Our Board members

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Dr. David Harmon is a Family Practitioner and serves as Chairman of the New Hope Board of Directors. He has an undergraduate degree in Biological Science from the University of California, Irvine, and completed his medical training at the University of North Texas' Osteopathic Health Science Center in Fort Worth, Texas, followed by medical residency at Kern County Medical Center before joining the Kaiser Permanente medical group. As a graduate student, he conducted research which resulted in a number of journal publications.  

Dr. Harmon is a diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine and has held seats on several Boards including the American Red Cross. He has been Medical Director of the David L. Harmon Health Services Center at the Bakersfield Homeless Center, and is currently a valley fever Research Associate with the National Institutes of Health.   

Over the years, Dr. Harmon has participated in volunteer activities and medical missions to Guatemala, Ethiopia, and the Philippines, and is a founding board member of New Hope Dire Dawa Children’s Centre. 

Dr. Abdul Barre is a native of Ethiopia who, as a young man and a refugee, migrated to the Unitted States in 1981. He received his undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of California, at Berkeley; and soon followed with his Medical School education at the University of California, at Davis. His post-graduate medical training was done at Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield, California.

He has been Board Certified in Family Medicine since 1993. He was a practicing physician at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Group for 10 years prior to resigning in 2003, to pursue his dream of establishing a modern medical center in his native country Ethiopia. During his tenure with the Permanente Medical Group, he served as the Chief of the department of Family Medicine in Bakersfield.

In 2003, Dr. Barre embarked on his life-long ambition of bringing modern medicine to his birth place of Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. To that end, in a mutual decision with his wife, Nejah, they invested their entire life saving to set up a 40-bed hospital names Bilal. Currently he devotes 2/3 of his time a year working in Ethiopia as the Medical Director of Bilal Hospital, and the remaining time practicing in the United States. 

Meanwhile, with his wife, Nejah Abdulsamed, he co-founded the New Hope Children's Centre and chairs the Board. 

Nejah Abdulsamed was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and came to the United States in the 1980s. There, she studied clinical laboratory sciences and worked as a laboratory technologist. In 2003, she along with her husband, Dr. Barre, embarked on their journey back to Ethiopia to invest in their communities and provide medical services. The couple built a hospital together in Dire Dawa, her husband's hometown, and have been working together to provide care and manage daily operations of the 40-bed hospital ever since. It is in Dire Dawa that Nejah fostered her other passion: her commitment to care for the well-being of orphans and vulnerable children .Nejah is the visionary and founder of New Hope Dire Dawa Orphan Centre. Built on the land she inherited from her father, New Hope is home to more than a dozen children from all walks of life. She is affectionately known as "Mommy" to them all. 

Beverlee Armistead was raised and worked overseas in places such as Thailand, England, Dubai, Canada, and Ethiopia. Beverlee first travelled to Ethiopia as a student in 1974 when she fell in love with the country's rich history, culture and people. However, due to the changing political climate she was forced to leave and was not able to return until 1999. Upon returning to the United States, she attended college at Texas A&M and California State University Bakersfield earning her undergraduate degree in Finance She is currently working towards an MBA degree. 

After graduation, Beverlee took a position with Arco International as an accountant This position entitled her to traverse the globe and obtain valuable information that would later be beneficial to her future After several years with Arco she decided to hang up the hard hat and start a reprinting business in California. In 1999, Beverlee purchased a deli to try her hand in the restaurant industry. Once she had a taste of the restaurant industry, pun intended, she then constructed a 50's nostalgia diner. The restaurant was an immediate success and continues to this day to be one of Taft's signature landmarks.

In the Fall of 2007, Beverlee travelled to Dire Dawa to live with Dr. Barre and Nejah for three months. During this time she spent time working in the Bilal Hospital and teaching English in Catholic school. Beverlee currently lives in Tempe, Arizona where she owns and operated a landscaping business. 

Abdi Ahmed a native of Ethiopia, Mr. Abdi Ahmed migrated to the United States in 1983 where he studied Computer Science. That same year, while doing his undergraduate work, Mr. Ahmed landed a job with Apple Computer as a programmer where he participated in the development of key design features of the Macintosh computer. In 1991, Mr. Ahmed joined the Orange County Retirement System (OCERS) as a consultant where he designed and developed an automated system that maintained over a billion dollar in asset and collected millions of dollars in retirement contributions from various municipal employees. Over the years, Mr. Ahmed developed multi-million dollar state-of-the-art technology solutions for various departments of Orange County including Social Services Agency, Superior Court, and Planning and Development Services Department. 

Meseret Springer is a retired Public Health Nurse, who began working for the Department of Public Health in September of 1993. Meseret directed the Child Health and Disability Prevention Treatment Program for eight years assisting with the health needs of uninsured children, as well as Supervising Public Health Nurse for the Health Care Program for Children in Foster Care, California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids program, for Multi Disciplinary Integrated Services Team program, Emergency Response Team program, and supervises Public Health Nurses in general field nursing duties. .Ms. Springer is the owner/operator of Residential Care Community for the elderly and proud mother of a daughter who is a journalist. 

Originally from Ethiopia, Mesert migrated to the USA in 1980, aspiring to receive her education, Meseret is a graduate of California State University Bakersfield with the Bachelor's degree in Nursing and a Masters degree in Public Administration. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International, Pi Alpha Alpha, CSUB Alumni Association Nursing Chapter, Chair of tthe Health Committee for the Cain Memorial African Methodist Church, a member of the Southern California Foster Care Nurses Network, and participates in multiple collaborative agency meetings, workshops, and other activities in the community. 

Lynnette Bailey is a retired health care professional and has been with the New Hope Board since 2006. Mrs Bailey has been a community advocate in Kern County throughout her life. She was named Community Action Partnership of Kern’s Individual of the Year in 2005 and is graduate of Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce Leadership Bakersfield.

Billen Barre received her Bachelors in Economics from Mills College in Oakland, California and her Masters in Healthcare Administration from the University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill. She has been volunteering with the New Hope Dire Dawa Orphan Centre since its inception and was heavily involved in the beginning stages of the children's development. She taught most of the children their ABC's and 123's and keeps in touch with them all when she is able to. Billen frequently returns to her hometown in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia during the summers to spend time with the children. 

Abdo Ali is a founding member who serves as Financial Officer to New Hope Orphan Centre. His humble and generous spirit have made him a priceless asset to our efforts. He is a native of Ethiopia who was born just outside of Dire Dawa. His formative years were spent between between Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa where his father owned and operated an oil trucking business. He came to the United States for college and started a family. He owns and operates a small family business, which he started over 30 years ago. Mr. Ali's warm hospitality has led to making his home a favorite meeting site for our Board functions. 

Shakib Ali is a graduate of Cal State University and UC Davis. He manages the bottling operations for LangTwins Winery in Lodi, California. He is one of the original members of the New Hope Dire Dawa Board and has served on several other Boards. Mr. Ali has volunteered to redesign and regularly maintain the New Hope Dire Dawa Orphan Centre webpage. 

Shakib is a first generation Ethiopian American, whose father was born in Dire Dawa. He has had the privilege of traveling to Dire Dawa and visiting other cities in Ethiopia. He has volunteered in Bilal Hospital in Dire Dawa as well. 

Rashid Ahmed works as a Network Administrator in an IT firm based in Laguna Hills, California. From an early age, he has always been deeply interested in technology. He is currently pursuing a career in the IT field. He has been an active member of this worthy cause since early 2009. 

Rashid has volunteered to serve in the role of Web Consultant for the New Hope Dire Dawa Orphan Centre. He is a humble and family oriented individual who enjoys spending quality time with his family. .