OUR STORY

Building a brighter future.

Healthy Learners is building a future where schools can support the overall health of children. Our model serves as a framework for how Ministries of Health and Education throughout the developing world can improve the health of students, reduce illness-related school absenteeism, and promote learning. This results in a healthier, better educated generation of young people and future leaders.

THE HEALTHY LEARNERS STORY

Founding Partnership

In 2013, Lonnie met fellow co-founder Ignicious Bulongo, then director of the Ministry of Health Ng’ombe Health Facility. Connected by a common mission to address the catastrophic impact of preventable and treatable illnesses on the health, learning and development of school-aged children, they worked together to develop the concept of training teachers as community health workers. This work eventually launched Healthy Learners.

From its inception, Healthy Learners has worked to partner with the government, integrating programs into existing structures of the Ministries of Health and Education, empowering local communities and leveraging data and technology to have the greatest possible impact on the health of the children they serve.

Our Team

Healthy Learners is 160+ staff members strong and works closely with our local government partners.

Lonnie Hackett, MSc.

CEO & Cofounder

Lonnie is a public health specialist and social entrepreneur. He has been recognized as a Truman Scholar, Rainer Arnhold Fellow and a member of Forbes 30 Under 30. Lonnie has a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from Bowdoin College and a MSc. in International Health and Tropical Medicine from the University of Oxford.

Ignicious Bulongo

Cofounder & Chief Visionary Officer

Ignicious spent the first 15 years of his career with the Zambian Ministry of Health, most recently as director of the Ng'ombe Health Facility. Ignicious holds degrees in hospital management and clinical medicine. He received an advanced diploma in Participatory Learning Methods in Japan through sponsorship by JICA.

Angel Chelwa, MBA

Deputy CEO

Angel focuses on delivery of the School Health Program, providing leadership across programs, supply chain, digital health, monitoring and evaluation, and innovation, while aligning teams, budgets, and priorities across the organization. Before joining Healthy Learners, Angel spent six years with the multinational start-up mPharma where she oversaw operations in Zambia, Malawi, and Rwanda. Angel holds a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology as well as a MBA from the University of Zambia

Valentina Justice

Chief Financial Officer

Valentina leads financial strategy and operations, overseeing budgeting, financial planning, reporting, and compliance. She works closely with program and leadership teams to ensure strong financial stewardship in support of long-term sustainability. She came to Healthy Learners with over 20 years of experience, having managed $100M+ portfolios across more than 20 countries.

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Renee Karibi-Whyte

Chief of Staff

Renee Karibi‑Whyte partners with the CEO to drive strategic planning, cross-functional coordination, and organizational effectiveness. She brings over 20 years of experience in philanthropy, communications, and law. Prior to Healthy Learners, she held senior roles at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and Thomson Reuters, and began her career in law with the U.S. Department of Justice and the UN International Criminal Tribunal. She holds a J.D. from Harvard Law.

Maeghan Orton

Chief Technology Officer

Maeghan leads technology strategy, with a focus on building impactful, ethical, and locally grounded digital solutions. Maeghan brings more than a decade of experience working at the intersection of health, technology, and global development. Prior to Healthy Learners, she held leadership roles at organizations including Medic Mobile, and Google Health, where she focused on designing inclusive health technologies for underserved communities.

Dr. Mulenga Mukanu

Director of Monitoring and Evaluation

Dr. Mulenga Mukanu leads systems design and impact evaluation for development programs. With a PhD in Public Health from the University of Western Cape and WHO fellowship experience, she specializes in health policy analysis and M&E systems. Her work at IDinsight and previous roles with CIDRZ, AIR, and Zambia's Ministry of Health spans education, health, and women's empowerment initiatives.

Stu Merkel

Senior Director Philanthropic Partnerships

Stu leads philanthropic partnerships and resource mobilization at Healthy Learners. He brings over 20 years of experience in global health and development, with a focus on strategic fundraising and cross-sector partnerships. Stu has held leadership roles at Jhpiego and Namati and previously lived and worked in Kenya and Angola designing and managing public health programs. He holds a B.A. from Penn State University and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University.

Dziko Zimba

Senior Director People and Admin

Dziko has over a decade of experience running multi-country HR teams in the private and public sectors. He has a successful track record in translating organizational goals into HR initiatives that add value and improve performance across various countries from sub-Saharan Africa to India. He holds a Master’s in International Business from Keele University in the UK.

Our Board

Our board brings diverse expertise to the organization, including years of experience working for the betterment of health, education, and people around the globe. Their varying perspectives give us the strong support we need to keep furthering our mission.

Lise Johnson, MD

Chair

Lise is the Director of the Brazelton Institute at Boston Children’s Hospital and a pediatrician with more than three decades of experience in newborn care and developmental medicine. An Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, she previously served as Medical Director of Well Newborn Care at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Chad Rathner, MSc

Vice Chair

A global health leader with over 25 years of experience spanning public health, partnerships, and operations across Africa, Chad is CEO of mothers2mothers, following a decade as COO. He previously led USAID's flagship HIV program in Zambia.

Patrick Chella, MBA

Patrick is an experienced co-founder of two innovative start-ups with a demonstrated history of working in sustainable development and finance in Africa and Europe.

Philip Giannecchini

Philip is the Chief Financial Officer at Hawk Rock Foundation, supporting over 30 organizations globally. He has more than ten years of experience in asset management and wealth management.

Cara Endyke-Doran, MPH

Cara is an advance practice nurse leading large integrated health projects focused on improving maternal, child, and adolescent health and strengthening HIV services in sub-Saharan Africa.

Lisa Gomer, JD

Lisa is an executive leader with extensive project management and legal experience formulating, building, directing and improving international development programs, specifically within fragile states in post-conflict environments.

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Dr. Patricia Odero

As the Deputy Director of Family Planning at the Gates Foundation, Patricia advances evidence-backed approaches to expand access through private-sector and digital delivery models. Formerly Africa Regional Director at Duke University’s Global Health Innovation Center, she led the Horn of Africa’s first regional health data-sharing and protection policy.

Sanana Mubebo, MSc

Sanana is a Senior Program Officer at The ELMA Philanthropies, where she has worked for over a decade. She has a background in international health and tropical medicine, with a Master of Science degree from the University of Oxford.

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Phyllis Migwi

With over two decades driving large-scale technology adoption and digital transformation across Africa and global markets, Phyllis most recently served as Country Manager at Microsoft Kenya, where she led enterprise growth and ecosystem strategy.