Our Team
Staff - Board of Directors - Board of Advisors
Manna Project International (MPI) is a volunteer driven 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving international communities through holistic development. The MPI network is made up of three international sites, nine university campus chapters, and a growing base of volunteer alumni.
Our international sites are run by 13-month volunteers called Program Directors, who currently come from twelve different universities across the US and Canada. Over the last five years, our Program Directors have represented over 22 different universities.
Additionally, MPI’s university chapters serve communities near their campuses through local programs in addition to promoting our international sites by sending Spring Break trips and 4-week and 8-week summer volunteers.
MPI Staff
Lori Scharffenberg, Executive Director
Amira Tahir, Nicaragua Director
Bibi Al-Ebrahim, Ecuador Director
Dana Zichlin, Guatemala Co-Director
Kat Mueller, Guatemala Co-Director
Lori Scharffenberg
As one of Manna Project's founders, Lori has been a vital part of the MPI team since graduating from Vanderbilt University in 2004 with a degree in Childhood Education. Lori's involvement began when she helped charter the organization in January of 2004. Soon after she went on to teach pre-school in Nicaragua. In the years that followed, she has both overseen the organizational growth and development of the Nicaragua site for three years and has spent the past three years as MPI's Executive Director.
Andrew Preston
Andrew Preston graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2009, with a degree in English and History. During his time at Vanderbilt, Andrew served in many leadership roles, including that of President, within MPI's flagship university chapter. Outside of Manna Project, Andrew has pursued opportunities in international community development through internships with the Junction, a peace and reconciliation center in Northern Ireland, as well as with Fundación Pro Vivienda Social, a Buenos Aires-based NGO specializing in microfinance and infrastructure projects. In his free time, Andrew enjoys traveling, fly fishing, old movies and good books.
As US Director, Andrew handles campus chapter oversight and stateside administration.
Amira Tahir
After graduating from Baylor University with a degree in Sociology, Amira moved to Nicaragua with the plan of working for one year in an orphanage located south of Managua. Eight years later, she is happy and proud to call Nicaragua home. After working in the orphanage for two years and then holding several different jobs in the private sector, Amira became our Nicaragua Director in the summer of 2008.
As Nicaragua Director, Amira oversees all of our Nicaragua programs and volunteers.
Bibi Al-Ebrahim
A 2002 graduate of Denison University, Bibi has lived and worked in Ecuador for a rough total of four years, originally with the Peace Corps, but also as a Crisis Corps Volunteer and as an intern for a human rights organization in Quito. In December 2008, Bibi earned a Master's degree in International Health and Development from Tulane University.
As Ecuador Director, Bibi oversees all programs and volunteers at our Ecuador site.
Dana Zichlin
Dana Zichlin, the trailblazer who led the eight-week feasibility trip that preceded the founding of the Guatemala site, hails from Westfield, New Jersey. A long-standing NY Yankees fan and avid candid photographer, she helped build a dam alongside Engineers Without Borders in Tsuraku, Ecuador during college. This confirmed her interest in international development and inspired her to continue working in the field with MPI. Dana brings her leadership skills and fluency in Latin American culture to our newest site, and hopes to continue working abroad in the future. Dana is a graduate of Connecticut College, where she majored in Green Psychology.
Katherine Mueller
Kat, a native of Nebraska, has been working with Manna since her freshman year at Vanderbilt, when she participated in an MPIV spring break trip to Nicaragua. She quickly advanced organizationally and served as MPIV's Vice President for Global Operations before assuming the presidency her senior year. She now brings her passion for service and experience with Manna to Guatemala. A former resident of Argentina and Brazil, Kat feels a strong connection to Latin American culture and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. Kat is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where she studied Sociology.
Board of Directors
Luke Putnam
Lori Scharffenberg
Greg Pasquali
Marcela Camargo
Maria Domanskis
Zak Schwarzman
Board of Advisers
Anne Dugan
JoAnna Faith
Mark Dalhouse
