WYA Foundation
Anna Halpine, Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Maria Grizzetti, Director of Development
Alexis Kende, Director of Cultural Programs
Rebecca Marchinda, Director of Advocacy

Miriam Grossman, Scholar in Residence

Francois Jacob, President, WYA Headquarters

Francois hails from France and has an extensive background in media and management. He interned at the African Bureau of the United Nations for Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in 2002 and earned his Master’s Degree in Management Science at the University of Paris in 2003. He then spent a year as an event planner and two years as a project leader and presenter for a teen-oriented radio show for Radio Notre Dame in Paris. Afterwards, he worked in public relations and media consulting, and earned his Master’s Degree in Media Management. Francois speaks fluent French, English, and German. He enjoys theater, mountain climbing, hiking, skiing, judo, and spending time with his wife and two children.

Christopher White, International Director of Operations, WYA Headquarters

Christopher White is originally from South Carolina, but has lived in New York City for the past five years. He holds a B.A. in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from The King’s College and also spent a semester studying European Politics, Culture, and Art in Paris, France. Prior to joining the World Youth Alliance, Christopher worked in litigation support for the law offices of Fagenson & Puglisi. Christopher is a proud francophile, lover of fine food and wine, and frequents New York City museums and theatre. His primary areas of interest include Catholic social thought, international relations, and human rights.  

Obadias Ndaba, Director, Africa

Obadias Ndaba is from Rwanda, and is the youngest of five children. He was introduced to the World Youth Alliance in 2006 while studying Economics at Kigali Independent University where he graduated with Honors in 2009. Obadias began his work with the World Youth Alliance by volunteering his weekends to organize WYA activities and hosting discussions on WYA's core ideas. Obadias worked for KCB Bank and Inkingi Microfinance prior to joining WYA full time. He speaks Kinyarwanda, Swahili, French and English. 

Hezbon Mogambi, Director of Operations, Africa

Hezbon was awarded the BBC scholarship to study at the legendary Mohamed Amin Foundation for TV broadcast and film production. He graduated in December 2008 with distinction. Hezbon first joined WYA as a volunteer for two days a week, working with organizing the first regional conference and attending UN conferences in Nairobi before representing WYA in drafting the strategic plan for the state ministry for youth affairs, government exchange program to Uganda. He was selected to attend a three-month internship in WYA Headquarters in NY and was in charge of co-coordinating WYA’s participation in the International Aids Conference in Toronto, Canada. Back in Kenya he was chosen as one of the young leaders to represent Kenya in a reality TV show called Imagine Afrika in South Africa in 2007.  “Impossible is nothing” is his life philosophy.

Renelyn Tan, Director, Asia Pacific

Renelyn Tan grew up in Manila, Philippines. In college, Renelyn was active in various student organizations. She graduated from the University of the Philippines with a degree in Political Science in 2003. She spent two years in Xiamen, China, where she worked as an English instructor. In 2005, she returned to Manila to work as Operations Manager of R.J. Lhinet Development Corporation, a real estate firm. It was also during this time that she joined the World Youth Alliance in the externship program of the Asia Pacific region. In between work, she enjoys traveling to different countries and exploring the city with a map in hand. Her exposure to both corporate and non-government work continues to inspire her to work towards improving the lives of different people. She began to work full time as WYA Asia Pacific Director in June 2007.

Desiree Go, Director of Operations, Asia Pacific

Des first joined WYA as an intern at the New York office in the Spring of 2005 to complete her practicum requirements for school. She continued volunteering for WYAAP after her internship, and eventually became the Director of Operations of the Asia Pacific office in July 2008. Des was born and raised in Manila, Philippines, with a Filipino-Chinese background.  She completed her degrees with honors in AB European Studies and MA Global Politics from the Ateneo de Manila University. In 2007, she received a scholarship from the International Institute of Human Rights to attend its study sessions on Human Rights and Migration in Strasbourg, France. Aside from her work with WYA, Des interacts with other young people as a lecturer of the European Studies Program in her Alma Mater. She speaks Filipino, English, French, Mandarin and Fookienese and hopes to add a few more languages in the near future. 

Milagros Antonietti, Director, Latin America

Born in Argentina, Milagros obtained her J.D. from the Juridical and Social Sciences School at the University of Mendoza. She has spent years involved with youth groups and participated actively in university conferences. Milagros previously worked as an attorney at a local law firm specialized in commercial law. Milagros has a passion for man´s constant seek for truth. This is evidenced in her intellectual interests in natural law, canonic law and human rights. She spent a summer in Washington D.C. studying the Inter American and the United Nations Human Rights System at American University´s  Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Academy. In 2008 she began work as a volunteer attorney at an Argentinean NGO, named CLADH –Latin American Centre for Human Rights- promoting the defense of fundamental human rights. Milagros enjoys spending time with her family and friends, loves music and reading old literature classics. 

Christel Sonnekalb, Director of Operations, Latin America

Christel Sonnekalb grew up in Colonia Tovar, in the mountains of northern Venezuela. She completed her Bachelors in the University of Southern Indiana with honors and successfully graduated from the Eberhard-Karls University of Tubingen, Germany, with a Masters in Peace Research and International Politics. She has interned with a renowned Member of the German Parliament, as well as with the Venezuelan Mission to the UN in New York. Prior to becoming a member of WYA, she joined, as cellist, the National Systems of Youth Orchestras of Venezuela. Christel loves spending time with her family, as well as dancing to Latin Music and is a passionate traveler. She dreams of visiting the Easter Island and Bhutan.  One of her last adventures was an excursion with the Peace Boat from Aqaba, Jordan to Barcelona, Spain.
 

Amanda Pirih, Director, North America

Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, Amanda is excited to become an official New Yorker.  She attended the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign where she received a Bachelors of Science in Materials Science and Engineering.  She completed three technical engineering internships throughout her college career in companies such as Motorola and General Electric.  However, Amanda made the decision upon graduation to commit three years of service before starting her professional career.  Serving with FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, she has worked as a missionary to train future leaders on the college campuses of Seton Hall University, and as a Director for the programs at the University of Illinois-Chicago and New York University. Amanda enjoys running and training for long distance races throughout the year, playing piano, guitar and hiking.
 

Anna Halpine, WYA Founder, WYA Foundation

Anna Halpine is the founder of the World Youth Alliance and was the WYA president from 1999 to the spring of 2007. She has her Masters in Philosophy of Religion from Yale University (2009), and a Bachelor of Music, cum laude, from Mt. Allison University in Canada (1999). She has studied piano at the Taubman Institute and voice at the Juilliard School. As Founder and past-president of WYA, Anna has traveled and lectured extensively. 

Maria Grizzetti, Director of Development, WYA Foundation

Born in Munich and raised in Rome, Maria first encountered the World Youth Alliance in 2000 during her participation in the Beijing +5 proceedings at the United Nations. In 2001, she was awarded a scholarship tour of Medieval Italy to study the writings of Dante Alighieri and Italian Renaissance Art. She graduated from Fordham University, New York in 2002 with a BA in Philosophy, Ethics and Italian and began what would become three years of teaching honors Italian at the Montfort Academy for boys in Katonah, New York. Maria has traveled extensively through Europe visiting England, Switzerland, Germany, Portugal, Spain, France and Italy with her family and husband, Christopher. She has studied Spanish and Latin, and is fluent in Italian and English. Maria joined the WYA staff part-time in 2003 and became the full-time Director of Development in 2005.

Alexis Kende, Director of Cultural Programs, WYA Foundation

Born in New York, Alexis previously worked for New York City Opera at Lincoln Center, first as a grant writer and then in the Special Events department.  She received her A.B. in 2005 from Princeton University, with a major in religion and a minor in violin performance. Alexis began her violin studies at age five, was accepted for professional training at the Juilliard pre-college program at age 12, and pursued graduate work in violin performance and pedagogy at the Peabody Conservatory.  She has since enjoyed teaching private violin students in New York, Princeton, and on Long Island.  Currently, Alexis performs as a member of The Kende Trio, a string trio she formed with her two younger sisters in 1996.  She also performs as a violinist in the Salome Chamber Orchestra, a conductorless ensemble of young people that performs frequently in Manhattan. 

Rebecca Marchinda, Director of Advocacy, WYA Headquarters                                                        

Born in Ontario, Becky obtained a B.A. in Exercise Science from Calvin College in Michigan, and a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School in Indiana. She worked as an associate attorney for Siebers Mohney from 2006 to 2008, specializing in immigration law. She speaks English and German. Becky was a member of the varsity women's softball team at Calvin College for four years.  Becky believes that fiddling is the highest form of Canadian music culture, which isn't surprising given that her hometown, Pembroke, Ontario, hosts the International Fiddling and Stepdancing Championships every year. She and her husband Ken live in Manhattan.
 

Miriam Grossman, Scholar in Residence                                                       

Miriam Grossman MD is a physician with training in pediatrics as well as child, adolescent and adult psychiatry. The author of three books about sexual health, she has been on over 200 radio, news, and television shows. Dr Grossman has spoken internationally to parents, students, educators, policy makers and health professionals. In March 2010 she spoke at the United Nations Council on the Status of Women.

Dr Grossman graduated with honors from Bryn Mawr College and from New York University Medical School.  She completed an internship in pediatrics at Beth Israel Hospital in New York City, and a residency in psychiatry at North Shore University Hospital – Cornell University Medical College, followed by a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the same institution. Dr Grossman is board certified in psychiatry and in the sub-specialty of child and adolescent psychiatry.

Dr Grossman lives in Los Angeles, California with her family.