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

Change from within

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

Chief Learning & Innovation Officer

Angel leads teams across monitoring and evaluation, technology, and program innovation. Before joining Healthy Learners, Angel spent six years with the multinational start-up mPharma. As Managing Director, Angel 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

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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.

Dr. Brian Kayongo

Chief Policy & Program Delivery

Brian brings over 15 years of experience working with local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), holding leadership roles on program delivery, fundraising, and policy. Brian holds both graduate and postgraduate qualifications in Project Planning and Management. At Healthy Learners, he oversees advocacy, policy, and the scale-up of the program in partnership with the Zambian government.

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. These varying perspectives give us the strong support we need to keep furthering our mission.

Lise Johnson, MD

Chair

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Associate Director of the Brazelton Institute at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Chad Rathner, MSc

Vice Chair

Interim CEO and former COO, Mothers 2 Mothers. Past Deputy Country Director at FHI 360 Zambia, as well as Chief of Party on USAID’s flagship HIV and AIDS Prevention program in Zambia.

Philip Giannecchini

Vice Chair

Chief Financial Officer at Hawk Rock Foundation, supporting over 30 organizations globally. More than ten years of experience in asset management and wealth management.

Wendy Batson

A development specialist with more than 30 years’ experience planning and managing programs in war-affected regions in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the Balkans.

Patrick Chella, MBA

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

Lisa Gomer, JD

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.

Sanana Mubebo, MSc

Sanana Mubebo, is a Senior Program Officer at The ELMA Philanthropies, has a background in international health and tropical medicine with a Master of Science degree from the University of Oxford

Cara Endyke-Doran, MPH

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