Meet The Team

CEO
Steve Whitehouse
Steve Whitehouse’s degrees in Business Management and Computer and Information Systems, his experience with technology (Word Perfect, Novell, FamilySearch, BYU oit), his experience with education and finance (as a founder and CFO of Karl G Maeser Preparatory - maeserprep.org), and his current work as an in infrastructure engineer at Brigham Young University, all combine to help him contribute to the progress and development of Africompassion. He is also familiar with non-profit organization practices, procedures, and governing regulations.
Steve served an LDS mission in both Belgium and France. When first acquainted with Africompassion, Steve felt a spirit of enthusiasm and commitment to building and lifting the individual lives of the people who live in Kogaja village and who abide in the Ikoma ward in Tanzania. He hopes to do this “one person, one family and one village at a time.”
Steve and his wife Janiel are the parents of four children and grandparents to one.

Founder - Executive Director
Jerald Malamba
Jerald Malamba Wayoga-Founder, Executive Director at Africompassion Organization
Born in Tanzania in 1981, a speaker of both Kiswahili and English, Jerald is the bridge between two continents.
Born to a mother who was infected with HIV/AIDs and could not raise him, he was brought up by his grandmother and eventually lived in an orphanage when his grandmother became sick.
His gratitude to God is immense. He was called to work in the ministry and has been an effective leader for more than eight years. He’s also worked as an educator at a Seminary School in Mwanza- Tanzania.
Jerald has worked with different National Churches and local government leaders, Schools and institutions around the regions of the Republic of Tanzania and beyond the Tanzanian border.
Jerald carries the responsibility for overseeing the administration, programs and strategic plan of Africompassion in Tanzania.
Jerald believes that ‘Everyone needs some kind of help in their lifetime. If nobody helped the poor or needy, they most likely would not live a very long life.
He is committed to providing quality education to children and youth in Tanzania. Through his dedication, he hopes to see “Africompassion find ways, sustainably and innovatively, to empower communities to fight poverty through water well projects , health and education.”

CFO
Kent Meyers
Kent L. Meyers hopes to see Africompassion reach its goal of helping people become self-sustaining. He plans to do this with his talents in budgeting, financial control processes, and helping to create a viable endowment. His experiences of over thirty years in finance, and committee work with university endowments, with foundations and sovereign investments funds around the world, bring a valuable perspective to Africompassion.
In addition to serving his wife of fifty-three years, seven children, and thirty-one grandchildren, he has also served three missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Almost as impressive, at age seventy-six, Kent plays basketball three times a week.
We are thankful to have Kent Myers with Africompassion who stated, “I decided maybe I could make a difference.”

Director
April Van Tassell
April Van Tassell has spent her life helping others–as a mother, a professional clown, and a community organizer. She is a business owner, a photographer, a motivational speaker, a writer and mentor to young mothers.
April comes to Africompassion with a big heart opened wide from overcoming her own trials and tribulations. With the help of God, she has overcome abuse, depression, and debilitating physical ailments.
Some of her goals for Africompassion include: Assisting in meeting the physical, emotional, educational and spiritual needs of orphans in Tanzania; seeing that every child has a sponsor to the age of 16; personally following through to make sure that the Africompassion school is built and is debt free.
April is dedicated to her religious convictions and writes, “Jesus tells us clearly in the Bible it is our responsibility as obedient followers to care for orphans and widows.”

Director
Rosie Gremmert
Rosie Gremmert is a Holistic Health and Transformation Coach with a decades of experience in Education, Community Service and Health Services. She has participated in humanitarian trips in Mexico, Aruba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Hawaii and Nepal and has worked with multiple non profits such as Days For Girls, Bridge of Promise, Charity Anywhere, Mayan Treasure and Soul Food USA with a personal focus on empowering women and individuals with disabilities. She runs a successful global business, has been married for 37 years and is the mother of 5 and grandmother to 11. Service of God’s children around the world is the foundation and center of everything she does.

Director
Ruth Naylor
Ruth spent twelve years as a sheep and cattle farmer and then continued her education. She became a public educator and administrator for thirty years and has an MS in English, and an Ed.D.
She served three missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and especially loved serving in Africa.
Due to her love for Africa and education, she is excited to join Africompassion and use her talents with the building of a school for orphaned children.