Mali Rising Foundation Board of Directors
for information on how to join please contact Yeah Samake at 801.957.5442

Jackie Trujillo - Board Chairman
Jackie Trujillo has served as CEO and Chairman of the Board for Harman's overseeing the work of 330 restaurants. Mrs. Trujillo has participated on numerous panels for COEX, MUFSO, California Restaurant Association (CRA), and the National Restaurant Association (NRA). Mrs. Trujillo sat on the National Advisory Council for Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University. Mrs. Trujillo was awarded with the "Woman of the Year" and "Trail Blazer" awards by the Roundtable for Women in Foodservice. Mrs. Trujillo was selected to be on the board of directors of YUM Brands. She received MUFSO's "Pioneer of the Year" award and has served as chairperson for the CRA.

Allen Todd Wilkes - Vice Chair
Allen was a student in Mali at one of Bamako's Primary Schools in the late 1970's. Those years he completely enjoyed, studying French, bartering in Malian markets, fishing on the Niger River and touring Mali's famous Dogon country. "Those fond memories of Mali, its unique people and culture still mean a great deal to me today". With degrees in International Relations and Accounting from BYU and an MBA from the University of Houston, Allen will contribute technical oversight as well as cultural understanding to the Mali Rising Foundation's development projects in Africa . Allen speaks Spanish, Portuguese, limited French and a bit of Bambara. Allen now works for Barrick Gold Corporation in Salt Lake City, Utah. He and his wife Thalene have 4 children and they live in Kaysville, Utah.

N. Yeah Samake, MPP - Executive Director
Yeah Samake has a comprehensive training in policy analysis, program evaluation, and alternative solution formulation. He has experience in design and evaluation of international development projects. He administered surveys with individuals and groups in 72 villages in his native country of Mali, West Africa. Mr. Samake holds a Master of Public Policy from Brigham Young University.

James N. Arrington, MA - Communications
James N. Arrington is the owner of Pukrufus design, an advertising design business. He brings his visual and communications expertise to the foundation assisting with all communication and design needs. Mr. Arrington lives in American Fork, Utah with his wife Shelby and his five children Mills, Andrew, Eliza, Maillie and Silas. He and his wife recently adopted Andrew and Maillie from Haiti. Mr. Arrington holds a Master of Arts in Mass Communications from Brigham Young University.

Bruce J. Boehm  - Legal
Bruce J. Boehm (born Ogden, Utah, 1969) is a shareholder of McKay, Burton & Thurman. Prior to joining McKay, Burton & Thurman, Bruce worked for Seyfarth Shaw in California. He graduated from Brigham Young University where he was a Member of both the BYU Law Review and BYU Moot Court Team. Bruce is admitted to practice law in Utah, California, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth and Tenth Circuits. His practice areas include Litigation, Labor and Employment Law, and Corporate Law.

Nancy Bradbury - Fund Development
Nancy is part owner and special projects administrator for Resolution Consulting, an Inc500 company that provides people, process and technology solutions to rural hospitals throughout the United States. In addition to growing their company, she and her husband, Robin, have raised a blended family that includes seven children and one grandchild in Boulder, Colorado.  Nancy serves as humanitarian aid adviser for a group of women in her church, and is a member of the Women’s Global Forum, a Boulder-based grassroots consortium of individuals and organizations dedicated to alleviating suffering throughout the world.

Randy S. Cameron - Fund Development
Randy is Senior Vice President of the Correspondent Banking Group and possesses over 25 years of experience in commercial banking and community bank consulting. He has served as both SVP of Commercial Banking at Bank One and EVP of Sales and Marketing for Amembal Capital Corporation and Sentry Financial Corporation. Randy holds an MBA from the University of Utah and graduated with distinction from the University of Delaware Stonier Graduate School of Banking, with undergraduate degrees in Finance and Accounting. Mr. Cameron has been very active in the local community, dedicating his time to the Karl Malone Foundation for Kids, the Utah Food bank, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Utah, Junior Achievement, the Exchange Club of Utah, and currently serves on the board of directors of the Mali Rising Foundation.

Norma Collett, MA - Event Planning
Norma is a native of Santiago, Chile and moved to the United States at age 11. For the past 11 years she has worked in the Athletics Communications Department at BYU overseeing media relations for numerous sport programs. Previously, she worked at KBYU-TV as the assistant station manager, and spent five years as Broadcast Media Relation Director for the University Communications Department. Norma and her two children Jessica and Andrew (15) reside in Spanish Fork, Utah. She has a Master's of Art degree in Communications from Brigham Young University (BYU).

Jeffrey E. Hawkes - Fund Development
Jeffrey E. Hawkes is a sales territory manager for Medtronic, Inc. He has over 30 years in the healthcare industry. He has served as President of the Healthcare Materials Managers Association, Director of Materials Management for Pioneer Valley Hospital and COO of Mountain States Medical - a medical supply distributorship. He has been involved in the technical sales and distribution of medical / surgical equipment in the mountain west. He has a Bachelor’s of Integrated Studies with emphasis in Business Management, Communications and Psychology. He is the father of six children.

Keven Stratton - Event Planning
Keven J. Stratton is the owner of Cascade Golf Club in Orem, Utah. He is also a partner at Smith and Stratton Law Firm, which specializes in business law, real estate and estate planning. He attended BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School beginning in 1989 and was awarded a J.D. degree in 1993. Stratton is very involved in commerce and community activities in Utah County. He serves on the boards of several community organizations. He is married to Orem native Laurie Ann Miller. They have seven children - four girls and three boys.

John Thornton - Fund Development
John Thornton is a licensed real estate broker in the states of Utah and Idaho and has 17 years experience in real estate. John is currently working with Prudential Utah Real Estate and specializes in the development and sales of multi-residential projects as well as land acquisition and entitlements. John holds numerous awards and certifications, including Associate Broker, Certified Sales Professional, Member of the Home Builder’s Association and Member of the Sales and Marketing Council. John received his degree in finance and credit, previously working for G.E. John is active in his community and has served in many capacities over the years with the Boy Scouts of America, as a political delegate, coaching youth sports and has performed other services within his church.

Stacie Thornton - Fund Development
Stacie E. Thornton worked for the Federal Court for five years as the financial clerk and received her AAS degree in finance and credit. She has since been a full time mother of five. Stacie has home schooled her children for the last 10 years and has been an active member in her community coaching youth sports and serving many positions within her church.

Andrew K. Van Dyke, CMA, CFM, MBA - Finance
Andrew chairs the Finance Committee of the Mali Rising Foundation. He has 17 years of progressive responsible accounting experience. For two years he effectively managed the accounting department , which included the financial reporting and budgeting processes, of Superior Care Pharmacy, Inc., at the time $27 million company with annual growth of 12%. He has successfully completed 8 accounting system conversions and implementations in the last 10 years. Mr. Van Dyke holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting with minors in general business and Korean as well as an MBA from Brigham Young University.

Gretchen Winston - Fund Development
Gretchen is the Business Manager of the Winston Associates, an Urban Planning and Landscape Architechture firm in Boulder, Colorado. She has a Bachelor's Degree in History from the University of Pennsylvania. She teaches ESL classes as a volunteer for Intercambio de Communidades in Boulder. Gretchen's interest in educational projects began with a trip in Mali in 2000.

Chad Wray - Fund Development
Chad is currently a commercial lender with USBank. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Utah. He enjoys the out of doors: hunting, fishing, climbing, hiking. He enjoys helping others and spending time with his wife and four children. Chad has been investing in commercial and residential real estate for the past 5 years, loves entrepreneurship and is initiating a product import business from China.