Who We Are

Cindy Nofziger

Founder and Senior Advisor

Cindy Nofziger founded Schools for Salone in the fall of 2005. After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone in the mid-1980s, she returned to the country decades later and reconnected with friends and colleagues from Masanga. During that trip, Cindy’s friend John Sesay asked if she could help with efforts to rebuild the school in his village that had been destroyed during the war. Cindy raised funds for school construction by selling note cards made from drawings done by local Leonean children. The efforts were successful – a short time later, Cindy was back in the village celebrating with the community and students at the opening of the brand new school. Encouraged by the possibilities, and driven by the unmet need for educational assistance in the country, Cindy launched Schools for Salone to help vulnerable communities all across Sierra Leone.

Allison Sinning

Executive Director

Allison Sinning is the Executive Director for Schools for Salone. She served in the Peace Corps and taught in Sierra Leone from 2010 to 2012. She has experience working with NGOs and social services such as the Peace Corps Liberia, Lutheran Social Services of SD, EmBe, and SfS. Allison is passionate about education, civil rights, and social action.

Joanna Matson

Staff and Data Management

Joanna Mattson serves as SfS’s Finance and Business Information Manager.  She holds a master’s in information management & systems from UC Berkeley and a BA in Economics from the University of Washington. She joined Schools for Salone in 2022.

Jon Bayley

Jon Bayley is currently the President of the Board for Schools for Salone, which he joined in 2012.  He is a veteran of the US Navy and a career teacher and administrator in public and private schools in the Seattle area.  He holds BA and MAT degrees from Harvard University, and for five years was head of the Lakeside Educational Enrichment Program, which helps middle school students from Seattle schools make a successful transition to high 

Emory Brinkman

Emory Brinkman was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone. He taught Senior Secondary math in Rotifunk, a small town in the Moyamba District of the Southern Province. When he wasn’t at the school, Emory worked at the local community center, preparing students for the WASSCE (their version of the SATs/ACTs) and introducing them to computer basics. In his free time, he ran the Sierra Leone Marathon and lounged around Bureh Beach. Emory joined the board at Schools for Salone because he is focused on helping improve the access to and quality of education in Sierra Leone. A Seattle resident, Emory is a UW football season ticket holder and can be found in the mountains, hiking or snowboarding, on weekends.

Bidemi Carrol

Dr. Bidemi Carrol is an international education specialist with over 18 years of experience supporting education reform across Africa. Born and initially educated in Sierra Leone, her commitment to expanding opportunity through education is both personal and professional. She has worked closely with governments, donors, and nonprofit organizations to strengthen education systems, improve teaching and learning, and expand opportunities for underserved children. Her experience includes leadership roles with the World Bank, RTI International, and the International Rescue Committee, as well as independent consulting. Dr. Carrol has led large-scale programs and research initiatives across Sierra Leone and other countries in West and East Africa. She holds a Ph.D. in International Comparative Education and a master’s degree in economics from Stanford University. Through her service on the board of Schools for Salone, she is committed to supporting efforts that ensure every child in Sierra Leone has access to a quality education and the opportunity to thrive.

Barbara Herz

Barbara Herz, Ph.D., has worked on girls’ education for more than thirty years. In the 1970’s she headed the U.S. Agency for International Development Division responsible for policy in education, health, and population. She was a member of the U.S. delegation to the UN Conference for Women in Copenhagen in 1980. She then worked in 1981-1999 at the World Bank, where she launched the Women in Development division and then led another division covering education, health, and population in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. She was a member of the World Bank Delegation to the UN Conference for Women in Nairobi in 1986. She later served as senior adviser for social sectors to Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers and is now an economic consultant living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She holds a BA from Wellesley and a PhD from Yale and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Michael Gibbons

Michael Gibbons, Ph.D. served as an agricultural extension worker and trainer in Sierra Leone with Peace Corps in the 1970s. He worked in basic education, community development, and social justice in the 1980s and 90s in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and low-income areas of the USA. From 1998 to his retirement in 2019, he served as a director with the Banyan Tree Foundation and Wellspring Philanthropic Fund. From 2000 to 2025, he served as faculty of the International Training and Education MA program at American University. He is currently a co-founder and member of The Alternatives Project (TAP), a global network of education activists and social change leaders. He is a long time SfS board member and advisor. 

Erica Lane

Erica Lane is a nonprofit executive and community engagement leader with more than 15 years of experience advancing equitable access to education and strengthening community-rooted organizations. Born and raised in Seattle, she has built cross-sector partnerships and led fundraising strategies to expand access and support sustainable community impact.

Erica has partnered with locally led educational initiatives in Tanzania and Ghana, grounded in her belief that education is a powerful pathway to opportunity and community transformation. She brings experience in donor engagement, organizational leadership, and inclusive collaboration.

She currently serves as Executive Director of the Seattle Fire Foundation, where she leads fundraising and community engagement efforts in support of firefighters and their families. Through her service with Schools for Salone, she is committed to supporting locally driven efforts that help ensure every child in Sierra Leone has access to quality education and the opportunity to thrive.

James Mannah

James Mannah was born in Sierra Leone, raised in Freetown and went to the Albert Academy. He moved to the United States to attend Wisconsin University where he studied international relations and later moved to San Francisco for graduate school at Golden Gate University where he studied International Business. When he discovered Schools for Salone, he liked what the organization was doing and decided to donate as well as hold a few fundraisers. We were really touched by the schools built and wanted to continue to help. James, his wife Pam and son, Safa went to Sierra Leone in 2009 to put on soccer clinics at three SfS schools. The clinics were well received, and James and family found them very fulfilling. He and his family reside in San Francisco.