Board Member

Wendi Ailor is the Executive Director for the West Lafayette Schools Education Foundation in Indiana. Before that, Wendi worked in higher education philanthropy for 22 years in a variety of positions at Manchester University and Purdue University. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Elizabethtown College and a Master of Arts in Theology from Bethany Theological Seminary. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Seminary.

Wendi’s husband, Mark, teaches at Purdue University School of Nursing. They have two sons who were born in Ethiopia. As a family, they are active in their local schools, share a love of soccer, and enjoy cheering on the Purdue Boilermakers.

It was Wendi’s eldest son’s desire to support education in Ethiopia that led them to Roots Ethiopia. As a family, they held a fundraiser for Wanja Primary School and a few years later, visited the school on a trip to Ethiopia. The mission of Roots Ethiopia aligns with their family’s goals of supporting education and helping to meet basic human needs. Wendi is excited to support the work of Roots Ethiopia in a more official way.