Our Finance & Operations Team

Originally from Ghana, Hayford Mensah is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). He has an MS in finance from Rochester Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of Ghana. Hayford has worked in accounting and finance for several other global and U.S. organizations, including the International Baccalaureate Organization, American College of Cardiology and GBTA. Most recently he served as the Chief Financial Officer of HIAS, which works around the world to protect refugees who have been forced to flee their homelands. He had responsibility for broad oversight and protection of the assets of HIAS and its related domestic and foreign funding. He ensures excellence in world-wide operations to control all fiscal activities in numerous countries, while creating platforms that create opportunities to scale the organization. He serves as a board member of IPAS and Winter Growth, Inc. where he is the treasurer. Hayford lives in Silver Spring with his wife Margaret and 3 sons. He is an avid soccer and football fan.

Bio coming soon!

Matthew has more than 5 years of experience working directly with youth. He got his start working in summer camps, and eventually served as the Clubhouse Director at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua. In addition to his leadership in the Club’s afterschool program, he also served as the Camp Director for Nashua’s Camp Mariposa program, which targets youth affected by the opioid crisis and provides therapeutic and recreational activities. Following his experience in these roles, he worked at a Maryland-based consulting firm that administered national grants to various non-profit organizations, including Boys & Girls Clubs of America, National PAL, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, AMBER Alert in Indian Country, and more. Matthew received his B.A. in History and his A.A.S. in Applied Business Management from the University of New Hampshire.

Gregory Adegbola is the Director, Facilities for KIND and will support the operations team, which he joined on August 15th, 2022. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the State University at Oswego and is an accomplished Operations Manager, respected for 20+ years of professional and community work. Prior to K.I.N.D, Greg has worked in various organizations such as A.S.C.A.P. and the New York City Department of Education. Most recently he was the On-Site Operations Manager for AQR Capital Management, LLC under the Facilities department where he managed business support services, office services, mail, copy, print, records management, and developed new procedures to improve the overall operations of the organization. Greg, who is half Nigerian and Belizean, has experience working with youth and is an active member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. He will serve as the first President of the Bronx Alumni Chapter, which he recently chartered. He loves to work out and watch movies with his family and lives in Westchester, New York with his beautiful wife and 2 children.

Rochelle Quillman is the Director of Grants Financial Management for the Operations team at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), where she is responsible for directing and governing all aspects of organizational grants, both Federal and non-Federal. Rochelle joined KIND in January 2023. Rochelle’s joins KIND after serving as the Senior Awards and Compliance Manager at the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX). At IREX, she was responsible for the management of the compliance and awards management lines of business for the organizations’ headquarters and country offices, focusing on compliance areas such as, but not limited to, Section 889, Sanctions, 2 CFR 200 compliance, Anti-trafficking, Conflicts of Interest and USAID ADS compliance. In this role, she worked closely with IREX’s operating components to create and support sustainable awards and compliance management strategies, solutions and increase workforce compliance literacy. Rochelle’s prior experiences at an international NGO also include serving as the Director of Grants Compliance at Feed the Children where she was responsible for overseeing compliance of grant activities in their international offices. Since 2006, Rochelle’s career and professional contributions have focused exclusively on the grants and compliance profession as she built recognized expertise in solutions for the functional efficiency and effectiveness of nonprofit, higher education and government institutions of different mission types and budget sizes. During that time, she served as Grants Coordinator, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; Director of Grant Compliance, Feed the Children; Chief Financial Officer, Oklahoma Indigent Defense System; Senior Accountant, Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology; Financial Analyst, Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services; Financial Specialist, Oklahoma Department of Commerce; Grants Manager, Oklahoma State Department of Health; and Program Field Representative/Auditor, Oklahoma Office Of Juvenile Affairs. She brings a wealth of experience in USG funding rules and regulations to KIND. Rochelle is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a master's degree in Accounting and Financial Analysis, an MBA, and bachelor's degree in Business Administration with an Accounting Major. She also previously held the State of Oklahoma Certified Procurement Officer certification and she is actively pursuing the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP) credentials.

Alberto has 15 years of professional experience in the financial sector, working with private and nonprofit organizations. His areas of expertise include accounts payable, accounts receivable, financial analysis, and nonprofit accounting. Alberto is from Ecuador and has resided in the Washington, DC area for the last 5 years. In his spare time, Alberto likes to play soccer, travel, and dance.

Luisa Muela is the Financial Management and Budget Officer for Operations at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), where she is responsible of monitoring budgets, preparing financial reports, ensuring financial compliance, and training departments. Luisa joined KIND in June of 2023. Prior to joining KIND, Luisa was Comptroller at Centro De Salud Familiar La Fe, a federally qualified health center in El Paso, Texas. During her time at La Fe, she was responsible for administrating the Accounting Department along with managing finances over $20 million, awarded federal and non-federal grants financial reporting and compliance audits for the organization. Luisa also served as the Accountant, Federal Programs Director, and Child Nutrition Director for La Fe Preparatory School, the elementary charter school under the same organization. Prior to this role, Luisa was the Education Manager under Economic Empowerment at YWCA of El Paso. She oversaw the First-time Homebuyers Program, managed two case managers, trained staff and community on budgeting, and reported to grantors of program outcomes. Luisa recently earned her Master of Business Administration in Management and holds a Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of Texas at El Paso. Her expertise has been financial management and awards compliance with a focus on social justice and financial literacy through non-profit organizations.

Isaac Njiwa is the Financial Management and Budget officer at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND). He joined KIND in June of 2023 and reports to the Director of Grants Financial Management. His main responsibilities are managing organizational funds, monitoring budgets, preparing financial reports and ensuring financial compliance in accordance with funder requirements. Prior to joining KIND, he was recently promoted to the Assistant Financial Management Specialist responsible for managing finances and controlling budgets for a $95 million World Bank Agricultural Commercialization project within the Ministry of Agriculture in Malawi. Prior to this role, Isaac also served as the Director of Finance at Feed the Children where he was responsible for all Financial Management, Budgeting and Compliance for a $40 million five-year USAID funded project. Other roles he has held include serving as the interim Operations Manager on a USAID project at Baylor College of Medicine in Malawi. In this role, he was responsible for managing several departments including procurement, Transport, IT, Infrastructure and Administration and had over 12 staff members directly report to him. Isaac is also an experienced auditor who worked at Price Waterhouse Coopers with responsibilities in Auditing, Advisory and Tax related issues. Isaac holds a degree of Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of Malawi, a Diploma in Accounting from the college of Accountancy and he is currently writing his dissertation for the master’s in business administration at the University of Malawi.

Marlen Carmona is the Awards Management, Contract and Compliance Officer at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND). She joined the KIND team June 2023 and will be supporting the Finance and Operations Department. Her main responsibilities are monitoring award activities, ensuring compliance within the organization and its contracts, reviewing, monitoring, tracking, and reporting related grants management, as well as ensuring audit readiness. Prior to joining KIND, Marlen served as the Contract Compliance Manager at another non-profit organization where she prepared monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual contract progress reports, ensured the organization and its contracts were in compliance, assisted in audit preparation, and monitoring of government contracts. She also served as their Staff Accountant that focused on contract invoicing. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) both from California State University, San Bernardino.

Bio coming soon!!!

Kari Kirkham, who serves as KIND's Payroll Manager, has more than 20 years of experience in Accounting and Human Resources.She joined KIND's Finance and Operations team in March 2023. Prior to joining KIND, she was the Director of Human Resources focused on Payroll Management and Benefits. During her career, she has worked in accounting, finance, and human resources for private and nonprofit organizations. Kari has extensive knowledge in all aspects of Payroll. She successfully coordinated and managed Payroll, Systems and Benefits to ensure effective payroll processes and procedures were practiced. Kari has a master's in business administration and a bachelor's degree in accounting from Lakeland University in Wisconsin. She resides in Wisconsin and enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, and enjoying the outdoors.

Fernanda Gamez supports the Finance department at KIND as an Accounts Payable Manager. She graduated from University of San Andres in Bolivia with a degree in Finance. Her thesis research was advocated on the conservation and sustainable Tourism in the Amazonas. Her professional career includes experience in financial reporting, accounts payable, accounts receivable and budget & planning. Before joining KIND, she served as Accounts Payable Manager in another non-profit. Earlier in her role as Finance Officer, she worked with NICRA calculation for federal programs, revenue recognition, credit cards management, prepare and submission of invoices for Montgomery County and Maryland programs that protect refugees. In 2012-2015 she worked as Finance Analyst for a private organization, she assisted in the project evaluation and drafting of the annual budget.

Sumner Weymouth joined the Finance and Operations Team in August 2021. Prior to joining KIND, he worked extensively in the non-profit sector. Most recently, he served as the Site Financial Officer at Boys Town Washington DC, a social welfare non-profit serving at-risk youth. Prior to that, he served as the Associate Director of Finance at KIPP DC, supporting the financial operations of the largest public charter school in DC. Additionally, he has served as the finance officer at independent schools in DC and Bethesda. He brings over 25 years of budgeting and financial modeling experience to his role as the Budget and Fiscal Compliance Specialist. Sumner has his Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia and his MBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame.

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon!

Helen Hassett is a staff accountant at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND). She joined KIND in August of 2023. A recent graduate of Lycoming College, Helen was heavily involved on campus as class treasurer, a tour guide, and member of a local sorority, Gamma Delta Sigma. She was raised in a small town outside of Rochester, New York. Helen is very eager to join the KIND family and looks forward to making an impact.

Tharindu Athauda supports the Operations Team as a Facilities Manager - West. He joined the KIND team in August 2020. Prior to joining KIND he worked for multiple refugee resettlement organizations since moving to the United States in 2014. He graduated from the Australian Education Academy, completing his college studies in Community Welfare and Social Work. In his spare time he enjoys his time as an aquarium hobbyist and enjoys spending time with his family.

Hakiym Colon started with KIND in January 2023 as our Facilities Manager supporting the East Coast. Hakiym offers his expertise on a management level, graduating from Stonybrook university with a Human Resource Management Degree, along with a coaching certification to support the facilities department. Over the course of his career, he was able to serve those in need with a Human services background. He ensured the rights of people were protected by offering services such as legal consul, advocacy, and the safety of people with developmentally disabilities. He was able to serve the community personally in various ways, by starting a non-profit with college friends to help urban communities that lack the resources needed to advance academically and professionally through events and workshops. Hakiym’s addition to the team will provide a diverse background that will help lead the way for KIND and protect the rights and safety of children from all walks of life. This amazing opportunity will allow him to experience the nurturing culture KIND provides and feel a great sense of purpose in his professional endeavors.

Janaina Vargas joined KIND Mexico in July 2021 as a Paralegal in Tijuana. Before joining KIND, she worked for the Mexican Consulate in San Antonio, Texas at the Community Affairs Department, overseeing educational and financial programs to serve the Mexican community. She has a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Iberoamerican University in Mexico City, her dissertation researched the violation to the right to seek asylum in the United States due the externalization of borders. Janaina, during her undergraduate career joined the Refugee Law Clinic where she developed a keen interest in working with asylum seekers and refugees in Mexico. When she graduated she moved to Texas to collaborate with the Immigration Law Clinic at UT Austin, focusing on MPP cases. In the future Janaina hopes to earn a Master’s degree in International Public Law focusing in Refugee Law and Human Rights.

Ruhi André supports the Operations Department at KIND. She joined the KIND team on March 1st, 2021. Prior to joining KIND, Ruhi lived and worked in several countries around the world–largely in East and West Africa. She started her career in Nairobi, Kenya where she worked for local companies in various positions requiring project management, logistics and marketing skills. Ruhi double majored in Global Development Studies and French with an African Studies minor at the University of Virginia.

Denisha is the Office Operations Manager. With a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and several years of management experience as well as work done with the Spanish speaking communities in San Diego in need of language representation, Denisha is a Puerto Rican native who prides herself on being a people person. It was working as a language interpreter where she was exposed firsthand to the challenges facing the immigrant communities in their attempts to establish themselves and thrive. This was humbling and eye opening and the main driver behind her establishing her own language services company. Denisha also worked for the French company Opera Patisseries in San Diego where she fell in love with the French language and decided to pursue learning it. She loves to travel, bake and paint and lives with her husband, and teenage son in the Houston area.

Jenny serves as KIND’s Regional Office Coordinator in the DMV and supports the Operations team. She has experience in facility management and administration under nonprofit sector. With a BA degree in Theatre Management, Jenny has worked in productions, events and design. She also has experience as a bilingual teaching artist where she’s trained youth in stage managing, lighting design and theatrical makeup- All in which she is happy to give opportunities to youth that do not have the resources at hand.

Tyler Harr supports the Operations team at KIND and joined the Seattle field office in August 2022 after much experience in nonprofit administration, customer service, and operations management. In the theatre arts, Tyler supported casting and production departments on large-scale projects involving artists from different disciplines and backgrounds. As a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he has also used his Bachelors of Arts as a performer, director, and educator. His experience in education programs showed him the importance of nurturing young minds and creating spaces of empowerment for the next generation.

Frannie Fitts supports the Operations Team at KIND. She joined the KIND team in September 2022. Prior to joining KIND, she completed her BA of Rhetorical Communication at the University of Houston. Frannie has worked in many fields but found that working with underprivileged youth to be her true calling and devotion. Frannie is guided by a strong passion to foster a loving, safe and welcoming environment to everyone that she meets.

Christal serves as one of KIND’s Office Coordinators and joined the New York field office in January 2023. Prior to joining KIND, Christal served as a Site Supervisor for a New York based organization, overseeing a shelter for unaccompanied migrant minors. She has considerable experience working in the nonprofit sector in direct-support, administrative, and managerial capacities, and is passionate about advocating for underrepresented community groups and the advancement of equity centered organizations. Christal is a Brooklyn native, and proud first-generation Latinx; you can often find her dreaming and taking on new creative projects, creating friendships through food, or enjoying the little moments with her family.

Kay Charles joined Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) in February 2023 and currently serves as the Office Coordinator in our Atlanta office. Away from the office Kay enjoys yoga, hiking, cooking, and listening to music. Kay is a graduate of Salem State University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science.

Jessica Perez is the Office Coordinator and supports the Operations Team at KIND in Los Angeles. She joined the KIND team in April 2023. Prior to joining KIND, she was an office manager for a Home Visiting Oversight Entity. She also has previously worked as an administrative medical assistant at a family planning and reproductive health center. In her spare time, Jessica enjoys photography, cooking and exercise.

Yesenia Huaranga supports the Operations Department at KIND. Yesenia’s professional career previously consisted of working as senior paralegal for an immigration attorney. She is currently a student at William Paterson University pursuing a double major in Spanish and Political Science. Graduated from Bergen Community College with an Associate Degree in Science. In addition, she is pursuing a certification with the Administrative Office of the Courts as a Spanish interpreter.

Alex Jarvis is the Office Operations Assistant at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND). She joined KIND in September of 2022 as Office Operations Assistant at KIND’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. While studying at Gettysburg College, she achieved a B.A. in International Studies, and Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies, as well as a minor in Peace and Justice. Prior to joining KIND, Alex spent the year in Madrid, Spain working as an Assistant English Teacher at an elementary school. Her passion for social justice and immigration came from years of studies and specifically working at the Red Cross in Buenos Aires, Argentina where she worked directly with migrants from Venezuela. She loves to get outdoors, take photos, work out, and play with her cat.