Anne Wells
FOUNDER & Executive Director
Anne Wells founded Unite the World with Africa Foundation, Inc. in November of 2014 to serve and empower some of the most impoverished people on our planet. She has been working in and out of Africa since she was 19 studying in Tanzania as a student of wildlife and human cultural management. Anne spent extensive time in Tanzania between 1991 and 1994 and returned in 2008 to start the social enterprise Unite the World with Africa LLC, under which she runs the Unite Tours service safari program, the Ashe Collection global marketplace for African artistry, and the Unite for Africa youth group program in the United States.
A global social entrepreneur, Anne has been recognized for her work by being named a “Local Defender” by the Robert F Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. She also received an special recognition from Senator Richard Blumenthal for Unite's "extraordinary commitment to connecting Americans and Tanzanians in meaningful and impactful ways to alleviate human suffering." A seasoned marketing and communications professional, Wells has more than 25 years of experience working with corporations and not-for-profits. She is also a writer and editor and authored and published two non-fiction books that sold and distributed nearly 30,000 copies. Anne received her BA in Anthropology from Kenyon College in 1993 and attended the University of California at Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. She is currently enrolled in an online masters in nonfiction writing program at Johns Hopkins University. Anne is married to David Wells and together they have three daughters — ages 17, 19 and 22. She lives in Wellesley, MA, USA.
Nicole Gerber
Nicole Gerber is a fundraising and event planning specialist for non-profit organizations focused on making positive impacts in their communities. She has served on the Unite the World with Africa Foundation Board of Advisors since 2017 and has visited Tanzania and Unite’s in-country partners on multiple occasions. In addition to her work with Unite, Nicole currently serves on the Westport (CT) Town Committee for the Wakeman Town Farm Sustainability Center where she is responsible for fundraising and donor relations. She also serves on the Events committee for the Westport Downtown Association Board of Directors. Previously, Nicole spent seven years as co-Director of AWARE: Assisting Women through Action Resources and Education, a NYC-based non-profit. Nicole has a BA from Rutgers University and a degree in Culinary Arts from the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC. She resides in Westport, CT, with her husband, two teenage children, and three very energetic dogs.
STEVEN GERBER
Steven is the President and Chief Operating Officer at Zeta Global, an international AI Marketing Cloud business. Steve has been a Zeta leader since 2009 and oversees the day-to-day management of the company, including product development, business development, customer success and operations. Steve has more than 20 years of experience in data-driven digital technology. Previously, Steve was a Senior Vice President at Tranzact LLC and held management positions at Bain & Company and Digitas LLC. Steve holds a BA from Northwestern University and an MBA from Columbia University.
Dr. Nikki Gorman
Born and raised in sunny Southern California “Dr Nikki” graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, attended Duke University Medical school, followed by a residency at The Stanford University’s Children’s Hospital. She then returned to New York City to practice pediatrics for five years as a founding member of the Cornell Medical College Faculty Practice on the Westside. In 2009, she co-founded her own medical practice called Village Pediatrics. Dr Nikki lives in Westport, Connecticut, with her partner Galia Gichon and their three teen girls and three dogs. (Dr. Nikki's two sons have flown the nest!) In Dr. Nikki's free time she has fun being a girl scout leader with Dr. Sarah Siegel for over 9 years, interviews for Duke undergrads, and she is the pediatrician for the boys at the ABC house (https://www .abetterchanceofwestport.org).
Kim Merriman
Kim Merriman brings to Unite more than 17 years of experience in the fixed income markets working between Boston, London and New York. Most recently Kim was working with Morgan Stanley in New York City. Kim is a CFA holder and 1991 graduate of Colby College. Kim’s love of service and international travel (which has taken her all over the world) inspired her to join Unite's inaugural humanitarian outreach tour to Tanzania in 2009 as a lead team member. She has since co-led additional tours through 2016 and serves as one of Unite's lead photographers.
DAVID WELLS
David Wells is a Transaction Advisory Services partner with Ernst & Young LLP where he supports multi-national corporate and private equity clients on acquisitions and divestitures. David has more than 20 years of transaction experience in a variety of industries including industrial products, process outsourcing, business services, consumer products, aerospace, the construction industry and financial services. David is a certified public accountant licensed in the state of New York and a successful business professional. David received his BS in Economics from Trinity College in 1990 and his M.S. in accounting from NYU Stern School of Business in 1991. David has traveled throughout Africa, including time spent in Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. In June 2017, David led our Hike for Heaven team, summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro in support of our work with The Heaven School.
deborah wiley
In addition to her work with Unite, Debbie currently serves as Chair of the The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Rhode Island chapter; Chair of The Wiley Foundation, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. which awards the annual Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences; and on the board of Island Press in Washington, DC, and Southern Vermont College in Bennington, VT. Debbie worked on site with Unite's programs in Tanzania in October 2016 and will return in June 2017 to help with strategic planning and development. Debbie lives between New York City and Little Compton, RI.