Meet the Uganda-CAN Team
Peter Quaranto
pquaranto(at)ugandacan.org
Peter is the founding coordinator of the Uganda Conflict Action Network, and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a degree in international peace studies and government. Peter traveled to Uganda in 2005 where he witnessed and researched the war in the north. Since founding Uganda-CAN, Peter has spoken about the war on BBC News, Chicago Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Radio and many other media sources. He returned to the war-torn region in March 2006 in a fact-finding trip. Recently named a Marshall Scholar, Peter will begin graduate study in international politics at the University of Bradford in the fall.
Michael Poffenberger
mpoffenberger(at)ugandacan.org
Michael, the co-founder of Uganda-CAN, hails from Puyallup, WA and is a 2005 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he studied anthropology and international peace studies. He currently works as associate director of the DC-based Africa Faith and Justice Network, the host organization for the Uganda-CAN campaign. In the spring of 2004, he studied in Uganda, where he was first exposed to the horrors of the war. Since co-founding Uganda-CAN, Michael has organized two Congressional briefings on the conflict, spoken on numerous panels and coordinated legislative campaigns. He was recently quoted in US News and World Report on the politics of humanitarianism.
Stephen Okello | Country Director for Uganda
sokello(at)ugandacan.org
Stephen is an Acholi from northern Uganda . He has lived through two wars, the LRA war in northern Uganda in his home area and ADF war in western Uganda where his family resettled. He studied International Relations and Diplomacy at Nkumba University in Uganda and researched on the war in northern Uganda. He works to direct Uganda-CAN activities in Uganda and the east African countries. He has recently been collaborating with the Justice and Peace Center in Kampala which is being established by five Catholic Religious orders. Stephen has been closely working with the Center for Conflict Resolution based in Kampala, as programme Officer. In the fall, he will begin the MA program in International Peace Studies at the Joan B. Kroc Institute at the University of Notre Dame.
Alison Jones
ajones(at)ugandacan.org
Alison graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2005 with a degree in political science and is originally from Bellingham, WA. She currently works as an advocacy officer on African issues for Franciscans International, a non-governmental organization at the United Nations, and lives in New York City.
Paul Ronan
pronan(at)ugandacan.org
Paul, from Rushford, NY, recently graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in geography and international relations with an interest in political ecology. In the spring of 2005, he spent six weeks in Uganda studying the tenuous land security of people displaced by the war from their rural farms into crowded camps. Seeing with his own eyes the intense suffering of northern Ugandans led to his involvement in Uganda-CAN.
Meghan Battle
meghanbattle(at)afjn.org
Meghan Battle is a sophomore at Boston College, studying international studies, human development and theology. She was the lead organizer of the Boston Global Night Commute, walk for the children of northern Uganda, in April 2006. Meghan will be a lead organizer for Boston's GuluWalk this October.
Emily Nohner
enohner(at)ugandacan.org
Emily joins the team from Omaha, Nebraska. She attends the University of Dayton, where she is a junior Political Science and International Studies major with a concentration in Human Rights. She has led activist campaigns concerning Wal-Mart, and has traveled to Bangladesh with the Wal-Mart ethical auditing team to observe third-party factories. Emily traveled to Uganda and Rwanda in the summer of 2005 with the School for International Training, and working to end the suffering in northern Uganda has been a top priority ever since.
Beth Tuckey
bethtuckey(at)afjn.org
Beth comes to Uganda-CAN from Asheville, North Carolina. Currently a senior at Kenyon College in Ohio, she is pursuing a degree in International Studies. Within this major, she focuses specifically on political science and African area studies. Beth’s interest in ending the war in northern Uganda began during her semester abroad with the School for International Training (SIT). As a witness to some of the peripheral effects of the war in the north and of the divide between the north and south of Uganda, she was motivated to join the movement. After graduation, Beth hopes to continue working in the field of peace and reconciliation.
Nicholas S Kawuka
nicholas(at)ugandacan.org
Nicholas is a 2nd year law student at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. He has worked as a student organizer for GuluWalk in Kampala, and other grassroots events to help end the war in northern Uganda. Nicholas interests include political trends and democratization in Uganda. He hopes to use his skills as a lawyer to fight injustice and promote peace.
Jimmy Atkinson | Webmaster
jatkinson(at)ugandacan.org | Web site
Jimbo is a 2004 graduate of the University of Notre Dame where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics. He is currently president of Web publishing firm Dotmarketer and webmaster of numerous Web sites, including Instant Credit Card.com. He resides in Chicago and enjoys college football, hockey, Pac-Man, and making Web sites.
Andy Hagans | Director of Marketing
ahagans(at)ugandacan.org | Web site
Andy is a 2005 graduate of the University of Notre Dame where he earned a bachelor's degree in management information systems. He is currently CEO of Web publishing firm Dotmarketer and marketing director of BizNicheMedia. His passions include playing bagpipes, drinking a good scotch, blogging, agonizing over the Cleveland Browns, and making Web sites.
pquaranto(at)ugandacan.org
Peter is the founding coordinator of the Uganda Conflict Action Network, and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a degree in international peace studies and government. Peter traveled to Uganda in 2005 where he witnessed and researched the war in the north. Since founding Uganda-CAN, Peter has spoken about the war on BBC News, Chicago Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Radio and many other media sources. He returned to the war-torn region in March 2006 in a fact-finding trip. Recently named a Marshall Scholar, Peter will begin graduate study in international politics at the University of Bradford in the fall.
Michael Poffenberger
mpoffenberger(at)ugandacan.org
Michael, the co-founder of Uganda-CAN, hails from Puyallup, WA and is a 2005 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he studied anthropology and international peace studies. He currently works as associate director of the DC-based Africa Faith and Justice Network, the host organization for the Uganda-CAN campaign. In the spring of 2004, he studied in Uganda, where he was first exposed to the horrors of the war. Since co-founding Uganda-CAN, Michael has organized two Congressional briefings on the conflict, spoken on numerous panels and coordinated legislative campaigns. He was recently quoted in US News and World Report on the politics of humanitarianism.
Stephen Okello | Country Director for Uganda
sokello(at)ugandacan.org
Stephen is an Acholi from northern Uganda . He has lived through two wars, the LRA war in northern Uganda in his home area and ADF war in western Uganda where his family resettled. He studied International Relations and Diplomacy at Nkumba University in Uganda and researched on the war in northern Uganda. He works to direct Uganda-CAN activities in Uganda and the east African countries. He has recently been collaborating with the Justice and Peace Center in Kampala which is being established by five Catholic Religious orders. Stephen has been closely working with the Center for Conflict Resolution based in Kampala, as programme Officer. In the fall, he will begin the MA program in International Peace Studies at the Joan B. Kroc Institute at the University of Notre Dame.
Alison Jones
ajones(at)ugandacan.org
Alison graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2005 with a degree in political science and is originally from Bellingham, WA. She currently works as an advocacy officer on African issues for Franciscans International, a non-governmental organization at the United Nations, and lives in New York City.
Paul Ronan
pronan(at)ugandacan.org
Paul, from Rushford, NY, recently graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in geography and international relations with an interest in political ecology. In the spring of 2005, he spent six weeks in Uganda studying the tenuous land security of people displaced by the war from their rural farms into crowded camps. Seeing with his own eyes the intense suffering of northern Ugandans led to his involvement in Uganda-CAN.
Meghan Battle
meghanbattle(at)afjn.org
Meghan Battle is a sophomore at Boston College, studying international studies, human development and theology. She was the lead organizer of the Boston Global Night Commute, walk for the children of northern Uganda, in April 2006. Meghan will be a lead organizer for Boston's GuluWalk this October.
Emily Nohner
enohner(at)ugandacan.org
Emily joins the team from Omaha, Nebraska. She attends the University of Dayton, where she is a junior Political Science and International Studies major with a concentration in Human Rights. She has led activist campaigns concerning Wal-Mart, and has traveled to Bangladesh with the Wal-Mart ethical auditing team to observe third-party factories. Emily traveled to Uganda and Rwanda in the summer of 2005 with the School for International Training, and working to end the suffering in northern Uganda has been a top priority ever since.
Beth Tuckey
bethtuckey(at)afjn.org
Beth comes to Uganda-CAN from Asheville, North Carolina. Currently a senior at Kenyon College in Ohio, she is pursuing a degree in International Studies. Within this major, she focuses specifically on political science and African area studies. Beth’s interest in ending the war in northern Uganda began during her semester abroad with the School for International Training (SIT). As a witness to some of the peripheral effects of the war in the north and of the divide between the north and south of Uganda, she was motivated to join the movement. After graduation, Beth hopes to continue working in the field of peace and reconciliation.
Nicholas S Kawuka
nicholas(at)ugandacan.org
Nicholas is a 2nd year law student at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. He has worked as a student organizer for GuluWalk in Kampala, and other grassroots events to help end the war in northern Uganda. Nicholas interests include political trends and democratization in Uganda. He hopes to use his skills as a lawyer to fight injustice and promote peace.
Jimmy Atkinson | Webmaster
jatkinson(at)ugandacan.org | Web site
Jimbo is a 2004 graduate of the University of Notre Dame where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics. He is currently president of Web publishing firm Dotmarketer and webmaster of numerous Web sites, including Instant Credit Card.com. He resides in Chicago and enjoys college football, hockey, Pac-Man, and making Web sites.
Andy Hagans | Director of Marketing
ahagans(at)ugandacan.org | Web site
Andy is a 2005 graduate of the University of Notre Dame where he earned a bachelor's degree in management information systems. He is currently CEO of Web publishing firm Dotmarketer and marketing director of BizNicheMedia. His passions include playing bagpipes, drinking a good scotch, blogging, agonizing over the Cleveland Browns, and making Web sites.