Board of Directors

Brendah Walyemwa is an internationally chartered certified accountant (ACCA) and a CPA certified in Virginia. She has 20 years of accounting experience in various environments including public accounting, financial reporting and supporting clients through transactional and technical accounting needs.

Brendah is currently a director with The Siegfried Group, LLP where she spent 8 years working in a client-facing capacity, supporting clients through various transactional, technical, and financial reporting needs. She also served as the Director of Employee Inclusion and Advancement, a position in which she headed up the efforts to ensure all employees are empowered to actively pursue their personal advancement goals and are supported through the many opportunities available within the organization. Brendah has served in various capacities during her time with the organization including National Technical Team Leader, Team Leader and a Unique Ability Mastery Professional. Before joining the Siegfried Group, Brendah worked in public accounting with both PwC in Washington, DC and EY in Uganda and managed the financial reporting function at Vangent, Inc. (now part of GDIT). She got her Bachelor’s degree from Uganda Martyrs’ University where she majored in Accounting. 

Brendah’s biggest joy is raising her two children with whom she lives in Sterling, VA. They love going to the beach, baking, and their annual trips back to Uganda to visit with family. 

Brendah has always had a passion for serving and has volunteered with her church, mentored high school students, served the homeless and taught audit classes to college students.

Helen Anderson is a Wilmington native who still resides there with her daughter. Ms. Anderson is currently the Executive Director of Dual Generation Services for the State of Delaware. In her role she works with Wilmington families to bridge the gap between education and social services to end systemic poverty. Ms. Anderson’s passion for youth, has helped her to create a holistic initiative, that encompasses various State agencies and community partners to provide housing, employment, social service navigation, and educational opportunities. Ms. Anderson is living out the legacy of her father, William “Hicks” Anderson and the work that he started with Wilmington Families. 

Ms. Anderson is a former Special Education Teacher who took on the challenging role of working with some of our most vulnerable students in Northern Delaware. Her teaching methods were inclusive, allowing her students to truly flourish and be prepared for their future.   Ms. Anderson enjoyed her time as a Dance and Senior class advisor at the school.  In addition, to teaching she worked as a Human Resource Director in the private sector for over 10 years. Ms. Anderson has the pleasure of serving on several boards in her community and in education. In addition, she also teaches and organizes educational activities for the youth at her church. Ms. Anderson earned an MBA and Master’s in education from Wilmington University.

Mark Baxter is the senior program director at Rodel. His focus is supporting the creative implementation and design of sound public-private partnerships to further that vision. Prior to coming to Rodel, Mark held leadership positions at the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Texas Education Agency, and Educate Texas focusing on strategy and policy implementation at the local, state, and national level. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas-Austin.

John “Marty” Martin, Jr. recently joined the 4th Dimension Leaders Board of Directors.  He has served as a teacher and track and field coach at Dover High School.  He has also been a school administrator, serving at every grade level.  Marty is also in his second term as an elected member of the Capital School District Board of Education where he presided over the board as the chair for two years.  Marty is a  member of the NAACP and former chairman of the Education Committee.

Marty lends his voice as a master of ceremonies for sports and entertainment events throughout Delaware.  He has a B.A. in Biology from Fisk University, a Master of Education in Biology Education from Delaware State University, and is currently matriculating in the EDD program at Wilmington University.

Laurisa is the founding Executive Director of First State Educate (FSE) and First State Action Fund. Prior to FSE, Laurisa led Teach For America Delaware as Executive Director for six years. She currently serves on the boards of the St. Andrew’s School, Leadership Delaware, the Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence, and the University of Delaware’s College of Education, as well as chairs the board of 4th Dimension Leaders. Before moving to Delaware, Laurisa worked in Hong Kong for a Fortune 500 company, and founded and led an international accessories business. She has a B.A. from Harvard University in East Asian Studies and a Masters of Philosophy in Chinese from The University of Cambridge.