Our Board of Directors

Drew Nissly, Board Chair

Drew is the founder and president of Nittany Laser LLC. At Nittany Laser, he designs and builds custom laser welding tools for companies worldwide and also provides laser welding services to companies across the USA. He is also co-founder of Pure Respirator, a company started to provide personal protective equipment to hospital workers during the COVID-19 Crisis.

Drew has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Grove City College and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Penn State University.

Drew has previously served on the leadership team for the young adult group at his church, volunteered as a mentor at the county jail, and is a founding member of the Racial Unity Network (RUN). Drew has been a supporter of Urugo Care Rwanda since 2011 and made his first visit to Rwanda with UCR in 2018. The trip helped Drew to see the great need in Rwanda and the great work that UCR is doing there.

Drew lives in State College PA, with his wife, Ruth, and dog, Mason. Drew and Ruth are passionate about social justice and love traveling.

Hannah Ingram, Executive Director & Board Secretary

Hannah is the Interim Executive Director and Program Director for Urugo Care Rwanda. After spending two and a half years on the ground in Rwanda, she is now back in State College continuing involvement from the U.S. She is overseeing the Rwandan staff who now have more responsibility in the daily operations of the organization and interacting more with the Board of Directors and donors. She is excited for the challenges and learning opportunities ahead as she continues to invest in these students and families in Rwanda. She believes that learning (and formal education) is an fundamental right of every person and the basis for strengthening individuals and communities so that they grow and develop to their fullest potential.

Prior to going to live in Rwanda, Hannah was a research technician working with Riparia at Penn State University. She spent her days doing a variety of tasks related to wetland research including lots of fieldwork in the summer (teaching and managing undergraduate interns) as well as GIS (geographic information systems) and other data analysis. She enjoys learning and discovering new things, seeking to see and understand the connections between nature and people and place and then extend what she learns to benefit and serve others. Hannah has returned to this work at Penn State in a part-time role.

Hannah has been blessed to travel for school, fun with family and friends, and ministry opportunities to distant places including Costa Rica, Nepal, Austria, France, Aruba, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Rwanda, Moldova, Uganda, and Mexico. These have been incredible learning and heart-growing experiences that shape the way that she sees her place in this crazy world and compel her to live and love for the betterment of others.

Matthew Heinz, Board Treasurer

Matthew is the Chief Administrative Officer for energy management software publisher EnergyCAP, Inc. His primary role is to oversee facilities management, benefits administration, corporate insurance and accounts, payroll, accounts payable, and event planning.

Prior to this, he was the VP of Customer Service at EnergyCAP for nine years. Additional contributions to the company include treasurer on the board of directors and Catalyst Conference presenter. Previous experience that helped him develop his customer experience skill set is donor manager for several non-profit organizations, support staff in college, and coach for developmentally-disabled adults.

He earned his MBA with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from North Park University in 2016. Matthew received his Master of Arts Degree from Fuller Theological Seminary and his Bachelor of Arts from Bethel College.

He also volunteers as the Director of Guest Services at Calvary Church, where he oversees a group of 130.

Matthew has a wide range of experience in developing countries. His most memorable work has been spent in Rwanda, the Dominican Republic, and the Philippines.

He currently resides in Port Matilda, PA with his wife, Theresa, four sons, and one daughter.

Steve Heinz (ex-officio member)

Steve is the founder and CEO of EnergyCAP, Inc. an energy efficiency software publisher. He belongs to the Association of Energy Engineers and is a Licensed Professional Engineer in PA and a Certified Energy Manager. In his spare time he likes to read, exercise, bike, boat, and go out to eat. Steve has travelled internationally to the Dominican Republic and the Philippines. He values education because it has enabled him to start and run businesses and employ others.

Nellie bhattarai

Nellie is excited to participate as a board member for Urugo Care Rwanda, after being a contributor to the organization for the past few years. As a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal, she learned first-hand about the gifts and challenges of communities in other parts of the world and it helped her heart grow. After spending two years in Nepal, she returned to the U.S. and felt called to re-skill as a Horticultural Therapist and found a way to combine two loves: working with plants and working with people.

In 2017, Nellie, her husband, and two daughters were able to travel to Rwanda to visit Hannah (who was then living in Rwanda doing the work of Urugo Care Rwanda on the field). The whole family LOVED getting to know Rwanda and its people in the two weeks they were visiting. The country of Rwanda is a treasure and she is glad to have the opportunity to support the work of Urugo Care Rwanda by volunteering her time and energy as a Board member. She and her family live in Boalsburg, PA.

Noel Habashy

Noel has worked in international education for over 10 years and has called Canada, Costa Rica, Egypt, Honduras, and the USA home. He recently completed a PhD in international community development at Pennsylvania State University focusing his research on the impacts on communities in the Global South (developing world) that have partnerships with universities in the Global North. Noel is passionate about empowering local communities around the globe and developing strong global partnership which benefit all parties.

He and his incredible wife, Mary, along with their son, Elias, love exploring their home of State College and around the globe.

ANDREW MARKER

Andrew has been volunteering his time to Urugo Care Rwanda since 2010. He enjoys the outdoors and creating things which fills most of his days in his career as a landscaper in Centre County, Pennsylvania. His greatest joys come from being a father and spending time with his family.

OLIVIER NTWALI

Olivier is Rwandan and brings a unique perspective to the Board of Directors for Urugo Care Rwanda. His time growing up in Rwanda involved some challenges including not being able to continuously attend school. He understands the value of education and learned a lot from both his time in school and through the struggles of finding a way to attend. He is able to empathize with the families and students that Urugo Care Rwanda works with which allows him to encourage and challenge them to maximize their opportunities.

Olivier hopes his knowledge of the people and culture and customs of Rwanda will help to guide the discussions and decisions the Board makes regarding the work of Urugo Care Rwanda.