Patrick was born in Kumasi, Ghana and grew up mostly with grandparents after his parents divorced at an early age. Despite difficult economic and social conditions at home, Patrick never gave up on his passion to pursue higher education which he saw as the only way out of his situation. Patrick holds a Master Degree in French from Purdue University in Indiana and a Bachelors degree in French and History from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. His love for science led him to pursue Nursing and is currently a Texas State Licensed Practical Nurse and pursuing a Bachelor Degree in Nursing.

Patrick has spent over a decade and a half of his years working with students, researchers, and rural farmers both in Ghana and in the United States. He lived and worked in Ghana as a teacher in Kumasi Polytechnical Institute and later as a banker at Opportunity International Bank. He is presently serving with the United States Army which affords him the chance to travel the world to provide meaningful impact. An experience he cherishes.

Patrick has widely expressed concerns on African issues such as poor quality of education, AIDS, agricultural biodiversity, assigning economic values to Africa’s natural resources and food production. He volunteered for AIDS campaigns and Teaching in rural Ghana, something he considers to be a life changing experience. While teaching in St Louis, Patrick volunteered at the Bilingual International Assistant Services supporting American immigrants and refugees of various nationalities to access healthcare and social services in their communities.

He has worked extensively with co trustees to create the brand Unleash and founded Unleash Potential with the mission to help improve the poor education conditions in which he grew up in Ghana.

Elizabeth Appiah

Co-founder/Board Member/
Gen. Secretary

Elizabeth is from St. Louis Missouri. She holds a Bachelors in Communications from the University of Missouri St. Louis. In college, as part of her commitment to community service, Elizabeth chose to take an internship with The Mission Continues. She built communication and advertising manuals in collaboration with fellow co-workers. She interviewed and helped to place many veterans in local community service projects. Since finishing her first degree, Elizabeth is seeking a second degree in the Science of Nursing and plans to pursue a Masters of Science in Nursing.

With an advertising and communication background, Elizabeth provides the needed skills to promote outreach and fundraising opportunities to help us reach our goal of providing quality education. She manages all social media, communication, and outreach efforts of Unleash Potential.

Elizabeth has been a passionate advocate for community service for many years. In high school she served in both food banks and homeless shelters. While in college, Elizabeth served as a house mother for a local women’s shelter and spent evenings in the shelter attending to any needs and assisting with classes.
More recently, Elizabeth has developed and managed ESL classes for students in El Paso, Texas, providing an opportunity for academically struggling students to improve their grades and chance at graduation. She achieved a 96% graduation rate through these classes.
She has also tutored at local Boys and Girls Clubs, providing individual instruction and mentorship to students from middle to high school. As a co-founder of Unleash Potential, Elizabeth strives to make her passion for providing quality education a reality for children in some of the most impoverished regions of Ghana.

Joseph holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work from the University of Ghana as well as an Associates in Biology from Nassau Community College. Joseph has vast financial and PR work experience. He served as the Deputy Head of the Clearing Unit at the Guaranty Trust (GT) Bank Ghana. During this time, Joseph learned invaluable banking skills, such as preparing monthly proof reports, balancing ledgers, performing automated clearing house transactions, and liaised with other corporations to solve issues relating to clearing on the behalf of GT bank. In 2013, Joseph moved to Long Island, New York and joined the BJ’s Wholesale Club.

Joseph has risen through the administrative ranks of BJ’s over time. He is currently the Human Resource manager and Public Relations representative at their branch in Long Island. He handles product pricing as well as hiring and staff management policies.  With his numerous years of experience, Joseph serves as the head counselor on all financial matters. He handles the management of trust funds as well as creating monthly ledgers to maintain and track all financial transactions. He also serves as a member of the public relations committee and provides advisement on certain policies and procedures. He works directly with the communications and advertising committee to ensure that the company and all its members are equally represented.

Joseph is an advocate for community service and has served as a volunteer for many years. He served on the Kumasi Local Organizing Committee of the 26th African Cup of Nations, held in Ghana. Joseph also volunteered as the Chairmen of the Planning Committee for the Kumasi Girls School Old Students’ Association at the University of Ghana, Legon. He has also given of his talents as a Community Service Directorate of Rotaract Club at the University of Ghana. He was in charge of writing proposals and assessing club projects.

Joseph is dedicated to the Unleash mission and making a difference in the lives of Ghanaian children. His numerous talents and vast experience as well as his commitment to community service make him an invaluable member of the Unleash team.

Colleen LaPlante is a graduate of the University of Idaho where she earned a bachelor’s degrees in Marketing, Finance, and Management/HR. She focuses on online marketing, strategy, copy writing, and marketing materials development. Her background includes multiple marketing and event planning internships in college and a career in the marketing and finance industries.

Service to others and empowering communities through the Unleash mission are near and dear to her heart. Volunteer work and promoting education have been key themes throughout her life, whether it is volunteering at a local food bank, tutoring children, or designing ads for local events.

As the spouse of an active duty soldier, Colleen is frequently exploring new parts of the country. She stays active within her church and military communities and is particularly interested in advocating for those with cleft lip and palate and their families.

With her years of experience in marketing and fundraising as well as her devotion of time and talent to organizations both nationally and internationally, Colleen is an essential asset to our Unleash family and an irreplaceable community advocate.