Dedicated to building healthy, hopeful communities in South Africa.

Mary Nagle

President, BoarD of Directors

Mary is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in education. Her career is in workforce development and she has expertise in leadership and program management and is a Certified Facilitator and Trainer. Mary has traveled to South Africa four times and, since 2007 has served on the HISA Board of Directors as Secretary, Vice President and currently is the Hope in South Africa President. As a member and Past President of the Rotary Club of Carroll Creek, Mary has facilitated programs, presentations and marketing efforts to raise funds for HISA. Mary also has used her talents to assist in overall leadership and guidance for HISA program staff and activities. Mary lives in Frederick, Maryland with her husband Tony and is the proud Mom of five children and ten grandchildren.

Jessi Cates Bristol

Vice-President, BOard Of DIRECTORS

Jessi studied abroad in Kenya and graduated from Stetson University where she concluded her soccer career and obtained a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Spanish. In 2012, she graduated from the University of Maryland with a Masters of Social Work and a Juris Doctor, and is licensed in each. Jessi’s role as a teaching intern with Grassroot Soccer in Zambia, and her roots in Poolesville, Maryland led to her involvement with Hope in South Africa. Jessi’s expert knowledge of South African culture developed from working and living in Southern Africa many times over the past 13 years, under the auspices of GRS, HISA, Goals for Girls, and a University of Maryland Global Health Grant. Her social work and legal insight is invaluable to the overall management of HISA as Vice President and past Secretary of the HISA Board of Directors. Jessi currently lives in Washington, DC with her partner, Joe Schoenbauer, and twin sons, Nico and Leo. She works as a child mental health therapist for a local nonprofit, provides pro bono asylum legal services, serves on the Goals for Girls board and continues to be an active soccer player.

Jonathan Moore Warner

Treasurer, BoarD of Directors

Jonathan first went to Southern Africa in 1981 on a college rugby tour to Zimbabwe.  His interest in Africa bloomed from there.  He is a member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Poolesville, MD and a member of the Rotary Club of Carroll Creek.  Building partnerships with organizations such as Rotary International and Grassroot Soccer has been a central focus of Jonathan’s efforts.  Jonathan liives on a small farm in Dickerson,  Maryland with his three labs.

Danny Severn

member, BoarD of Directors

Danny is a Frederick local, with roots and family in Middletown.  He works in commercial real estate having joined St. John Properties in 2008.  He manages development projects in Frederick, Montgomery, and Washington counties in Maryland, as well as Loudoun and Prince William counties in Virginia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from York College and a Master of Science degree in Real Estate from the Edward St. John Real Estate Program at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.  Danny is an active member (and former Board member) of the Rotary Club of Frederick, and also a Board member of the Mental Health Association of Frederick.

Tee Michel

member, BoarD of Directors

Theresa T. Michel (Tee) is a longtime non-profit management consultant, development professional, Board member, and volunteer with experience at Federal, State of Maryland, and local levels. Her career path stems from her understanding that access to enriching, educational, and supportive programs and services is essential to the success of individuals, communities, nations, and the world.

Tee's areas of expertise include the arts, children and families, at-risk youth, human needs, and historic preservation. She received her B.A. in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology from Bryn Mawr College and her M.B.A. in economics and public policy from The George Washington University.  She is also a licensed Maryland Realtor®️.

She is a member of the Rotary Club of Carroll Creek, and a Board member of Hope In South Africa, Preservation Maryland, and a Frederick, MD-based scholarship fund.  She resides in Frederick, MD.