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 economist at the World Bank and works in Europe and Central Asia Region on issues of human development, poverty reduction, project design and implementation and analytic and advisory services. He holds a PhD. in economics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Formerly, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a Fulbright fellow at Virginia Tech, and an assistant lecturer at Alemaya University. At IFPRI, Lire carried out research on food security and poverty reduction strategies for the less fortunate countries in Africa, South Asia and Latin America. His research has been widely published in academic journals as well as in the World Bank and IFPRI Policy Research Paper Series. Lire's work has covered many countries including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kyrgyz Republic, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Serbia and Zimbabwe.

5. Assefa Ashebo, Member
Assefa Ashebo earned Baccalaureate degrees in Business Administration and Accounting from California State University, San Bernardino and Valley College in California. Currently, he serves as an accountant in Tallahassee, Florida. Assefa worked in Accounting and Marketing fields for the past twenty years, of which three are with international development agencies based in Ethiopia.