Our Leadership

Dr. Genevieve Kumapley

Founder & Executive Director

Dr. Genevieve Kumapley received her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree with Honors from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Kumapley is a Clinical Pharmacy Manager who practices at Holy Name Medical Center in New Jersey. She is a Board Certified Oncology Pharmacist with over 20 years Clinical Pharmacy experience. She also holds an Adjunct Clinical Professor appointment with Rutgers University Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy. She is a past Fellow in the NJ LEND Program, New Jersey’s Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities program, a program of The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. NJ LEND provides graduate-level interdisciplinary, leadership training aimed at preparing the next generation of health and allied health leaders to address the needs of children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), health disparities, cultural competence, related developmental disabilities, and other maternal and child health populations.

She is a passionate advocate for families and individuals with Autism. She is also a graduate of the New Jersey Partners in Policy Making and Rutgers Institute of Ethical Leadership/Prudential Foundation Non-profit Executive Leadership Fellowship program. She uses her leadership skills to inspire and educate the community. She is committed to serving her community through her roles on several boards. She currently serves as a member of the Consumer Advisory Council on at the Boggs Center, the Division of Developmental Disabilities Regional Family Planning Council, and as the Vice- President of Touch Link, a Domestic Violence support organization. She previously served as the  Vice Chair of the South Brunswick Township Commission on Women, and a member of the Professional Advisory Board member of the Sister2Sister Breast Cancer Organization. Dr. Kumapley is a John Maxwell Certified Speaker, Coach and Trainer. She is also an ordained Minister at Agape House of Worship and leads several teams including the Healing/Deliverance, Special Needs, Connection and Marriage ministries.

She has received awards for her leadership and service from several organizations including the 2013 Role Model Award from the Roselle Branch of the NAACP, 2016 Nassan’s place outstanding community service award, 2018 Social Stewardship award from the HealthTrust University, and 2018 Outstanding Community Service Award from the Ghana Association for Medical Aid. She is a co- author of 2 books, “7 Principles to Developing and Maintaining Your Passion, a book anthology, Network to Increase your Net worth and her chapter is titled, No Passion, No Gain. She has been featured in several TV and Radio Networks including Ghana TV, NBC, ABC News and NJN.

She is married over 24 years to her husband, Robert and they have three children, one of them diagnosed with Autism.

Robert Kumapley

Founder

Robert is a Professional Engineer and holds a Masters degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University. He is a Lead Design Engineer in the Bridge division in a non-governmental Agency in the New York/New Jersey metro area. He is happily married to his wife, Genevieve and the proud father of Nicholas, Sena and Delali.

Reverend Loraine Priestley-Smith

President

Reverend Loraine serves as Clergy in the United Methodist Church. She has served as Chaplain at Matheny Medical and Educational Center (a facility for individuals diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.) She holds a Masters Degree in Divinity; and has more than 20 years professional experience in Human Resources from the Ford Foundation. She and her husband are the blessed parents of 2 adult sons.

Pastor Jide Lawore

Vice President

Jide Lawore is the lead pastor of Agape House of Worship, in Roselle NJ, where he spends his time teaching, coaching and mentoring many people. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with a Master’s degree in Engineering Management from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is the author of two widely acclaimed books. He is happily married to his lovely wife, Abimbola Lawore and together they are blessed with three lovely children.

Fola Fapohunda

Treasurer

Fola Fapohunda, CPA is a Founding Partner and Managing Director of Capital Street Group, a global private equity firm based in NJ. Fola has over 6 years experience in finance, particularly in the consumer banking, corporate card, controllership and most recently the global network business, responsible for transaction advisory, deal negotiation & regulatory reporting. Mr. Fapohunda holds a B.Sc. in Accounting from the University of Delaware. He is a CPA and an active supporter of various local charities. He is married to his beautiful wife, Ayo.

Sudha Narayanaswamy

Secretary

Dr. Sudha Narayanaswamy has been involved in health-system pharmacy for over 20 years. She is a graduate of St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, where she received both her Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees. After completing a PGY-2 residency in Geriatrics at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center (KJMC) in Brooklyn, NY, she worked as a Clinical Pharmacy Coordinator at KJMC as well as St. Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ where she met Dr. Genevieve Kumapley. At present, Dr. Narayanaswamy is the Vice President of the Pharmacy Practice at Acurity, a Premier company.

Tunji Olatubosun

Tunji Olatubosun is an Information Technology professional. He has over 12 years experience as a UNIX systems administrator and multimedia consultant. He served in the U.S. army and National Guard for 7 years. He is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom where he received the Army Achievement Medal. Mr. Olatubosun holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science from New Jersey Institute of Technology and is married to his lovely wife, Brenda and they are blessed with 3 children.

Dr. Rose Merola

Dr. Merola is the Chief of Division of Developmental Pediatrics and board certified in Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics. Dr. Merola completed her Pediatric residency at Brookdale University Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. She then completed her fellowship in Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics at Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, NJ. Dr. Merola is an experienced Developmentalist, who has worked at various organizations around New Jersey, such as Hunterdon Medical Center, and spent several years at Children’s Specialized Hospital as well.

She can treat all children from birth to 21yo who have special needs. She treats children with: Autism & ASD; ADHD; Learning disabilities with/without cognitive disabilities and motor deficits as well. Her area of greatest interest is birth to 5yo children with any developmental delays, to obtain appropriate early interventions. Dr. Merola has been awarded the Hippocrates Award for 2012, Physicians Review Doctors of Excellence 2013-Leading Physicians of the world, Leaders of Healthcare-Doctors of Excellence Lifetime member 2014, and was selected by her peers for the Best Doctors of America 2007-2010 and 2013-2014.

Dr. Manuel Figueroa

Dr. Manuel Figueroa is an Associate Professor and current chair of the Department of Integrative STEM Education at The College of New Jersey. His research involves the development of nanoparticle coatings for various
applications, including surface enhanced Raman scattering and anti-fouling surfaces. He also studies how human centered design can engage K-12 and college students in engineering. As a professor, he engages pre-service K-12
STEM teachers in biotechnology and nanotechnology inspired lessons that integrate the STEM disciplines.