Mission/Overview
    Background

    Our People
      - Program Staff 
      -
Research Fellows
      - Advisory Board
      - Board
of Directors
      - Global Trustees
    Core Perspectives
    Words from our Founder
    EW Structure & Culture
    Funding Opportunities
    Spending /Development
    Guiding Principles

    Frequently Asked Questions


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EW ACTION TEAM (Program Staff &Volunteers)

Melanie St.James, MPA
Executive Director & Co-founder

Melanie’s life-long dedication to social justice, hands on policy research and private sector entrepreneurship in environmental technology and health fuels her passionate dedication to integrative solutions, underscored by launching The Global Summit.

Inspired by research linking population, environmental scarcity and poverty, and related programs in Africa, she founded Empowerment Works (EW) in 2001. Her training in transformational mediation and international negotiations further contributed to EW’s 7 Stages of sustainable development & PIE approach. To keep EW at the leading edge, Melanie learns and speaks publicly at world forums as the 2006 International AIDS Conference in Toronto as co-Founder of the Coalition for a Sustainable Africa; unveiling her Population Theory at the 2004 Sustainable Resources Conference in Boulder; serving as session chair and moderator at the 5th International Symposium on Digital Earth, the 2008 Global Sound Conference, and the Lightning in a Bottle Eco-Festival, May 2008.

In 2007, Melanie produced the first national press-conference on Colony Collapse Disorder, which brought world renowned expert insights on sustainable agriculture, critical food security and bio-diversity to the mainstream media via immediate coverage in the LA Times and NBC.

In concert with building Empowerment Works’ grass-roots programs in Africa, Melanie has deepened her private sector insights as President & Founder of BioNova™ Medical Corporation, through which she has authored various patents for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, managed treatment protocols in Africa and research programs with City of Hope's Beckman Research Institute and UCLA AIDS Institute.

Melanie holds a Masters degree of Public Administration in International Management from the Monterey Institute of International Studies and BA in International Relations & Diplomacy from Schiller International University in Madrid, Spain. Fluent in French and Spanish, Ms. St.James has lived and conducted research throughout Asia, Europe, Africa and Central America. While in the USA, Melanie resides in Venice Beach, California.

View Melanie St.James's profile on LinkedIn

Top...

Marie Stojimirovic, MS
Multi-sector Collaboration Research & Evaluation Director

Recently graduated with a Master’s degree in Sociology from the University of Rouen in France, Marie won a full scholarship to come to the US and serve as a full-time intern with EW. Her creative brilliance designing the Partners In Empowerment international survey and evaluation will not only advance EW's global impact but the social science of multi-sector collaboration. To further support data analysis and monitor long term success of 1pie.org (multi-sector collaboration portal) upon her return to France, Marie will remain on EW’s global team as an honored EW Research Fellow.

Marie’s own words describe her best: “I contacted Empowerment Works because I am very interested by international solidarity and holistic approach and thinking that the economy should totally be embedded in the society instead of controlling it!

Moreover, I feel very concerned by the different types of domination which still persist at every level of our world (between social classes, “races”, countries, sexes, etc.) and are especially materialized in our economic system.

That’s why I plan to get a PhD in sociology to analyze and understand the different practices in sustainable development and explain what’s working or not and why.

Like EW, I really believe that educational institutions and researchers have a role to play in social change because they have the skills and the knowledge to understand and explain the reality. Building partnerships between international institutions could be very effective to have a global and accurate view of populations’ needs and programs' results. To build these precious partnerships and organize different research programs, I will collaborate with EW and do my best to contribute to this process.”

Stefan Cibian
Global Policy Research Director

Stefan is currently a PhD Candidate at Central European University, Department of International Relations and European Studies. He holds a BA in Political Science (Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania), a BA in Law (1st of December University, Alba Iulia, Romania) as well as an MA in Public Policy (Central European University, Budapest, Hungary).

Stefan works on international relations theory and development policy.

Stefan's PhD thesis focuses on the expansion of Western forms of societal organization to non-Western areas with a specific focus on the relevance of development aid for international relations. Previously Stefan has worked with several youth/student organizations. He enjoys working on community development and building up international networks.

Jeff Buderer
Sustainable Development & Appropriate Technologies Strategist

Jeff's current research areas include information technology, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy and eco-building practices as part of an integrated, assets-based (“Holistic Village”) approach to sustainable development. Jeff's multi-faceted support of EW includes creation and editing The Inspired Citizen blog, managing various aspects of web communications, facilitating global partnerships, programs and serving as co-Chair of the Digital Village committee and membership on The Global Summit strategy team.

Jeff Buderer received his degree in political science at Missouri State University in 1999 where he researched Arcosanti – a futuristic prototype for urban sustainable development located in the desert of Arizona. Once graduating, he moved to Arizona and joined Arcosanti as Construction Crew Chief and trained participants how to apply sustainable development theories and tools on the job site. While there, he enrolled in the first total immersion course on Ecological Design offered by Ecosa Institute -one of the few courses of its kind. This four month course gave him a comprehensive view of Ecological Design. Thereafter, in the Paradox III Conference, which featured an eclectic mix of digital visionaries, utopians, technologists, architects, communitarians, and sustainability experts, Jeff saw the convergence of Information Technologies in support of the rapid adaptation of sustainable technologies. Putting his passion for the Digital Village into action, Jeff serves as oneVillage Foundation's operations and program director.

Top...

Suad Sulaiman, PhD
EW Sudan - Joint Program Director

Dr. Sulaiman has over 30 years of research and program management experience addressing the root causes of Sudan's inextricably linked social and environmental challenges.

Suad has been an active and founding member of the Sudanese Environment Conservation Society (SECS) since its founding 1975 and served on the executive committee for 4 years. SECS is Sudan's largest and most respected environmental and sustainable community development organization with 120 branches and over 12,000 members throughout the country.

An expert in community development, climate change, waterborne diseases, Dr. Sulaiman is an advisor to the World Bank, WHO and guides multi-stakeholder collaboration in environmental and agricultural management as part of the Nile River Discourse.

Recognizing the value of her local dedication and knowledge, Empowerment Works is proud to partner with Dr. Sulaiman in extending its community-based approach to the Sudan as Joint Program Director of EW's integrative eco-restoration, health and economic development strategy in her country. [See Resume]

Meeting a timely challenge to raise climate change consciousness, and funds to empower those most affected with the economic, educational and environmental tools to fight it on the very front lines, Dr. Sulaiman made a bridge-building tour to the United States from August 4-20th to inspire hope and solutions for a healthy, peaceful and sustainable Sudan.

Top...

Julia Kunzekwenyika
EW Zimbabwe Program Director


This African born & raised social entrepreneur, business-woman, artist and mother has dedicated years to empowering hundreds of people out of poverty. With minimal outside support, she has paid orphan school fees, purchased uniforms, set up a community library and helped widows become self sufficient by empowering them to make crafts which she would sell at local markets. Julia began to set herself apart as a social entrepreneur when her sick Aunt (with brain seizures) was shunned by
her relatives because of their cultural superstitions.  Against the demands of her entire family, Julia sold tomatoes on the street corner to pay the medical bills and nursed her terminally ill Aunt until she passed away in dignity.  Julia and her brother Tapiwa started T&J Painted Fabrics as a craft project which has successfully expanded with training and employment of over 10 members.  T & J Batiks are sold locally at the Zimbabwe National Art Gallery and are beginning to make a name internationally with retailers such as the American Smithsonian Museum Store.

Over the past 20 years this In addition to helping her community, Julia has managed to send kids to college. One daughter recently graduated from medical school. *EW’s founder, Melanie St.James had developed a relationship with Julia for 2 years prior to launching Empowerment Works AIDS relief & Orphan Care projects in Zimbabwe.

Courtney White, LCSW
Community Liaison

Courtney has been working in the world of non-profits and government organizations since 1996. While earning her Masters in Social Work through UCLA, Courtney lived, studied, and worked in Durban, South Africa. Looking at the epidemic of HIV, Courtney worked with the University of Natal, the Jane Goodall Institute, Sinikithema Clinic, and McCord Hospital to develop holistic approaches in prevention with teens, income generating projects with mothers, and organizational development with institutions.

Courtney also has experience working with African communities in London, England through the British Red Cross Refugee Unit and the Family Resource Team of the Borough of Southwark. Courtney currently conducts research and provides direct mental health services to the homeless population through the US Department of Veteran Affairs in Los Angeles.

In addition to her demanding social work career, Courtney plays a quintessential role in managing EW interns for global programs as well as co-creating EW Artists In Action Events in Los Angeles.

Tobias Sturmer, MA
EW Music - Ethnomusicology Artistic
Director

Tobias Sturmer is an ethnomusicologist, producer, social entrepreneur, musician, composer and educator living in London, UK and Cologne, Germany.  Originally from Germany, he has lived in Dominican Republic, USA, Senegal and Venezuela, studying music and culture, teaching and performing.

Since arriving in London in 1998, he has acquired an MA in Ethnomusicology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University. He performs professionally on the London Jazz, Latin and African music scene as well as on the contemporary dance scene.  T.S.  has been running a non-profit artist support scheme in Senegal and Uganda since 2002. The aim of his work has been to 1) encourage cultural and economic development of African communities by providing African musicians with tools for self-reliance, and 2) to document and to enhance the cultural heritage of musical traditions in Africa.  In the course of the project T.S. has supported more than 20 bands in Casamance/Senegal and Luwero/Uganda.

Mr. Sturmer lived one year in Casamance, Senegal learning about Diola music and culture. He initiated a charitable recording project in the Casamance region, which has now become EW-Music, with its first Album, Music of the Diola, Vol. 1, released in Dec. 2007!

Top...

 

Ariel Kraten
Development Assistant & Suriname Program Facilitator


Ariel recently returned from serving in the US Peace Corps in 2006 after spending two years in Suriname, South America.  While living in a remote Amazon village, learning a new language and culture, Ariel helped to install her village's first running water system and coordinated numerous AIDS benefit events and community projects.  Ariel earned both a BA in Classics & Religion and a BS in Photojournalism at Boston University, where she was awarded a full-tuition scholarship and was a member of their highly competitive NCAA Division I rowing team.
Ariel has a passion for international humanitarian work and she has interned for the Nobel-Prize winning organization Physicians for Human Rights in the communications department.  She has also won awards for both her writing and photography.  While putting these skills to use as EW's Part-Time Development Coordinator, she is also pursuing her MS in Non-profit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, increasing her skill base as well as EW's access to new developments in the Not-for-Profit business world.

Keith Biele
Art for AIDS Relief Project Manager
- USA & Zimbabwe

Artist in Action, Keith Biele is a gifted artist and an even more gifted social entrepreneur. After 9-11, like many people, Keith wanted to make a difference. He had art to give, and soon became the first person ever to paint within the US Pentagon, where carried out his vision of creating peace and calm to places in conflict through physically shifting a space by creating art in it.

It was not long after EW got a hold of him in 2006, that he was on a plane to Africa. But before he left, Keith inspired about 100 kids at his childhood elementary school to draw pictures as a message of solidarity with AIDS Orphans in Zimbabwe, which has the highest % in the world. Once he arrived he set out to expand his vision of using the power of art therapy in the casualty center at the largest hospital in the country during a major strike. Prints of the artwork he created there will be sold to raise funds for EW Zimbabwe Children's programs.

In providing art therapy classes over a five week period and offering work shops to over a hundred children in three rural communities, he has also proven himself to be a nurturing and skill-imparting children’s art teacher. In his ongoing role as Art for AIDS Relief project director, Keith seeks to engage other artists both in the US and globally to apply their talent to create hope and support for healthier, culturally rich communities in the US and Zimbabwe, where he will soon return.

Brooke E. Sparling
Public Health Researcher


Brooklyn is a graduate student at UCLA.  She is pursuing her Masters degree in Public Health, with a concentration in International Health, and a focus on Africa. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2001 with her BA in Psychology and Women's Studies.  She spent a semester of her junior year on Semester at Sea, a floating classroom aboard a ship.  The ship circumnavigated the globe exploring nine countries:  Cuba, Brazil, South Africa, Kenya, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Japan.  This trip inspired her to pursue a career in International Health. Brooklyn was in the Peace Corps in the rural village of Dibi, Cameroon, where she served as a Health Education Volunteer.  Her projects included training peer educators, a malaria prevention campaign, and an after school group for girls. When she is not studying, Brooklyn is managing, costuming, and performing with the fire ballet troupe, Evaluna.

Lindsay Gatz
Graphic Designer of Event Promotions & Print
Eli Petkova, MA (Bulgaria)
Web Designer & Creative Director
Soheil Abbasi (Iran)
Web Team Member/ Database Coordinator


Soheil Abbasi, BS in Software Engineering, IT Developer, Web Designer and HIV/AIDS awareness activist in Iran.  Soheil has been developing appropriate IT solutions for communities, NGO's, companies and enterprises since 2000. He is also working on several IT projects about HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and support programs in the Middle East.  Soheil believes in Love, Peace and Humanity as the ultimate solution for problems of people in the world today.

EW Research Fellows

Michael Abrams, MA
Research Fellow for Quality of Life

Michael Abrams holds a Master’s in Mathematical Sciences from Johns Hopkins, which he attended on a University Fellowship, and a Bachelor’s, cum laude, from Hunter College. Other awards include being a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship competition, and a participant in Argonne National Laboratory’s Undergraduate Research Program.

Michael’s work history includes employment as a Systems Engineer in the Advanced Research Divisions of both Westinghouse and Sperry Corporations, where he helped develop next-generation radar systems for the US military. In addition, he has contributed to research efforts at Columbia University’s School of Public Health and the Stevens Institute of Technology. Michael has served as an Adjunct Professor in the Statistics Department at Florida International University. With extensive experience tutoring college students in Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, Michael is currently a Course Developer and Adjunct Professor at Excelsior College, a virtual university and will start a MA in Individualized Studies program at Goddard College (Environmental Studies Concentration) in Fall 2007.

The caviat for Michael becoming EW’s first official Research Fellow centers on his study of ‘quality of life’ (QOL), as a means of transcending the conventional approach of gauging social development by total economic output (GDP). Ultimately, he intends to use his work as the basis of a textbook for a college-level course that would introduce students to the subject of ‘QOL and Its Measurement’. The Earth Charter reminds us that, “We must realize that when basic needs have been met, human development is primarily about being more, not having more.” Precisely what this ‘being more’ entails, at the level of society, will be the focus of his work at Goddard College, which EW will apply to its like-minded evaluation system. Read more about Michael's work on EW's Inspired Citizen Journal & Blog.

Kachina Katrina Zavalney, MA
Research Fellow building "Community Organizers Tool Kit"

Kachina Katrina is an extraordinary organizer, community builder, event planner, greener of everything she touches, educator, and organizational development consultant.

Empowerment Works has distinguished Kachina as an official "Research Fellow" for the "community organizers tool kit" she is developing for inspired people who want to do something about the problems in this world, and don't know where to start. Outlining specific practices and resources for local solutions, EW looks forward to applying this educational resource and capacity-building tool in global programs and within the PIE network. In addition to having a global program platform for her work, being an EW Research Fellow also enables Kachina to fund raise for its completion through EW as non-profit fiscal sponsor.

Kachina Katrina has been referred to as a master net worker, connecting broad spectrums of people together through important issues and innovative solutions. She has learned and practiced community building sharpening organizing skills with the City Repair project in Portland, OR since 1999, becoming their national outreach coordinator.

Read more about & download Kachina's Toolkit via EW's Inspired Citizen welcoming her to EW!

Top...

Advisory Board

Jay Levin
Mass Media, Social Change & Journalistic Ethics

Jay Levin is one of the pioneers and leaders in the independent media industry. He has led companies in the publishing, TV Network and Internet industries. Mr. Levin is known for his wide knowledge, his general editorial and business creativity, and his experience as a leading independent culture and news specialist with an extensive range of contacts. As the Founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of the Los Angeles Weekly, under his editorial, marketing and sales leadership the newspaper became the largest circulation and most advertising-rich weekly paper in the country and won numerous journalism awards. While he was heading the LA Weekly, the paper founded the popular magazine LA Style. Later he created Planet Central TV, a startup cable television network. He currently heads up RealTALKLA.com

Top...

Dianne McCutchan, MA
Co-founder & Development Committee Advisor

Dianne McCutchan has helped build EW from the ground up- since 2001. Formerly director of consulting and information services for the Nonprofit Support Center in Santa Barbara, Dianne is now serving as the Development Director of the United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara. In that role, she is growing resources available for youth development programs, athletics, summer camp and teen programming. She has chosen to focus on local youth, as a means of providing compelling alternatives to youth violence, bridging the achievement gap, and helping acquire and implement tools for academic success.

Applying her MA in Anthropology from University California Santa Barbara, Dianne lectured college courses on Women in Development, and community psychology giving much needed exposure to issues faced by the global communities EW serves. At home in California Ms. McCutchan, with over seven years experience in nonprofit management, has successfully implemented a variety of youth education programs emphasizing teenage pregnancy prevention work and public education. Her professional roles include Project Coordinator for United Boys & Girls Clubs and a collaborative grant project with Planned Parenthood and other partners focused on teenage pregnancy prevention; Launching Teens and Toddlers, a youth development program FOR at-risk youth in Santa Barbara through Empowerment Works. Later as Executive Director of "Children: Our Ultimate Investment", in Los Angeles, Dianne multiplied Teens and Toddlers programs and funding where it is needed most.

Rick Pinckert
Communications Advisor

An Information Technologies expert with a strong cultural background Rick guides the Digital Village committee of The Global Summit. Rick's day job is Network Administrator at the USC Annenberg School for Communication where he manages the distance Learning technical program, Video Conferencing and decision-making role in evaluating new technology for internet content sharing for faculty and students. Previously, he served as Director of Technical Services at USC's Advanced Bioinformatics and Biotechnology Center, where he directed and supervised IT technical support teams. Influenced by his aunt the world-famous psychic Jean Dixon he began what was to become a long history of research into alternative healing and metaphysics including studying with Yogi Bhajan 1970, the Yuen Method of Chinese Energetic Medicine and advanced courses in Meditation and Healing with the Southern California Psychic Institute. As Executive Producer he is premiering "Stellar Transformation"; a TV show about how people can transform themselves with alternative healing arts. As an active member of the LA grassroots cultural community, he has been involved in various productions including the Program Director for a Four Star Records project, "Little Elmo" that initiated neighborhood children's theatre projects with performances at The Los Angeles Garden Theatre Festival.

Top...

Craig Spahr
Public Relations & Member of The Global Summit Organizing Team

Through his diversified corporate and volunteer service career, Craig Spahr has developed and honed his business sense and savvy and is extremely adaptable. His ability to read and relate to people and situations brings greater depth and clarity in decision making processes.

Working in Public Relations for Creative Citizen LLC, Craig has made the choice and is dedicating his life to bring about creative solutions for a socially, environmentally and economically just presence on this planet for all.

Craig brings to the Global Summit Team experience in sales, marketing and business development with a foundation in management stemming from the restaurant industry. Before working with Creative Citizen, Craig was the Northern California Regional Manager for an environmental consulting firm supporting corporate clients including Pepsi, Target, and DHL Express.

In 2004 Craig along with an international delegation traveled to Guatemala, where on behalf of the Mayan People, this delegation along with United Nations attorneys began the long and arduous task of drafting indigenous rights documentation for the Maya throughout Central America and Mexico.

Now living in San Francisco, familiar with energetic, creative, deadline driven and performance oriented environments, Craig is excited to bring this energy to The Global Summit Team.

David C. Jamali (Zimbabwe & Australia)
Organizational Development & Human Rights

Born and raised in Zimbabwe, David is East Asia Program Officer with Oxfam Australia focusing on Timor Leste. Before working on the East Asia desk; he worked on the Oxfam Australia’s Horn of Africa Program in the same role focusing primarily on the Somaliland program and helping on the Ethiopia program. He has been with Oxfam Australia for almost 4 years. Before going to Australia, he worked with the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association for 8 years, starting with the role of Field officer and helped to build the Economic and Social Rights Outreach Program of the organization and later moved up to become the National Programs Coordinator and was responsible for managing all the organization’s programs and acted as Executive Director. David managed donor relationship and large budgets for institutional donors like the Ford Foundation, European Commission (EC), HIVOS, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), USAID, Danish International Development Aid (DANIDA), Netherlands, British Embassy grants, Swedish and Canadian Embassy grants.

In addition to his broad international development and human rights achievements, David is a sculptor/artist, current affairs host on a independent radio station in Melbourne and proud new father of a beautiful baby girl, Maya. Read about David's May 2007 trip home to Zimbabwe

Top...

USA Board of Directors

Jenny Huang, MS
Technology Chair

Jenny Huang specializes in advanced software architecture design and agile software development processes with the aim to enhance organization productivity and align IT solutions with business objectives. As a senior Technology Consultant at a major global communication service provider, Jenny is responsible for the research and development of industry standards for next generation operations support systems. In this capacity, she also serves as co-chair for both the Service Delivery Framework program at the TeleManagement Forum and the Telecom Interest Group at the Object Management Group - two of the largest global consortia who advance and create the software standards for the Communication and IT industries. Just recently, Jenny received the TM Forum Distinguished Fellow Award, she is the first minority woman honored with this title since the establishment of the forum 20 years ago. To see the ceremony, Click here.

Ms. Huang has extensive experience working side by side with the industry’s top talents, and she is now eager to apply her knowledge and influence at the grassroots level. Jenny firmly believes that the solutions to humanity’s most pressing issues require global interventions that harness good ideas and effectively transform them in to practical solutions. Since 2006, Jenny has served as a full time volunteer and Executive Director of the International Free and Open Source Software Foundation (iFOSSF). As a committed supporter of EW's vision of multi-sector collaborations, she will assist the organization in creating the processes and technologies that can enable people to make educated choices regarding public investments and channel market forces to support novel ideas with measurable results.

Jenny holds a Bachelor degree in Economics and a Master degree in Computer Science. She currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children.


Top...

Dana Arak, Atty
Legal Committee Chair

Dana is a multi-talented attorney, human rights activist, author and founding partner of BlueGreenStar Studios which provides sustainable solutions for creative media - leading the way in evolving Hollywood towards social responsibility. In addition to specializing in trademark law, she dedicated her time to helping launch new green businesses. Her entry point to EW came with her efforts to develop a project in Cambodia promoting sustainable food production to fund local education, complimented by eco-tourism project honoring local culture.

Susan Daya Hamwi, Atty
Board Nominations Chair

Daya became a lawyer at the tender age of 23. However, during 13 of her 18 years in legal practice, she has been working as a mediator and has been a dedicated advocate for indigenous peoples rights. She is now serving as Legal Adviser and Counsel at Settlement Works, a center for dynamic family resolution. Susan holds a Juris Doctorate Degree from Loyola Law School and a Bachelor of Arts, Law and Society from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has been a member of the State Bar of California since 1989 and completed the LA County Bar Association's mediation training program in 2001. Susan lives with her seven year old son, also near the water, in Venice, California.

Adam Krim
Marketing Chair

Adam Krim brings to EW a rich background in both marketing and finance. After graduating from the Wharton School of Business and serving at Deloitte Consulting in SF, he moved to LA in late 1999 where he began launching startups. He joined Business.com when they shifted to the cost per click model. After excelling there for 18 months, he left to start a liquor company Progressive Brands, helping to raise $3M and building their main brand – HAN. Adam currently serves as Director of Business Development at Affiliate Fuel, owned by Experian. While his corporate job keeps his high tech marketing skills on the leading edge, Adam's long term passion project is “The Confluence Group” a revolutionary online and offline social network based marketing firm, and EW Partner In Empowerment!

Top...

Global Trustees

Dr. Emanuel Bassene

Senegal

Professor and Director of Senegal's National University University Anta Chiek Diop Medical School Department of Ethnobiology. Dr. Bassene is a native of the southern Casamance region of Senegal. His insights into the indigenous Diola culture and scientific research experience make him an invaluable adviser and co-creator of the Casamance Institute of Arts & Sciences vision since 2001.

Craig Chirinda
Zimbabwe

Principal of Nova Capital Group, Craig promotes trade and investment into the southern Africa region, which is the place of his childhood. Although he is based in the States, he is actually a Zimbabwe national. He has handled nearly US$4 billion in leads, financing deals, and joint ventures flowing into Africa and if that isn’t enough he speaks seven languages. And he has managed to get all of this under while still in his early twenties.

As an international trustee, based in Harare, Zimbabwe, Craig has developed an extraordinary local oversight committee and outreaching globally to promote economic self reliance in expanding markets for EWZ Beyond Fair Trade™ crafts. Read a great interview with Craig Here

David Whortley
United Kingdom

Director of Serious Games Institute in Coventry England, David Whortley is a renowned expert in online communications and lectures globally on the social impact of Second Life and other virtual worlds.

In his role as EW Global Trustee, he is providing EW and participants of the Global Summit a physical address in the UK at Serious Games Institute along with access to over 70 international communication spaces in the “Soft Landing Zones” project sponsored by the UK Trade & Investment Dept.

David became involved in EW in 2007 after co-chairing day 3 of the International Symposium on Digital Earth with EW's Melanie St.James.

Cathleen Muthoni Gitau
Kenya

Ms. Gitau is a multi-talented artist, filmmaker and businesswoman.  Born in Nairobi, Kenya to a fashion-ista mother that owns the successful MANG Boutique, and worldly Filmmaker father, Muthoni’s horizons opened early, and she had the opportunity to be mentored by the best in both worlds. In 1998 Cathy interned at McCann Erickson Worldwide and wrote commercials that led her to the national airwaves and the National University Arts Achievement Award for Advertising. Previously she worked as a Public Relations Officer for Choice Programs UK where she was featured on National radio and television interviews promoting the International Youth Challenge in Kenya. In 2002 Cathleen registered media communication company, GITTS INTERNATIONAL in 2002 with a desire to build her media outreach and help alleviate poverty in Kenya and ultimately Africa. GITTS is an acronym for Great Ideas Transforming Today’s Society.

After a recent trip back to the motherland to write her first manuscript “Love Battles, Diary of the Nairobi Girl”, Muthoni rediscovered her desire to identify with her African roots.

Top...