Leadership
Board of Directors
Jane Letourneau, President
United States
Jane is a tireless volunteer who is committed to addressing social injustices. She works closely with partners in South Africa to support programs focused on leadership development, job creation, community gardens, and the empowerment of women and girls. While focused on South Africa, her work has taken her to Ethiopia and Namibia. A native of Duluth, Minnesota, Jane is the recipient of the Global Citizenship Award from the Duluth Cathedral/Marshall Hilltopper Alumni.
John Frey, Secretary and Treasurer
United States
John brings his skills as a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist to the Board of Directors of Acacia Global. He is the Managing Partner of Sun Country Management in Ketchum, Idaho, and a director of the Frey Foundation. He has previously served on the boards of the Jeremiah Program, the One Percent Club, and Open Arms of Minnesota.
Kent Linder
United States
Kent’s life and career have focused on social justice issues. After living in a Catholic Worker house, which served homeless guests, he went on to work at Open Arms of Minnesota and at The Advocates for Human Rights. He is the Facilities Manager and Finance Coordinator for the Bush Foundation, based in St. Paul, Minnesota.
David Plante
United States
Engaged in issues of peace and human rights since earning a degree in Peace Studies, David has spent the past two decades volunteering with nonprofits. He is a director at Target Corporation, where he leads a global retail and consumer insights team. His marketing skills have proven invaluable on the Acacia Global board.
Kevin Winge
United States
Kevin spent 18 years leading two nonprofits in the U.S.: Open Arms in Minneapolis, and Project Open Hand in San Francisco, and is currently the Executive Director of The Woman’s Club of Minneapolis. Since 2000, he has collaborated with partners in South Africa to support community-based programs there. Kevin is the author of Never Give Up: Vignettes from sub-Saharan Africa in the Age of AIDS, and has a Master’s of Public Administration degree from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Advisory Board of Directors
Vuyiseka Dubula, Founder,
Activist Centre for Education and Development
South Africa
Vuyiseka is the Director of the Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management at the University of Stellenbosch and is the founder of the Activist Centre for Education and Development. A former member of the UNAIDS High Level Commission on HIV Prevention, Vuyiseka also was General Secretary of the Treatment Action Campaign. She is completing her PhD at the Centre for Civil Society at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s School of Built Environment and Development Studies and is a 2018 recipient of the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law.
Mandla Majola, Founder,
Movement for Change and Social Justice
South Africa
Mandla is the founder of the Movement for Change and Social Justice and is the Program Coordinator at the University of Cape Town’s School of Public Health. Mandla honed his community organizing skills with the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) before rising to become its National Organizer and General Secretary of the National Congress of TAC. He holds a degree in Human and Social Studies from the University of South Africa.
Bheki Kunene, Founder,
Mind Trix Media
South Africa
Bheki is the founder of Mind Trix Media, an award-winning design agency located in Cape Town that focuses on graphic design, web design, and digital media. Bheki and his company have been recognized with many national and international awards, including: Forbes Africa’s “30 Under 30 Most Promising African Entrepreneurs,” Hennessy’s “Business Man of the Year Award,” and House and Leisure’s “Rising Star.”
Noxie Totoyi
South Africa
Noxie received her Primary School Teachers Degree in 1975. Over the next 40 years, she went on to obtain a Master’s Degree in Xhosa and taught at primary schools before becoming a Deputy Principal in 1997. She retired in 2016, and today she volunteers at the JL Zwane Presbyterian Church and the Sinako Orphanage, and serves as a Chairperson of her Neighborhood Street Community.
Vuyani Qamata
South Africa
Over the past 20 years, Vuyani has worked in community development, trained as a chef, and studied permaculture. When his family was impacted by cancer, diabetes, and hypertension, he took his experiences and passion and started Sinako Urban Farms to provide nutrition education and healthy foods to primary school students and the community. Through Sinako, his work has expanded to mentor other schools on the importance of healthy foods and gardens.
