Tom Allen – Country Director
After practicing law in Los Angeles for 30 years, Tom began a Halftime adventure that led him to move his “home” to Rwanda in 2008 to serve as General Counsel for the Urwego Opportunity Microfinance Bank. Today, as B2R’s Country Director, Tom serves as our senior host and guide – responsible for expanding B2R’s dense network of friends and connections in Rwanda and beyond. He is the only American member of the Rwanda Bar Association. Tom attended College of Idaho, University of Vienna (Austria), and UCLA School of Law.
Joris Cyizere – Head Intern & Training Center Director, B2R Scholars
Joris works closely with the B2R Scholars and teachers and oversees the daily operations of the Scholars program. Joris graduated from Sonrise High School in 2010 as one of Rwanda’s top students in Math, Physics and Computer Sciences – and began as a B2R intern later that year. Joris was accepted as a student of the inaugural B2R Scholars class – from which he graduated in 2011. Through his time in the program, Joris was awarded a scholarship to Northwestern in Chicago – where he has been selected as a 2012 Dean’s Scholar for the McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science.
Dale Dawson – Founder & CEO
Dale is an investment banker and entrepreneur. He serves on President Paul Kagame’s Presidential Advisory Council and on the boards of Urwego Opportunity Bank of Rwanda and OneHundredX. During his first half, Dale was in charge of investment banking at Stephens Inc (private investment firm); partner and National Director at KPMG (global accounting firm); and Chair & CEO of TruckPro (distributor of commercial truck parts, sold to AutoZone). He is a University of Texas graduate and divides his time between Little Rock and Kigali.
Dan Larson – Managing Director, Business Development
Dan is responsible for business valuation services, economic research, and financial analyst training. Dan is a retired investment banker who founded The EaglePoint Group, an investment banking firm that provided valuation and financial advisory services to corporations. Prior to that, he was Managing Director-Corporate Finance and Head of the Valuation Services Group at Dain Rauscher Incorporated. Dan has more than forty years of valuation and investment banking experience including private placements, mergers, venture capital and securities analysis. He received his BS and MS degrees in engineering from the University of Washington and his MBA in Finance from Stanford University. Dan is an Accredited Senior Appraiser with the American Society of Appraisers.
Toni Larson – Children’s Ministry
Toni is an assistant with the B2R Scholars program where she maintains the library, facilitates student group discussions, and a leads a book club. Toni is a retired social worker who specialized in working with the elderly. She has run her own conservator/ guardian firm, was state director of guardianship for a large non-profit, and served as case manager for a Florida county agency. Toni serves as a volunteer ombudsman for the elderly under the Older Americans Act. She received her BS degree in sociology from Mankato State University.
Angela Meduri – Director of Development
Angela is responsible for marketing, communications and fundraising. Before joining B2R, Angela worked in sales and consulting and is an alumn of the Downline Institute (Memphis). Angela received her International MBA at the University of Memphis and studied at Hubei University in Wuhan, China (Confucius Institute) and the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, India.
Sosthene Ndayisaba – Business Manager, Kigali Office
Sosthene is in charge of on ground accounting, bookkeeping, and local staff management. Prior to joining B2R in January 2011, he co-founded Max Impact Consulting LTD – a local consulting firm with the aim of giving reliable, affordable and critical information to those highly motivated in venturing sustainable businesses in Rwanda. Sosthene served as a trainer of Rwandan widowers for two years in business management and bookkeeping through NGOs such as Indego Africa, SURF Rwanda and Rwanda Knits. In 2011, Sosthene successfully attended Training The Street’s Financial Analyst training course in Kigali. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Accounting from the School of Finance and Banking (SFB) in Kigali, RW and is pursuing his CPA through the Kenya Accountants and Secretaries National Examinations Board (KASNEB).
Clay Parker – Managing Director, Business Development
Clay is responsible for providing research, financial analysis, investment advice, capital raising and facilitation services for new and growing business ventures. Before moving to Rwanda, Clay worked for 3 years at Circumference Group (a US investment and consulting firm) and as a B2R Project Coordinator. Clay earned his BBA and MBA at University of Central Arkansas.
Anna Reed – Managing Director, B2R Scholars
Anna coordinates programming for Bridge2Rwanda and ISOKO Institute. She is responsible for our College Prep Center, Starkey hearing aid distribution project and other healthcare initiatives. Previously, Anna taught English and college test preparation at Sonrise High School in Musanze Rwanda. Anna is a experienced speech pathologist having earned her BS at University of Arkansas and MS at University of South Carolina. She worked at Arkansas Children’s Hospital before moving to Rwanda in 2009.
Blayne Sharpe – Managing Director, Operations
Blayne is responsible for Operations and Programs at Bridge2Rwanda and ISOKO Institute – managing hospitality, borrowed talent and administration. Before joining B2R, Blayne spent 5 years in commercial banking with Simmons First National Bank. He served 2 years as B2R’s Business Manager in the US before moving to Rwanda in 2010. Blayne earned his BBA from the University of Central Arkansas.
Richard Siegler – Academic Director, B2R Scholars
Richard is an English teacher who has taught secondary school in rural Benin, West Africa, and taught literature and writing at the University of California, Davis and the National University of Rwanda. As Academic Director of Bridge2Rwanda Scholars, he serves Rwanda’s best students by helping B2R Scholars become fully prepared for college and university in the US, identify what will be the best schools for them, and supporting their transition to school. He is from Chicago, has a master’s degree in English from UC-Davis and currently divides his time between Chicago and Kigali.
Melissa Yates – Travel Director
Melissa serves as B2R’s chief relationship officer at this end of the bridge – responsible for our network of friends – Halftimers, corporations, universities, churches, supporters and Rwandan students. She led the initiative to introduce Community Bible Study to Rwanda which now serves over 7,000 individuals. Prior to joining B2R, Melissa served as Community Bible Study leader and teacher, Real Estate Director & Legal Coordinator at TruckPro and Administrative Coordinator at Stephens Inc.
Leadership Team
Tom Allen – Country Director
After practicing law in Los Angeles for 30 years, Tom began a Halftime adventure that led him to move his “home” to Rwanda in 2008 to serve as General Counsel for the Urwego Opportunity Microfinance Bank. Today, as B2R’s Country Director, Tom serves as our senior host and guide – responsible for expanding B2R’s dense network of friends and connections in Rwanda and beyond. He is the only American member of the Rwanda Bar Association. Tom attended College of Idaho, University of Vienna (Austria), and UCLA School of Law.
Joris Cyizere – Head Intern & Training Center Director, B2R Scholars
Joris works closely with the B2R Scholars and teachers and oversees the daily operations of the Scholars program. Joris graduated from Sonrise High School in 2010 as one of Rwanda’s top students in Math, Physics and Computer Sciences – and began as a B2R intern later that year. Joris was accepted as a student of the inaugural B2R Scholars class – from which he graduated in 2011. Through his time in the program, Joris was awarded a scholarship to Northwestern in Chicago – where he has been selected as a 2012 Dean’s Scholar for the McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science.
Dale Dawson – Founder & CEO
Dale is an investment banker and entrepreneur. He serves on President Paul Kagame’s Presidential Advisory Council and on the boards of Urwego Opportunity Bank of Rwanda and OneHundredX. During his first half, Dale was in charge of investment banking at Stephens Inc (private investment firm); partner and National Director at KPMG (global accounting firm); and Chair & CEO of TruckPro (distributor of commercial truck parts, sold to AutoZone). He is a University of Texas graduate and divides his time between Little Rock and Kigali.
Dan Larson – Managing Director, Business Development
Dan is responsible for business valuation services, economic research, and financial analyst training. Dan is a retired investment banker who founded The EaglePoint Group, an investment banking firm that provided valuation and financial advisory services to corporations. Prior to that, he was Managing Director-Corporate Finance and Head of the Valuation Services Group at Dain Rauscher Incorporated. Dan has more than forty years of valuation and investment banking experience including private placements, mergers, venture capital and securities analysis. He received his BS and MS degrees in engineering from the University of Washington and his MBA in Finance from Stanford University. Dan is an Accredited Senior Appraiser with the American Society of Appraisers.
Toni Larson – Children’s Ministry
Toni is an assistant with the B2R Scholars program where she maintains the library, facilitates student group discussions, and a leads a book club. Toni is a retired social worker who specialized in working with the elderly. She has run her own conservator/ guardian firm, was state director of guardianship for a large non-profit, and served as case manager for a Florida county agency. Toni serves as a volunteer ombudsman for the elderly under the Older Americans Act. She received her BS degree in sociology from Mankato State University.
Angela Meduri – Director of Development
Angela is responsible for marketing, communications and fundraising. Before joining B2R, Angela worked in sales and consulting and is an alumn of the Downline Institute (Memphis). Angela received her International MBA at the University of Memphis and studied at Hubei University in Wuhan, China (Confucius Institute) and the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, India.
Sosthene Ndayisaba – Business Manager, Kigali Office
Sosthene is in charge of on ground accounting, bookkeeping, and local staff management. Prior to joining B2R in January 2011, he co-founded Max Impact Consulting LTD – a local consulting firm with the aim of giving reliable, affordable and critical information to those highly motivated in venturing sustainable businesses in Rwanda. Sosthene served as a trainer of Rwandan widowers for two years in business management and bookkeeping through NGOs such as Indego Africa, SURF Rwanda and Rwanda Knits. In 2011, Sosthene successfully attended Training The Street’s Financial Analyst training course in Kigali. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Accounting from the School of Finance and Banking (SFB) in Kigali, RW and is pursuing his CPA through the Kenya Accountants and Secretaries National Examinations Board (KASNEB).
Clay Parker – Managing Director, Business Development
Clay is responsible for providing research, financial analysis, investment advice, capital raising and facilitation services for new and growing business ventures. Before moving to Rwanda, Clay worked for 3 years at Circumference Group (a US investment and consulting firm) and as a B2R Project Coordinator. Clay earned his BBA and MBA at University of Central Arkansas.
Anna Reed – Managing Director, B2R Scholars
Anna coordinates programming for Bridge2Rwanda and ISOKO Institute. She is responsible for our College Prep Center, Starkey hearing aid distribution project and other healthcare initiatives. Previously, Anna taught English and college test preparation at Sonrise High School in Musanze Rwanda. Anna is a experienced speech pathologist having earned her BS at University of Arkansas and MS at University of South Carolina. She worked at Arkansas Children’s Hospital before moving to Rwanda in 2009.
Blayne Sharpe – Managing Director, Operations
Blayne is responsible for Operations and Programs at Bridge2Rwanda and ISOKO Institute – managing hospitality, borrowed talent and administration. Before joining B2R, Blayne spent 5 years in commercial banking with Simmons First National Bank. He served 2 years as B2R’s Business Manager in the US before moving to Rwanda in 2010. Blayne earned his BBA from the University of Central Arkansas.
Richard Siegler – Academic Director, B2R Scholars
Richard is an English teacher who has taught secondary school in rural Benin, West Africa, and taught literature and writing at the University of California, Davis and the National University of Rwanda. As Academic Director of Bridge2Rwanda Scholars, he serves Rwanda’s best students by helping B2R Scholars become fully prepared for college and university in the US, identify what will be the best schools for them, and supporting their transition to school. He is from Chicago, has a master’s degree in English from UC-Davis and currently divides his time between Chicago and Kigali.
Melissa Yates – Travel Director
Melissa serves as B2R’s chief relationship officer at this end of the bridge – responsible for our network of friends – Halftimers, corporations, universities, churches, supporters and Rwandan students. She led the initiative to introduce Community Bible Study to Rwanda which now serves over 7,000 individuals. Prior to joining B2R, Melissa served as Community Bible Study leader and teacher, Real Estate Director & Legal Coordinator at TruckPro and Administrative Coordinator at Stephens Inc.