BHUTAN FOUNDATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Ambassador
- Senior Director at McLarty Associates
Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr. is Senior Director at McLarty Associates where he leads the firm's work for clients in South Asia and Indonesia. He served for 31 years in the State Department in a wide range of leadership positions including Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Deputy Chief of Mission in India and U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia. He is Co-Chair of the Board of the U.S.-Indonesia Society. Ambassador Blake holds a BA from Harvard College, and an MA from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC. He and his wife Sofia have three daughters.
Job Titles:
- International Affairs Advisor at Patton Boggs
Job Titles:
- Milken Institute Asia Fellow
Hon. Curtis S. Chin is a Milken Institute Asia fellow and has served as a trustee of World Education Services of New York and is a former U.S. ambassador to the Asian Development Bank. As a member of the ADB board, he pushed for strengthened governance, risk management and development efforts focused on people, planet, and partnership, particularly on infrastructure projects in Asia's least-developed nations. Through his advisory firm RiverPeak Group LLC, Chin now advises a range of startup firms and impact investors in Asia, including Equator Pure Nature, a leading ASEAN-based, natural consumer products company and cleantech pioneer, and the Dolma Impact Fund, the first international equity fund focused on Nepal. Chin previously was a senior executive with Burson-Marsteller in the US, Switzerland, and Asia, where he oversaw Beijing and Hong Kong operations. He has provided counsel to a wide range of governments and businesses on stakeholder engagement, public affairs, corporate responsibility, crisis management and market entry. Curtis has been a long-time friend of Bhutan and has travelled to Bhutan extensively.
Dasho Paljor Dorji (Dasho Benji) has served the government of Bhutan since 1966. He was appointed Chief Justice of Bhutan in 1985 to 1987 and then Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Social Services. In 1991 he was sent to Geneva as Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva and also was accredited to Austria, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, EU (Brussels), IFAD (Rome), and FAO (Rome). From 1994 to 1998 Benji served as Deputy Minister of the National Environment Commission, and currently he is a special advisor to the National Environment Commission. Benji has been a long-time advisor to the Bhutan Foundation, in particular on our environment and conservation programs.
Dr. Bruce W. Bunting is President Emeritus of the Bhutan Foundation and the Foundation's former President. Prior to this, Dr. Bunting was a Managing Director and Vice President of the World Wildlife Fund. He first visited Bhutan in 1986 and has been a long-time advisor to the Bhutanese government on a variety of issues including the establishment of Bhutan's national park system, the Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation, the world's first such trust fund, and the Bhutan Health Trust Fund. He has authored several articles, including "Bhutan, Kingdom in the Clouds" for National Geographic Magazine. He received a B.S. in zoology and a doctorate in veterinary medicine with high honor from Michigan State University.
Job Titles:
- Director of Research at the CNRS
Dr. Françoise Pommaret is Director of Research at the CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research, France) and Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Language and Culture (ILCS), Royal University of Bhutan. She has been associated with Bhutan in different capacities since 1979 and has published numerous scholarly articles and books on different aspects of Bhutanese culture, including the definitive guidebook, Bhutan: A Cultural Guidebook. She is currently involved in the documentation of the Bhutan cultural atlas www.bhutanculturalatlas.org and is researching the interface between deities, local powers, and migrations in Bhutan. Dr. Pommaret has lectured intensively in numerous academic institutions around the world and has been guest curator for several exhibitions. She has been advising the Bhutan Foundation on our cultural heritage projects, including the restoration of Wangduechhoeling Palace.
Job Titles:
- Physician at Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. Katharine Morley is an internal medicine physician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA. She and her husband, Dr. Michael Morley, who is an ophthalmologist, have been involved with Bhutan for many years. Kathy and Michael are also graduates of Harvard School of Public Health and support international healthcare programs in Cambodia, Thailand, and Bhutan. Kathy is currently on the Bhutan Foundation's Health Advisory Committee, and is interested in advancing health and health related research initiatives in Bhutan.
Job Titles:
- Chief Medical Officer at Excision BioTherapeutics
Dr. Lisa Danzig is Chief Medical Officer at Excision BioTherapeutics and prior to that she was Chief Medical Officer at PaxVax, a specialty vaccine company in Redwood City, California. She also serves as an advisory to Pandefense Advisory and is the co-founder and managing partner of Amicitiam Partners. Dr. Danzig is an expert in vaccines. She has contributed to the development of meningococcal vaccines (Menjugate®, Menveo® and Bexsero®) and has worked in Siena, Italy, Cambridge, MA, and Hangzhou, China. During her two years as an EIS officer with the U.S. CDC, she investigated outbreaks of healthcare associated infections and taught epidemiology in Côte d'Ivoire to district health officers in West Africa. Dr. Danzig received her medical degree from Oregon Health Sciences University and completed residency and fellowship training in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases in San Francisco. She is an independent director at OrSense, and serves on the boards of the Sustainable Sciences Institute and the Karuna Foundation and is an advisor to Kernel, and the Lemelson Foundation. Dr. Danzig received Peru's "Order of Merit for Distinguished Services" at the rank of Grand Official from President Francisco Sagasti for contributions that enabled effective vaccine procurement. Dr. Danzig has been involved with Bhutan for many years through the Karuna Foundation and also serves as an advisor to the pandemic response in Bhutan.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Synergos Institute
Dr. Peggy Dulany is Chair of The Synergos Institute, an independent non-profit organization dedicated to creating effective, sustainable and locally based solutions to poverty. Her career has included heading a Boston-area public high school program for drop- outs for six years and consulting with the United Nations and the Ford Foundation on health care and family planning in Brazil, the United States and Portugal, and with the National Endowment for the Arts on nonprofit management and planning. She was Senior Vice President of the New York City Partnership, where she headed the Youth Employment and Education programs. Dr. Dulany is an honors graduate of Radcliffe College and holds a Doctorate in Education from Harvard University.
Job Titles:
- Telecommunications / Internet Lawyer and Executive
Dr. Steve Harris worked as a telecommunications/internet lawyer and executive for over 30 years. He then returned to his love of history and received a Ph.D. in Modern European History at UC Davis in 2015. He now teaches history of democracy, historiography, modern European, and world history at San Francisco State University, where he is also co-director of the History for the 21st Century Project.
Job Titles:
- First Vice President of Financial Portfolio Management at Smith Barney
Elisabeth Meeker (Lis) was formerly the first vice president of financial portfolio management at Smith Barney. Prior to her tenure at Smith Barney, she worked in the Field Museum's Invertebrate Zoology Department. received a B.A. in biology and zoology from DePauw University. Lis has and continues to serve on many boards including the DePauw University Alumnae Association, Women's Board of the Field Museum, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, the University Club of Chicago, and the Council of Foreign Affairs. Lis first traveled to Bhutan in 2007. She subsequently volunteered for WWF Bhutan and has been an advisor to the Bhutan Foundation.
Ms. Eloise Goelet Hackett is a wine industry professional currently working in administration and vineyard management at Clos Du Val Winery in Napa Valley. Eloise is a graduate from Middlebury College with a BA in International Studies. In 2009, Eloise volunteered in Bhutan for 5 months, working with both the Bhutan Foundation and the Tarayana Foundation. Through the Bhutan Foundation, Eloise taught English to primary students in Thimphu. Eloise also spent time travelling throughout Bhutan performing site visits for the Tarayana Foundation, focusing on assessing childhood nutrition as part of a larger study. Upon returning to the US, Eloise worked at World Education, a nonprofit focused on developing education health and infrastructure around the globe. Since 2011, Eloise has worked in both Australia and the US, pursuing her interest in sustainable agriculture and business administration.
Hon. Frank G. Wisner is Director Emeritus of the Bhutan Foundation. Ambassador Wisner is an International Affairs Advisor at Patton Boggs, LLP. Mr. Wisner has served extensively in the U.S. government, including Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and Under Secretary of State for International Security Affairs. He was ambassador to India, Zambia, Egypt and the Philippines. In 2005, he was the special representative of the Secretary of State to the Kosovo Status talks. Mr. Wisner is a member of the Boards of Directors of EOG Resources, Chartis and Ethan Allen, as well as the boards of numerous non-profit organizations. He is an advisor to Kissinger Associates. A native of New York, Mr. Wisner was educated at Princeton University.
John and Henrietta Goelet founded the Bhutan Foundation in 1986 and are Director Emeriti of the Bhutan Foundation. They have shared their passion for education and agriculture with Bhutan for over 60 years. Mr. Goelet is a renowned vintner with four wineries: Clos Du Val in California, Clover Hill and Taltarni in Australia and Domaine de Nizas in France. His oyster company Satmar is one of Europe's largest. Mr. John Goelet and his family are involved in various business interests and a number of philanthropic endeavors.
Hon. Brian Baird is the Honorary Consul for Bhutan from Seattle, Washington. He is the former Democratic Party congressman from the state of Washington's 3rd congressional district. Brian is a licensed clinical psychologist who has practiced in Washington state and Oregon. He also taught at the university level and is a former chairman of the Department of Psychology at Pacific Lutheran University. Brian received his BS from the University of Utah and his MS and PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Wyoming. He has published a number of journal articles and has authored two books: The Internship and Practicum Handbook and Are We Having Fun Yet?.
Hon. Kenneth I. Juster has over forty years of experience as a senior government official, senior business executive, and senior law partner. He recently completed service as the twenty-fifth U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of India (2017-2021). He previously served in the U.S. government as Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs, on both the National Security Council and the National Economic Council (2017), Under Secretary of commerce (2001-2005), Counselor (acting) of the State Department (1992-1993), and Deputy and Senior Advisor to Deputy Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger (1989-1992). In the private sector, Juster has been a Partner at the global investment firm Warburg Pincus (2010-2017), Executive Vice President at Salesforce.com (2005-2010), and a Senior Partner at the law firm Arnold & Porter. He is currently Senior Counselor at the global law firm Freshfields, Senior Adviser at the institutional investor CDPQ, Strategic Adviser at the software company Salesforce, and Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Ambassador Juster developed a long-term friendship with Bhutan when he was Ambassador to India. He supported the funding of many new U.S. government initiatives in Bhutan, such as enhancing STEM Education and the restoration of the Wangduechhoeling Palace through the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation.
Hon. Kunzang C. Namgyel is the Zhung Dronyer (Chief of Protocol) Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bhutan since August 2017. Prior to this appointment, she served a Bhutan's Ambassador & Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bhutan to the United Nations in New York from February 2014-July, 2017 and Deputy Permanent Representative with Ambassadorial rank from September, 2011. During her career spanning over three decades in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she has served in various posts at the Ministry as well as Bhutan's diplomatic Embassies and Missions abroad. Among others, she has served as the Director General of the Multilateral Department, Chief of Protocol, Deputy Permanent Representative at the Permanent Mission of Bhutan in Geneva, and as Director for Bhutan at the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Lady Keane College under the North Eastern Hill University, Shillong, India.
Lyonpo Om Pradhan is cofounder and Director Emeritus of the Bhutan Foundation board of directors. He has served in the Royal Government of Bhutan since 1969 in various capacities including twice as Ambassador and Permanent Representative at the United Nations in New York and as Minister for Trade and Industries. In 2007, His Majesty the King appointed him Chairman of Druk Holding and Investments. He is also author of "Bhutan the Roar of the Thunder Dragon."
Mr. Brent Olson has been traveling to Bhutan for the past 34 years and is deeply passionate about the culture, environment and people of the Kingdom. Brent was formerly the Managing Director of Business Development at GeoEx, a San Francisco based travel company that he worked with from 1987 to 2020. His personal connection with Bhutan and decades of living and traveling there have won him the hearts of the locals, as well as a spot on Condé Nast Traveler's Top Travel Specialist list as one of the United States' ranking experts on the Land of the Thunder Dragon. Brent is one of the few lucky Americans to have lived in Bhutan, having worked with its government in the creation of a photographic archive of the country's rich artistic heritage. A veteran of 50 (and counting) trips to the remote Himalayan kingdom he has assisted a variety of local organizations and non-profit groups in Bhutan. From small projects like helping to restore an old manor house to organizing fundraising trips for WWF and RSPN, he has done his best to help the people of Bhutan. One of his greatest accomplishments has been to work closely with H.H. Gangteng Tulku Rinpoche and the nuns at the Pemacholing Nunnery in Tang as they work to build an institution that will benefit women and further their studies of Buddhism. Since 1986, Brent has created and led treks and tours all over the kingdom, and forged close friendships with Bhutanese from many walks of life. His devotion to Bhutan has been mirrored in the unique quality of his itineraries, which are designed to highlight and support the country's determination to maintain its proud culture. He has planned and operated trips to Bhutan for such prestigious organizations as The Asia Society, The Textile Museum of Washington, DC, Dr. Robert Thurman and Tibet House, The California Academy of Sciences, The Society for Asian Art, The Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, The World Wildlife Fund, The Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard, The National and Pacific Crest Outward Bound organizations and the American Museum of Natural History to name a few. Since leaving GeoEx, Brent looks forward to devoting more time to the goals of The Bhutan Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Secretary and General Counsel to the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation
Mr. Brian J. Menkes is Treasurer of the Bhutan Foundation. Mr. Menkes is the secretary and general counsel to the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, Mr. Menkes was a member of the tax practice group at the international law firm of WilmerHale in Washington, DC. He is the former chair and vice-chair of the DC Bar Association Taxation Section, Exempt Organizations Committee, and is an author and frequent speaker on issues affecting non-profit organizations. He has served on numerous boards of directors of non-profit organizations and is a current member of the Board of Trustees of the Bhutan Foundation and an officer of Youth Entrepreneurs Kansas. He earned his master's in law, JD, and bachelor's degree from New York University School of Law, Western New England College School of Law, and Central Connecticut State University, respectively.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director for Asia at WWF - US
Mr. Dechen Dorji is the Senior Director for Asia at WWF-US. Dechen oversees WWF-US's wildlife efforts in Asia, working closely with their goal teams and leadership, WWF's country offices, and the Wildlife Practice and other WWF initiatives to help develop, implement and mobilize resources for our wildlife conservation priorities in Asia. Dechen isn't new to the WWF organization, previously serving for seven years as WWF's Country Representative in Bhutan, where he led a number of successful conservation efforts, notably the ‘Bhutan for Life' initiative, through which he worked closely with our leadership and the former Bhutanese Prime Minister to raise $43 million, and launched some of Bhutan's first nationwide conservation efforts for threatened species such as tigers, Snow leopards and Golden Mahseer. Dechen also received the National Order of Merit, Gold, from His Majesty the King for the Bhutan for Life initiative and his services to the Bhutanese environmental sector.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of Hamilton Associates
Douglas Hamilton currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Hamilton Associates and related entities, a family of entrepreneurial companies where he served as CEO for 37 years, until his retirement in 2012. One company, Elevator Safety Company, is a leading manufacturer of elevator suspension systems, used by major elevator companies throughout the world. A second firm, Air Techniques International, manufactures filter and gas mask test equipment, used in both commercial and military applications in the area of nuclear, biological, and chemical protection. He and his wife, Tsognie, through a family foundation, support educational and monastic projects in Mrs. Hamilton's birth country (now state of India) of Sikkim, Bhutan's immediate neighbor to the west. The Hamiltons have trekked extensively in Sikkim beginning in the early 1970's. Since 2007, along with their neighbors and good friends, Christopher and Lucy Goelet, the Hamiltons have sponsored a Bhutanese Archery tournament for members of the American Bhutanese community at Tashiding, their country property in Maryland. From 2011 through 2017 Mr. Hamilton served as President or Chair of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. He currently serves on the board of the Valleys Planning Council, a land preservation advocacy organization in North Central Maryland.
Job Titles:
- Creative Director With a Solid Reputation Designing Projects
Mr. Eric Hoffman is a creative director with a solid reputation designing projects for both boutique agencies and corporate advertising firms at home and abroad. His work branding, re-launching and strategically positioning fashion, beauty and retail clients has to date amassed a roster of professional affiliations that includes AR Media, Arnell Group, EuroRSCG Worldwide, Drill (Japan), Select Communications, and Young & Rubicam. He has also worked for Vogue and W Magazine and numerous advertising campaigns including Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino and Versace. Other clients include Johnson & Johnson, David Yurman, Elie Tahari, Judith Leiber, AERO Studios, Marui (Japan), Nars Cosmetics, Target Corporation, Williams-Sonoma and Hachette Book Group. Eric graduated from Bard College with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and the School of Visual Arts with a degree in Digital Design. He then served as a Peace Corp volunteer in 1996, and as an International Honors Program participant in 1991, studying global ecology worldwide in seven different countries (England, Colombia, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand, and the USA).
Mr. Eric Lemelson owns and manages Lemelson Vineyards, a producer of Pinot noir and other cool-climate wines located in Carlton, Oregon, but his real passion is for the earth. In addition to being co-vice president of The Lemelson Foundation, he manages a small foundation that focuses on climate change impacts in the Himalayas. He received a J.D. in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland in 1992. Eric is a Board Member of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, 1000 Friends of Oregon; Potential Energy; and several other NGOs and private companies.
Mr. Gérard Tardy is a well-known European Venture Capitalist with over 30 years of experience. He was the founder and manager in Paris of two major private equity firms, Citicorp Venture Capital and Schroder Ventures. In 1999, he founded his own company, Sitka Limited, in London that invested in young companies in healthcare services and industries. Gérard is Venture Partner of Mérieux Développement and on the board of several companies in Europe and in Singapore. He founded the Loden Entrepreneurship Program in Bhutan in 2008 within the Loden Foundation one of the Bhutan Foundation's principal partners in Bhutan.
Mr. Henry Lewis is a co-founder of Sudoc, a company developing a sustainable chemistry that can outperform toxic chemicals in many applications, including water treatment and restoration/remediation. He is a former Director of Hunter Lewis LLC, where he managed investment strategy and digital communications. He also serves as a strategic advisor for BDA Farm. In 2016, Mr. Lewis spent a summer abroad studying Buddhism at Taktse Institute of Language and Culture in Trongsa, Bhutan. He is a graduate of the College of William & Mary with a BA in Religious and Hispanic Studies.
Mr. Jeffrey H. Lynford has actively supported historic preservation locally, nationally and internationally for over 35 years. He is a trustee emeritus of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and formerly a Vice Chairman of the Global Heritage Fund and an ex officio trustee of the Lower Eastside Tenement Museum located in NYC. Jeffrey has received three gubernatorial appointments and presently is Vice Chairman of The Port Authority of NY & NJ. He is a former Trustee of New York University and NYU Tandon School of Engineering. Currently, he is President and CEO of Educational Housing Services, Inc. the leading non-profit provider of safe and affordable housing for college students and interns in NYC. Jeffrey holds degrees from SUNY at Buffalo, Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs, and Fordham University School of Law. His wife, Tondra Lynford, is a psychotherapist and an acknowledged expert in autism. They are the parents of four children and two grandchildren.
Mr. Kinga Wangdi is the Program Manager for the Bhutan Foundation based in Thimphu, Bhutan. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Sherubtse College, Delhi University, India, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Canberra, Australia. Kinga worked with the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN) in various capacities in the field and at the headquarters in Thimphu for more than 14 years. He last served as Chief of the Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods Division, where he was mainly responsible for the development, planning, supervising, and monitoring of various programs and projects. He also served as Country Coordinator of Bhutan Water Partnership (BhWP), an accredited network of Global Water partnership. During his time there, he was responsible for fundraising, coordinating country programs, and reporting to donors. Kinga is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys bicycling, trekking, and traveling.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman 's London Office
Mr. Matthew Oresman is the Managing Partner of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman's London Office, from where he leads the firm's International Public Policy practice. He principally advises government and political leaders, businesses, and NGOs on complex international policy and legal matters. He also advises global businesses on entry into emerging markets and compliance with U.S. and international regulations. His pro bono work has focused on the development of rule of law and democratic institutions, sustainable tourism, improving the teaching of politics and Black History in UK schools, and smart policy solutions for stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS. He earned a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a JD from Georgetown University Law Center. Matthew has supported the Bhutan Foundation's Good Governance work in Bhutan.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner of Ambata Capital Partners
Mr. Michael Philipp is a Managing Partner of Ambata Capital Partners, a merchant bank that seeks to develop businesses as a positive force for change for the people, communities, and environments in which they operate and to advance sustainability as a core competency. Michael has over 25 years of experience as a senior banking executive and was a member of the Group Executive Board of Credit Suisse from 2005 to 2008, as well as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Credit Suisse Europe, Middle East, and Africa. From 1995 to 2002, Michael helped build the investment bank at Deutsche Bank. From 2000 to 2002, he was Global Head of Asset Management and a member of the Board of Managing Directors, responsible for the Middle East and Africa. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Michael spent over a decade at the forefront of the rapidly expanding global futures and options industry. At Goldman Sachs (1982 to 1990), he held a variety of positions in the Fixed Income and Futures Services departments; and at Merrill Lynch (1990 to 1995), he was Global Head of Futures and Options. Mr. Philipp is also a board member of Reykjavik Geothermal and Bhutan for Life. Michael has a BA and MBA from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and lives in Vermont with his wife, Sherry.
Mr. Michael Reynolds is a creative director, editor, set designer, stylist, curator and collector. He was raised in Manhattan's East Village, where he studied art history and anthropology at New York University before his seven-year turn as an editor at American Vogue. In 1996, Michael left Vogue to work on the relaunch of House & Garden Magazine, as well as the launch of Wallpaper* magazine, where he still serves as US Editor. He is a regular contributor to Architectural Digest, Conde Nast Traveler, T Magazine, CULTURED and has edited two titles for Rizzoli International Publications. In its Spring 2009 issue, The Wall Street Journal's WSJ Magazine published High Road to Bhutan, a profile of the spiritual and philanthropic adventures of Reynolds' and his partner Eric Hoffman.
Mr. Phuntsho Norbu is the Consul General of the Kingdom of Bhutan to the United States of America and he also the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bhutan to the United Nations in New York. Over his two decades of service with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he has served at various posts at the Ministry including as Chief at the Economic Development Division with the Department of Multilateral Affairs and Deputy Chief at the Department of Bilateral Affairs. He also served at the Royal Bhutanese Embassy in New Delhi and the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Bhutan to the United Nations in Geneva. He completed his undergraduate from Sherubtse College in Kanglung and Master of International Studies from the University of Queensland in Australia.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- President of LuKaDa International
Mr. Rudolf Laager (Ruedi) is Chair of the Advisory Council. Mr. Laager is President of LuKaDa International in Larchmont, NY. He is also Director of Global Development for the GreenTeam, a public relations agency in New York and serves on the board of The Resource Foundation, an organization focused on sustainable development in Latin America. Ruedi and his wife Alix have been particularly involved in the Bhutan Foundation's special education program.
Mr. Sonam Tobgay was a former board member of the Bhutan Foundation. He served for the past several years as Consul General and the Minister-Counselor at the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Bhutan to the United Nations in New York. Prior to arrival in New York, he was the Chief, Policy Planning Division; and Chief, International Organizations Division, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thimphu. He has also served as Charge d'Affaires at the Royal Bhutanese Embassy in Kuwait and as Second Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Bhutan in Geneva. He received his MA in Diplomacy and MA in Public Policy (International Policy) from the Australian National University in Canberra, and his BA (Economics and History) from the University of Delhi. He also received an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School. He has just graduated as a fellow with the McCain Institute for International Leadership after being placed at the Office of Mayor Sly James of Kansas City, Missouri. Currently, he returned to Bhutan to serve in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Job Titles:
- Partner at Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP
Mr. Theodore (Ted) N. Kaplan is a partner at Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP, a leading law firm focusing on real estate, trusts and estates, and general business law. Prior to joining Kaplan Fox, he served as general counsel and estates counsel to Sotheby's. Ted has served on the board of many nonprofits such as the National Academy of Design, the International Foundation for Art Research, the Ballet Foundation, Heckscher Museum, Parish Museum, and the New York Committee for Young Audiences. He currently serves as president of the board of the Northport Historical Society. His love for textiles and the arts led him to visit the weaving community of Koma in eastern Bhutan. He continues to support cultural projects in Bhutan through the Foundation.
Tim Sharpe is based in New York's Hudson Valley and consults with nonprofit clients and high-net-worth individuals on strategic philanthropic planning. From 2008-2019 he served as Senior Director, Strategic Philanthropy for World Wildlife Fund based in Washington, DC, and as Global Philanthropy Advisor for WWF International based in Switzerland. He helped lead private fundraising for the $46 million Bhutan for Life program while with WWF. He consulted with most of the independent WWF national offices in Asia, South America, North America and Europe in support of initiatives to launch or improve major gifts programs. From 2003 to 2007, Tim was Director of Gift Planning for WWF-US, helping build a bequest and planned gift program that has grown to become one of the organization's most critical sources of unrestricted annual revenue source for global conservation. He began his career in public broadcasting at WGBH in Boston and worked for PBS in Washington. He holds a BA from Swarthmore College and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University.
Mr. Vincent S. Pérez is CEO of Alternergy, a renewable power company in Asia. He is also Chairman of Merritt Partners, an energy advisory firm and was Board trustee of WWF International and Chairman of WWF-Philippines. Vince has over 30 years' experience in finance working first with Mellon Bank and later as a Partner of Lazard Frères in London, New York and Singapore. He later founded Next Century Partners, a private equity firm based in Singapore, and the Asian Conservation Company in the Philippines. Vince served as Philippine Minister of Energy and later as Vice Chairman of the National Renewable Energy Board. He has invested in various sustainable energy and eco-tourism ventures, and is a member of the advisory boards of Banco de Oro, Coca Cola Philippines, Pictet Clean Energy Fund, Singapore Telemedia, WWF-US, and the Center for Business and the Environment at Yale University. He has traveled to Bhutan on numerous occasions and remain engaged in several programs of the Bhutan Foundation.
Mr. William Tacon is the Vice Chair of the Board of the Bhutan Foundation as well as a UK Chartered Accountant and formerly Managing Partner of Ernst & Young and, later, Zolfo Cooper in the British Virgin Islands, where he specialized in Corporate Finance, Insolvency, and Restructuring until he returned to the UK in 2012. William first visited Bhutan in 1996 when he completed a traverse of the country by mountain bike. He has been actively involved with Bhutan ever since and works extensively with the Bhutan Foundation's partner organization, Loden Foundation, promoting entrepreneurship and advises the Bhutan Foundation on financial management.
Job Titles:
- Principal in TsAO & McKOWN Architects
Mr. Zack McKown is a Principal in TsAO & McKOWN Architects, PC. He has been widely recognized for his innovations in the fields of urban design and architecture, interiors, furniture and product design. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Design Trust for Public Space, and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. In 2001 Mr. McKown was inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame, along with his partner Calvin Tsao. He has lectured widely, and has been honored by retrospective exhibits at Harvard's Graduate School of Design and The New School University. TsAO & McKOWN is providing technical support on the Bhutan Foundation project to restore Wangduechhoeling Palace.
Mrs. Daphne Hoch Cunningham is the Co-Chair of the Bhutan Foundation. She has served on the National Council of the World Wildlife Fund, the Associates of The Asia Society, the Associates of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, on the Evanston Arts Council as appointed by the Mayor and is currently active with The Explorer's Club, The Field Museum of Chicago and the Corporation Board at WHOI. Mrs. Cunningham studied art history and French at Tufts University and was owner and director of Hoch Sculpture International of New York and Chicago for 15 years. She has a special interest in and friendship with the people of Bhutan, having first visited in 1973, and is particularly interested in preservation of the environment and culture.
Mrs. Donna Marshall is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist in private practice in New York, specializing in multicultural psychology with adults. She graduated from Stephens College in Missouri, moved to New York to work for the Chairman of a private banking firm in client relations and went on to complete her BA from Marymount Manhattan in Political Science and International Affairs. She served as Education Adviser at the United Nations in the offices of Staff Counselor and did her graduate work at Columbia University, earning an M.A. and Ed.M. She has served on the Board of Trustees at Stephens College where she established the Marshall Lecture Series. She has one daughter, Lee Harper Marshall, who is an artist living in New York. Donna has a deep interest and regard for historic preservation and has been very involved in support of the Bhutan Foundation's work on cultural preservation. Continuing her involvement in women's education, she has also established several scholarships in Bhutan.
Mrs. Lucy Goelet is the Secretary of the Board for the Bhutan Foundation. Mrs. Goelet began her travels to Bhutan in the 1980's. Early in her career, she worked as a special assistant and editor to Laurens van der Post, coordinating his writings and many of his expeditions. Lucy later joined Operation Raleigh - a multi-faceted education programme at sea - to manage their selection of potential students. A Fellow of the Royal Georgraphical Society, Lucy worked with Nigel Winser, Deputy Director and Head of the Expeditions, and Shane Winser, Head of the Expedition Advisory Centre. She has previously served on the Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries Advisory Council, the board of The Oldfields School, and a member of the New York Botanical Gardens Patrons Committee. Lucy and her husband Christopher have settled with their three daughters on a farm in Baltimore County, Maryland.
Mrs. Susan Nichols Wagner (Sukey Wagner) is a former educator and has spent much of her career doing philanthropic work with a number of organizations including schools in the Transkei, a rural district in South Africa, where she provided over 180,000 books and served on the board of the Vela School there. She has also worked with PWA (People With AIDS) in Brooklyn, New York and co-founded a center for women with HIV/AIDS in Harlem. Ms. Wagner served on the board of Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts for 10 years. She has also been involved with the World Wildlife Fund where her late husband and international banker, Rodney Wagner, served as a member and officer of the board for a number of years. Ms. Wagner sits on the board of Robert College in Istanbul, Turkey and the Colebrook Land Conservancy.
Job Titles:
- President and CEO of the Shared Earth Foundation
Ms. Caroline Gabel is President and CEO of the Shared Earth Foundation, an adventure traveler, and major fan of Bhutan, which she has visited twice. As chair of the Snow Leopard Conservancy, a partner of the Bhutan Foundation, she especially admires Bhutan's dedication to conserving wildlife including their iconic snow leopards, and their forests which provide habitat for the country's rich wildlife. She supports the Bhutan Foundation, especially its dedication to environmental values.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Development Associate
Ms. Dana Hock is Development Associate for the Bhutan Foundation. Ms. Hock holds a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from George Mason University. She spent a year as an AmeriCorps Volunteer in West Palm Beach for the nonprofit Take Stock in Children. She also has worked on the Development team at the National Capital Area Council, Boy Scouts of America. In her free time, Ms. Hock enjoys hiking, visiting national parks, and going to concerts.
Job Titles:
- Director of Programs and Operations
Ms. Dawa Sherpa is Director of Programs and Operations for the Bhutan Foundation. She is also President and co-founder of the Greater Himalayas Foundation, which supports conservation and humanitarian programs in the Himalayas. Ms. Sherpa holds a Bachelors of Science from Virginia Tech, and Masters in Global and Community Health from George Mason University. She has international development experience working in the field on HIV/AIDS programs in Nepal with the United Nations Development Program, implemented rural public health awareness programs through Students Partnership Worldwide in the US, and helped develop the emergency medical services and public health programs with Bhutan's Ministry of Health.
Job Titles:
- Partner at Goodwin Procter
Ms. Elise Zoli is a partner at Goodwin Procter and chairs the firm's Energy Practice. She is a leader in its Cleantech and Climate Change initiatives, and focuses on clean energy, water, technology and agriculture ("Cleantech") considerations. Her work includes substantial depth in energy storage (batteries and beyond), ground source and geothermal, innovative nuclear, biofuels, clean water and water treatment, industrial processes, carbon conversion, wind and solar, automotive, ocean wave technologies and wireless electricity, as well as carbon markets. She is also a lecturer on Cleantech and Climate Change at MIT's Sloan School, and regularly speaks on Cleantech issues nationwide.
Gouri Mirpuri is co-founder of the award-winning social enterprise, The Learning Farm, which provides livelihood training for vulnerable youth in Indonesia. It was her experience with setting up this social enterprise that led her to cofound the Impact Hub SG in 2011, the first ever co-working space for social entrepreneurs in Singapore. Gouri serves on several global boards. In the US this includes Smithsonian Centre for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Environmental Film Festival and Halcyon Incubator. In Asia, she sat on the Board of Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) and Playeum and BasaBali and is currently the US President of the THK Forum and United in Diversity. Gouri is especially passionate about social entrepreneurship and environmental sustainability. She has published books and articles on wide-ranging topics, is a TEDx and INK speaker. Gouri has lived in various countries over the past two decades and currently resides in Washington, DC
Job Titles:
- President of the Music of Bhutan Research Center
Ms. Jane Hancock is President of the Music of Bhutan Research Center (MBRC), USA. She is a credentialed educator and photographer (B.A.). Since co-founding MBRC in 2008 with Kheng Sonam Dorji and Dr. Janet Herman, ethnomusicologist, she has lived part-time in Bhutan assisting MBRC in Thimphu with many creative projects and fundraising. Ms. Hancock has served as lead photographer on several expeditions and is a consultant and voice-over specialist on MBRC films. In 2011, she helped MBRC establish the Annual Bhutanese Folk Music Festival. Ms. Hancock is also involved in music education in the schools in Thimphu and introduced a vision-screening program for young school aged children.
Ms. Katherine van Hengel is a narrative and documentary producer focusing on impact filmmaking. Previously, Katherine worked in start-up, government and corporate development for a variety of organizations including: J.P. Morgan, HeroX and the Government of Bhutan. Since working in Bhutan in 2011, she has been involved with the Bhutan Foundation on their agricultural initiatives, specifically focused on rice cultivation. Katherine is an honors graduate from Cornell University where she studied International Agriculture and Rural Development.
Ms. Linda Leaming moved to Bhutan in 1997. She has worked with UNDP Bhutan, the Centre for Bhutan Studies, the Institute for Language and Cultural Studies, the Zorig Chusum, and numerous other agencies of the Royal Government. Her Dzongkha is weak but her love for Bhutan and all things Bhutanese is strong. Linda's writing has appeared in the Guardian, Huffington Post, Good Housekeeping India, and Mandala Magazine, among other publications. Her memoirs, Married to Bhutan (Hay House 2011, Malik National Geographic 2012 and 2016) and A Field Guide to Happiness(Hay House 2014), have been translated into numerous languages including Korean, French, and German. She also wrote the text for the photography book, Vanishing Faces of Bhutan: The Study of a Timeless culture, by Joseph N. Barker, published in April 2016 by the Bhutan Foundation. Originally from Nashville, she has an MFA in fiction from the University of Arizona. She regularly speaks about Bhutan at colleges, churches, seminars, and book groups, as well as podcasts and radio programs. She lives just past Tashichhodzong in Thimphu and is married to Bhutanese artist, Phurba Namgay.
Job Titles:
- Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
Ms. Namgyel Dema is the Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer based in Thimphu, Bhutan. She holds an MA in Business Management from the University of Canberra offered through the Royal Institute of Management in Bhutan as well as a BA with Honors in Geography from Sherubtse College. Namgyel worked for more than nine years at Bhutan Insurance Limited in various capacities, including customer care, logistics, marketing, strategy planning, monitoring, and investment management. She also interned with the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development based in Nepal and with Dai Nippon Construction under the Japan International Cooperation Agency. In her personal life, Namgyel enjoys hiking, traveling, and reading books during her leisure time.
Nancy Hamill Winter has supported the Bhutan Foundation since traveling with Bruce Bunting and Daphne Cunningham in 2007 on a WWF journey through Bhutan honoring the work of the late Mingma Sherpa. Her interest in the Himalaya stems back to 1964 on the first of many treks in Nepal. She is a naturalist specializing in habitat restoration and consummate advocate for land conservation having served in leadership roles with The Nature Conservancy, Field Museum of Natural History, JoDaviess Conservation Foundation, Teton Regional Land Trust, Prairie States Conservation Coalition and Morton Arboretum. She is also a lifelong equestrian - graduate A of the United States Pony Club, short listed member of the 1984 Olympic Three Day Event Team, former Vice President of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association and former President of the Equine Land Conservation Resource. Nancy recently relocated to Vermont after a life rooted in the Illinois prairie and has become involved in regional conservation issues of the Northeast. She holds a BA from George Washington University in International Relations, an MA in East Asian History from University of London School of Oriental and African Studies, and a Naturalist Certification Degree from The Morton Arboretum.
Ms. Nina Pfifer spent the first decade of her career trying to change the world via ‘traditional' means - working for the International Institute for Peace, the UN and the European Commission - before becoming inspired to change careers to the investment world, with a new understanding of the power of well- directed capital. As Chief External Affairs Officer, Nina works across capital raising, investor relations, ecosystem development and management, and branding, communications and PR. Her role encapsulates Conduit Capital's collaborative core; she is responsible for fostering and deepening the firm's connections to external stakeholders, from investors to the wider impact ecosystem. Nina has almost 20 years' international business and finance experience and previously held senior roles at TR Squared Capital and 51North Partners. She has provided IPO and investor relations advice for companies such as Coca-Cola, BIM, Efes Breweries and Albaraka Bank.
Ms. Norbu Dema is the Director of the Bhutan Foundation based in Thimphu, Bhutan. She holds a B.A. in Civil Engineering from VTU Bangalore India and an M.A. in Public Policy with a specialization in development studies from Australian National University. Norbu comes with a wide range of experiences of having worked for more than 16 years with the Royal Government of Bhutan, international development partners, and civil society organizations in Bhutan. Ms. Dema worked for more than ten years in the Ministry of Labour and Human Resources in various capacities managing programs and strategic planning in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Human Resource Development. After leaving her government job, she worked as Program Manager for the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC), managing a Governance Program in the areas of anti-corruption & transparency, public service delivery, media, and youth engagement. She also worked as the Bhutan Country Facilitator for LOGIN-Asia (Asia Centric Regional Network), aiding reforms in decentralization and local governance. She also consulted for Asian Development Bank as a TVET policy advisor and as a monitoring and evaluation expert. Before joining the Bhutan Foundation, she worked briefly with the Bhutan Network of Empowering Women (BNEW). During her free time, Norbu enjoys spending time with her children, indulging in craftwork, and is passionate about issues surrounding special needs children and their educational needs.
Job Titles:
- West Coast Development Committee Chair
Rebecca Winsor serves as the West Coast Development Committee Chair for the Bhutan Foundation. She is an artist, photographer and storyteller. Rebecca has worked for a number of media organizations; and as a consultant for non-profit organizations, philanthropists, and businesses. Having lived in 10 countries, she is dedicated to promoting cross-cultural understanding. From 2007-2008, Rebecca worked for the Bhutan Youth Development Fund, which inspired a long-term admiration for Bhutan. Rebecca also sits on the board of the William H. Donner Foundation and the Donner Canadian Foundation. She studied Visual Arts at Brown University (BA) and holds an MPhil, Latin American Studies from Cambridge University. Rebecca is currently working on a cultural documentary project in Oaxaca, Mexico. She is passionate about environmental conservation, and connecting people to nature. Rebecca is based in San Francisco, CA, where she lives with her husband and two sons.
Ms. Rosemary Phelan was a co-founder and board member of The Bhutan Canada Foundation (BCF), which continues the Canadian-Bhutanese collaboration on education in Bhutan by placing English-speaking teachers in remote Bhutanese schools and makes further impact on educational and social institutions across Bhutan. Rosemary has been a frequent visitor to Bhutan and looks forward to a renewed philanthropic role in the country. She is a member of a fifth-generation family company in Canada and serves in an official capacity on several family-related companies. She is also a board member of volunteer organizations, including the George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art in Toronto, Canada.
Job Titles:
- Communications Officer
- Communication Officer at the Thimphu
Ms. Sonam Deki is the Communication Officer at the Thimphu office of the Bhutan Foundation. She earned her Bachelor of Engineering in Information Technology from the College of Science and Technology. Her diverse background includes research coordination and project management, developed over five years while working as a Research Officer at the College of Science and Technology, part of the Royal University of Bhutan. Ms. Deki is passionate about fabrication technologies, holding a diploma in Digital Fabrication from the Fab Academy. She also has a keen interest in intellectual property rights and is dedicated to promoting innovation and entrepreneurship. In her leisure time, she engages in creative activities such as designing 3-D models, carpentry, and knitting.
Sonam started her career as a journalist in Bhutan and became a Communications Consultant for nonprofit organizations like Save the Children and the Environmental Commission of Bhutan. After moving to New York, she worked in citizen media projects like Global Voices - a non-profit project started at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School. She also worked with Future Challenges, another non-profit media initiative started by the Bertelsmann Foundation in Germany. In 2012, she started a socio-political magazine in Bhutan called The Raven (archived on the Digital Himalaya site under Journals). In 2015, she was awarded the Poynter Fellowship in Journalism at Yale. Sonam has a Certificate in Social Psychology from the University of Queensland, Australia, and an MFA in creative writing from NYU.
Ms. Tshering Choden is the Senior Finance Officer of the Bhutan Foundation office based in Thimphu, Bhutan. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Gaeddu College of Business Studies. She worked for four years at DHI-Infra Ltd. (now merged with Construction Development Corporation, Ltd.), where she served as a Finance Officer in the Finance and Accounts Department. She was also the Core Team Member of the company's system SAP ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) for the module FICO (Finance and Controlling) and FM (Funds Management). She interned with Bhutan National Bank Limited, Thimphu, for several months before joining DHI-INFRA Ltd. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and doing volunteer work.
Job Titles:
- Director of Partnerships and Philanthropy
Ms. Tshering Yangzom is the Director of Partnerships and Philanthropy for the Bhutan Foundation based in Southern California. She has a BA in Biology and a Masters in Public Health from George Washington University in Washington, DC. At the Bhutan Foundation, she works with national and district leaders, civil society organizations, and youth to find critical gaps in society that need technical and financial support. In particular, Tshering has worked on providing support and resources for children and individuals with disabilities throughout Bhutan in partnership with parents, caregivers, civil society organizations and the Ministry of Education. Tshering's passion to support her country's needs enables her to develop connections that solve critical issues on the ground. Tshering strives to develop partnerships with organizations based in the U.S. and abroad with our partners in Bhutan. In an effort to increase awareness of Bhutan, Tshering has also given many lectures, talks and written articles on Bhutan in the U.S. and abroad.
Tshewang Wangchuk is the Executive Director of the Bhutan Foundation. He started out as an intern working with Bhutan's first conservation NGO, the Royal Society for Protection of Nature in 1988, working with Dasho Paljor ‘Benji' Dorji. While pursuing his undergraduate studies in the United States, he worked in Yosemite and Grand Teton National Parks during the summers. After graduating from the University of Maryland, College Park, he returned to Bhutan and worked for the Bhutan Government's Nature Conservation Division. He was actively involved in its extensive protected area management system as one of the first Park Managers in the country. Later, he coordinated WWF International's Global Tiger Program covering many tiger-range states in Asia from 2003-2005. For his doctoral research in Wildlife Biology at the University of Montana, he traversed the mountains of Bhutan collecting snow leopard scat for genetic analyses. He continues to stay connected with the many mountain communities he has visited over the years. He is also the first National Geographic Explorer from Bhutan, a member of the Explorers Club, and serves on the board of the Snow Leopard Conservancy.