The Rev. Samuel R. Enders - FOUNDER and Executive director

The Rev. Samuel R. Enders is Founder and Executive Director of the ADA School (opened September 2012) and the Children's Health Clinic at ADA (opened April 2016). On October 10, 2017, he was elected a congressman of District 6, Montserrado County, Liberia, and was reelected for a second six-year term in 2023. Rev. Enders is a pastor from his home country of Liberia West Africa and has served as a minister, youth leader, community leader, and has worked with the United Nations, the Red Cross, and the Liberia Council of Churches for many years. He is a graduate of Anderson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Organization Leadership, and of the Anderson University School of Theology with a Masters of Divinity degree.

Kurt W. Roeloffs, Jr. - CHAIRMAN EMERITUS

Kurt W. Roeloffs, Jr. is ADAF Chairman Emeritus of the Board. He is an independent investor/entrepreneur after retiring from his position as the Global Officer of Deutsche Bank's $55 billion real estate investment management division. Mr. Roeloffs holds a B.A. from Columbia College, Columbia University, and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He and his family currently reside in Cambridge, England, while he is pursuing graduate studies in theology and business ethics.

Lydia Spinelli, Ed.D. - PRESIDENT

Lydia Spinelli, Ed.D. is President of the Board of ADAF. She was the Director of the Brick Church School from 1983 to 2019. She has a doctorate in education (Ed.D.) from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is the founder of Summer Steps, a program that seeks to prepare low income students for New York City independent school kindergartens and is a member of the Board of Early Steps, an organization that promotes racial diversity in New York City independent schools.

Heidi Leiser - VICE PRESIDENT

Heidi Leiser is an independent consultant specializing in contemporary art. In 2006 she launched her own company, Les Arts Lulu, LLC. Her background is financial (Black Rock Financial Management, Sumitomo-Mitsui, and Dexia Bank). She earned a BBA, Finance, from The Lubin School of Business (Pace University), and an MA, Art Business, from Sotheby's Institute Of Art (University Of Manchester). She has lived in Kenya, teaching school in Nairobi.

Gracey Stoddard, LMSW - Vice President

Gracey Stoddard is a current Vice President of the Board of ADAF. She served as the past Board President from September 2013 – August 2018. Ms. Stoddard is a certified social worker, and from 2008-2013 worked as a District Representative for Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney of the 12th District of New York. She holds a BA from Sweet Briar College and a Master of Social Work from Columbia University.

Daryl Davis, Esq. - Corporate Secretary

Daryl Davis, Esq. is ADAF's Acting Corporate Secretary with the same duties and powers as the Corporate Secretary Rev. Tom Smith. He is Counsel to Leo Law, a national business law firm, and is a Co-Founder of the Huntsville Aeronautics Company, a space technology and commercialization organization. Mr. Davis graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Morehouse College and earned a law degree from the Yale Law School, where he was awarded a Ford Foundation Fellowship for Public International Law (focusing on sub-Saharan Africa) and edited the Yale Law & Policy Review. He also has an active pro bono practice advising non-profit organizations and representing immigrants, many from African countries, seeking protection under asylum and UN conventions.

The Rev. Thomas Smith, Ph.D. - Corporate Secretary

The Rev. Thomas Smith, Ph.D. is ADAF Corporate Secretary as a resident of the State of Indiana where the Foundation is incorporated. He has served as the pastor of the Presbyterian Chapel of the Lakes in Angola, Indiana, continuously since 1986 when he was ordained. Rev. Smith has also served as an adjunct teaching assistant in philosophy since 2002 for Trine University, Angola, Indiana, and since 1997, provided mediation services in a peacemaking ministry on behalf of the social justice needs of children for several courts in northeastern Indiana. Rev. Smith holds professional licensure in the State of Indiana as a Clinical Social Worker, as a Marriage and Family Therapist, and as a registered Family Law Mediator

Richard D. Rippe - Treasurer

Richard D. Rippe is Managing Director and Economist at Evercore ISI, where he contributes to the Firm’s daily and weekly economic reports, both for the U.S. economy and for international economies. His prior experience includes the position of Managing Director and Chief Economist at Prudential Securities, a subsidiary of Prudential Financial; the position of Senior/Chief Economist at Baker Weeks, Inc., which merged with Dean Witter to form Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc.; and as a teacher at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He currently serves on the Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee and the Economic Advisory Panel of the New York City Office of Management and Budget. Mr. Rippe holds an AB degree in Economics (magna cum laude) from Harvard College and a Ph.D. in Business Economics from Harvard University.

Jennifer Coyle – Board Member

Jennifer Coyle currently serves as Executive Director at Macquarie, a $400 billion global finance firm. Dividing her time between Macquarie’s global headquarters in Sydney, Australia, Zurich, Switzerland, and her home base in Nashville, Tennessee, she leads Macquarie’s Resources division of the Specialized and Asset Finance unit she started in 2008 with assets of $600M. Ms. Coyle previously (2007- 2010) was the Managing Director of Caterpillar Financial Service Corporation’s Mining Equipment Finance Division based in Nashville and in Melbourne, Australia. She also started the company’s Capital Markets Division in 2004, where she managed divisions with assets over $1.5 billion.  Previous to her work at Caterpillar, Ms. Coyle lived in London where she created and led GE Capital’s European Equipment Finance Syndication Department. Ms. Coyle holds B.A. degrees in Economics and German from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. 

Lise Evans - Board Member

Born and raised in Norway, Lise Evans has a B.A. in Journalism from New York University and an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University in teaching English.  She is the mother of 9 children.  She was Chair of the Board of The Storefront School before it became a charter school.  Lise has been on the Summer Steps Board from its beginning in 2012; is on the Board of the Whitney Museum since 2011; the New York Presbyterian Hospital Board since 2018; and the South Hampton Fresh Air Fund since 2008.  Her passion for education extends internationally and she is happy to help improve education in Liberia.

Inzata Fofana - board member

Inzata Fofana is an entrepreneur who recently founded a company which produces a line of skincare products made of all natural ingredients called D'Amony. Her past experience includes working in sales and advertising for the Palmolive Division of Lever Brothers Corporation in her native country of Cote d'Ivoire. Inzata has also worked as an assistant teacher at la Croisette French Language Center and is currently an assistant teacher at The Brick Church School.

Christine Garrison - Board Member

Christine Garrison is currently a teacher with the Life Adjustment Center teaching children with special needs. During her career Christine has worked extensively with children combining her interests in theater and education. For approximately seven years she traveled with several children's theater companies, including the Shoestring Players and Creative Arts Team under the direction of New York University, performing plays and workshops designed for children. She has also performed with the Castillo Theater and worked as a manager at the American Museum of Natural History, both in New York City. Christine received her BA in Liberal Arts/Political Science from Wilberforce University in Ohio. She is also the recipient of a certificate in Drama from the American Musical & Dramatic Academy in New York City.

William H. Hardie – Board Member

William (Tuck) Hardie is a Managing Director in Houlihan Lokey’s Financial Restructuring Group. Prior to joining Houlihan Lokey, Mr. Hardie held positions as Executive Vice President at Marvel Enterprises, Inc.  and as Executive Vice President of Fleer/SkyBox International LP, a $200 million trading card and confectionery subsidiary of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc. Previously, he practiced law as an Associate for Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts in New York and Jones Walker in New Orleans. Mr. Hardie holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Alabama and a J.D. from Vanderbilt University, where he was the Managing Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review.

Blanche Goble Mansfield - Board Member

Blanche Goble Mansfield currently serves as Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the American Community School at Beirut, Lebanon, a co-ed, independent school of 1,200 students from nursery through twelfth grade.  She first joined the American Community School as a consultant in 2000, and in 2004, she became a member of the Board of Trustees.  Blanche’s earlier career consisted of working as a teacher and administrator at the Nightingale-Bamford School in New York City from 1981 to 2016.  Beginning in 1985 she served as Head of Nightingale’s Lower School, which gave her responsibility over 225 students from kindergarten to fourth grade and 20 faculty members, with whom she worked on curriculum and professional development.  She also served on the Leadership Team with the Administration. Prior to her professional career, Blanche attended Smith College in Massachusetts, where she received an A.B in American Studies.  She later took graduate courses at Bank Street College of Education in New York City. 

Bob McCrie - Board Member

Robert McCrie is currently a professor of security management at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York and is the deputy chair of the Department of Security, Fire & Emergency Management. In his career he has advanced the academic field of security management. He is the founding editor of Security Journal and edited Security Letter from 1970-2017. He is the author of Security Operations Management. McCrie was trained as an urban historian specializing in criminal justice. He earned a PhD from the CUNY Graduate School and University Center and also has degrees from Ohio Wesleyan University, the University of Toledo, and Hunter College of the City University of New York. In addition to his professional work, McCrie serves as an advisory board member of the Interfaith Prison Partnership and is a patron of the American Friends of the National Museum of Scotland.

Sophia Pedrazzi - BOARD MEMBER

Sophia Pedrazzi is a current student at Lafayette College majoring in civil engineering with a concentration and minor in environmental science. Since grade school, Sophia invested much  time in many philanthropic efforts. Starting at five years old, she created Sophia’s Funds for Friends that helped raise money for children with medical needs. In recent years, she has collected school supplies, books, clothes, and electronics for schools in Monrovia, Liberia, including the African Dream Academy. She visited ADA in April, 2024.

Sam Seraphim - Board Member

Sam Seraphim started his business career at Canadian Pacific in Montreal.  From there he joined McKinsey & Company, then Chase Manhattan Bank NA in New York where he was focused on Project Finance and joint ventures in the MENA region.  He has been involved in or led over 100 financings, acquisitions, mergers, divestitures, international lending and trade financing exceeding $6 billion. He has acquired manufacturing and distribution companies in commercial industrial sectors, such as precast concrete, roofing, telecom hardware, automotive components, refinery, kitchen cabinet accessories, manufacturing heat exchange companies and food processing and distribution. He has been a board member of private and public companies, including Bon Secours Hospital (Michigan) and St. Catherine's College (Oxford) Foundation. He received a PhD (Oxford University), MS (London University), and BS (Leeds University) all in Electrical Engineering. He has published papers in engineering and scientific journals.

Kathryn Smerling, Ph.D. - Board Member

Kathryn Smerling, Ph.D. is a family therapist with a Ph.D. from Fordham University and Masters Degrees from both Cornell University and NYU. She has also completed the Extern Program at the Ackerman Institute for the Family and a certification from the National Institute for Psychotherapies. Dr. Smerling is a contributor to CNN, Fox News, and ABC News. She has also written articles for Vanity Fair, NY Post, and Hamptons House & Garden. Random House published Kathryn's "Instep", an early childhood curriculum for the State of New Mexico. Presently on the staff of Mount Sinai Hospital, she is the psychologist for the OB/GYN department, working with residents and interns as they face new challenges.

* Members of the Board of Directors serve on a voluntary basis and independently of any other professional or organizational affiliation.