Fred Wall, Chairman

Fred Wall is the owner and President of Enterprise Realty Ltd., which is a personal investment holding company and a registered real estate broker. Mr. Wall is currently working with Gerhard Pries at MEDA in the capacity of investment fund development. In this role, Mr. Wall is involved with raising money for Sarona and the mPower Investment Program, and is director of the MEDA-controlled CHISPA, a foundation in Nicaragua which operates a new micro-bank started in 2004 under the trade name "MiCrédito." Previously, he was a partner and CEO in Western Profiles Limited, a plastics manufacturing company, an investment analyst with the Canadian Government's Department of Regional Economic Expansion, and a loan officer with the Canadian Government's Industrial Development Bank. Mr. Wall was also a Communication Engineer with Manitoba Telephone System and worked in industrial development with Manitoba Department of Industry. Mr. Wall received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from University of Manitoba in 1961, and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Toronto in 1966.

Julie Redfern, Vice President

Julie Redfern has been with MEDA since 1996 and has served as the Director of the Microfinance (MF) Department since 2003. She leads a team of 7 staff in both North America and abroad, and has provided project management and consulting services to over 15 clients in 30 countries. She serves as a director on the boards of MiCrédito and Sevis Finansye Fonkoze. Prior to joining MEDA, Julie was a project manager for the SEEP Network, project manager for CARE in Lesotho, and served in the Peace Corps (Lesotho) as a small business advisor. She was also a branch manager of Tucson Federal Credit Union, prior to her international work. Julie has an MBA, a BA in Economics and an Advanced Certificate in Credit Union Management.

Gerhard Pries

Gerhard Pries is President and Chief Executive Officer of Sarona. He is Founding President of Sarona Asset Management Inc. and the Sarona funds; Founding Director and Vice-Chairman of MicroVest General Partner Holdings, and Chairman of the Investment Board of MicroVest Capital Management. He has previously served as CFO of MEDA, Founding Chairman of MicroCap Capital Management and Latin America Challenge Investment Fund, Founding Director of International Association of Micro Finance Investors, and as Director of numerous companies in the financial services and agribusiness industries.

Ron Haarer

Ron Haarer is owner of Westwind Aviation, Inc., an Arizona corporation since 1990. Ron was President of Estes Communities, a division of DBA Estes, Co., an Arizona company, 1986-1990 and division President of Estes Homes, also a division of DBA Estes, Co., an Arizona company, 1976-1986. The Estes companies are in the property development business. Ron is a past Chair of the Board of Directors of MEDA; a member of the City of Phoenix General Aviation Task Force; a Commissioner of the City of Phoenix Planning Commission; Past President of Valley Partnership; and a Director of House of Refuge, a transitional housing project for homeless people. Ron served on the Phoenix Environmental Quality Commission, 1989-1990; Chair of the City of Phoenix Housing Commission 1978-1979; and President and Chair of the Board of Friendship Retirement Corporation, 1972-1990. Ron is also a past member of the Board of Overseers of Hesston College. Ron studied at Goshen College, Goshen Indiana, and Arizona State University.

Octavio Cortés

Octavio Cortés is the former CEO of MiCrédito and holds a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) and a Bank Management Diploma. He has been MEDA’s country manager during the past 10 years, overseeing the development of the different programs in the country. He was involved directly in supervising Chispa and in participating in its merger with other equity partners in order to establish the regulated financial institution called CONFIA. He also served as president of its board becoming acquainted with how a bank works in a regulated environment. He was instrumental in the establishment of MiCrédito in 2004.

Traugott Horsch

Traugott Horsch is Export Manager and share holder of Horsch Maschinen GmbH, a mayor European farm equipment manufacturer, based in Schwandorf, Germany since 1998. He is also member of the Management Committee of Horsch Anderson LCC, a joint venture operation of HORSCH for Airsseeder Production in Andover, South Dakota. As a director in the HORSCH Foundation he is involved in development projects in Nicaragua. Mr Horsch served as consultant for small farmer programs in Nicaragua since 1984 through Internationale Mennonitische Organisation (IMO) and Dienste in Übersee. He managed his own farm operation in Nicaragua from 1993-1998 and served during this period as a director in APENN (the Nicaraguan Farmers Association for nontraditional agricultural export products). Mr Horsch has a technical formation in farming and has studied Sociology and Economics at University of Mannheim, Germany.