Our Team

My fellow Ugandans in North America, My name is Joan Bavuga and I am seeking Re-election for the position of Vice President of the Ugandan North American Association (UNAA). I am a proud mother of two handsome boys. I am a licensed social worker with a Master of Social work from Eastern Michigan University. I am pursuing a Doctor of Healthcare Administration at the Virginia University of Lynchburg. During my term as Vice President, I was engaged in numerous community programs such as National ID Registration drives in the Communities of California and Minnesota. I also promoted UNAA objectives in various events such as the Independence Celebrations in Michigan and Illinois, the Bafumbira in USA celebration in Boston, NAMCA in Dallas. I participated at the first Uganda- US trade summit in Chicago, Illinois where I engaged potential sponsors and business partners to participate in future UNAA conventions. As I promised during my previous campaigns, we formed a youth group called Ugandan Youth of North America with the help of Ms. Nancy Hope, the Ugandans of West Michigan association's founder. I also currently serve as the Secretary for Mobilization Diaspora UBUNTU Bafumbira association 2022-2025. I am a Board member of Uganda Catholic Community of Michigan, (UCCM) 2022-2025 after serving the same community as the vice President from 2017-2022. I served the Ugandan community in Michigan (UCOM) as their vice president from 2018-2020. I have been a member of the Uganda North America Association since 2014.   My achievements so far as UNAA Vice President: Nationalism: All the debates I have heard and read between UNAA members partly made me realize that we all have our country at heart. However, showing our support or advocating for our country should not create division. As a professional advocator, I plan to promote the interests of all Ugandans in North America by providing a safe place that will allow everyone's opinion to be listened to respectfully and try to find a solution that will benefit the community. With my involvement in the local communities, I have listened to the members' concerns about what we need to see change in our organization. I encouraged those members who had left the organization and those who had failed to join the organization for different reasons that UNAA is ready to sit with the members to air their concerns. Student exchange program: It is time for us to start thinking about our children and involve them in UNAA. I plan to create a viable student exchange program that will benefit both kids born here and those born in Uganda on an educational and cultural level. During the first meeting I had with the Ugandan Youth of North America, we discussed the student exchange program and are coming up with a plan on how to start it. Economic empowerment:  Article 6:3 says, "The Vice President shall be responsible for the overall advancement and development of the Association. He/she shall be responsible for developing relationships and partnerships with other organizations. He/she shall work with UNAA Council to establish and develop local chapters or other local organs of the Association." I will use my office to improve and develop the communities. Encourage exchange programs in different neighborhoods so we can learn or borrow knowledge from each other. And as a trained resources finder, I will use my training to find all the resources that we as a community need and deserve. Organized communities can easily get the resources that are helpful to a community with a common goal and work together to achieve that goal. I followed up on the community development fund with the Uganda embassy and made sure that the qualified local communities got their donation. My fellow Ugandans, Joan Bavuga, is a very dedicated and solid team player. I promote and advocate for humanity. I am very responsible and dependable, with interpersonal communication skills. I understand the problems and concerns communities face because I have been a community leader for some time and can solve conflict situations with a cool head. I am an active listener, and I have patience. Communication is the key to everything I do. I talk less and listen more and respond to every phone call. I am still available to serve you, and my integrity has proven my leadership and service above and beyond self. I am asking for your support once again to finish what I promised. Please use me to serve you! May God bless you all. Thank you. <strong>Joan Bavuga,</strong> Candidate for Vice President 2023-2025 <strong>PROVEN LEADERSHIP: CONSISTENT, SERVICE ABOVE AND BEYOND SELF.</strong>

My name is Shantal Mbabazi, MPH. and I am running for the position of UNAA Executive Secretary 2023 - 2025. I was born and raised in Uganda and graduated from Uganda Christian University with a BBA majoring in Marketing. I hold a Public Administration Management (PAM) Certificate from Makerere University, a Masters of Public Health (MPH) from Northern Illinois University, IL, and Doctoral Candidate of Public Health (DrPH) at Capella University, Minneapolis. I have lived in the State of Illinois for over a decade, residing in the Village of Schaumburg. I am currently employed at Kenneth Young Center as Director of Community Programs and lead managers on executing various community health improvement programs, budgeting and grants. In the Ugandan community, I am currently Executive Secretary of the Uganda Community of Illinois (UCI) and my role is to liaise between community members and the executive committee team. I perform high-level clerical functions of the organization, I am responsible for the overall administration of the organization, have implemented UCI community programs, I have overseen special activities during community engagements, maintain organization documentation and records, have participated in new member assimilation, guidance and assistance as need, have organized and coordinated executive meetings and performed other functions as delegated by our President. My pledge as the new incoming UNAA Executive Secretary is to maintain and create a cohesive and vibrant spirit of UNAA while listening to its members' opinions, preserve integrity, exert fairness, humility, and honest communication. Also, I pledge to listen to unheard voices and recognize potential while promoting social values that unite us in the diaspora. I will be an effective leader, provide and encourage an open-door policy for positive criticism without bias from all in North America. Under my leadership as UNAA Executive Secretary, I will also use feedback forms and surveys to help the organization come up with viable programs that add value not limited to just the Convention but that benefits the UNAA membership. I therefore humbly ask for your trust and vote as your next UNAA Executive Secretary. Sincerely, <strong>Shantal Mbabazi</strong> For UNAA Executive Secretary 2023-2025

Elvis Henry Nsereko lives in the DFW metropolitan area together with his wife and children and is humbly presenting himself for re-election for the position of UNAA Treasurer. Elvis holds a Bachelor’s degree in Procurement & Logistics, a Master’s Degree in Financial Analysis and is currently working on his PhD in Finance Health Care. He is currently employed as a Financial Consultant for United Health Group. Prior to joining UHG, he worked as a senior Financial Manager for JPS Health Network, & for BNY Mellon as an Accounting & Reporting Analyst and for State Street Corporation. Before immigrating to the U.S.A, he worked for Ernst & Young an Audit Firm in Kampala, Uganda. While still living in Boston, Elvis partnered with Urban League of Massachusetts to help fellow immigrants in the community access and enroll into continued education and essential skills that helped them join corporate America. As UNAA Treasurer, he has applied his analytical and computational skills to perform data entry and analysis, precise accounting, and regulatory reporting tasks and ensuring that financial reports are accurately presented. He has ensured that there is proper accountability of all the Association’s finances and streamlined payment processes while providing security and privacy of members’ payment records. As treasurer, he has instituted effective controls in the collection and disbursement of UNAA finances, which has helped UNAA grow her budget by increasing revenues. There have been tremendous measures, for example, instituting flat fees for registration, membership and convention activities, and maintaining proper accounting records. Elvis has maintained accurate records of financial transactions while presenting periodic reports for UNAA management organs and external regulators. This has eliminated wasteful spending. Working together with UNAA executive and other management organs, he has transformed UNAA into an era of transparency and accountability in regards to the organization’s finances to enable it to serve its members and the community where it operates effectively. RE-ELECT ELVIS HENRY NSEREKO FOR UNAA TREASURER VISIT WWW.UNAAONLINE.ORG AND REGISTER TO BECOME A UNAA MEMBER! #TEAMLAMBERT

My Fellow Ugandans in North America, My name is Cyrus Mukisa, a resident of Dallas, Texas and I am honored to announce my Candidacy for the office of Youth Male Council Representative of the Ugandan North American Association (UNAA). I have been an active UNAA member since 2017, I served as a President and Vice President of Ugandan American Association of Greater Dallas-Fort Worth (UAA-DFW), and now serving as a Board Member for the same organization. I have also volunteered with other organizations such as the Red Cross, Remnant Generation Ministries, Yonder Life and as a Youth Leader at New Wine Church. I was privileged to be elected as UNAA Youth Male USA in 2019. During my tenure as a Youth Leader, <ol> <li>As Malcom X states, “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today,” and Benjamin Franklin states, "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest", with this in mind, I managed to lure my fellow youth into finding a career in Technology by providing resources, information of joining different IT classes which registered(still) a number of success stories. This has been life changing not only to an individual but also our Ugandan communities across the board.</li> <li>As we all know, Corona virus affected every household in different ways, it might have been financial, physical or emotional. As a leader for both UNAA and my local chapter, I worked with my fellow leaders to source out different entities that were rendering support to the affected families, bought and distributed basic needs to the affected families. This helped restore hope where it was lost.</li> <li>As Mattie Stepanek states, "Unity is strength, when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved", with the help of other youth leaders from different cities, we managed to establish/create a Youth initiative (UNAYI - Uganda North America Youth Initiative), that was driven to motivate, inspire, educate, entertain, unite and more so act like a one stop information center for the North American Youth.</li> </ol> Alot was achieved but allow me point one great achievement; During the pandemic, Suicide rates were on a rise, and we believed Mental Health was a major factor in this. It's for this factor that UNAYI sourced out different Mental Health Specialist that included experienced Psychiatrists and Social workers in our communities across North America that rendered their time to educate our community about Mental health through a zoom meeting. <ol start="4"> <li>Rejuvenate sports in my local community and nearby cities through sports gala (Soccer), Kids Sunday sports program.</li> </ol> As a Youth Representative, I plan to improve the engagement of Youth in UNAA through different mobilization strategies and outreach. As a Technology specialist, I will ensure the Youth are informed about opportunities available through their different media platforms – information such as Jobs, scholarships, career guidance seminars and conferences etc. I am humbly asking for your support and votes, so we can build a stronger young generation together. <strong>Cyrus Mukisa</strong> Masters in Cybersecurity Student Board Member - UAA – DFW

My name is Nancy Hope and I am running for the position of UNAA Female Youth Representative (2023-2025). I was born and raised in Uganda and now reside in Grand Rapids Michigan. I am the President and founder of Ugandans of West Michigan - An organization that I founded to unite us and promote social, cultural and economic development within our community. I am also the founder of Ugandan Youth in North America - A youth initiative that is focused on identifying solutions to challenges that we face as Youth. My goal as a Youth Representative is to ensure strong youth involvement in UNAA, finding resources for us and I will achieve this through youth mobilization, outreach and youth program creation. I volunteer as a social media/public relation and on merchandise team for Aglimpse of Africa - An organization that brings people together to celebrate, educate, and share the diverse rich of African cultures. I was a former Teen concentric leader/mentor program for Treetops collective Organization - A program that is designed within the organization to help New American teenagers, where I had a cohort of 7 teenagers helping them in various ways. A graduate with a degree in Accounting and Business Management. <strong>Favorite Quote:</strong> “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead” - Nelson Mandela. I therefore humbly ask for your trust and vote as your next UNAA Female Youth Representative. Sincerely, <strong>Nancy Hope</strong> For Female Youth Representative 2023-2025