KDN has a team of dedicated and experienced people who are capable of implementing its current and future programs.

1. Alemayehu Lirenso, President
Alemayehu Lirenso holds a Ph.D in development studies from the University of East Anglia (U.K) and currently teaches graduate and undergraduate classes at the University of Phoenix (Northern California Campus). Formerly, he was a visiting scholar at Stanford University, an Assistant Professor of Geography and a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Research of Addis Ababa University. He has extensive research experience, obtained four international research awards including The World Bank Robert McNamara Fellowship, and served as consultant to international development agencies, non-governmental agencies, and the national government. His research expertise and publications include agricultural policy, food security, food aid, sustainable development, regional planning, economic reforms and market liberalization.

2. Haile Larebo, Vice President
Dr. Haile M. Larebo teaches history at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA. He holds a BA, STL, and MPhil degrees in Divinity and Religious Studies. He earned his PhD in African History from the School of Oriental and African Studies of University of London. Haile M. Larebo has extensive community work experience. He was involved with the British Refugee Council and a leading Ethiopian refugee community in London, the Ethiopian Community in Britain, where he served as treasurer and chair. Dr. Haile Larebo has published several articles in scholarly magazines and journals. His magnum opus, The Building of an Empire: Italian Land Policy and Practice in Ethiopia, 1935-1941, was published by Clarendon Press Oxford University Press, and is winner of the 1995 Helen Marraro Prize. He has presented several papers in academic conferences and community gatherings.

3. Mary Mengesha, Secretary
Mary Mengesha graduated from College of Teacher Education in Business Administration and Accounting in Addis Ababa and took Computer Skills Training at Cameo Computer Training Center in New York. She also earned nursing skills from Americare School of Nursing in Montgomery County, Maryland, USA. Mary worked for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Addis Ababa for more than 11 years and handled a number of UNICEF's emergency activities during the 1984-85 drought period. She is currently based in Maryland, USA and works for the US Federal Government, NIH (National Institute of Health).

4. Lire Ersado, Treasurer
Lire Ersado is Senior Economist in the Middle East and North Africa region of the World Bank, working on issues of human development, poverty reduction, project design and implementation, and analytic and advisory activities. Formerly, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a Fulbright fellow at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and an assistant lecturer at Alemaya University. Lire's work has covered many countries including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kyrgyz Republic, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Serbia and Zimbabwe. Lire holds a PhD. in economics from Virginia Tech.

5. Lydia Asfaw, Member
Lydia Asfaw graduated from College of Notre Dame in Maryland, majoring in Accounting and Computer Information systems. She is also a Microsoft-Certified System Engineer For NT 2000. Lydia had worked over six years as a Regional Computer Coordinator for East Africa branch of Catholic Relief services (CRS) based in Nairobi. She was in charge of computer-related issues and training for CRS offices in ten countries, namely, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Burundi, Madagascar, Burkina Faso, and Sierra Leone. After being transferred to Catholic Relief Services Head Quarter in Baltimore, MD, Lydia worked for seven years as a Programmer & Help Desk Technician. In this position, she was responsible for the in-house written Financial Accounting System support for over 40 countries. Currently, Lydia serves as senior project accountant for ACDI/VOCA, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization. She is responsible for project accounts of more than eight countries and has traveled to Israel, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Azerbaijan, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi.

6. Bruk T. Woldesenbet

Bruk T. Woldesenbet graduated from Addis Ababa University in Economics. He served as an Economic Attaché four years in Germany, the biggest export destination for Ethiopian products. His role included promoting Ethiopian products and tourist attractions, recruiting investors as well as mobilizing resource from the German NGOs to development projects in Ethiopia. Prior to his diplomatic assignment at the Ethiopian Consulate General in Frankfurt, Bruk worked at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a Desk officer of the European Union, Scandinavian countries, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain and Portugal in the Europe and America Directorate General.