Our People

It began with a gap — and four people who refused to look away.

Entepesi Kenya began after three of the directors volunteered at an annual medical camp held in rural communities of Kajiado South.

The Entepesi Kenya team with community members during an early medical camp in Kajiado South — In Esiteti Village, on the far side of Amboseli National Park, doctors treated patients while sitting under a beautiful acacia — an *entepesi* — tree.

How it started

A medical camp, and a question that stayed.

Obed and Samantha saw the gap that these communities face for the remainder of the year, and so began the idea for Entepesi Kenya.

After many meetings with healthcare professionals and the other directors, the team decided to form a board and start the process of registration. The organization was officially registered on 29 March 2021.

Four founding directors
Four advisory physicians & clinicians
Registered NGO since March 2021

Board of Directors

The founding four.

Obed Katia

Founder & Administrator, Board of Directors

Obed holds a Bachelor's Degree in Theology from St. Paul's University and an Associate's degree in business management, with eight years of experience in administration, project management, HR and accounting while working within Kajiado County children's matters at Teule Kenya.

He is also a Project Coordinator of Project Lala Salama in Kenya, which focuses on educational support in schools and capital for women's businesses. His connections to the community, desire to serve and heart for missions make him perfect for the work of Entepesi Kenya.

Samantha Shackleton

Founder & Secretary / CEO, Board of Directors

Samantha holds a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Disorders from Northern Illinois University. With a passion for serving people, she worked as a manager in a university-level tutoring centre at NIU, in a before-and-after school program in Sycamore, IL, and as a substitute teacher and paraprofessional for the LEAF program at Sycamore School District 427.

Serving in Kenya as a missionary since September 2019, Samantha has always had a passion for the medical field alongside her calling in missions. After a year and a half serving Teule Kenya, a local children's home, she stepped out in faith to open the health organization.

Susan Methamo

Founder & Chair, Board of Directors

Susan has a Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communications from Makerere University in Uganda, and uses her expertise to create media visibility for organizations. She holds a Google certificate in Fundamentals of Digital Marketing and a certificate in Introduction to Fundraising from Philanthropy University.

Across eight years of experience in communications, she has served several NGOs including The Maa Trust, Hatua Likoni Organization and Teule Kenya.

Christine Njihia

Founder & Treasurer, Board of Directors

Christine received a Bachelor and Master of Arts in Communication from St. Paul's University in Nairobi, majoring in Corporate Communication and minoring in Community Development. She works with Equity Bank Group, Head Office in Nairobi, and lives in Ongata Rongai in Kajiado County.

She sits on the Board of Kilimanjaro Mission Hospital and Teule Kenya, and works to mobilize resources and mentor young people to grow into responsible individuals in society.

Advisory Board

Physicians who keep our clinical bar high.

Dr. Ethan Burke

Board of Directors & Advisory Member

Ethan grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He received his bachelor's degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and his master's in Biomedical Science from Colorado State University. His passion led him to a medical degree from Rocky Vista University, working in many countries and understanding the diversity of healthcare systems. He now works as a resident physician in Spring Hill, Florida.

Dr. Kelli Tichy

Advisory Board Member

An internal medicine physician with a lifelong avidness in underserved communities. Her passion for Kenya began as a volunteer undergraduate student — an experience formative to the physician she is today. She has served in multiple countries and received awards for global and public health from the United States Public Health Service and Rocky Vista University, and currently works as a hospitalist in Colorado.

Dr. Zoe Gordon

Advisory Board Member

Zoe is a resident physician in obstetrics and gynecology at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Maryland. She travelled to Kenya as a medical student and is eager to now serve the community that taught her so much. She enjoys participating in social and political advocacy and is particularly passionate about healthcare equality and reproductive rights.

Steven York

Advisory Board Member

Steven holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Brigham Young University. He is pursuing his medical degree at Rocky Vista University in Utah and is working to become a family physician so he can serve rural and underserved communities throughout the world. He found his passion for global medicine while working with Entepesi Kenya on a global rotation.

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