BEF Staff and Volunteers

Alphonse Kouagou

Alphonse is the founder and inspiration behind the Benin Education Fund. He was born in the village of Tampegre in northern Benin. Alphonse has 10 brothers and sisters, none of whom can read or write. His native language is Ditammari; he also speaks two other African languages, plus French and English. At the age of six, Alphonse was recruited by the village chief to attend the new primary school in his village. 

After primary school, Alphonse chose to continue his education. With a few francs and a sack of yams, he walked 20 miles to the city where the high school was located. Alphonse eventually graduated from high school and college. He began teaching French and local African languages to Peace Corps volunteers, which ultimately led him to the U.S. Today, Alphonse has a B.S., a C.P.A., and an M.B.A. He works at the International Finance Corporation in Washington, DC. His dream of helping young people in Benin was realized when he and his wife, Karen, founded BEF in 1998.

Benin-Based Staff and Volunteers

Philippe Owa

Philippe joined the BEF staff in September 2008 as the accountant and now supports administration and programs. A former BEF scholar, Philippe earned his master's degree in management, accounting, and finance.

Robert N'Da

Robert is a primary school teacher and a BEF graduate. He assists with program monitoring and administration, including student enrollments and tuition payments. Robert is based in Natitingou and joined the BEF staff in September 2008 as the accountant. He is a former BEF scholar and earned his master's degree in management.

U.S.-Based Volunteer Board Members

Jenny Kyne Malseed

Jenny is the BEF board chair. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Benin from 1998-2000 and is fluent in French. After the Peace Corps, she worked with Winrock International, where she managed grants for a scholarship program that supported thousands of female students in Africa. Jenny earned her M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management in 2005 and spent eight years as a strategy consultant at IBM before becoming the Director of Strategy for ChildFund International in 2013. She joined the BEF board in 2005 and became the chair in 2008.

Matt Sokolowski

Matt served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Segbana, Benin, from 1998-2000. He has worked with several nonprofit organizations designing financial and operational systems. He is currently a partner at The Owner's Representative, LLC, where he acts as a consultant chief financial officer for multiple nonprofit organizations. Matt has a B.A. in American Studies from George Washington University. He joined the BEF Board in 2008.

Raluca Angelescu

Raluca began volunteering with BEF in 2008. She currently serves as VP, Operations, and Development, with Diplomatic Language Services, a language services government contractor. Before joining DLS in 2003, Raluca worked with the Business and Technology Practice Group of Piper Rudnick LLP (now DLA Piper), where she focused on business analysis, strategic planning, and investment management. She has an MBA in Finance from Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, and a B.S. in Marketing from the Academy of Economic Sciences in Bucharest, Romania.

Benin-Based Advisors

Antoine N'Da

Antoine is a retired secondary school teacher who has supported BEF in too many ways to count! His donations include the in-kind contribution of office space for BEF and a building for a computer center that BEF would like to open in Natitingou. He recently served as the mayor of Natitingou and is widely respected as a leader in the community. Antoine has an undergraduate degree from the National University of Benin and did his graduate studies in Germany, where he obtained a master's degree in literature.