Rinaz Jamal
Founder
​As the founder of Ubuntu for Humanity, Rinaz Jamal, a senior at Franklin High School in Tennessee, is dedicated to spreading the philosophy of Ubuntu, which means, “I am because we are.” She was only 13 years old when she started her 501(c)(3) non-profit to raise funds to promote quality education around the world, especially in areas with inequitable access to this basic human right. So far, in her efforts to address disparities in attaining quality education, she has collaborated with several non-profit organizations such as Develop Africa, Backfield in Motion, Build a School in Africa, and Kids Empowered by Your Support (KEYS) to help build schools in Sierra Leone and Mali, support educational summer programs in at-risk communities locally, donate supplies and high-quality renewable solar lights, and sponsor the education of youths and teacher training workshops as well as computer labs for students to gain digital literacy skills in sub-Saharan Africa.
Partners & Mentors
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
Sylvester Renner
Founder of Develop Africa, Inc.
Since 2006, Sylvester Renner has been on a mission to empower communities in West Africa by providing education, training, and support, fostering self-reliance through vocational and computer training, tuition and scholarships, school supplies, microfinance loans, and disaster relief. As the co-founder and president of Develop Africa, Inc., his strategic leadership has helped make an impact in the lives of over 20,000 children, youths, and adults in 10 countries. Originally from Sierra Leone, he came to the USA in 1995 to pursue higher education. However, during a trip back home, he was impacted by what he saw on the streets of Freetown, Sierra Leone. He witnessed that instead of going to school, children were begging for money for their families, which inspired him to eventually found Develop Africa. Mr. Renner holds a master's degree in business administration and has more than two decades of experience in technology consulting.
Judith Lorimer
Founder of Build a School in Africa, Inc.
Judith Lorimer was the director of Build a School in Africa, a position she held for over 20 years. As a kindergarten teacher in the early 1990s, she became interested in African art and dance, which helped her learn more about Black history and culture. She soon became involved in local African cultural events and traveled to Mali. After witnessing the low literacy rate and seeing that schools in rural Mali were often built as mud huts with just an empty room, she co-founded Build a School in Africa and began fundraising. For the next 20 years, she was able to assist in supervising the construction of more than 30 schools, traveling to Mali almost every year, with one school even named in her honor. Her dedication and commitment to providing educational opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa will serve as an inspiration for generations to come.
Dr. Todd Campbell
CEO of Backfield in Motion, Inc.
With over 25 years of public education experience as a teacher, administrator, and college professor, Dr. Todd Campbell has dedicated his life as an educator and mentor for youth. Since 2018, he has been the Chief Executive Officer of Backfield in Motion, Inc., which strives to foster educational excellence and personal growth and bridge the gap between opportunities available to inner-city youth and those in more affluent areas. Dr. Campbell leads his team in creating a powerful impact in the lives of at-risk youth in inner-city Nashville, Tennessee, using athletics as a motivating force to improve academic performance and career readiness through enhanced social-emotional, literacy, and numeracy skills. He holds a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and an Ed.D. in Leadership and Professional Practice and is a member of several professional groups such as TEA, NASSP, and NASBE.
Rob Silvan
Founder of Kids Empowered by Your Support (KEYS), Inc.
In 2004, Mr. Rob Silvan gathered four students and a keyboard under the stairwell of a school in inner-city Bridgeport, CT, and gave them a piano lesson, Kids Empowered by Your Support (KEYS) was born to spread the gift of music education in inner-city Bridgeport, CT. Rob Silvan, a jazz musician and composer who has been a music educator for forty years, founded KEYS due to his firm belief in the importance of music instruction as a part of quality education in a child’s development, helping them achieve greater self-esteem and perseverance in the face of obstacles. His philosophy—“When you see something you don’t like, you change it”—has inspired countless of his students, who have been amazed by the sincerity, humility, and passion that define his character and his devotion to ensuring a brighter future for them.
