OUR TEAM

LEADERS OF THE LIFENET WAY

Our bright, talented team developed the LifeNet way. They continue to evolve the strategy based on their experiences on the ground.

JOIN OUR TEAM

LEADERSHIP TEAM

Nadège Kabagenzi
Burundi Country Director

Nadège Kabagenzi has nine years of experience managing health-related projects and programs. She joined LifeNet in 2015 as the Business Program Manager, overseeing Management, Pharmacy, and Growth Financing Programs in Burundi. In 2017, she joined the Uganda LifeNet team as Operations Manager to support the fast-growing Uganda Program. In 2020, she was promoted to Burundi Country Director, where she now leads LifeNet’s Burundi country program. Prior joining LifeNet, Nadège worked for the Belgium Embassy in Burundi. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership and Management from Université Lumière in Burundi.

Axel Managure
Malawi Country Director

Axel has worked with LifeNet since 2014 and has been promoted to roles with increasing responsibility during his tenure with the organization. Just prior to becoming the Malawi Country Director, Axel was Finance and Operations Manager in Burundi. He holds a business degree from Hope Africa University and has over 11 years of experience in finance, business administration, and management. Prior to working with LifeNet, Axel worked for a large bank in Burundi before launching his career in international healthcare development through the Global Health Corp.

Jannet Opio, MPH
Uganda Country Director

Jannet has 17+ years of experience in international development. Prior to joining LifeNet, Jannet served as Chief of Party for the USAID Rwanda Social Marketing Program and has provided strategic leadership for an extensive set of projects including the Global Fund for AIDS and Malaria, the UNICEF HIV prevention program, a malaria prevention program through SC Johnson in Rwanda, and much more. Prior to that, Jannet provided leadership to consortiums in Uganda funded by PEPFAR including the Human Resources for Health project, Uganda Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA) inter alia. Jannet holds an MSc degree in Development Management from the Open University, UK, a postgraduate diploma in management and training from the Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands, and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of South Wales.

Gérard Nshimirimana
DRC Country Director

Gérard joined LifeNet as a management trainer in Burundi. Over the years, Gérard was promoted to senior management trainer, program manager, and ultimately the position of DRC Country Director. Prior to joining LifeNet, Gérard was a teacher at a nursing school in Bujumbura, Burundi. He holds a Bachelor in Health Services Management from the National Institute of Public Health, a Master’s degree in Health Economics from the Private Institute of Technologies in Burkina Faso, and an inter-University certificate in Health Systems Strengthening awarded jointly by Free University of Brussels and The Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.

Idris Buabeng
Ghana Country Director

Idris Buabeng is LifeNet’s Ghana Country Director. He has fifteen years of experience in health systems development. Before joining LifeNet, Idris was a malaria social and behavior change retainer consultant with UNOPS. Idris also served with the international program team of Episcopal Relief & Development and as lead for social and behavior change communication (SBCC) and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). In those roles he supported country programs in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guinea, and Angola. Idris also served as Ghana Country director for MAP International, where he provided overall leadership for launching the MAP Ghana office for control of neglected tropical diseases. He holds a Masters of Public Health from the University of South Africa and a BSc in Biological Science with Chemistry from the University of Ghana.

Edwin Nyakan
Kenya Program Manager

Edwin Nyakan is LifeNet’s Kenya Program Manager. He has over ten years of experience in health program management, capacity building, and monitoring and evaluation. Prior to joining LifeNet at the start of the LifeNet Kenya program, Edwin was the project manager for large TB, HIV, and anti-microbial resistance programs including for USAID projects and a large referral hospital in Kenya. Edwin’s breadth of experience uniquely position him at the intersection of organizational management, business development, and monitoring and evaluation. He holds a Bachelors in Development from Mount Kenya University and is pursuing a Master’s in Monitoring and Evaluation with Maseno University.

Dr. Landry Muhizi, MD
Medical Director

Dr. Landry Muhizi joined LifeNet in Burundi in 2015 as Medical Program Manager, before being promoted to Medical Director. He has extensive experience training trainers, implementing technical programs, ensuring the quality of LifeNet’s training materials, and assessing the impact of LifeNet interventions. Prior to joining LifeNet, Landry worked in multiple district hospitals in Burundi. He treated patients and held leadership roles, including Pediatric and Internal Medicine Services Chief of Department and Deputy Director in Charge of Healthcare Provision and Quality. Landry holds a Doctorate in General Medicine from the University of Burundi and is finalizing his Master of Public Health from Makerere University School of Public Health.

Nicky Benn
Head of Strategic Partnerships

Nicky joins LifeNet with 27 years experience in international development working across community health, food security and economic development. Spending 12 years in Southern Africa, she brings extensive experience in building productive partnerships across the public and private sectors, focusing on transformational strategy, programming and management. Alongside her operational experience, Nicky has a MSc. Environmental Management from Sheffield Hallam with a major in Sustainable Rural Development.

Shep Owen, MSc
President

Shep brings 24 years of experience in international development, management, and leadership to his role at LifeNet, including 16 years at Food for the Hungry. Along with his extensive experience, Owen’s educational background includes a Master of Public Policy and Management from the University of London.

Sarah Borger, MPH
Vice President of Programs and International Operations

Sarah is an international public health professional with fifteen years of experience in research, development, management, and evaluation of health programming in low-income country contexts. Prior to joining LifeNet, Sarah served as the Director of Health Programs for Food for the Hungry. Her past experience includes leading maternal and child health programming for Food for the Hungry and for World Relief, directing quality assurance for the University of California’s San Diego Medical Center, and more. She earned an MPH from the Department of International Health at Boston University’s School of Public Health.

Dr. Maggie Ehrenfried, PT, DPT, MBA
Vice President of Advancement

Maggie has significant experience in teaching and practicing healthcare domestically and internationally. Prior to joining LifeNet, she established a local neurological rehabilitation program in Denver, Colorado for a large national corporation. Maggie holds a degree in Neuroscience from Regis University. She also earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Texas Woman’s University and an MBA from Regis University, where she is Affiliate Faculty.

Michael L. Spraggins Jr.
Founder, Board Chair

Michael Spraggins is CEO of Spraggins Inc., a builder services company based in Orlando, Florida. He has held principal roles in a variety of entrepreneurial and investment ventures with an emphasis on distribution, service and franchising. Michael founded LifeNet in 2009 with the vision of making quality healthcare an enduring reality for the world’s poor.