Sharon Ndikurugamba 

is the co-founder and
executive director of African immigrants and
refugees transition services (AIRTS)
Sharon is originally from Rwanda but was born in
Kenya where her parents lived as refuges She
and her family were resettled in the United States
in 2009.

Before co-founding AIRTS she worked as a
multilingual advocate for sexual assault victims at
Nisaa African Family Services, providing direct
aid and conducting community outreach and
education. She also has several years of work
and volunteer experience in Kenya and in the
United States with immigrant populations. While
serving the community Ndikurugamba saw the
need of a cultural specific organization that
helped refugee and immigration population during
their transitioning process Thats how AIRTS was
born.
Ndikurugamba is a wife and mother to Four
beautiful children.

Immaculee Butare is the co-founder and Assistant director of African Immigrants and Refugees Transition Services (AIRTS), immaculee was born and raised in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Immaculee and her family are survivors of the Gatumba massacre that took place in Burundi refugee camp on August 13th, 2004 where 166 people lost their lives including her mother, and her young sister, 3 of her siblings got shot but survived the massacre. She and her family resettled in the Unites States, Abilene Texas in 2007.

She has worked with special needs children as a CMA/RA at Child serve, worked with the Ankeny School District and volunteered with helping refugees in the community. In 2016 she co founded AIRTS! Immaculee is a wife and mother to three beautiful children.

Beth Rydberg  BOARD MEMBER has been a long time advocate for people with disabilities.  Her knowledge of mental health, education And social services drew her to the work of AIRTS.  

She became friends with immigrants and refugees from Eastern Africa when they first started arriving in   Des Moines. Through these  friendships ,she has learned to appreciate their rich cultural values and traditions and has worked to help overcome barriers to their new life here In The US

Barry Spear BOARD MEMBER is a retired healthcare executive with almost 40 years of service in Iowa and Nebraska… The leader ship that he provided was for the development of a health system and also in the area of philanthropy…

Barry  and his wife Cari  are involved in several not-for-profit organizations and have provided board leadership to those organizations providing for those less fortunate, homeless, making our world, a better place which to live and thrive.

Barry is he founder of the Make a wish foundation of Iowa and has served on the boards of partnership for drug-free, Iowa, big Brothers, big sisters, face it together Iowa, night of colombus and others

Sharon Moline Smith AIRTS BOARD PRESIDENT  was born and raised on a farm near Lansing in beautiful NE Iowa.  She attended Waukon High School, and graduated from Westmar College, in Le Mars, Iowa with a BA in Elementary Education.  She and her husband, Lester, taught in Iowa and Wisconsin.  She received her Masters in Learning and Behavior Disabilities from UW La Crosse and retired from teaching in the Johnston, Iowa Middle School.

After her husband died, she owned and ran an Inn and Gift Shop south of La Crosse, on the Mississippi River.  

After selling and returning to the Des Moines area, she began a business designing and making jewelry using lapidary and metal-smithing techniques, selling at juried Art Festivals and shows.   

Sharon has been very active in her church home, wherever she lived. She currently lives in Urbandale, Iowa, with her Jack Russell Terrier, Ava.

Maurice Murenzi CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER. He has a masters degree in Financial management (MFM) from Drake University, May 2009. A bachelor's  degree in Finance and Economics from UNC Greensboro, Dec 2006.

He has worked in the financial sector with major banking institutions for more than 16 years, where he's still currently working. 

Originally from Rwanda, Maurice came to USA in 2001 for college. Here he met a young attractive Iowa native, they got married and have three beautiful boys.

He's been involved in the community, volunteering where he can. He has been a volunteer soccer coach for West Des Moines Soccer Academy for several years, coaching young girls and boys ages of 5 - 12 years old.

 Doctor Lena Rydberg, BOARD MEMBER  is board certified in Internal Medicine and a member of the American Medical Association and American College of Physicians. Prior to joining The Iowa Clinic. Dr. Rydberg practiced medicine in Tucson, Arizona.

Dr. Rydberg believes communication is one of the most important aspects of medicine. She chose Internal Medicine because she enjoys building the close relationships that are found in Primary Care and she has always had a special interest in adult medicine. Outside of the clinic, Dr. Rydberg is an avid reader and enjoys hiking with her husband and children.

Joyce Mbugua BOARD MEMBER is a Data and Epidemiology
Program Manager, Epidemiologist Senior,
with the Public Health Division of the Iowa
Department of Health and Human Services.
In her role as Data and Epidemiology
Program Manager, Joyce has wide-ranging
responsibilities, including epidemiological
data program planning, provides oversight
for HIV and Viral Hepatitis B and C
surveillance activities, provides guidance on
health and data equity, leads cluster
detection and outbreak responses activities
within the bureau and serves as the lead
researcher on social determinants of health.
Joyce is also an active community member,
serving on several Community Advisory
Boards, including the Holden Cancer Center
at the University of Iowa, Des Moines Area
Community College (DMACC) Paralegal
Program, and the Des Moines Performing
Arts Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Advisory Council. Over the last several
years, Joyce has held successive roles in public health surveillance, survey methodology, data
analytics, monitoring and evaluation, and public health research, in both the public and private
sector, centering health and data equity in all her work. She earned her Bachelor of Science in
Anthropology, with a minor in Economics, as well as her Master of Community and Regional
Planning with a graduate certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), from Iowa State
University.