the Illinois Education and Career Success Network at Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University and led the launch of the 4-H Career Pathways program in the Mara region
Helen Martin, MSN
BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2016
Helen worked at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics for 18 years before retiring from nursing. She currently teaches Medical Surgical Nursing at Edgewood College.
Renée Jones, PMP
BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2023
Renee, Founder & Principal Consultant of Red Hills Consulting Group, is an executive-level management consultant and transformation leader with a passion for driving sustainable impact. With deep expertise in strategic planning and organizational change, she brings a results-driven mindset to mission-focused work. After an inspiring journey to Tanzania and Zanzibar, Renée was moved by the resilience of the communities she encountered and felt called to use her skills in service. This led her to consult with TDS—an experience that quickly deepened into a personal commitment. Now as a board member, she’s proud to help shape strategies that empower youth, especially girls, through education.
Joan Pahl
BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2019
Joan recently retired from a career as healthcare administration and finance in Madison, Wisconsin. She is now an active volunteer with St. Vincent DePaul and Tanzania Development Support.
Maiga Muga
BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2022
Maiga started as the 4HCP Coordinator in Musoma back in 2021. He is currently pursuing his PhD at University of Illinois.
Andrea Trudeau, Ph.D
BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2023
Andrea is a library information specialist serving middle school students in Deerfield, Illinois, with 27 years of experience as a public educator. She taught at Nyegina for two weeks in the summer of 2022 as a Fulbright-Hays Grant Scholar through Northern Illinois University, which inspired her to join TDS as a board member and continue to support education in rural Tanzania
Terry Borg, PHD
BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2024
Now retired, Terry spent 43 years working for universities and private industry. Through his career, he worked on program development, performance and training, and economic and financial education. In the later years of his career, Terry focused on growing teacher education international partnerships.