SHEPHERD'S HEARTBEAT
Reaching Hearts, Changing Lives
Meet Our Team
CLARICE P. RICHARDS
Shepherd's Heartbeat was founded by Clarice Richards, who survived the Liberian civil war. She and her two sons experienced capture, starvation and homelessness at the hands of rebel forces. One of her sons succumbed to severe malnutrition during this time. Clarice and her remaining son then experienced the restoration of their lives due to help she received from charitable organizations around the world. Clarice formed Shepherd's Heartbeat to help others in similar desperate situations, especially children.
Sam Togba Slewion
Project Coordinator in Liberia
Prof. Sam Togba Slewion has over 20 years of experience working in the social service and health care delivery arena, both in the United States and Africa, particularly Liberia, West Africa, including working with vulnerable and at-risk children and youth, older people and persons with disabilities as well as the cancer control and management program of Liberia. He currently serves as Chairman of the Social Work Department of the United Methodist University in Liberia and Acting Chairman of the National Social Work Board of Liberia. He is also a member of several Boards of private and public institutions as well as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Liberia, including the Civil Society Advisory Board of the UN Women-Liberia, the Allied Health Board of Liberia, and Liberia National Commission for Non-Communicable Diseases and Injury (NCDI).
Prof. Slewion is a Christian with a deep relationship with God. He is a very active member of the United Methodist Church in Liberia.
Prof. Slewion is excited to bring his years of experience and connections with respect to social service and health care in Liberia to Shepherd’s Heartbeat as the Project Coordinator in Liberia.
Leah Irwin
Program Coordinator
Leah Irwin came to Shepherd’s Heartbeat through her longtime, workplace friendship with the founder Clarice Richards. Leah has always had a heart to serve disadvantaged children, in the name of Christ, all over the world. She has served on numerous short-term mission teams, doing service project, Bible clubs, bringing humanitarian aid and teaching children about Christ. She desires for children’s basic need to be met in the name of Christ. Leah has been a nurse for over 15 years. She started her career as a nursing assistant in a pediatric facility, became a pediatric nurse in 2000, and became a pediatric nurse practitioner in 2002. She is now a nurse manager at an adult hospital.
Adama V. Sirleaf
Project Consultant
Adama Varsey (AV) Sirleaf is excited to join to Shepherd’s Heartbeat as Project Consultant. AV graduated from the University of Westminster in London with a Combine Honors Bachelor's Degree in International Relations and War and Conflict Studies. AV has extensively studied developing countries and post-conflict transitional justice. He also holds a law degree from the William & Mary School of Law in Williamsburg, Virginia. As a Project Consultant, AV will assist the implementation of Shepherd’s Heartbeat’s multiple projects in Liberia.
