William Asiedu, the founder, and CEO of the Distant Relatives Project is a recent graduate and Masters candidate of the University of Maryland College Park. In his day to day life, he serves as a Linux and Cloud Engineer for the University’s Division of Information Technology. He was born the last child and only son, to Ghanaian immigrants. William’s diverse leadership experiences enable him to connect with people of all ethnic backgrounds while creating a positive impact on humanity. In his free time, he serves as the Director of Music at Christ Gospel Church, in Silver Spring, Maryland. He prides himself in generating opportunities for the public to help the less privileged in hopes for a better and more sustainable future for all.

With his work in various spaces, including real estate, entertainment/nightlife and of course philanthropy, Messai makes a positive impact on many formal and eclectic networks. As the director of strategic marketing for The Distant Relatives Project, Messai’s focus is to deepen engagement and inspire the public and community to give, advocate, and volunteer; he takes pride in creatively advancing the visibility, reputation, and relevance of the organization’s brand with multiple constituencies.

Jason Akyea is a Computer Network Defense Analyst working for the DOD at the Army Research Lab. With a focus on vulnerability management he is focused on ensuring that major vulnerabilities are remediated to reduce the risk of exploitation. Jason’s role in the Distant Relatives Project is to plan, organize and collaborate with different organizations to create events and programs that provide an opportunity to have an impact on local communities.

As a recent Cyber Security Graduate from UMUC, Gilford is an IT Consultant
seeking to bring awareness to technology in Africa. He is highly interested in this mission
and believes an early technical education in Africa children will help advance the continent.

Jennifer is an accountant with experience in tax, compliance, bookkeeping, audit prep, and payroll. She holds a B.S. in Accounting from Towson University and an MBA from the University of Maryland Global Campus.

As a first-generation Ghanaian-American, she prides herself in hard work and creating opportunities for underserved communities locally and in the diaspora. With her role as the Director of Finance, she plans to use her knowledge, driven by passion in community service, to create effective systems to manage, organize, and maintain the organization’s financial health. She also serves as a member of the Feed Our Relatives Committee. When she is not crunching numbers, Jennifer can be found hiking, traveling, singing, or spending time with loved ones.

"With a Civil Engineering education from Virginia Tech, and a career as a Data Scientist and Statistician; I am a technical minded person with a habit of implementing systems into everything I do. Coupled with an outgoing personality, tenured work in both Real Estate and Nightlife/Entertainment, and the personal belief that the world is only advanced by those who more than fill their current places; I look forward to championing the mission of DRP and helping our communities elevate to better positions in society".