Our Team

We4Malawi is fully run by volunteers and has no paid staff. Our team comprises of board members who fund and operate this nonprofit organization.

Jacqueline Combs Nelson
President and Co-Founder of We4Malawi

Jackie Combs Nelson is president and co-founder of We4Malawi, where her leadership has enabled the organization to provide education and support to more than 20 young men and women in Malawi. Before founding We4Malawi, Jackie built a distinguished career in journalism. She served as an assistant news editor at the Chicago Tribune, was president of the International Society of News Design, and sat on the board of Alfred Friendly Press Partners. For 15 years, she also mentored Alfred Friendly fellows at the Chicago Tribune, strengthening the next generation of international journalists. Jackie and her husband Lowell Nelson are international budget travelers who have visited more than 60 former Friendly fellows in their home countries, deepening lifelong global connections.

Thom Khanje
Co-Founder, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of We4Malawi

Thom Khanje is a communications professional and journalist and resident of Lilongwe, Malawi, who holds both MA and MBA degrees from British universities. He met Jackie and Lowell Nelson in 2002 when he had a six-month Alfred Friendly Press Fellowship at the Chicago Tribune. In 2018, the Nelsons visited Thom and family and visited Thom’s ancestral village. There they met Olivia Banda, then 14, who needed a sponsor to attend an elite government secondary boarding school. The Nelsons agreed to sponsor Olivia, who is now 22 and a junior at the University of Malawi. More children were soon identified and supported in the following years.

Lucy Graysham-Khanje
Treasurer and Professional Bookkeeper

Lucy is a Malawian corporate accountant who brings her financial skills in preparing balance sheets and cash flow statements to bear as treasurer for We4Malawi. A resident of Lilongwe, Malawi, Lucy sources and purchases supplies for the Manjawira school and the students. Lucy and her husband, Thom Khanje, serve as We4Malawi’s boots-on-the ground in country. Lucy is as passionate as her husband about breaking the generational poverty of rural girls and preventing early marriage.

Jacqueline Neurauter
Board Secretary

Jacqueline Neurauter is Board Secretary for We4Malawi and a resident of Palatine, Illinois. Having run a small business for over 20 years and with experience starting two nonprofits herself, Jacqui is a valuable asset to We4Malawi’s development as a nonprofit organization. She has been inspired by Jackie’s worldwide adventures and her passionate support for We4Malawi.

Lowell Nelson
Board Member

Lowell Nelson is a past president of the Center of Concern Auxiliary in Park Ridge, a retired facilities manager and Chicago resident. Since his retirement, he has traveled around the world, visiting at least 50 countries. He also volunteers at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the City of Chicago Greeters program and Divvy Bikes. When traveling to Malawi with his wife, Jackie Combs Nelson, he had to go to ten ATMs to get the $450 cash to pay Olivia Banda’s school tuition.

Jenn Mesenbrink
Board Member

Jenn is a board member with We4Malawi and is excited to support We4Malawi’s goals of helping bring educational opportunities to bright young minds in Malawi. She has more than 15 years of experience working with customer technologies (at NiSource, ComEd and Motorola) and more than 10 years of experience in journalism (Chicago Tribune, USA TODAY, and other newspapers). While at the Chicago Tribune, she acted as the liaison to the Alfred Friendly Fellow program. She is a Chicago native and lives in the western suburbs.