About Us

With a transformative background rooted in global service and community empowerment, Kimberly Martin brings a wealth of experience in international development, strategic leadership, and gender equity. Her journey began as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania, where her passion for grassroots development and cross-cultural collaboration was ignited.

Following her Peace Corps service, Kimberly continued to build on this passion through her work with AfricAid, where she witnessed the powerful impact of nonprofit initiatives on young women’s education and empowerment. Her desire to deepen her global impact led her to earn a Master’s degree from The Fletcher School at Tufts University, specializing in Gender and Intersectional Analysis and Business for Social Impact.

Kimberly’s academic journey has been marked by distinguished honors, including being named a Global Leadership Fellow, an Empowerment Fellow, a David L. Boren Fellow, and a Presidential Management Fellow—recognitions that highlight her commitment to equity, innovation, and global change.

She is also the co-founder of Active Heirs, a startup nonprofit dedicated to empowering Black heirs’ property owners and addressing intergenerational land loss. This work demonstrates her entrepreneurial mindset and commitment to systemic solutions for historically marginalized communities.

Now serving as President of Friends of Tanzania, Kimberly is honored to lead an organization that has played a vital role in supporting Tanzanian communities and sustaining people-to-people connections. Her leadership is informed by lived experience, academic insight, and a deep respect for Tanzanian partners. She brings strategic vision, a collaborative spirit, and a strong desire to amplify local voices and expand FOT’s impact.

For Kimberly, serving as President is a way to give back to a country and community that profoundly shaped her personal and professional path. She looks forward to working with the FOT board, members, and partners to build on the organization’s legacy and help shape a future of meaningful, measurable, and people-centered progress.

Quinn McGrory currently works in the Classification Division of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, helping to recruit scientists and other technical experts to protect the environment and human health. He previously served with Peace Corps Tanzania from February 2017 to March 2020, working to develop water infrastructure and sanitation projects in his rural community. Now as the Vice President of FOT, Quinn helps to organize Executive Committee meetings, outline committee priorities, and brainstorm ideas for new FOT activities.

Quinn is originally from Wilmington, Delaware, and he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Johns Hopkins University with BAs in Writing and Philosophy, as well as a minor in Psychology. In his free time, he enjoys gaming, learning about game design, practicing writing, taking walks outside, and working out.

After 38 years as a lawyer and community volunteer, Bob fulfilled a life-long ambition as a PCV volunteer in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania.  Bob joined FOT upon his return in 2018, and served on the Projects Committee for two years.  Bob is currently serving as the Board Secretary, and overseeing FOT’s Website.  In addition to his work as an attorney, Bob volunteers with several other non-profits, both in the States and in Tanzania.

Bob grew up in California, received a BA in Mathematics from Middlebury College in Vermont,  and his JD from the University of Michigan Law School and now lives in Madison, New Jersey.

Brandon is a RPVC TZ 2018-2020.  He has previous experience in nonprofits and financial administration, with a BS in business administration with an emphasis in finance and a minor in public health from Fresno State, as well as a Masters of Public Administration from Syracuse University. Brandon is currently working with the City of Stockton as a budget analyst where his financial responsibilities include complex budgeting, forecasting, payroll and accounting for various City departments.  Brandon has served as FOT’s Treasurer since January 2022.

Shamis Abdulla is a Zanzabari who moved to the USA in 1998 in Washington DC area. He finished his studies at Montgomery college in graphic design, and lives and works in DC. Shamis has been active in the Tanzanian community, and is one of the founders of Zanzibar Diaspora Association (ZADIA) which is an umbrella which unites all Zanzibari who are in the USA. He has also worked with the Association of Tanzanian Community in DMV (DC, Maryland and Virginia), as well the Tanzanian Muslim Community in the Washington DC area. Shamis looks forward to working to connect FOT with more of the Tanzanian community in the DC area and elsewhere.

Thomas Arminio is a first-generation farmer and agriculture & food systems leader. He farmed in rural New York for eight seasons, served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania, and managed agricultural programs with One Acre Fund and CNFA. A New Jersey native, he holds a BA in Literature from Seton Hall and an MA in Global Development from Cornell. Thomas now lives in Washington, DC, where he serves as Development Manager for Dreaming Out Loud and sits on the Friends of Tanzania Communications Committee.

Clay Batko served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania from 2016 – 2019 as a sustainable agriculture extension agent. In addition to training local farmers in sustainable farming practices, Clay served as chair of the Peace Corps Tanzania Projects Committee, where he reviewed and edited 45 volunteer grants and designed, implemented, and evaluated a $250 USAID-funded grant. His project review experience makes Clay a valuable member of FOT’s Projects Committee. Clay currently works as a Program Analyst at US Environmental Protection Agency.

Chris Biles currently lives in Washington D.C. and works as a International Program Specialist for the Foreign Agricultural Service. She previously worked for various conservation and environmental education organizations in California and Alaska, and for the United States Peace Corps in Tanzania from 2015 to 2018 where she focused on sustainable agriculture and water management as a Agriculture Volunteer in Njombe and Peace Corps Volunteer Leader in Dar es Salaam. Chris graduated from St. Lawrence University with a BS in Conservation Biology where she studied at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, and extensively in the Adirondack State Park of New York. Chris is originally from Western NY, just outside of Rochester, and enjoys music, hiking, ultimate frisbee, and creative writing.

Zainul has over 20 years in banking and finance and is currently Head of Global Markets and Head of Treasury at Stanbic Bank Tanzania in Dar es Salaam. He is excited to become a Board Member where he can use his skills to help meet FOT’s objectives. Zaniul values the importance of building and maintain relationships with various stakeholders and hopes to increase FOT’s connections with Tanzanian organizations.

Mr. Flock is an agribusiness and humanitarian assistance professional with 15 years of experience leading multimillion dollar agricultural and emergency response projects that align public private relationships, strengthen (last-mile) market systems and design and implement activities for communities in need of emergency response.  Mr. Flock’s career began as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya working with farmer cooperatives which further informed his programmatic approaches to foster sustainable growth in both emerging and post-conflict economies throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Currently, Mr. Flock is ACDI/VOCA’s Senior Technical Director for Resilience and Growth focusing on programs in Kenya, Somalia and select countries operating in East Africa region. Mr. Flock holds a Msc. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University and has a working knowledge of Kiswahili.  When not spending his time in Kenya, Mr. Flock enjoys returning to his home in Utah trying to spend as much time as possible outside either skiing, biking, camping or fishing.

Andrew is a RPCV – TZ 2014-2016 and is currently Senior Program Manager at Digital Green.  He also worked for One Acre Fund in Tanzania from 2016-2019. Andrew is an active member of the FOT Projects Committee.  Andrew is currently working for a global development organization that empowers smallholder farmers to lift themselves out of poverty by harnessing the collective power of technology and grassroots level partnerships. He and his wife, also a RPCV-TZ, live in Brownsville, Texas.

Jennifer Kron has over 25 years of service as a Federal government employee and is currently the Deputy Chief Information Officer of the National Security Agency.  She has been involved in FOT leadership in various roles since visiting Tanzania on vacation in 2008.  She lives in Washington, DC with her husband and two cats.  When not working, supporting FOT, or catering to her cats, Jennifer can be found training for triathlons or birding.

Sarah Rosenbloom was born and raised in Washington DC. She attended Columbia University, graduating with a degree in English and Comparative Literature. After working in the book publishing industry in New York City for ten years at presses such as Grove/Atlantic, Overlook, and New York University, Sarah traveled to Tanzania for the first time in 2007. She was a volunteer nursery school teacher and employee of other non-governmental organizations before founding The Toa Nafasi Project in 2012. Operating within the public school system in Kilimanjaro, Toa Nafasi provides tutorial support to primary schoolchildren who are struggling due to learning differences. Sarah returned to the United States in 2019 after 12 years abroad, but has remained involved with Toa as Founder and Board Member as it continues to operate under Tanzanian leadership.

Brett Thompson is originally from Red Bank, New Jersey but has called many places home, most notably the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania and St. Paul, MN. Brett received an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from Eckerd College in Florida and Masters in Sustainable Engineering from Villanova University concentrating in humanitarian assistance. Brett has a passion for working in emergency management, food security, and in environmental sustainability. He served in the U.S. Peace Corps as an agriculture extension officer (RPCV 2014-2017) and has subsequently worked and managed several USAID- and UNWFP-funded projects across East Africa for Catholic Relief Services (CRS). He also led large-scale emergency food relief operations focusing on urban & rural recovery projects in South Sudan.

Brett currently works for the federal government in emergency management supervisory teams assisting in disaster recovery efforts.

Brett is also an avid surfer, loves all things related to the water and outdoors, and is actively learning to cook Afghani cuisine with his fellow RPCV wife.