Who We Are

Sara Goff  is a graduate of Oswego State University. She attended Sewanee Writers’ Conference and received two fellowships to Summer Literary Seminars in St. Petersburg, Russia and Nairobi, Kenya. During the 16 years she lived in Manhattan, she loved her work as a writing instructor for Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen Writers Workshop, founded by author Ian Frazier, and for The National Arts Club’s creative writing program for students.

Sara founded Lift the Lid in 2010 and Bridging Minds in 2019, a company that promotes civil political discussions by bridging different perspectives and diverse social and economic backgrounds in America.

She wrote the novel I Always Cry at Weddings (WhiteFire Publishing, 2015), and all proceeds from the book go towards Lift the Lid.

Jonas Nilsson is a graduate of Harvard Business School and United World College. Currently, he helps develop for-profit companies for a living. He is also passionate about technology and has made software development a hobby since he got his first computer in 1981. Lift-the-lid.org became his non-profit focus after meeting Sara and travelling together with her to Kenya.

Joash Bii got us started with our first school in Kenya. He is committed to taking technology to remote rural areas where children would otherwise complete their education without touching a computer. He is a graduate of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya with a MSc. in Software Engineering and a Phd. in Computer Science. He currently serves at Maasai Mara University as Lecturer in the Department of Computing and Informatics, and he’s the Founder/Principal of Keneni Academy elementary school in Kecheiyat.

Cheri Peters was the child of Christian missionaries to the Philippines, where she learned to love the country and its people. After graduate studies at Northwestern University in English Renaissance literature, she began working with the Sewanee Writers’ Conference at its inception in 1990-and began reading more contemporary literature. Retiring in 2010, she has found in Lift the Lid a most satisfying way to unify the different aspects of her life experience, while at the same time being of service to underprivileged children.

Lasinda McDaniel is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine master’s degree program in economic development. She has 15 years of experience working as an executive director of private nonprofit organizations. After raising three children, she is excited to join Lift the Lid in our efforts to aide the schools and students we sponsor. Lasinda is passionate about education and helping other people, which makes her a perfect fit for our organization!