BOARD OF TRUSTEES
2022-2023
The AISM
2022-2023
Welcome the AISM
Board of Trustees
Mr. Rigobert Kilu - Chair
Ms. Lillian Best
Ms. Jenny Bjork
Mr. Monie Capton
Ms. Vernice Guthrie
Ms. Amini Kajunju
Mr. Barton Pogue
Mr. Matthew Smith
Mr. Al Weidinger
Ms.Leneh Best
Message from the Board Chair
Dear AISM Students, Parents, fellow Members of the Board, AISM Faculty & Staff.
I am Rigobert Kilu and will have the great honor to chair the AISM Board for the 2022/2023 school year. It will be my third year to serve at the AISM Board of Trustees and my second as a Board Chair. I am a German National working for the German Cooperation in Liberia and have two daughters at the AISM.
We just had a great school year behind us, and I would like to express my special thanks to the AISM Faculty & Staff, the parents, the students, and my fellow Board members for the effort in making the past school year a success. My very special thanks will go to our School Director Dr. Bobbi Mc Daniel, whose leadership skills and vision are highly appreciated.
Here some of our accomplishments:
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The Finalization the AISM policy Manual
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The Implementation of DEIJ Policy Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice
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The Improvement of the School Building and Facilities
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The Scholarship Program for Liberian Students
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The Upgrade to the Highschool
I would also like to thank the outgoing Board members for the good work and warmly welcome the new ones into the AISM Board.
I would also take this opportunity to wish all the best to the students and staff members, who have left the AISM Family, at the same time, welcome ALL the newcomers (staff members, students, and their parents). We have challenges ahead of us and to increase the attractivity of our School will be one of them.
I will conclude by quoting a typical German Statement:
Es gibt viel zu tun, packen wir es an!“ (There’s a lot to do, let’s get on with it)
Kind regards,
Rigobert Kilu (Pr. Eng.)
My name is Jenny Osterlind , I am from Sweden. I have two boys at AISM, one in Kindergarten and one in fourth grade. This is our second year in Monrovia, the whole family enjoys our time here. I am a new board member and I am looking forward to engaging further in the present and future development of the school. Besides being a board member, I am studying computer science at a Swedish university. I also enjoy playing golf, traveling near and far, and cooking. Additionally, I am passionate about the environment and recycling and how we can sustain a recycling program at AISM.
Jenny Osterlind
Barton Pogue
Hello! I'm Bart Pogue, a new AISM board member and the father of a Kindergarten student. I am also an Education Officer with USAID Liberia. This is my second tour with USAID after previously serving in Guatemala City, Guatemala. I am originally from Peoria, Illinois, went to college in Missouri, served in the U.S. Peace Corps in Morocco, and lived in Washington, D.C. for nine years before joining USAID's foreign service. I am joined in Monrovia by my spouse, Sarah, a practicing psychotherapist and two kids, the Kindergartener and a preschooler. I love to read, spend time with my family outdoors, play sports, and watch good shows and movies. I very much look forward to working with the board this year and getting to know everyone in the AISM family.
Monie R. Captan was born in Monrovia, Liberia on May 28, 1962 and educated both in Liberia and the USA. He is an Alumni of ‘ACS’ now known as the American International School of Monrovia. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of San Diego in San Diego, California in 1985 and a Master of Arts in International Relations from the same university in 1987. Mr. Captan participated in an Executive Education Program on Leading Economic Growth at the Harvard Kennedy School in 2013.
Mr. Captan has lectured at the University of Liberia since 1992 and is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at the IBB School of International Relations. He has taught courses in political economy and development, negotiations, and foreign policy decision making. Mr. Captan has published a book entitled, An Introduction to Liberian Government and Political System (2015), and co-authored the Liberia Economic Constraints Analysis (2013).
Mr. Captan is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Liberia Electricity Corporation. Mr. Captan’s wealth of experience demonstrates an excellent synergy between public, private and academic interests. He is married to Mrs. Ade Jones-Captan and has 2 daughters and several foster children. He is an avid golfer and member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
Ms. Guthrie is a graduate of Howard and Georgetown Universities and a native of Washington, DC. She has spent her career committed to international development and has extensive multilateral and private sector development experience. Ms. Guthrie has served in leadership capacities in large US-based professional organizations, NGOs and Foundations. She has also worked with a wide range of multilateral development agencies including UNDP, UNODC, and UNICEF.
Ms. Guthrie is a dynamic program manager with over 30 years of global experience leading peacebuilding, justice sector reform, civil society, and governance programs across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Ms. Guthrie has successfully designed and implemented sustainable and transformative programs in challenging and post-conflict environments. She has effectively forged strategic alliances and partnerships with donors, external agencies, and decision makers. Vernice has been described as a unifier and collaborative leader— connecting diverse groups with large-scale organizational vision. Ms. Guthrie currently serves as the Country Director for Peace Corps, Liberia.
Monic R. Captan
Vernice Guthrie
Amini Kajunju is a non-profit executive with over 20 years of experience in advancing capacity building, leadership development and education for all as a human right and crucial to Africa’s prosperity. Ms. Kajunju is currently the Chief Operating Officer of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development (EJS Center). Through a unique blend of programming, advocacy, research, communication, and the construction of the first Presidential Center built by a female President, the EJS Center seeks to become a premier institution dedicated to advancing and sustaining women’s political, economic, and social development on the continent.
Prior to the EJS Center, Amini was the executive director of the International University of Grand Bassam (IUGB) Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to empowering students and helping to procure the necessary financial, operational and academic resources to make IUGB, located in Cote d’Ivoire, a center of excellence for higher education in Africa. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations with an emphasis on economic development from Brigham Young University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration with a concentration in finance and management from New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Amini speaks French and has a basic understanding of Kiswahili and Lingala.
Hello, my name is Al Weidinger, a USAID first-tour Foreign Service Officer. I am in Monrovia as the Deputy Controller in the USAID Office of Financial Management. Prior to coming here, I was an Assistant Professor of Accounting at Shepherd University in West Virginia and have held various other professor positions in Accounting and Finance at the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, Oregon State University and Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi. I am a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Oregon and Washington State and served a clientele from a variety of industries and backgrounds. I also gained extensive practical experience in the USA financial services industry and in the practice of law in Europe.
I earned a J.D. degree in German and European Law from the Freie Universitaet Berlin and hold a Master of Science in Taxation from the University of Central Florida.
My main home in the USA is in Madeira Beach, Florida, and so it is quite natural that I especially enjoy the fabulous beaches of Liberia. I am also very interested in Liberian contemporary art and music. I am looking forward to serving as a new AISM board member and treasurer this year and am honored to be part of the team.