Our Team

Heather Cannon, a lifelong resident of Minnesota, had the opportunity to live and volunteer in Liberia. She saw firsthand how Children and Youth were hungry to learn. She volunteered with local NGOs and noticed how hard they worked to help their people. This led to her partnering with Kelvin to found Uniting Distant Stars to ensure a Liberia-centered approach. She, too, has gained some skills throughout her life and teaches aspiring volunteers about bookkeeping, social media, and other ways to support the organization. Heather graduated with an individualized degree in culture and legal studies from Metro State University. She currently works as a tax manager at US Bank in the global corporate trust.

Kelvin Fomba, a Liberian raised by a single mother who experienced many educational disruptions, wanted to help Children and Mothers not suffer as he and his Mom did. He wanted to create a pathway for children and young adults to receive an education and learn trade skills to support themselves and their families. Kelvin learned and developed many trade skills throughout his life and earned his bachelor’s degree in geology in 2023 from the University of Liberia. Over the decades, he has trained many young people skills in driving, auto mechanics, welding, computers, and more. He is dedicated to sharing knowledge and teaching young people who want to better their lives. He is a hands-on co-founder and director who employs the feedback from the community and youth in developing our programs.

Rachel Smith Jahnz has been working on the UDS website for the past eight years, creating designs that make the maximum impact for the school, surpassing fundraising goals, and making UDS's online presence a joy to use!
Rachel has eight years working in User Experience Design and Research across financial, healthcare, nonprofit industries, as well as in the Federal Government.

Rich Berkley serves as a Financial Advisor at Principal Financial, where his primary focus lies in empowering underserved communities by imparting financial knowledge. Originally from Liberia, he migrated in 2002 due to the civil war, and he is committed to contributing to the recovery and betterment of his homeland after the traumatic experiences of the conflict.

Paul Ostrow currently serves as an Assistant Anoka County Attorney in the criminal division. Prior to his current position, He served three terms on the Minneapolis City Council from 1998-2009 representing northeast Minneapolis.
Paul also served as Council President from 1998-2009 and in leadership on many boards and commissions including the League of Minnesota Cities, the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, and the Hennepin County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee.
He is a volunteer board member of the Civic Caucus, the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association, and the Minnesota Committee on Government Information and also serves as co-chair of No Labels Minnesota.
Paul visited Liberia in December 2018 and assisted in the creation of an NGO--CAST (Collaborative Action for Social Transformation)--in Liberia dedicated to the empowerment of young women in Bong County. He joined UDS to continue to support the development of young people in Liberia.
He lives in Northeast Minneapolis and is an active member of Grace University Lutheran Church.