Billy Bludgus, President
Billy graduated from the University of Miami in 2005 with a B.S. in Mathematics, Education, and German. Shortly after graduation, he moved to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania for a two-year volunteer teaching job. About a year into his time in Tanzania, recognizing the vast gap in life opportunities between kids who go to school and those who do not, the idea for the House of Blue Hope was born. Billy stayed in Dar to see the house open after a full year of feasibility studies, fund raising, planning, and construction. He lived in the house for several months with the first group of boys before moving back to the U.S. in 2008. Billy currently lives in Manhattan, New York, where he teaches, coaches, and serves as the Director of the Christian Service Program at Loyola School. He is also working on his Master’s degree in Education Administration at Fordham University. Billy travels back to Tanzania every summer to evaluate the project, explore expansion opportunities, and spend time with the staff and kids of Blue Hope.
Liam Ahearn
Liam Ahearn graduated from Georgetown University in 2005 with a BA in Economics and History. At Georgetown University, Liam was also the Director of Community Service for the college’s local chapter of the Society of Collegiate Scholars. Liam became friends with Billy Bludgus when they were classmates and teammates at St. Peter’s Prep High School in Jersey City where they also participated in a number of Christian service activities together. Liam is inspired by the cause of the House of Blue Hope and the dedication and commitment of its staff.
Liam works as a Director at Capstone Advisory Group in New York where he provides consulting services to companies and creditors involved in distressed/bankruptcy situations.
Steven Kirby
Steven Kirby is a career educator and strong advocate for disenfranchised youth. He holds four degrees in the field of education including a B.S.Ed. and M.S.Ed. from the University of Miami, an Ed.M from Harvard University, and Ed.S from NOVA Southeastern University. He is currently a doctoral candidate in Leadership, Policy, and Organization at Vanderbilt University.In addition to being a board member for the House of Blue Hope Steven is also the founder and president of Housing, Education, and Rehabilitation of Orphans (H.E.R.O.) in Haiti. He hopes that his experiences will help the street children and orphans of both Tanzania and Haiti become educated, productive, and socially conscious citizens of our global society.
Lily Olivier
In 2006, Lily Olivier graduated with a B.A. from the University of Miami, with majors in International
Studies and Psychology, and a minor in Spanish. Immediately after graduation, she embarked on a 2 1/2 year journey to Mozambique with the Peace Corps. While in Mozambique, she was placed with Care International and worked to integrate HIV/AIDS and health components into an income generation project. During this time, she had the great pleasure of visiting the House of Blue Hope and meeting all the amazing boys who were living there.
Already a Registered Nurse, Lily is currently completing a Masters of Nursing program at Seattle University. She will be graduating in August as an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner, with a focus as a Certified Nurse-Midwife. She has had the opportunity to provide health-related advice to the board over the past year and looks forward to contributing in other ways as well.
Scott Sadowski
Scott Sadowski graduated from the University of Miami in 2004 with a BBA degree in Finance. While a student at University of Miami, Scott worked with Billy Bludgus on the Executive Boards of several student and service organizations on campus. They were teammates on the Mens Cross Country and Track & Field teams and were fraternity brothers of Sigma Phi Epsilon. Scott lives and works in New York as an equity research salesperson at the broker-dealer Gabelli & Company, Inc (subsidiary of GAMCO Investors; NYSE: GBL).
In addition to serving as a Board Member, Scott is involved with House of Blue Hope as Vice President of Finance and Vice President of Programming. He works closely with our budget, fund raising efforts, as well as the many events hosted by House of Blue Hope.
Adam Weise
Graduating in 2007, Adam Weise attended the University of Miami, it was there where he met fraternity brothers Scott Sadowski and William Bludgus. Shortly after graduation Adam and other Sigma Phi Epsilon brothers joined an international group in climbing Mount Kilimanjaro as a fundraiser for what was to become the House of Blue Hope. Struck by the importance of the cause, Adam would travel to Dar es Salaam to live and work on the project full-time. Adam has since returned to the United States, obtained a Master’s in Business Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management.
Adam sits on the Executive board of House of Blue Hope as well as serving as Vice President of Operations and Vice President of Communication. He spends most of his time calling upon his in country experience while coordinating with the Tanzanian staff and board as well as managing House of Blue Hope’s messaging.
