Our Operating Base

Above the Seas grew out of the Denise C. Hogan Library in Kenya, and that connection is central to everything we do. The DCHLK is not just one of the libraries we support; it is our operational home in East Africa. Harrison Kilonzo runs it, and it is where we plan, coordinate, and stage our work across the region.

The idea is straightforward: take what works at the DCHLK and extend it beyond the walls of a single building. We identify small community libraries throughout Kenya run by locals, serving the poorest communities, and give them what they need most: books, computers, internet access, and training. The DCHLK gives us the credibility, the local knowledge, and the base to do that well.

Dr. Denise C. Hogan

Co-Founder of the Denise C. Hogan Library

All of this exists because of Denise. She and Harrison started this library project together. Denise and my mother went to college together and have been friends since. For years she tried to get me involved, without much success. It took until August 2013 for me to finally step onto Kenyan soil, and here we are.

Denise brings a wealth of experience from her university career, a lifetime of reading, and years of hands-on library support. She has built a network of reliable and trustworthy people who are deeply involved in this project. She is regularly consulted on everything from day-to-day library operations to grant writing.

Denise resides in Hanover, Massachusetts.

Harrison Kilonzo

Library Operations — Co-Founder of the Denise C. Hogan Library

Harrison is also the Director and founder of the Denise C. Hogan Library in Kenya. He built this library from the ground up and has been its driving force ever since, with the steadfast support of Dr. Denise Hogan. Harrison has an extraordinary depth of experience managing, running, and navigating every aspect of community libraries. He is, by far, our most experienced team member. He lives just outside Nairobi with his wife and children.

Harrison was educated in the United States, where he spent five years, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Maine at Presque Isle.

Tomas Ryan

Founder of Above the Seas

I have traveled to many places, mostly to climb mountains. Over the years, my interest shifted from just climbing to actually getting to know the people along the way. A month traveling through Maoist-controlled Nepal with four Nepalese changed how I see everything. Climbing became a way to explore other cultures, meet exceptional people, and understand their lives firsthand.

This project grew out of that. The adventure of a lifetime starts with a good book; with access to information, to ideas, to tools. Small community libraries in the poorest places are doing exactly that. They're run by locals, built by locals, for locals. We're just here to help them survive and thrive. A stocked library draws more people in. That makes it a success.