Richard Munkelwitz ~ Treasurer, is a graduate of MIT and Columbia University and has
spent much of his career guiding and financing technology ventures.
He began his work career with a consulting company in Boston,
then moved on to positions at Amoco Corporation, First Chicago
Corporation and the Sanwa Bank Ltd., where he headed the Boston Branch.
He started his own mergers and acquisitions firm in 1991 and moved to
Vermont in 2005. He has recently consulted with over 300 local
businesses. Richard is active in the Mohawk Nation.
Clarence B. Jones was
Counsel and Speechwriter for the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
He is Vice-Chairman of the Advisory Board of Institutional
Investors Consulting Corporation (IICC) of Houston, TX. He has
served as investment banking Consultant and Strategic Advisor to Dover
Film Finance, Ltd.,The WestSphere Capital Group, The TeleHealth
Network, Inner City Broadcasting Corporation (owner of radio stations
WLIB-AM and WBLS-FM in New York City), Dickerson Insurance Services,
LA, California, The Heritage Television Network, the leading syndicator
of African-American movies and television shows on broadcast television
in the United States. Twice selected by Fortune Magazine as a
“Business Man of The Month,” Clarence B. Jones’s
distinguished business career spans several decades. He was the
first African-American to become an Allied Member of the New York Stock
Exchange and a partner in a Wall Street investment banking firm,
Carter, Berlind & Weill, Inc. Among his partners were Sanford I.
Weill and Arthur Levitt, Jr.
Patrick McCollum is
Director of the National Correctional Chaplaincy Directors Association
and serves as the Chaplaincy Liaison for the American Academy of
Religion. McCollum is on the National Advisory Council of
American’s United for the Separation of Church and State and has
served as an advisor for the United States Commission on Civil Rights.
Reverend McCollum's comments have been included in an official report
to the United States Congress and to President Obama. This report will
be used to create better policies to serve the religious diversity of
the United States. Reverend McCollum also consulted with the European
Commission in Brussels, Belgium, providing input toward drafting the
new Constitution for the European Union. Reverend McCollum advises
numerous state and federal agencies across the country on religious
accommodation and faith issues, and received an official commendation
from the California State Senate for his work in religion in prisons in
1999. He is an activist heavily involved in human rights, social
justice, and the interaction of faith and spiritual communities to
promote world peace.
Hinda Miller has
been a Vermont State Senator since January 2003. She is currently
a board member of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, New England Culinary
Institute and is trustee emeritus of Champlain College. Ms.
Miller co-founded Jogbra, Inc., in 1977, the original maker of the
"jogbra" women's sports garment. The
“Jogbra” can be found in the collections of the Smithsonian
Institute and Metropolitan Museum of Art. A seeker and yoga
practitioner/teacher for over 30 years, she has studied with Swami
Satchidananda, Amrit Desai, and Joseph Michael Levry. She
believes that a strong inner voyage for self knowledge is the
foundation of a fulfilling and purposeful life.
John Buck, a
Sociocracy trainer/author, has extensive leadership experience in
government and corporations, including managing large information
technology projects. He is the first person not native to The
Netherlands to be certified in the circle-organization method of
governance (dynamic governance). As head of Governance Alive LLC,
he has introduced dynamic governance to a number of U.S. and Canadian
organizations, as a way of designing work and making group decisions
effectively by “rewiring” basic power in the organization.
He has also helped to found the Center for Sociocratic
Organization - North America whose aim is to support dissemination of
information and support for the implementation of dynamic governance.
John is a member of the National Speakers Association and an
experienced presenter and trainer. He has a Bachelors of Arts
from Brown University and a Masters degree from The George Washington
University.
Ahmet Musa Betil has
over 20 years of successful experience in managing and building
multinational companies supported by over 30 years of successful
business experience with knowledge in engineering, applied science, and
information technology. He led the independent software concept
to enter Turkey and founded Software AG Turkey, a German originated
multinational software company, and managed the company for 15 years as
the managing director. Mr. Betil is an active consultant and
lecturer for Wynntryst
Ken Hood is the
former Associate Dean of the College of Education and Social Services
at the University of Vermont. Dr Hood worked on several
international programs at the University of Vermont, notably promoting
Asian Studies. His personal interests are in intercultural
communication and building international networks. He recently
developed a three part interpersonal communication program called A Pathway to Peace.
Oran Cohen, YOUTH
and Imagineer, weaves imaginings into reality. He created the
Imagineering Methodology, used in both corporate and private space.
A passionate entrepreneur, consultant, facilitator, scriptwriter,
Singer-Songwriter, designer and Change Artist, Oran studied many
modalities traveling from the virgin Amazon jungles of Peru to the
pyramids of Egypt. Oran facilitates peace, conflict resolution
and skills-development workshops with a focus on expediating the
emergence of young leaders uniting to fulfill a vision for world peace.
In the Middle-East, he worked with Palestinian and Israeli youth
in inter-faith dialogue. In 2005 he co-founded the World Spirit
Youth Council with 18 other youth from around the world and the
UN-based organization, Children of the Earth. Oran created and
administrates the WSYC online network, SpiritYouth.
Ishtar Woschek, born
in Germany and raised partially in Germany and partially in Portugal,
was influenced by many cultures growing up. She is currently living in
Geneva, studying for a Master in Banking and Finance, and working at
the Universal Peace Celebration as translator. Ishtar joined
Children of the Earth in early June 2009 to help with the organization
of the Swiss Event and the formation of the WSYC European Hub,
Switzerland. She serves on the executive board of Children of the Earth
as a representative of the Intercultural Peace Foundation.
Nina Meyerhof ~ President and Founder of Children
of the Earth, has made a life of
advocating for children and youth. As her vocation, she served as
the Special Education Coordinator for a ten-school district in southern
Vermont. Dr. Meyerhof has extensive background in the needs of
all children, with Master of Arts degrees in both Special Education and
in Counseling and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in
Psychology. She also holds a doctorate in Educational Policy,
Research, and Administration from the University of Massachusetts at
which she developed a self-esteem model to be used in schools.
The co-author of Conscious Education: The Bridge to Freedom, she
is recognized as an innovative educator committed to global
responsibility through authentic learning. Having received many
awards for her work –from The Mother Theresa Award to the
Citizen's Department of Peace Award to The International Educators
Award for Peace– Nina continues daily to focus on altering world
views for creating a better future.
Etta Kantor ~ Vice-President, is an environmentalist, peace activist, Reiki master,
Interfaith Minister and Founder of the Planetarian movement. She
was the Connecticut campaign coordinator for U.S. Presidential
candidate, Congressman Dennis Kucinich. She was President and CEO
of the Kantor Family Foundation which supported at least fifty programs
that benefitted women, children and the environment. The
Foundation created an organization called the Center of Being to
benefit women and children from shelters. She has been a volunteer for
the past ten years at Project Return, which is a group home for teenage
girls in Connecticut. Currently, Etta’s concern for the
environment and sustainability has prompted her to drive her car on
waste vegetable oil. This led to her visiting schools to talk
about the car and sustainability and coining the word
“planetarian” as a humanitarian caring for the planet.
She is currently building a sustainable house. Etta received a
Bachelor of Arts degree from Rollins College in 1968.
