
Meet the VACorps Team.

Sean Walpole
Finance & Faculty Programming

Oliver Hagan
VACorps Partnerships
Oliver is a proud graduate of the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication (’05). He fell in love with South Africa in 2003 while an exchange student at the University of Cape Town and later returned to the country in 2005 to work as a PADI SCUBA instructor after failing to find a job as a magazine editor in New York City. This early professional setback allowed him to return to South Africa and eventually discover his dream career within the field of international education. When not engaged in VACorps affairs, Oliver can be found hiking, mountain biking, trail running, training for triathlons or surfing one of Cape Town’s many amazing waves.

Kholosa Potwana
Program Advisor, Culture Series Facilitator and Xhosa Language Instructor

Loyiso Jaji
Program Advisor

Kuselwa Webhu
Program Advisor

Leanne Hagan
Program Advisor
Originally from Johannesburg, Leanne Hagan is a born and bred South African. Following the completion of her Business Science Honors degree in finance from the University of Cape Town, she spent three years working and traveling the globe. Convinced that Cape Town truly is the most beautiful city in the world, she decided to settle in the Mother City. Leanne is a qualified CFA and prior to joining VACorps in 2019 spent 12 years working in the field of finance. In her free time, Leanne is an avid cyclist, triathlete, and outdoor adventurer. She enjoys nothing more than spending time the on “The Mountain” with her three dogs and husband, Oliver.

Rowan Walpole
Program Advisor
Originally from Zimbabwe, Rowan came to study in Cape Town after school and did not get around to leaving. Cape Town has that effect on people!
Rowan has had varied professional experiences ranging from being PADI scuba diving instructor and owning an adventure sports business to running the Cape Town branch of a payment gateway solution. Rowan is passionate about business and startups and loves working with our network of partner sites. His favorite part of being on the VACorps team is witnessing the growth interns experience when they push themselves outside of their comfort zone.
Rowan is married and the lucky dad of Fynn and Isla; outside of work the kids keep him busy. He’s also pursuing a degree online so when he’s not on the job he’s catching up on assignments, which helps him understand the challenges of being a student. Rowan loves running and keeping fit, for some odd reason burpees are his favorite exercise. He makes sure to get his kids out to the beach at least once a week, snorkelling at the beaches around Simons Town never gets boring.

Dina and Juno
Program Mascots