| 2006 HONOREES - "The Year of the Women" |
Her Excellency, ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF, President, Republic of Liberia
Her Excellency graduated from the College of West Africa (Monrovia), a United Methodist high school. She holds a B.B.A. in Accounting, an
Economics diploma, and a Master's Degree in public administration from Harvard University.
Returning to Liberia after Harvard, she served as Assistant Minister of Finance in President William Tolbert's administration. She also worked
for Citibank in Nairobi, Kenya, where she lived in exile after the Tolbert Regime was toppled. She returned to run for Senate in 1985; but she
was sentenced to ten years in prison, when she spoke out against the Doe administration. Released after a short period, she moved to
Washington, D.C.. She returned to Liberia again in 1997 in the capacity of an economist, working for the World Bank, and Citibank in Africa.
Initially supporting Charles Taylor's bloody rebellion against President Samuel Doe in 1990, she later went on to oppose him, and ran against
him in the 1997 presidential elections. She managed only 10% of the votes, as opposed to Taylor's 75%.
In the first round of 2005 voting, she came second with 175,520 votes, putting her through to the runoff vote on November 8th. On November
11, the National Elections Commission of Liberia declared her to be President-elect of Liberia. On November 23 they confirmed their decision,
confirming her victory by a margin of 20%. Ellen was inaugurated 16, 2006.
ROSE MENDSCOLE
She is the product of a College of West Africa family. Her Father, Rev. J. J. Mends-Cole was a member of the Board for more than 25 years
and her mother was valedictorian of the Class of 1939. Brothers, sisters, children, nieces and nephews are also CWA Alumni.
In 1967, graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, she became the first professional Liberian Social Worker. She has worked in social
work, development and education for almost 40 years with people of all ages, social and cultural background and some of the most vulnerable,
which includes the mentally ill, handicapped, the homeless, refugee, and disaster victims.
From 1976 to 1981 she served as Director of Social Services and Assistant Minister for Social Welfare at the Ministry of Health and Social
Welfare. During Her tenure, she designed and implemented the first training program for social workers in Liberia. She was instrumental in
obtaining funding from the UN and other international organizations for projects for street children, Boys Town, the Blind School and the
School for the Deaf as well as conducting the first countrywide survey of handicapped children in Liberia. In 1979, she served as the Liberian
Coordinator for the International Year of the Child and received funding from UNICEF on a groundbreaking program for girls in the Sande
Society that trained Zoes throughout the country in health and child development particular to their profession.
As Field Director and Program Coordinator for PLAN International for eleven years, she worked in several African countries, including Liberia,
Sierra Leone, Senegal, Togo, Egypt, Sudan, and Kenya developing the health, education and agriculture sectors primarily in rural villages;
training community leaders; and administering disaster relief.
She served as Interim President of the CWA Alumni Association from 1996-1997 and held the first Memorial Day Convention in 1997. In
1999, her class published the CWA Alumni Review for their 40th anniversary.
MONICA E. CAPHART
Monica is a Senior Compliance Officer in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Division of Manufacturing and Product Quality
(DMPQ), Office of Compliance, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).
She began her FDA career in 1989, as an analyst in the Northeast Regional Laboratory, transferred to the Office of Regulatory Affairs as a
Scientific Coordinator, before moving to her current position at CDER in 1993. In 1997 Monica was selected as DMPQ’s technical/regulatory
specialist on pharmaceutical laboratory good manufacturing practices (GMPs).
In 2000 Monica was awarded a Mansfield Fellowship (a program whose focus is to enhance US/Japan government relations) which enabled her
to study Japanese for a year, followed by a year at Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, where she learned about Japanese GMPs.
She’s a member of FDA’s Foreign Inspection Cadre and a training resource for FDA and the pharmaceutical industry.
Monica holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and a Master of Science degree in Pharmacology.
Monica is a former President of the College of West Africa Alumni Association, USA, Inc. (June 1999 – May 2001)
KAU-LILLIAN BOAYUE
Kau-Lillian, 5th of 17 children, is a Classification Specialist at the Genuine Parts Company in Atlanta, Georgia. She began her corporate career
at the Gallup Organization (Princeton) in 1989 as a research editor with the Gallup Youth Polls; Gallup (New York) as a Market Research
Coordinator and CRM Director/Trainer; and transferred to Gallup (Atlanta) continuing in her position as CRM Director/Trainer. She worked
with Gallup for 15 years until 2003.
Lillian holds a Bachelors degree in Marketing and Risk Management; Sales & Project Management Certification; A Masters of Business
Administration and A graduate Certificate in Marketing and Acquisitions (2006); and is currently pursuing a graduate certificate in Professional
Accounting (Controllership Emphasis).
Lillian is a former President of the College of West Africa Alumni Association, USA, Inc., serving two consecutive terms. (June 2001 – May
2005)
SYLVIA A. TALHOUK-PIERRE
Sylvia is a 1985 graduate of the College of West Africa. After migrating to the United States, she attended Devry Institute of Technology
where she graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor in Business Administration. Upon graduation, Sylvia relocated to Atlanta and Married her high
school sweet heart, Fitzgerald Pierre. They have been married for 10 yrs and are the proud parents of one daughter, Alexandria Jayden Pierre.
Sylvia is currently employed with Medlin Treatment Center in Marietta, GA. where she serves as the company’s Business Manager. Besides
being a devoted wife and mother, Sylvia enjoys event planning & organizing, attending church, cooking and reading. Her excellent organizational
skills were exemplified as she led the GA & Carolinas chapter in hosting the 2003 & 2004 reunion in Atlanta, GA. She also enjoys working in
her community. Currently, she volunteers with a Non-Profit organization (Paulding County Pregnancy Center) in planning fundraising events
to raise awareness about alternatives to abortion.
PATRICIA JABBEH WESLEY
Patricia is Assistant Professor of English at the Pennsylvania State University in Altoona, Pennsylvania. She has previously worked in as
Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of English, Indiana University of Pennsylvania; Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of English
Western Michigan University; Kalamazoo, Michigan; Doctoral Associate, Department of English, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo,
Michigan; Adjunct Instructor, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Michigan; Adjunct Instructor, Davenport College, Grand Rapids,
Michigan.
Lecturer, The University of Liberia; Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa.
Patricia is a product of the College of West Africa. She holds a B.A., English (Cum Laude), University of Liberia; M.S., English Education,
Indiana University; and a Ph.D., Creative Writing and English, Western Michigan University.
She is the author of several publications, literary journals and Anthologies: Before The Palm Could Bloom: Poems of Africa, New Issues
Press, Western Michigan University, 1998; Becoming Ebony; Southern Illinois University Press, 2003; “Monrovia Revisited,” and “The
Women In My Family.” Penn State Research Magazine. (September 2005); “This Hill Will Get You There.” Common Wealth: Contemporary
Poets on Pennsylvania. Eds. Marjorie Maddox and Jerry Wemple (2005); “All Dirges Have Ceased.” The American Journal of Nursing.
(September 2003); “In The Ruined City: A Poem for Monrovia.” Newsday Magazine. (July 2003); “I Envy The Dead Already.” The English
Academy Review of South Africa. (March 2002); “We’ve Done It All.” Karamu. (April 2002); “This Is What I Tell My Daughter” and “In
The Beginning.” The Cortland Review. (Feb. 2002); “My Neighbors’ Dogs” and “What The Land Carver Said To The Sky.” Crab Orchard
Review. 6:2. (Spring 2001); “All The Soft Things of Earth,” “They Want To Rise UP,” “For My Husband,” and “War Baby.” The Midday
Moon. (Spring 2001); “Around The Mountains” and “Get Out of Here, Boys.” New Orleans Review. 26: 3. (2000); “Making God,”
“Monrovia,” “For Teetee,” and “Strange Lovers.” Echoes Across The Valley: Poets of Africa. (Nairobi, Kenya, 2000); “Elegy to West Point
Fishermen,” I Now Wander” and “Ruined Trails.”
Crab Orchard Review. 5:1. (1999);
She is the recipient of several awards: The Crab Orchard Open Competition Award, Second Book of Poetry Series 2002; Victor E. Ward
Foundation Crystal Award, Achievement in the Arts for Contribution to Liberian Literature 2001; All-University Graduate Research and
Creative Scholar Award, Western Michigan University 2002; English Department Graduate Research and Creative Scholar, Western Michigan
University 1999-2000; World Bank Fellowship 1983-85 .
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