Our Board of Directors.
The team.
Our Board of Directors are volunteers who dedicate their free time to ensuring this organization continues to prosper and make positive changes in the world. Everyone brings exceptional talents and passion to the table.
Joanna Breitstein. Co-Founder & President
Joanna first traveled to Uganda in 2004, and has been involved with developing and advancing the i.HUG Foundation ever since. She leads an all-volunteer Board to provide funding and technical assistance to i.HUG's partners on the ground. She works in healthcare communications, with experience across public and private sectors. She's currently at Penn Quarter Partners, a public affairs agency, and previously worked at Merck and Organon, where she led CEO and other aspects of corporate communications. Earlier in her career, she led communications for TB Alliance, a not-for-profit with the mission of developing improved drugs for Tuberculosis. Before that she was a writer and editor and has received numerous writing awards including Grand Neal Awards and a Kaiser Family Foundation fellowship.
Eduardo [Eddie] Beltre. Finance & Operations Committee
Eddie joined the board of i.HUG in March 2019. He was introduced to the organization during one if i.HUG’s fundraising events. He was motivated by i.HUG's devotion to the children of Uganda, and its unique approach.
Eddie comes with a decade of experience in nonprofit financial management, operations, and strategic planning. His focus has been on designing and implementing operating systems and procedures that establish stability while seamlessly supporting growth. Currently, he is the Director of Talent Operations and Culture at Literacy Trust, a NYC-based nonprofit, focused on increasing capacity in schools to create fluent, motivated, self-confident readers. The organization runs Reading Rescue - a research-based early literacy intervention - across NYC.
Dr. Jacqueline Busingye. Program Committee; Health
Dr Jacqueline Busingye was born and raised in Uganda. She immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 7 but has always kept a strong connection to “home”. When she attended a fundraiser for i.HUG in 2015, she became very interested in the organization and eventually joined the board in early 2017. Her role with the board is mostly to oversee and mentor our health related programs. She is an Ophthalmologist with sub speciality training in Uveitis. She enjoys teaching residents both in and out of the operating room, doing clinical research, and international medicine.
Becky Smith Duane. Finance Committee
Becky joined i.HUG’s Finance Committee as a volunteer in 2007 and later became a child sponsor. She has made two visits to Uganda to meet her graduated student and experience the work on the ground. During her trips, she was inspired by the dynamic and resilient team and their accomplishments creating tremendous opportunities for Ugandan youth. She was excited to join the board to support the organization's strategic financial management efforts as well as work with the team to incorporate career development into the i.HUG’s programming.
She began her career in the financial services industry with a focus on advancing economic opportunity and financial inclusion efforts. Becky is a Fellow and Practitioner-in-Residence at NYU Alliance for Public Interest Technology. Her day job is at IBM as A Business Development Executive | Strategic Partnerships, M&A, AI For Social Impact | IBM Data and AI.
Lynn Serra. Operations Committee; Creative Director + Head of Events
Lynn has been a founding volunteer for The i.HUG Foundation since it’s inception. In 2010, she officially joined the Board of Directors and is responsible for creating and managing all marketing, communications and promotional materials for the organization. She has served as the Chair of the Annual Benefit Gala since 2008 and produces all fundraising events for our organization. She visited i.HUG’s program in Uganda for the first time in November 2010 and continues to travel there to help the programs grow and develop as well as shoot photography and video for our communications archive. Each trip has been inspirational for her. Being able to meet and spend time with i.HUG’s Ugandan staff, volunteers, the children in the program, and members of the community makes her dedication to i.HUG even stronger. ​
Her day job as a Creative Director has taken her through multiple industries over 3 decades in NYC and has allowed her to work in every medium from branding to publishing, packaging, corporate collateral and interactive design.
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Beth Watson. Sponsorship Chair
(Dr.) Beth Watson joined the board in January 2023. She has been serving as i.HUG’s Sponsorship Chair since 2020, where she has coordinated communications between sponsors, children, and the team in Uganda.
Beth has a doctorate in chemical engineering and professional experience in research and development, project management, finance, and capital markets. She is retired from the pharmaceutical industry where she managed corporate investment and debt portfolios as well as financial risk mitigation strategies. She is currently focused on supporting non-profit organizations and initiatives. Her interests include education, micro-finance, and environmental conservation.
