Warm Heart Africa Advisory Board Members

Jim Greenberg

Chair

James Greenberg serves as Chair of the African Advisory Board. An international development and investment leader, he is the former Chairman and CEO of DevCorp International and the founding Chairman of both Grameen Capital India and Biochar Life. He brings decades of experience developing and financing ventures across emerging markets, with particular expertise in impact investment, sustainable agriculture, aquaculture and poverty alleviation. His current interests include climate-smart solutions that support smallholder farmers and strengthen rural livelihoods in Africa.

John Mayieka

Regional Director

John Mayieka is East Africa Regional Director for Warm Heart Worldwide and an operations and sustainability professional specialising in biochar, land restoration and climate resilience. Formerly Biochar Operations Lead with PlantVillage Kenya, he has extensive field experience training smallholder farmers in biochar production, climate-smart agriculture and digital tools for crop-health management. John has worked with farming communities across Kenya and Tanzania and contributed to published research mapping African smallholder farms. He now leads regional programs that turn agricultural residues into resources for healthier soils, stronger livelihoods and climate action.

Francis Panga

Board Member

Francis Wolfgang Panga is Karimu Foundation’s Local Program Area Lead in Tanzania, where he coordinates community-led development initiatives spanning agriculture, livestock, education and entrepreneurship. He has played a central role in developing and managing Karimu’s smallholder biochar program, working directly with farmers to test affordable alternatives to industrial fertilisers. The initiative has demonstrated increased maize yields, lower production costs and improved farm profitability, and is now expanding to reach hundreds of farmers. Francis brings strong local knowledge and a practical, community-centred approach to sustainable rural development.

Evelind Schecter

Board Member

Evelind Schecter is Co-Founder and Director of Finance at Warm Heart Worldwide, where she oversees the financial and operational foundations of its humanitarian and environmental programs. A Yale graduate with an MBA from Columbia Business School, she previously served as Director of Specialized Business Support Services at Merck. Evelind has helped develop a community-based biochar model that has trained more than 20,000 smallholder farmers across Asia and Africa, improving soil health, reducing harmful crop burning and creating new income through carbon removal.

Professor John Wesonga

Board Member

Professor John Wesonga is a sustainable agriculture specialist and Associate Professor of Horticulture at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya. His teaching and research span climate-resilient horticulture, food security, biochar, soil fertility and sustainable agricultural innovation. He has contributed to research on farmer-led biochar production, urban agriculture and improved seed systems across Eastern and West Africa. Through his work with students, farmers, researchers and policymakers, John helps translate agricultural science into practical approaches that strengthen productivity, resilience and rural livelihoods.

Tom Miles

Board Member

Tom Miles is a member of the African Advisory Board and a leading specialist in biochar, biomass energy and sustainable waste conversion. With more than four decades of technical experience, he is Executive Director of the U.S. Biochar Initiative and Principal of T.R. Miles Technical Consultants. A former Chair of the International Biochar Initiative, Tom has supported projects worldwide that transform agricultural, forestry and urban residues into valuable resources. His work in Africa focuses on improving soil health, agricultural productivity and climate resilience through practical biochar solutions.

Peter Bladin

Board Member

Peter Bladin is a social and environmental impact investor and experienced international development leader. He serves on the Board of Global Partnerships, where he previously held the role of Chief Research and Impact Officer. Earlier, as Executive Vice President at Grameen Foundation, Peter oversaw global microfinance and technology programs after founding its Technology Center. A former Microsoft executive, he has spent more than two decades applying technology and impact investment to poverty reduction, financial inclusion and access to essential services, including initiatives across Africa.

Dr. Harold Chisale

Board Member

Dr. Harold L. W. Chisale is a Senior Lecturer in Forestry at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Malawi. A forester and climate-change scientist, his research examines how climate variability and extreme weather affect forests, rural livelihoods and forest-dependent communities. Before joining LUANAR, he served as a Forestry Officer with the Government of Malawi. Harold holds a BSc in Forestry from Mzuzu University and an MSc in Climate Change and Risk Management from the University of Exeter. His work promotes locally informed, inclusive approaches to climate adaptation and sustainable forest management.