Kyle Turk, MBA
Botswana - Asset Based Community Development & Information Technologies
Kyle Turk is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) serving a second term of service in Maun, Botswana in the HIV District Community 
Liaison program. He has also served as a PCV in Mexico from 2004-2006 in their Technology Transfer program and as a Peace Corps Fellow and AmeriCorps Volunteer in Illinois from 2007-2009. He holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering, a Masters in Business Administration, and a Post-Baccalaureate in Community Development. He is a certified Professional Community Economic Developer by the American Community Development Council. Professionally, he has consulted on projects funded by USAID and the World Bank in the fields of information technology and economic development.
In 2008 Kyle spent a year creating a Community Development center and Business Incubator with the Technological University of the Jungle in Ocosingo, Chiapas Mexico as part of a multilateral initiative to economically empower indigenous in former Zapatista controlled territories.
Kyle’s primary project in Maun is Economic Empowerment of various marginalized various communities; San Bushmen, People Living with HIV, Women At Risk, and Refugees. His work is based on the use of technology transfer to bridge gaps such as capacity building, collaboration, and consumer markets.
Kyle is working together with Empowerment Works to develop and field-test tools based on the 7 Stages to Sustainability (7SS) and Partners in Empowerment (PIE) frameworks.
Edith Regier, MFA
Artists in Action Global Program Adviser (Canada)
Everyone has the right to an imagination, through our imaginations we dream, heal, and create futures for ourselves, our families, our communities. This belief fuels Edith’s passion for Transmedia Storytelling with people in remote locations. The groups of people that Edith meets with are at times remote in the traditional geographical sense but often are those who while situated in inner-cities are remote from education, health resources, political voice, economic opportunity and some in the severe isolation of prison. Through their collective Transmedia stories they seek to open the hearts and wills of those who listen.
In 1996, Edith founded one of the first community based arts organizations in Canada, the Portage Art Project where she co-created with imprisoned women. Like many Canadians she didn’t realize that 85% of the imprisoned women were Aboriginal and this was the beginning of more than a decade of collectively producing images that expressed their lived histories. In 2002 she founded the not for profit organization Crossing Communities Art Project where she has developed a participatory process with collective authorship focused on making transmedia representations with the intention to create dialogues to shift the dynamics of exclusion. Many of these short films can be seen on the Crossing Communities Art Project producedwww.lookingspeakingout.com. In 2007 she received the Kaiser Foundation Award for Excellence in Aboriginal Programming.
Collaborating with partners in Thailand, Brazil, Nepal , the UK, United States, across Canada and its remote northern regions she stages interdisciplinary media events to engage in dialogue with members of parliament, medical professionals, academics, cultural leaders, religious groups, prison staff, and many others. Crossing Communities Art Project’s collectively directed award winning Transmedia films have been screened to international audiences in film festivals and art galleries. Edith joins Empowerment Works bringing her skills for social transformation to Artists in Action.
David C. Jamali
East Africa - Adviser, Organizational Development & Human Rights
Born and raised in Zimbabwe, David is currently East Africa Director for World Vision, formerly based in Australia serving as 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. 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
Suad Sulaiman, PhD
Sudan - Adviser, Local Assets in Global Health
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.
Dr. Emanuel Bassene
Senegal, West Africa + Adviser, Ethnobotany & Indigenous Affairs
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 - Adviser, Capital & Foreign Investment
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.
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
Elisaveta Petkova, MPH
Bulgaria - Adviser, World Markets & Environmental Health Issues
Elisaveta holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Environmental Health from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health (2008) and a BS in Biotechnology (2003) from Asen Zlatarov University in Bulgaria.
Elisaveta has extensive experience with environmental and human health risk assessment, and risk communication. At the present she is a project manager at StrataTox, LLC, a Minnesota based human health risk assessment consulting company. Previously she was a program development specialist and conference organizer at the International QSAR Foundation to reduce animal testing and a Research Assistant at the University Of Minnesota School Of Medicine in Duluth, MN.
An accomplished communicator, skilled in media outreached, Elisaveta has a special talent in social marketing and communicating organization's vision, mission, and values to various audiences. She joined the EW team in 2006 to help shape the image of Empowerment Works! by creating a website reflecting the core values and vision of EW, and continues to serve in an advisory role. Visit: www.epetkova.com
David Whortley
United Kingdom - Adviser, ICT & Virtual Education
Having completed the development 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. David became involved in EW in 2007 after co-chairing day 3 of the International Symposium on Digital Earth with EW's Executive Director and now is supporting The Global Summit's virtual collaboration systems, empowering all voices to be heard.
