Meet the Team – Letsbefrank

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Meet Our Team

Francis Essien

CEO/Founder

Francis Essien

CEO/Founder

I attended medical school at heritage college of osteopathic medicine. Graduated in 2018 and underwent Internal Medicine Residency at Keesler Medical Center. Currently active duty military in United States Air Force. I was born and raised in Ghana, Africa. As a child growing up in Africa, it is common to be constantly surrounded by disease. A particular incidence I remember is an encounter with my grandmother. Picture a warm temperate day walking in the market to procure produce. As your eyes wander, they fall upon a dimly lit corner where there are no carts and the vendors avoid. Suddenly you are pulled away and your grandmother turns your head uttering to you, "don't look at them or you will catch it too". This is a common scenario in most African countries, any afflicted individual is deemed a heretic deserving of their infirmity. This prompted my entrance into the medical world serving as the catalyst for me to serve. My goal is to educate my people, increase access to care for the rural population and inspire the next generation of African children. Thank you for your support and I look forward to working with all of you.

Phone:+1 (614) 214-7294
Email:francis@letsbefrankgh.org

Mike Goertzen

Development Director

Assisting with securing financials. Like many in medicine, I decided to go to medical school to help make a change in the world. My wife and I have always desired to work in underserved areas to provide for those unable to easily access medical care.

Mike Goertzen

Development Director

Assisting with securing financials Like many in medicine, I decided to go to medical school to help make a change in the world. My wife and I have always desired to work in underserved areas to provide for those who are unable to easily access the medical care they need. My love for the world wide community started at a young age. My father was in the United States Navy and I spent a great deal of time in foreign countries and saw how varied the lifestyles of different peoples could be. Additionally I saw the great need for good food, water, shelter and medical care in these areas that we in the United States so often take for granted. This kindled in me a desire to develop myself to a point where I would be in a position to better help many of the communities I had grown to love. After graduating from medical school I had the opportunity to meet and work with Francis Essien as a resident in Internal Medicine. It was there that we developed a close friendship and I discovered his wealth of knowledge and care for others. I joined Lets Be Frank, because I saw in this endeavor the perfect opportunity to give of myself to those who need it most and I know that Francis and the others involved have a great desire to do only what will enhance the economic and medical future of the communities we serve.

Phone:+1 (614) 214-7294
Email:mike@letsbefrankgh.org

Jason JayBaba Wealth Agbodjah

Systems Analyst

I am Jason JayBaba Wealth Agbodjah, a Systems Analyst by day and a Chef at night. Coming from Ghana where I saw a lot of deprived kids, mothers, and elders struggling for basic educational and medical needs, I decided to start a non-profit organization called TeachForGrowth

Jason JayBaba Wealth Agbodjah

Systems Analyst

I am Jason JayBaba Wealth Agbodjah, a Systems Analyst by day and a Chef at night. Coming from Ghana where i saw a lot of deprived kids, mothers and elders struggling for basic educational and medical needs, i decided to start a Non for profit called TeachForGrowth in the year 2010 in South Side Chicago to mentor young kids to be great and also train elders with basic career skills trainings. Partnered with my friends back in Ghana to setup another NGO called YouAtHeart where we provide health screening, health awareness, wellness training and education in rural communities across Africa. Our focus also included providing educational supplies, building of boreholes for clean water, building community health centers for emergencies and also putting smart deprived kids on scholarships and health Insurance. I am excited to be a part of Let’sBeFrank family to expand on what we are currently working on to improve the lives of people who lack basic medical care and education.

Email:jason@letsbefrankgh.org

Levi Dodge

Vice President

Levi Dodge

Vice President

As a younger man I travelled to various parts of the world on humanatarian missions and lived overseas in Ecuador working with charitable medical groups. This inspired my path to become a physician and volunteer internationally. I am currently serving as a physician in the Air Force and am honored to assist in this exciting venture!

Phone:+1 (915) 731-9713
Email:levi@letsbefrankgh.org

Andrea Brokamp

Outreach Coordinator

Andrea is our chief outreach coordinator and leads the marketing and design strategies for Let's Be Frank. As a mother of 2 and a career in sales and marketing, she possesses a knack for efficient execution and achieving excellence.

Andrea Brokamp

Outreach Coordinator

Andrea is our chief outreach coordinator and leads the marketing and design strategies for Let's Be Frank. As a mother of 2 littles, and working in the sales and marketing industry, she knows a thing or two about getting things done efficiently and executing it well. Andrea met Frank during his residency and was deeply inspired by his passion to give back to the people of Ghana. Andrea looks forward to connecting with you and sharing our story and vision of Let's Be Frank.

Phone:+1 (614) 214-7294
Email:andrea@letsbefrankgh.org

Nana Kontor Nketiah

Laboratory Technician

Nana Kontor Nketiah

Laboratory Technician

Nana Kontor Nketiah is a laboratory technician who is so much passionate about humanitarian work and has over 13 years of experience in charity projects. His community service has been with several NGOs such as Foundation For The Mentally Challenged - Ghana, Rescue Me Foundation International - Ghana, You at Heart Foundation - Ghana, Desire To Inspire Foundation - USA, Impact Sierra Leone - USA, Humanity For The World - France, Save The Young Girls Foundation Orphanage - Sierra Leone and DJ Mensah Foundation - Ghana. His works have touched and transformed numerous lives in countries like Kenya, Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Ghana. He is currently working on projects that aim at empowering the youth through skills training and medical outreaches. He is a board member for four of the above-mentioned charities. Through his leadership a health center was constructed, boreholes were drilled for portable drinking water, sewing machines were given out for skills training, scholarships were awarded to brilliant but needy students, and hundreds of children less than 18 years old were enrolled on a national health insurance to enjoy free health care, educational materials donated to schools and school kids, medical supplies were also donated to selected health centers and facilities, and still has several projects in the pipeline pending approval and implementation

Email:nana@letsbefrankgh.org

Bryan Grooms

Secretary

Bryan Grooms

Secretary

At the age of 10, Bryan volunteered at a food and clothing distribution center after a flood devastated the local area. This event sparked his passion for helping others, and eventually led him to pursue medical school. While completing his fellowship at Ohio University, he met a young, inspired Dr. Francis Essien who captivated him with his willingness and desire to help out his native Ghanaians. The friendship eventually helped produce Let’s Be Frank, where he currently serves as secretary.

Phone:+1 (915) 731-9713
Email:Bryan@letsbefrankgh.org

Dr. Joseph Oppoku Buabang

Onsite Coordinator

Lecturer at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Dr. Opokku has been instrumental in helping develop the vision of our project. Establishing vital relationships and fostering our team's vision on the ground.

Dr. Joseph Oppoku Buabang

Onsite Coordinator

Phone:+1 (614) 214-7294
Email:joseph@letsbefrankgh.org

Meet Our Team

Francis Essien

Mike Goertzen

Jason JayBaba Wealth Agbodjah

Levi Dodge

Andrea Brokamp

Nana Kontor Nketiah

Bryan Grooms

Dr. Joseph Oppoku Buabang

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