ABOUT US

Sonja Wood

Founder & Senior Advisor | Project Generation Connect

Sonja Wood holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance. Her work spans nonprofit association management and for-profit program development, with a focus on organizing people, processes, and resources around clearly defined objectives.

Mergers & Acquisitions (For-Profit)

On the for-profit side, Sonja works with companies to prepare for and facilitate mergers and acquisitions, supporting due diligence coordination, operational evaluation, transition planning, and gap identification. Her role often bridges owners, advisors, and operators, helping translate analysis into practical transition steps before and after transactions.

Association Leadership, Boards & Programs (Nonprofit)

On the nonprofit side, she has worked with multiple associations and served in board and advisory capacities, supporting:

Legislative and policy initiatives

• Stakeholder needs analysis
• Program development and administration
• Research and development efforts tied to member and community priorities

Her work emphasizes aligning organizational missions with stakeholder requirements, regulatory considerations, and available resources.

Social Enterprise & Gap-Bridging

Sonja leads a social enterprise model designed to bridge gaps between public needs, nonprofit capacity, and private-sector execution. The focus is on structuring initiatives so that funding, governance, and implementation are aligned, particularly for projects that fall between traditional public or private delivery models.

Role in the Ghana Project

Within the Ghana Project, Sonja is responsible for project organization, governance support, partner coordination, stakeholder alignment, and transition planning, with an emphasis on transparency, feasibility, and execution readiness.

Dr. Emmanuel Kontor

Senior Advisor | Ghana Institutional & Financial Systems

Dr. Kontor is a results-oriented professional with a Doctorate in Accounting and Information Technology, distinguished military service as a Veteran, and extensive experience as a former Financial Manager for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense. Currently thriving as an entrepreneur, CEO, and business owner in the real estate, healthcare and technology sectors, utilizing deep financial acumen and innovative problem-solving skills to drive growth and operational excellence. Actively engaged in professional development as a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), Society of Defense Financial Management (SDFM), and the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA). Recognized for a strategic mindset, leadership capabilities, and a commitment to advancing fiscal integrity and technological advancement in diverse organizational settings.

Dr. Kontor serves as a local institutional and financial systems advisor to the Ghana Project. His role is to provide context, insight, and connectivity related to Ghana's economic, regulatory, and institutional environment.

Dr. Kontor supports the project by:



• Advising on institutional alignment - Helping ensure project concepts, sequencing, and structures are consistent with national, regional, and local priorities, policies, and administrative realities.
• Providing financial and economic systems insight - Offering perspective on local financing norms, public-private interfaces, trade and port systems, and economic development considerations relevant to project feasibility.
• Risk and navigation awareness - Helping identify regulatory, institutional, or execution risks early so projects can be structured responsibly and compliantly.

Howell Martin

Senior Advisor | Infrastructure, Development & Project Execution

Howell ("Hal") Martin has more than three decades of experience developing, owning, and operating businesses across business development, real estate construction, and project development, including residential, medical, commercial, industrial, and energy-related projects.

His background includes work in consulting, capital formation, and project financing, with exposure to venture capital, private equity, non-bank funding programs, private capital, and family offices.

He has supported projects involving asset recovery, construction, and development across a range of operating environments. Hal's skill set includes business development, investor and capital partner relations, team formation, project coordination, and project management, with a practical focus on execution and delivery.

His project work has included initiatives related to sustainability, emerging and disruptive technologies, green and industrial technologies, including bio- and crude-refining-adjacent activities, waste-stream utilization, industrial services, and manufacturing. He has also been involved in medical facilities, medical real estate development, medical devices and supplies, as well as specialty hospitality and resort developments, including international projects.

Within the Ghana Project, Hal provides execution-focused advisory support, helping assess feasibility, sequencing, delivery considerations, and coordination between capital, design, and implementation.

peter Brissette

Board Chair | Owner, Digital Marketing Dude LLC

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Dr. john mccorkmick

Board Member | CEO of Ovation Health and Ending Poverty Through Education

Dr. John Scott McCormick joins the PGC Board with a diverse, high-impact background spanning global logistics, education, and healthcare. A 22-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force Security Forces, Dr. John has extensive experience managing multinational operations and humanitarian relief. As CEO of Ovation Health and founder of the 501(c)(3) Ending Poverty Through Education, he has spent over two decades pioneering educational pathways for underserved youth, notably boosting regional high school graduation rates from less than 20% to 99%. A master instructor, certified principal, and former EMT professor, Dr. John’s deep expertise in governance, workforce development, and public health directly drives PGC’s mission to turn underutilized assets into engines of community growth.

dr shawana moore

Board Member | Associate Professor / Assistant Dean of Post Licensure Programs, Emory University

Dr. Shawana Sharee Moore joins the PGC Board as a distinguished nurse scientist, advanced practice clinician, and academic leader dedicated to intergenerational equity and systems change. As an Associate Professor and Assistant Dean at Emory University, Dr. Moore oversees graduate program leadership, curriculum assessment, and fiscal stewardship. A seasoned executive in the nonprofit space, she previously served as the first Black national Board President of a major professional 501(c)(3) organization, directing national partnerships and fiduciary governance. With a background in community-engaged research and direct experience in Ghana, Dr. Moore provides critical strategic oversight to PGC’s health equity, youth mentorship, and educational infrastructure initiatives—ensuring our rapid-deployment projects deliver measurable, sustainable community growth.

Tav Tabacchi

Board Member | Real Estate Consultant

Tabacchi Group is a multifaceted real estate firm. we do both residential and commercial real estate in Colorado. Currently, we are specializing in distressed assets.. there are many of these in commercial and residential properties. The properties we are dealing with range anywhere from $300,000-$10 million. There is a lot of upside potential in both of these property types and we can discuss these with you. We have several homes we are working on where we can buy these at less than $400,000 and sell them for close to $700,000. We also have an office building that we have been working on that is 16,000 ft.² and is vacant. we have been negotiating with the owner to get a reasonable price. The owner has told us that he will finance the transaction if we can put down 10%. These are current deals and won’t last long. If you have any, let us know because things are happening very quickly these days, high interest, force people to sell assets to raise money. This is a great time to buy.