Board of Directors
|
Kumari Beck (Canada)
|
|
Lawrence Fryer (Germany)
|
|
Lusana Blond (USA)
|
|
Livingston Armytage (Australia)
|
|
Hesther Bate (France)
|
|
Raphael Bate (France)
|
|
Luke Penseney (Canada)
|
|
Rasjidah Flores Torres (Mexico)
|
|
Romina Vianden-Prudent (Germany)  Romina combines her expertise as photo-editor with her present job as project manager in the field of life-long-learning. She creates tools for adult-education like trainings for mothers after the family phase of life, a web-based platform for families, and conferences for teachers. She coordinates a regional network for business women and has founded a local parents’ school. Organising events and bringing together ideas and people are her favourite tasks. Romina has been in Subud for thirty years and during that time has taken on various responsibilities. She is at present Chair of SD Germany. |
|
Haris Wolfgang (United States)
|
Kumari Beck is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University in BC, Canada. She teaches courses in social issues in education, global education, intercultural and international issues, and contemporary issues in curriculum and pedagogy. She also works with student teachers and with undergraduate and graduate programmes. Her main research focus is international education. Kumari was on the Board of SDIA from 1993-2005, and the chair from 2001-2005.
Lawrence Fryer has a mathematical background and works in the fields of industrial organization and computer applications. He has been involved in Susila Dharma for the last ten years, as a partner for projects in India and as treasurer of Susila Dharma Germany. Lawrence hopes to make a positive contribution by helping SDI strengthen its material basis to realize greater support for the network.
Lusana Blond brings a background in organizational sociology and cultural anthropology to the board, along with her knowledge of international projects through her husband’s work with the World Bank. She is a former Susila Dharma USA Chair, and is a trustee of the L & D Blond Charitable Trust.
Livingston is a lawyer by training who specialises in reforming justice systems. He lives in Sydney and has served as national chair, board member of the national property trust, and as a regional and local helper. His career focuses on promoting justice in which he teaches, publishes and consults mainly in the Asia and Pacific regions.
Raphael worked at Edinburgh University in the Department of Education. He has a background in arts education.
Luke Penseney is married and has two children at McGill [University]. He manages his own capital markets-based strategic research business out of suburban Toronto. The focus is on strategic advisory to CEOs and senior executives in global gold mining companies at all levels of development. His background includes strategic research, marketing and executive search in North America and Europe. Early training includes a BA (Honors) in Geography and Economic Development with special reference to Africa and Asia. Also an MSc.in Urban and Regional Planning with a thesis on 'Pre-disaster planning in LDCs' After almost 40 years involved with kedjiwaan/organisations, his new role of WSA (non-executive) chair centres on working with the WSA executive and core/wing organizations to open the way for the development of Subud in the world via support for a more effective organization. This implies further 'putting our house in order', raising our levels of professionalism and attendance/support for key events 2010-14.
Rasjidah studied International Relations and did post graduate study in Public Policy and Management of Non-profit Organizations. She has been a consultant for several NGOs and at the moment is the Executive Director of ICYE Mexico-SIIJUVE, an International Federation that offers exchange programmes through voluntary service, where she provides training for volunteers and projects.
Haris Wolfgang has served for more than 35 years fulfilling numerous positions on local, regional, and national committees for non-profits, community development and caring services. With two decades of experience as a Commercial and Residential Real Estate Broker, his expertise includes business experience in design, marketing and strategic planning/promotion on behalf of national corporations. On the SD USA Board, he has served as liaison for SD projects Mithra Foundation, Anisha, International Almoners, and Quest Integrative Health Center (Project Quest)Staff
|
Virginia Thomas (Montréal, Canada)
|
|
Rosanna Hille (Vancouver, Canada)
|
|
Cassidy Jake Sterling (Boston, USA)
|
|
Samuel Chapleau (Montréal, Canada)
|
|
Solen Lees (France)
|
|
Hillel Natanson
(USA/Canada)
|
Virginia was appointed Executive Director in January 2007 and is currently on maternity leave. Virginia is a Socio-Economist, Researcher, Evaluator, Trainer, Mediator, Consultant specialising in organisational management; human rights and gender analysis/mainstreaming, democratic development and good governance; violence prevention; program evaluation and performance monitoring; program planning; special interest in women’s, children’s and minority rights. Virginia continues as the Project Manager for SDIA's activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Rosanna has been SDIA communications coordinator and continuity adviser since 2007. During 2012 Rosanna will serve as the Interim Executive Director. She has worked with Susila Dharma for 20 years, first in Canada and internationally as Chair (1993-2001) and Executive Director (1993-2005). Rosanna is a manager, educator, writer, editor, community developer, trainer and facilitator specializing in non-profit and community organizations. Rosanna has a special interesting in facilitating local capacity, participatory approaches, evaluation and increasing understanding between cultures.
Cassidy has degrees in music, education and environmental economics. He has has worked in a number of non-profit organizations and picked up his skills in writing, editing, graphic design, desktop publishing, web mastering, and database design by mistake.
Samuel is the bookkeeper for SDIA and deals with all financial transactions. Samuel also volunteers as a English French translator.
Solen was appointed as UN connections, volunteer and translations coordinator in 2008. In 2012, Solen will also take the position of Communications Coordinator. She has a background in linguistic work (teaching and translating) and became interested in international development while living and travelling in Latin America and Africa. Solen has worked with humanitarian and environmental associations and was on the board of Susila Dharma France from 2001-2009 where she looked after communications and liaised with projects in South America. She spent most of 2010 in Colombia with her family working with Fundacion Amanecer, and has now returned to live in France.
Hillel is the Facebook manager and in 2012-2013 will work on a project to document the activities of SDIA members. Hillel spent the mid-seventies in California promoting the ideas of the visionary architect Paolo Soleri. He worked for 25 years as a consulting computer programmer and analyst in Massachusetts and then spent 2001 through 2005 doing several various jobs in India, including a year at Tibet House in Delhi. In 2004 he started Khagyun, an oral history project in the Tibetan refugee communities of India, and collected and transcribed twenty life stories. Hillel currently works as an editor and prowls the streets of Montreal with his camera.