Our Story
RPA was founded in 2021 by college professor, Dr. Nicole Richards Diop, in honor of her late mother, Dr. Rose Helen Merrell. Before passing away from pancreatic cancer in August 2020, Dr. Rose was an educational trailblazer, who served communities in New York, Pennsylvania, Jamaica, and the Navajo Nation. With the help of an impressive and passionate team, Dr. Nicole aims to expand her mother’s powerful educational legacy to Africa. RPA is led and supported by college faculty, coordinators, and former RPA program attendees.
In Loving Memory
Dr. Nicole Richards Diop (she/her)
Executive Director
Dr. Richards Diop is Founder and Executive Director of RPA. She holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in African American Studies from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in American Studies and Ethnicity from the University of Southern California.
Dr. Mary-Alice Daniel (she/her)
Creative Director
Dr. Daniel holds a BA from Yale University, an MFA from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Southern California. Mass for Shut-Ins, her debut poetry collection, won the 2022 Yale Younger Poets Prize. Last November, Ecco/HarperCollins published Daniel’s tri-continental memoir, A Coastline is an Immeasurable Thing, which was named People’s Book of the Week and one of Kirkus Reviews’ Best Nonfiction Books of the Year. A cross-genre writer, she has published work in New England Review, The Iowa Review, Prairie Schooner, The American Poetry Review, and The Yale Review.
Nyame-Kye Kondo MFA she/her)
Creative Director
Nyame-Kye received her MFA in Community Arts from MICA. She is a a multi-faceted artist in performing and visual arts—a singer, published writer, filmmaker, actress, jewelry maker and creative director.
Moustapha Diop (he/him)
Event Coordinator
Moustapha Diop is fluent in French, Wolof, with working knowledge of Diola. He is the leader for site visits and travel coordination.
Shantanique Johnson EdD Candidate (she/her)
Director of Recruitment and Planning
Shantanique is an EdD Candidate in Counseling Education.
Mark Gomes MA (he/him)
Lead Instructor of History
An MA graduate in History from Iona College, Mark serves as an adjunct professor for Rockland Community College and Hudson Community College in African and US History.