TWR Malawi Leader Joins International Board

Janet Mtali, national director of TWR Malawi since 2023, has been appointed to the TWR International board of directors, bringing a youthful voice shaped by years of hands-on experience leading TWR's work in Africa.

Janet Mtali, the national director of TWR Malawi, has been confirmed as the 13th member of the TWR International board of directors.

The board unanimously approved her appointment during their April 14-16, 2026, meetings in Germany and The Netherlands.

Who is Janet Mtali?

Mtali, 35, has been the national director in Malawi since July 2023. There, she leads a staff of 23 plus 15 volunteers.

“We’re excited as a board, the entire board, about her bringing a whole different perspective into our board meetings,” said Jeffrey Jones, board chairman.

He noted that it had been several years since an African had served on the TWR board and added that Mtali also brings a more youthful perspective.

“She has a wonderful background in mentoring women in leadership,” he said. “She understands young women and young adults and how to bring them to come to know Christ. … She’s very smart and very well-connected in the region.”

Reaching youth has been a key part of her work, Mtali said, given that 70% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa is younger than 30. But that doesn’t change the message, she added. “Even while we try to reach people in different avenues, [we] still let the core message be the core message of Christ.”

Andy Schick, president and CEO of TWR, lauded the choice.

“One of the things that I’m really excited about is that she’s in the mission field,” Schick said. “She’s running a long-standing successful partner of ours. And TWR exists in large part in order to help our national partners be successful. So who better to be a voice and an advocate on our board than one of our national partners?”

A Lifelong Connection to TWR

Mtali is a native of Lilongwe, where TWR Malawi is based. She has been a TWR listener since 2001, when the TWR FM stations that now cover all of the country first went on the air, she said. She read a children’s Bible story on TWR Malawi when she was 12 and hosted that program after she completed high school. 

“When I first told a Bible story on TWR Malawi, I had no idea at all that I would get to where I also get to contribute at an international level with this opportunity,” Mtali said.

A 2024 Mandela Washington Fellow for Young African Leaders, Mtali has a master’s degree in communication for development from the University of Reading (United Kingdom). At TWR Malawi, she first served as a producer and presenter and then as manager of programs before her appointment as national director. TWR Malawi received the International Media Award from the National Religious Broadcasters during her tenure.