Dr. John Wathum-Ocama was born and raised in Uganda where he completed his secondary education at St. Charles Lwanga College, Koboko in northwestern region of the country. He got his Teaching Certificate from St. Aloysius Teacher’s College in Ngora Uganda in 1976. He worked at Pawor and Nyakagei Primary Schools. He taught at Uganda School for the Deaf before leaving Uganda for the United States of America in 1980.

Dr. Wathum-Ocama obtained his BA from Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1985, MA and PhD at the University of Minnesota in 1987 and 1999 respectively. He worked with St. Paul Public Schools and taught at Inver Hills Community College, St. Paul MN, University of Saint Catherine, St. Paul MN and University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.  Dr. Wathum-Ocama retired from St. Paul Public Schools in 2016.

Dr. Wathum-Ocama has also owned a number of small businesses including Amaco Books, Amaco Cleaning Solutions and Amaco Education Solutions. In addition, he has been involved in a number of community organizations including but not limited to being a Member of Board of Directors for HMI Blue House, Books for Africa, Founding Member and Board of Director African Social Services, Founding Member and Board of Director Global Deaf Connection, Organizing Secretary of Ugandan Community in Minnesota, Member Uganda Project and Member at Large Uganda Association in Minnesota.

Dr. Wathum-Ocama is married with children and grandchildren. During his retirement he is focusing on supporting endeavors to improve education access and outcomes for children and youth in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Mr. Richard Juma Oketch retired from St. Paul Public Schools in 2011 after 22 years of service, from 1989 to 2011. He worked for the school district as a Special Education Instructor, and on special assignment with the Guidance and Related Services attached to Multicultural Excellence Programs, (MEP). From 1985 to 1989, Mr. Oketch was a Special education teacher with Davenport Community School District and especially with the Autism programs.

Mr. Oketch was born in Pakwach, in West Nile region of Uganda. He came to the United State in 1982, and eventually stayed on due to political instability in Uganda. He later on became a US citizen. He has 6 children living in the US, and one, a high school teacher in Uganda. Prior to coming to USA, Mr. Oketch was a teacher at the Uganda Schools for the Deaf at Ngora and Kampala. He is a graduate of St. Charles Lwanga Secondary School at Koboko and St. Aloysius Teachers College, at Ngora, both in Uganda.
Mr. Oketch attended the following Institutions while out of Uganda:

• Attended Walden University 1997 to 2001 doctoral program incomplete dissertation.
• Western Illinois University Macomb, Illinois. MS Educational psychology.
• Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio. BS Special Education
• Chatfield College, St. Martin Ohio. Associate degree AA, Liberal Arts
• University College Dublin, Ireland. Diploma, Special Education/education of the deaf

During his time as an educator he also took time for community service:

• Volunteer member for Books for Africa, 1990-1998
• Member Board of directors – Center for Victims of Torture, Minneapolis MN, 1998-2005
• Member Board of directors – Glen Boyd Foundation, Portland, Oregon-2006-2011.
• Currently he is an education consultant with Paketchian Solution, an NGO that deals with veterans transition and community reentry in Florida.

Mark Deziel was born in St. Paul Minnesota in 1955. He grew up in Bloomington, MN, and West St. Paul, MN, graduating from Sibley High School in 1973. He attended the University of Minnesota studying physics and economics. In 1977 Mark began preparing income taxes. Today he continues to operate his own tax preparation practice. Mark toured 11 countries in Western Europe for three months in 1977 and has travelled to East and southern Africa.

Mark met Dr. John Wathum-Ocama in the summer of 1980 while volunteering at Camp Friendship, a camp for special needs people of all ages. They have remained good friends ever since.
Mark helped start the first two Oromo restaurants in the Twin cities and served as Treasurer for Taste of Africa, Inc., which operated the Odaa Restaurant, from 1985 through 1996. Mark was the founder and president of Apartment Community Corporation which provided affordable housing in South Minneapolis from 1984 through 1994. He was also a founder and the president of The Monterey Co-housing Community, in St. Louis Park, MN, from 1992 to 1995.

Mark is married to Michelle Renee Smith (now Deziel).  Together they traveled to 11 countries in Africa for three months in 1997. They now live in Lake Elmo, MN, with their two children, Rose, and Mike, who are attending colleges.  Mark served as a member of the Lake Elmo Planning Commission from 2000 through 2008.

Mark has great interest in the education of children and youth in sub-Saharan African and him and John have been envisioning ways to actualize the idea for a long time. It was not surprising that Education Africa was born through the efforts the trio – Mark, John, and Richard.