Board Members of Hope Rising Foundation
Paul BurgerPaul Burger was born on July 08, 1955, near Munich, Germany. He grew up in Western Pennsylvania, namely Erie and then Warren. Graduated high school in June of 1973. Worked for General Electric, building locomotive subassemblies until military enlistment in 1976. He entered the U.S. Airforce. Exited Airforce Feb. 1982. Married Elsa Magtoto May 3, 1980.
Discharged from military service in Sacramento, California. In June 1985 he moved with his family to Tampa Florida. Previously employed by Florida Power and Light Dept. of Transportation, Miami-Dade County. Joined the Catholic church in July of 1995. He has since then been a member of St. Joachim Catholic Church, Miami, Florida, where he is also a member of the Society of St. Vincent De Paul. He also serves as a Lector and Eucharistic minister. He is married to Elsa with two grown children. |
Elsa BurgerElsa Burger was born on September 1959 in Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines. Married Paul Burger May 3, 1980.
She is a member of St. Joachim Catholic Church and also worships with the Holy Rosary-St. Richard Catholic community. She serves as a Lector and Eucharistic minister. She was former president of the Council of Catholic Women of St. Joachim Parish, Miami, Florida. She was self-employed as owner and chef of Pampanguena Oriental Grocery and Food Takeout in Miami, Florida from July 1999 to April 2021. She had previously worked at La Petite Academy and Miami Children’s Hospital. She is married to Paul Burger and they are blessed with two adult children. |
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Chris WestgateChris graduated with a degree in Biology specializing in Marine Biology. In addition, Chris served seven years in the Navy as an enlisted and General Aviation Officer.
After leaving the Navy he helped found Avior Aircraft Charters, an airline dedicated to relief operations in Somalia and East Africa, working for the United Nations and other NGO’s. He then transitioned to flying for the airlines in the United States, spending more than 20 years in management and flying. |
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Rev. Edmund AkuThe president and founder of this foundation, is a priest of the archdiocese of Owerri, Nigeria. After his seminary training and ordination, he continued his studies at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, completing his PhD in Theology in 1997.
He also has a master’s degree in Educational Administration and Psychology from Fordham University, New York and Southern Connecticut University, New Haven, Connecticut, respectively. He taught for several years in the Connecticut State community colleges system and was adjunct lecturer in some other colleges in the State. He is currently the director of pastoral care with Catholic Health Services of the archdiocese of Miami, Florida. |
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Roberto ChavezA member of the board of directors of the foundation. He is a civil engineer graduate from the Autonomous University of EL Salvador. He obtained a Master’s degree in engineering from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He later completed graduate studies in Business Administration from the Catholic University of El Salvador. Up to 1983 when he moved to Miami Florida, he worked in El Salvador both as an engineer and business administrator.
On arrival to Miami, he did graduate studies in Florida International University(FIU). Between 1983 and 2009 he worked as engineer in the department of transportation in Miami, Florida and in the private sector. Since retiring in 2009, he volunteers in various areas including the prisons, Baptist Hospital Kendall, and at St. Anne’s nursing home. He is married to Norma Chavez and they have three adult kids with ten grandchildren. |
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Luz A. CortesBorn in Puerto Rico, Luz moved to New York at the age of 7. In her professional life, she worked for 11 years as a bookkeeper in a manufacturing company in Brooklyn, New York. Luz later relocated to Miami where she worked for 29 years with a major cruise line. She was a supervisor at the Information Systems Department of this company for 15 years. She is now retired.
She has a daughter and two grandchildren. She is interested in women empowerment, and devoted to the cause of youth and human development. She is an enthusiastic and dedicated member of Hope Rising board of directors. |
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Andrew AlonzoBorn in Trinidad and Tobago, he attended St. Mary’s College in Port of Spain and University of The West Indies (UWI) in St. Augustine, Trinidad. Graduated with honors in Physics and Mathematics. Worked in Avionics in Trinidad for about seven years, then as a field Engineer in Oil Well Surveying with Schlumberger Trinidad, Ltd.
Andrew migrated to The United States in 1987 and worked with EWA Industries in the development of Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories (Cath Labs) which were installed in hospitals in Florida and South America. Andrew pursued Graduate studies in Electrical Engineering at Florida International University (FIU). In 1994 he took up a position with Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and worked on the manufacture of Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems (Patches). Andrew is married to Kay Alonzo and they have three kids, nine grand kids and two great grands. Andrew retired from Noven in 2016, and is involved in volunteer service, including as a Catechist at St. Joachim Parish, Miami, Florida. |
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Rosalind TilbennyRosalind Tilbenny graduated from Marionapolis College University of Montreal, Quebec in Canada with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1967. As Registered Technologist she worked until retirement at the Royal Victoria Hospital and the Ottawa Civic Hospital, for six and 20 years, respectively. Married to Benny in 1968, she is mother to Villy and Reynold.
Rosalind moved with her family to Miami on retiring in 1993. In Miami she joined St. Joachim Catholic church, where she also volunteered her services for 17 years. In 1982 she joined Save a Family Program that helps families in India. She joined Hope Rising Foundation in 2018. She is currently the Vice President of the organization. Her hobbies include gardening and orchid rearing, among other things. |
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Adrian-Kizito AkuAdrian-Kizito is currently studying Health Informatics at Deggendorf University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Pfarrkirchen, Bavaria, Germany. He is a recent graduate of computer science from Imo State University, Owerri, Nigeria. In Nigeria, he also started and managed a small business, Adrain's World Saloon and Spa, while actively pursuing his first degree in computer science.
He is industrious and creative. He is also inclined to helping the less privileged in society. He is part of our digital and technical assistance team in Hope Rising Foundation. |
Emeritus Board Members
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Dr. Ricardo Jose Sanchez-RiversPresently a Primary Care Physician at the Continucare Health Center in Miami Florida. Prior to this, he worked at Doctor's Medical Centers and Finlay Medical Centers, both also in Miami Florida, in the same capacity of a Primary care Physician.
He studied Medicine at the Autonomous National University of Mexico. Before coming to practice in the United State, he practices medicine in various levels in Managua, Nicaragua from graduation 1970, including working as Assistant Medical Director at the Occidental Health Public Centers since 1997. He is the vice president of the foundation. |
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Ms. Elly MartinThe financial secretary of the foundation, is a retired State farm agency franchise owner. She started one of the agencies and worked there for 33 years before retiring.
She is also a veteran of the United States Armed Forces, where she served during the Vietnam War. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Criminal Justice from California State University, Dominguez Hills. She currently volunteers at St. Anne’s Nursing Home and Residence and was active at St. Joachim Church, Miami for over 38 years. Ely is a mother of three and has seven grandchildren. She is married to Mr. Joel Martin. |
Board Members of Lucent Esperanza Initiative for Development,
the Nigerian counterpart of Hope Rising Foundation
Our Good Friend
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Pfarrer Josef NieberdingA good friend of our foundation and has always supported our every initiative. He financed our 2007 borehole project, and recently gave us money which we shall be using to start our upcoming projects. In June 2016, Fr. Nieberding celebrated 50 years in the priesthood. He is a priest of the Catholic diocese of Muenster, Germany. He is thankful to God for his being and his calling to serve God and God’s people. As a priest he has lived through joyful and stressful moments, he notes. Meeting people, ministering to them, enjoying their friendship, their appreciation and generosity, are the pleasant moments for him as a priest. It is sad to be the one to bring the sad news of untimely deaths to families. However, being there for the people, to comfort and console them in such hard times is one of the strengths of a priest, he affirms. He retired from administrative ministry in 2014, but is still actively providing priestly services in St. Marien Church in Delmenhorst, Germany. We are grateful for his trust, friendship and solidarity.
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