The Team
Tizita Belachew
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retired in April 2022 after working at the Voice of America the Horn of Africa Service for 39 years. During her lateral years at the agency, she served as the chief of VOA’s Horn of Africa service, which broadcasts to Ethiopia, Eritrea, and diaspora communities throughout the world in the Amharic, Afan Oromo, and Tigrigna languages. Prior to becoming the service chief, Belachew spent years as managing editor. She traveled throughout Ethiopia, Eritrea South Sudan, and Sudan covering political social, and health-related stories. Belachew holds a Bachelor of Arts in radio, TV, and film and a Master of Education from Howard University in Washington, D.C. . For her many contributions to VOA and its mission, Belachew has received numerous agency achievement awards, including three Gold Medals as well as a Currier Achievement Award. She is a mother of two sons of which Biya Belayneh was the oldest. Until his passing on May 11, 2021, she looked after and cared for her son throughout the 15 years of his struggle with mental illness and addiction
Bogale Belayneh
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Biya Belayneh's father received his Bachelor in Government and Political Science from the University of Maryland in 1993. Since then, Bogale has founded various businesses including a parking lot enterprise, a luxury transportation service and invested in agricultural ventures in Ethiopia.
Messai Belayneh
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The sole sibling to the organization namesake Biya Belayneh, received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business in 2018. Messai went on to purchase and overtake operations at Lost Society, a premier restaurant & lounge in Washington D.C. that provides an eclectic experience including high-quality dining, live entertainment, VIP bottle service on a rooftop deck, and more. Messai is also the Director of Marketing of Distant Relatives Project, a nonprofit organization that is committed to developing underserved communities around the world. Messai takes pride in creatively advancing the visibility, reputation, and relevance of the brands he works with.
Yonas Beshawred
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An Ethiopian-American, born and raised in Maryland, studied Business Information Systems and Human-Computer Interaction at the University of Maryland College Park. Yonas is the Founder & CEO of StackShare, an online platform used by over one million software developers. Yonas has raised over $10M for StackShare from Silicon Valley venture capital firms and angel investors. Yonas is also a Founding Board Member of Harambeans, a non-profit organization that supports high-impact African entrepreneurs that have collectively raised over $400M in capital.
