February 1st Speaker Biographies

YA 12 Youth Assemblyat the United Nations
Represent! On the Road to Actions
January 31st – February 1st
Speaker Biographies
Ashley Alenick
Ashley Alenick graduated from New York University College of Arts and Sciences in
May 2013 (Honors Scholar), having completed her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology
in three years. While at NYU, Ashley was selected to be a Liberal Studies Ambassador
and Welcome Week Leader. She coupled these leadership duties and academic
successes with three internships, including one with the Executive VP of Talent at NBC
News and another with the Law & Equity Division of the New York Supreme Court.
Ashley’s commitment to community service began at age 9, when she and her sister
Paige became the youngest to join JOY (Joining Old and Young), a high school chorus
that performs for the elderly. For her participation and leadership in JOY, Ashley
received eight gold level Presidential Volunteer Service Awards. She hopes to expand
JOY to high schools around the country. Over the past two years, Ashley has been
working with her family to develop Donate A Toothbrush. The distribution of over 66,000 toothbrushes to
individuals in underprivileged nations has had the direct effect of decreasing each recipient’s risk for serious
dental disease. Ashley is planning to attend Law School in 2014 and hopes to pursue a career as an entertainment
attorney.
Paige Alenick
Paige Alenick graduated Pascack Hills High School in Montvale, New Jersey, in June
2013. She is a member of the National Honor Society, the Spanish National Honor
Society, the Tri-M International Music Honor Society, and the International Thespian
Honor Society. Paige’s interest in community service started very early when at age 7
she joined JOY (Joining Old & Young), a high school chorus that performs for the
elderly. She continued in JOY for 11 years, leading the group for the past two. She
has received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award at the gold level annually since
2002. Paige founded Donate A Toothbrush in February 2011. She is proud to have
been able to collect and distribute over 66,000 toothbrushes to needy children and
adults worldwide. She is a 2013 Prudential Community Service Award Distinguished
Finalist and a recipient of a 2013 Jefferson Award for Public Service. Paige is also an
accomplished vocalist. This past year, she was selected as a member of the Bergen
All-County Chorus.In the fall, Paige will begin her studies at New York University. She plans on continuing and
expanding her work with Donate A Toothbrush in college and beyond.
Ahmad Alhendawi
Mr. Alhendawi is a strong youth advocate at the national, regional and
international levels. He was a co-founder for Youth for Democracy Network
at the Jordanian Commission for Democratic Culture which he headed.
Internationally, he is a co-founder of the International Youth Council, based
in New York. He previously worked as a Team Leader for the World Bank
funded programme to the League of Arab States on Institutional
Development to Strengthen Arab Policy and Participation. Prior to this, he
served as the Youth Policy Advisor in the League of Arab States in Cairo and
as an officer in the Technical Secretariat of the Arab Youth and Sports
Ministers Council. Past experience also includes serving as a Team Leader
for the National Youth Policy Project in Iraq, a Youth Programme Associate
at the Iraq office of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and as an Emergency Programme Officer at the nongovernmental organization Save the Children. As a regional consultant, he has also supported the Danish Youth
Council's projects in the Middle East and North Africa.
Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser
Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser was elected President of the sixty-sixth session of the
United Nations General Assembly on 22 June 2011. A veteran diplomat, Mr. AlNasser has contributed to advancing the multilateral agenda in the realms of peace
and security, sustainable development and South-South cooperation over a career
spanning nearly four decades. From 1998 to 2011, Mr. Al-Nasser served as
Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations. Mr. AlNasser represented his country on the United Nations Security Council during the
two-year term of Qatar as a non-permanent member (2006 to2007). During his term
as Ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. Al-Nasser also served as a VicePresident of the fifty-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly
(2002 to 2003) and represented his country at numerous international and regional
conferences and other forums. At the same time, he served as non-resident
Ambassador to a number of countries in the Americas, including Argentina, Belize,
Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua,Panama, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Earlier, Mr. Al-Nasser was appointed as his country’s resident Ambassador to
Jordan (1993 to 1998). The recipient of numerous decorations and awards, Mr. Al-Nasser was made an honorary
fellow of the Foreign Policy Association in New York in 2009 and received an honorary doctorate in international
affairs from Chongqing University (China) in 2007. A wide range of countries have conferred on him their
national awards, including the Medal of Independence of the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
(1998); Grand Officer, Order of Merit (Italy, 2004); Medal of Grand Commander of the Order of Makarios III
(Cyprus, 2007); National Order of Doctor José Matias Delgado (El Salvador, 2007); and Commander of the
National Order of the Republic (Côte d’Ivoire, 2008).
Gayatri Amatya
Gayatri Amatya is a Phi Kappa Phi and Sigma Iota Rho honors graduate from
University of Bridgeport with the major in Global Development and Peace. She is a
co-founder and Director of Program and Development of Justice Nepal, an
organization dedicated to left-out and poor women and children. She is currently
involved Strategic Development Manager for the project Arts for Peace, a project
dedicated to post-conflict peace settlement in Sierra Leone. She was the project
coordinator for the 11th Youth Assembly at the United Nations. She has overseen
the development and facilitation for several FAF projects: Youth Ambassadors of
Science and Environment, The Rhythms of the One World, 10th Annual Youth
Assembly at the UN, TEDx at UN Plaza and Emerging Global Leadership
Program. She has an undergraduate degree in Information Management from the
Tribhuwan University, Nepal, where she specialized in ICT for development. She
was a recipient of Youth Initiative Award at the age of sixteen for her social entrepreneurship project “Abhiyaan”.
She was awarded as the most outstanding women student by VOW magazine, Nepal.
James Ansorge
James co-founded the International Youth Council (“IYC”) in 2007, a global
network of youth leaders focused on development projects and policy.
Currently serving as Director of Programs, James oversees anti-poverty,
environmental and intercultural dialogue campaigns around the world. IYC
currently has dozens of national chapters and thousands of members across the
globe. James has led several workshops and panel discussions on fundraising
and leadership at the Annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations. In his day
job, James has provided political campaign consulting for candidates for City
Council, District Attorney, and Governor, along with strategic government
affairs services to a variety of businesses, trade associations, and non-profits.
James served as Finance Director for New York Congresswoman Carolyn
Maloney's reelection campaign, raising over $3 million in a nationally covered race.
Kehkashan Basu
Kehkashan Basu is a 13 year old environmental and social activist living in Dubai,
UAE whose sole objective is to involve and mobilise children and youth in the
movement for a sustainable and green future. She is UNEP’s Representative for
Children and Youth and a member of its Major Groups Facilitating Committee. She
is the first minor, ever, to be elected into this position in the forty year history of
UNEP. She is the Global President of the Children’s Board for Plant-for-the-Planet
and the Chairperson of the UAE chapter of the International Youth Council. She is a
youth ambassador for several international organisations and in this capacity has
represented the voice of the youth at more than 25 international conferences through
her workshops and presentations . Kehkashan is the founder of a youth organization,
GREEN HOPE UAE, which seeks to provide a networking platform to children and
youth in the region to carry forward the Rio legacy through several environmental workshops and ground level
projects on biodiversity conservation, waste segregation and reversing land degradation. She is the recipient of
several international awards, notable amongst which are those from UNCCD and Korea Green Foundation in
2012 and most recently the 2013 International Young Eco-Hero award .
Daniel Bena
Daniel Bena is currently the Head of Sustainable Development for PepsiCo Global
Operations. Dan is a liaison between Government Affairs, Public Policy,
Communications and Operations to “connect the dots” for impact and develop
advocacy and messaging to key stakeholder groups. He serves on the Public Health
Committee of the Safe Water Network, dedicated to market-based, sustainable
community-level solutions to provide safe drinking water in developing economies; the
Leadership Group of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development
(WBCSD); and Steering Board of the International Finance Corporation’s 2030 Water
Resources Group Initiative. He formerly served on the Steering Committee of the
United Nations CEO Mandate, and the Board of the International Society of Beverage
Technologists. Most recently, Bena was elected to the Boards of the Washington-based
US Water Alliance, and the Creative Visions Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to
developing youth as agents of positive social change, and the Advisory Board of Artistic Circles.. He was honored
to deliver the keynote address at the Farm to Fork Royal Gala in the presence of TRH Princess Madeleine and
Prince Daniel of Sweden, and has spoken at over 100 venues which span the business, government, academic, and
non-profit worlds. He was invited by the mayor of his city to serve on a new Sustainability Advisory Board to
develop a forward-looking sustainability plan for the city, one of only three nationwide selected to pilot a new
sustainability planning tool kit based on the successful PlaNYC for the City of New York. He recently published
his first book, Sustain-Ability: How a Corporate Conscience Sustains a Company’s Ability to Win, specifically to
help other companies along their sustainability journeys.
Doreen Bogdan
Doreen Bogdan-Martin heads the Strategic Planning and Membership Department at
the United Nations Specialized agency for information and communication
technology, the International Telecommunication Union based in Geneva,
Switzerland. Advisor to the Secretary General, Doreen is also responsible, inter alia,
for the Union’s corporate communications, external affairs, partnership promotion,
ITU governing bodies, and the management of the ITU-UNESCO Broadband
Commission for Digital Development. She previously headed the Regulatory and
Market Environment Division of the Union’s Development arm and was responsible
for the programmes on Regulatory Reform, Economics and Finance. Before joining
ITU, Doreen was a Policy Specialist in the National Telecommunication and
Information Administration (NTIA), US Department of Commerce. She holds an
MA in Communications Policy from the School of International Service, American
University, in Washington DC. Doreen has co-authored several ITU publications on
regulatory trends in the ICT Sector.
Michelle Byrd
As Co-President, Michelle leads on institutional relationship and partnership efforts,
along with fundraising, business affairs, financial management, and communications
strategy. Jointly, she and Asi work on the strategic vision of the organization and
oversee all programmatic initiatives. Michelle began consulting with Games for
Change earlier this year working to strengthen the organization’s relationship with its
international partners. Prior to joining the staff, Michelle served for 12 years as the
Executive Director of the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the oldest and largest
organization of independent filmmakers in the US. During her tenure she raised more
than $15 million, oversaw a staff of 15, tripled the membership to 10,000, and
established programs to annually support and mentor 300 projects in development. Her
track record includes executive producing high quality, celebrity-attended events for
broadcast and online, including IFP’s Gotham Independent Film Awards. She was also responsible for a diversity
of new strategic partnerships including those with the United Nations Department of Public Information, The
New York Times and the Sundance Institute. Michelle has served as a juror on the documentary competition at
the Sundance Film Festival, been awarded the “Made in New York” career tribute by Mayor Bloomberg and
appeared on both Variety’s Annual “Indie Impact List: 50 Who Made a Difference” and The Hollywood
Reporter’s Women in Entertainment “Power 100” List.
Anwarul Karim Chowdhury
Mr. Anwarul Karim Chowdhury was appointed in March 2002 by the SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations as Under-Secretary-General and High
Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing
Countries and Small Island Developing States.Prior to his appointment,
Ambassador Chowdhury completed his assignment (1996-2001) as Permanent
Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York. He also served
as Bangladesh's Ambassador to Chile, Nicaragua, Peru and Venezuela, as well as
Bangladesh's High Commissioner to the Bahamas and Guyana. During his tenure
as Permanent Representative, Mr. Chowdhury served as President of the Security
Council, President of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive
Board and Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council of the UN in 1997
and 1998. He had served for more than 10 years, as the Coordinator for the Least
Developed Countries in New York. From 1990-1993, Mr. Chowdhury was the
UNICEF Director for Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Chowdhury is the recipient of the U Thant Peace
Award and UNESCO Gandhi Gold Medal for Culture of Peace. He is an Honorary Patron of the Committee on
Teaching About the UN (CTAUN), New York. In March 2003, the Soka University of Tokyo, Japan conferred on
Ambassador Chowdhury an Honorary Doctorate for his work on women's issues, child rights and culture of peace
as well as for the strengthening of the United Nations.
Taylor Conroy
"Destroy Normal" is the phrase Taylor Conroy lives by. And he means it. At age
twenty he became the youngest firefighter in Canada. At 24, he picked up his real
estate license to use on his days off from the firehall, and in his first full year,
became the top grossing new agent on the continent. Over the next 3 years he built a
million dollar real estate business that he would later sell to fund his current social
venture, 'Change Heroes'. He has surfed the longest wave in the world (in Peru),
meditated with Zen monks in Japan, trained as a yoga teacher in Costa Rica, run with
the bulls in Spain, built schools in Kenya, stepped foot on every continent and
explored 33 countries. Inspired after a life-altering trip to Kenya, he sold his real
estate business to launch Change Heroes, a ground-breaking friend funding platform
that has raised over $600,000 to fund 60+ education-focused projects in 9 developing
countries. He gave the opening keynote at the Harvard University Social Enterprise
Conference, and lectures on social entrepreneurship at New York University. Taylor recently addressed delegates
from around the world at the United Nations in New York, and is considered a pioneer and thought leader in the
social entrepreneurship and social enterprise space. In 2013, Taylor plans to use Change Heroes to educate 1
million of the world's most in need children. And as he puts it, "have a total blast while doing it".
Ramu Damodaran
Ramu Damodaran is Deputy Director for Partnership and Public Engagement in the
United Nations Department of Public Information’s Outreach Division and is chief of
the United Nations Academic Impact initiative, which aligns institutions of higher
learning and research with the objectives of the United Nations and the States and
peoples who constitute it. He is also the current secretary of the United Nations
Committee on Information. His earlier posts with the Organization have included the
Departments of Peacekeeping and Special Political Questions, as well as the
Executive Office of the Secretary-General. Ramu Damodaran has been a member of
the Indian Foreign Service, where he was promoted to the rank of Ambassador, and
where he served as Executive Assistant to the Prime Minister of India as well as in the
diplomatic missions in Moscow and to the United Nations, and in a range of national
governmental ministries.
Mariel (Mary Eleanor) Davis
Mariel (Mary Eleanor) Davis manages Communications and Special Projects at
Education For Employment (EFE), a network of eight nonprofits creating youth
employment solutions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). She focuses on
crafting EFE’s global communications strategy, messaging and materials as well as
building the communications capacity of MENA-region local affiliates, in addition to
special projects in governance, corporate partnerships and development. Ms. Davis
joined EFE from Qatar, where she served as an Arabic Language Fellow at Qatar
University and a consultant for the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative.
Previously, she coordinated development and PR for the Arab American Association
of New York and designed an American-Palestinian exchange exhibit for the National
Children's Museum and Tomorrow's Youth Organization. In addition to her
experience in Qatar, Davis has researched and worked in Egypt, Yemen and the West
Bank. She graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Middle Eastern and Asian
Languages and Cultures, and is a Carnegie New Leader.
Amir A. Dossal
Amir Dossal is Chairman of the Global Partnerships Forum, an international platform to
address economic and social challenges, through innovative partnerships,
www.Partnerships.org. He is also Co-Initiator of the Pearl Initiative, a CEO-led
program, promoting transparency and accountability in the Gulf Region. Amir is also
Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the International
Telecommunication Union for Global Partnerships and Commissioner of the Broadband
Commission. He is also Special Adviser to the Chief Information Technology Officer of
the United Nations. Amir is a 25-year veteran of the UN. Prior to creating the Global
Partnerships Forum, he was Executive Director of the UN Office for Partnerships, and
served as UN’s Chief Liaison for Partnerships including with media mogul Ted Turner
to manage the $1 billion gift. Amir Dossal works globally across all sectors, including
Finance, Media, Technology, and Pharmaceutical and has built complex alliances
between governments, multilateral agencies, business, foundations and civil society. In October 2010, he received
the Humanitarian Award from the UN Association of New York. In December 2010, His Serene Highness Prince
Albert II of Monaco, appointed him Ambassador for Peace and Sport. Amir is a UK Chartered Accountant (FCA).
He is married to Tas, they have one son, Zecki.
Pierre Dulaine
Pierre is the co-artistic director and founder of the American Ballroom Theater
Company. He has been on the faculties of the School of American Ballet (New
York City Ballet) and the Juilliard School at Lincoln Center for many years. Pierre
is also the four-time winner of the World Exhibition Championship, the Astaire
Award winner for "best dancing on Broadway" in the hit musical Grand Hotel.
Other honors include the prestigious Dance Magazine Award, and the Dance
Educators of America and National Dance Council of America awards for his
contribution to the world of dance. He is now the Director of the company’s
Outreach Program "Dancing Classrooms" in the New York City Public Schools.
To date, this program teaches approximately 7500 children annually. Pierre started
dancing at the age of 14 and at 21 became a full member of the Imperial Society
of Teachers of Dancing. Pierre Dulaine invented the Dulaine method of teaching
dance. He also developed Dancing Classrooms, a social development program for
5th grade children that uses ballroom dancing as a vehicle to change the lives of
the children and their families. Notably, his early works with children was fictionalised in the film Take the Lead,
starring Antonio Banderas as Pierre Dulaine. He soon went on to win the "Duel of the Giants" at the Royal Albert
Hall in London, and right after that captured the "All England Professional Latin American Championship" title.
Rehema Ellis
Rehema Ellis joined NBC NEWS in 1994 as a general assignment correspondent. In
2010 she was named Education Correspondent and was an integral part of NBC’s
first annual Education Nation summit that focused on the strengths and weaknesses
of America’s education system. Her reports appear on NBC Nightly News with Brian
Williams, Today, and MSNBC. She is also a digital journalist. Ellis shoots, blogs,
writes for NBC on-line and she tweets. Ellis also won an Emmy for her reporting on
the 2008 Presidential Election of Barack Obama and his historic inauguration.Ellis
has been part of other headliner stories including the attacks on the World Trade
Center. She’s reported on Hurricane Katrina, the death of Michael of Jackson and
the Haiti earthquake. As a correspondent for NBC, Ellis traveled to Zaire to report on
the mass killings in Rwanda. A few years later she spent a month in Greece covering
the summer Olympics. Ellis began her broadcast career at KDKA Radio and TV in
Pittsburgh. Later, she worked in Boston at WHDH-TV as a reporter and weekend
anchor. She has distinguished herself as a lead correspondent and received numerous
awards including local and national Emmys, Edward R. Murrow Awards, Associated Press awards and awards
from the National Association of Black Journalists. She's also a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate Degree in
Journalism. Born in North Carolina, and raised in Boston, she graduated from Simmons College in Boston and
Columbia Graduate School of Journalism in New York. Ellis currently lives in New York City with her young
son.
Alexandria Fitzgerald
The mission of the Institute for Global Understanding (IGU) is to promote
awareness of issues and challenges of our dynamic, interdependent world.Through
academic programs, field experiences, service learning, and engagement in local
and global communities, IGU fulfills Monmouth University’s broad mission of
promoting global understanding, diversity, and leadership." My role is the
undergraduate ambassador for IGU, to our campus, the United Nations, and other
affiliates. I strive at facilitating and maintaining a positive image for our NGO and
University through our global outreach initiatives. As an ambassador I wear many
hats, and represent not only our entire student body, but our faculty, and global
partners as well. Inversely, as a Youth Rep, I represent the UN on the Monmouth University campus and further
our UN work back home.
Jane Goodall
In July 1960, Jane Goodall began her landmark study of chimpanzee behavior in
what is now Tanzania. Her work at Gombe Stream would become the foundation
of future primatological research and redefine the relationship between humans
and animals. In 1977, Dr. Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute, which
continues the Gombe research and is a global leader in the effort to protect
chimpanzees and their habitats. The Institute is widely recognized for innovative,
community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa, and Jane
Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, the global environmental and humanitarian youth
program. Dr. Goodall founded Roots & Shoots with a group of Tanzanian students
in 1991. Today, Roots & Shoots connects hundreds of thousands of youth in more
than 120 countries who take action to make the world a better place for people,
animals and the environment. Dr. Goodall travels an average of 300 days per year,
speaking about the threats facing chimpanzees, other environmental crises, and
her reasons for hope that humankind will solve the problems it has imposed on the
earth. Dr. Goodall’s honors include the French Legion of Honor, the Medal of Tanzania, and Japan’s prestigious
Kyoto Prize. In 2002, Dr. Goodall was appointed to serve as a United Nations Messenger of Peace and in 2003,
she was named a Dame of the British Empire.
Lance Gould
Lance Gould is the Executive Special Projects Editor at The Huffington Post. A journalist
with more than 25 years of experience, Lance was previously the editor in chief of both
The Boston Phoenix and Spy magazine, was deputy managing editor of the New York
Daily News, and was general manager of the United Nations publication the Earth Summit
Times.
Ruben Armando Escalante Hasbun
Ambassador Ruben E. Hasbun is the Deputy Permanent Representative of El
Salvador to the United Nations. Before that he was Minister Counselor in charge
of human rights and social issues, having also worked in the past both in the
arrangement of multilateral summits and as Desk Officer at the Bureau for
Foreign Policy in San Salvador. He has also experience in civil society work, as
international coordinator for the Tokyo-based NGO "Peace Boat", organizing
educational and social awareness-raising voyages around the world. Ambassador
Hasbun holds an MA in International Politics from Aoyama University and
Tokyo and is fluent in 5 languages besides his native Spanish.
Lawrence Haseley
Hello, my name is Lawrence Haseley and I’m a Youth Representative for The City
College of New York. I am currently an undergraduate majoring in International
Relations and minoring in Economics and Public Policy. I’m heavily interested in
sustainable development and act as the Policy Director for Energy and
Environment for The Roosevelt Institute City College Chapter. Having spent a
large part of my childhood in England and living in New York where culture and
livelihoods are so diverse, I feel it has given me an interesting perspective of how
the world is shaped. I seek to use the knowledge I gain from my education to help
improve our society locally and abroad.
Victor Izquierdo
Since 2009, Greenwich resident Victor Izquierdo has grown from an intern to holding a
management position within Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, Inc. Mr. Izquierdo is
currently Project Manager and Intern Coordinator. Victor has helped to develop FAF's
Service Ambassadors Program and assists in organizing FAF projects including global
cultural exchanges and the Annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations. He is FAF's
Project Coordinator for the Ecuador Service Project. Prior to joining FAF, Victor
worked as a customer banker at Commerce Bank. Victor Izquierdo holds a B.A. in
International Studies from Fairfield University and a Professional Certificate in Global
Affairs from New York University.
Kamila Jacob
Kamila Jacob graduated from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA, with a B.A. in
Sociology and double minored in Spanish and African American Studies. She was
born in Manhattan and raised Unitarian Universalist spending at least 1 week each
summer at UU camps such as the Southeast UU Summer Institute (SUUSI), Sophia
Fahs, and the UU Mid-Atlantic Community (UUMAC). Kamila attended Sunday
school at Community Church until joining the Coming of Age group at All Souls. As
a youth she always enjoyed participating in UU activities, especially when she got to
stand up and take action!
Yin-Chu Jou
New York City-based concert pianist Yin-Chu Jou was commended by The New York
Times on New Year’s Day 2006: “… Classical pianist Yin-Chu Jou and the Youth
Symphony for United Nations… travel and play for peace, to promote world peace
through music… to find a way to add a social element to musical performance.” At an
early age Yin-Chu has become a respected pianist and teacher of young musicians,
earning Westchester Magazine’s “2006 Best New Music Conservatory in Westchester,
New York” award for her direction of an up and rising community music conservatory
and as artistic director to an international foundation dedicated to promoting peace and
cultural exchange through the arts. She was the featured artist during the 40th
Anniversary celebration of the United Nations Women’s Guild at the Dag
Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium of the UN Headquarters in New York, where she
shared the stage with current First Lady and wife of UN Secretary General Ban KiMoon Mrs. Ban Soon-Taek and the active UN Women’s Guild President Tsu-Wei Chang. Since 2005, Yin-Chu
has been serving as Artistic Director of Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, Inc. where she organizes and
develops all FAF’s music programming worldwide including international music exchanges and performance
tours for choirs, bands and orchestras, some of which involve dance, theater or other related art forms.
Nejeed Kassam
Nejeed Kassam is 26 years old and currently serves as the Founder and Chief
Executive Officer of Networks for Change (NFC). With parents from England,
grandparents from East Africa, great grand parents from India, and ancestors from
middle Asia, Nejeed is a proverbial mutt: a proud representation of Canada’s
multicultural mosaic. Nejeed is passionate about change, social entrepreneurship, and
tennis—amongst many other things. Over the course of his life, Nejeed has had the
opportunity to work on some incredible projects, including Conversations for Change
(which he founded and currently serves on the Board of Directors for) and End Poverty
Now (which he founded). Nejeed has also worked at the United Nations and the Senate
of Canada. Nejeed is currently a law student at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto,
Canada.
Soo Yeon Kim
I am Soo Yeon (Nancy) Kim and a rising senior in Korea International School. I was
born in Seoul, Republic of Korea and lived in Korea until 2nd grade when due to
health concern, I moved to Canada and then to America. However, due to parent’s job,
I had to move back to Korea at the end of 7th grade. My interest lies in music
performance, especially flute, playing tennis and helping others. I’ve always loved to
talk to others, realize what other people need and reach out my helping hand to others
since young. Through this characteristic, I’ve earned both accolades and troubles, both
of which I consider a precious additions to my growth. Despite the troubles, instead of
giving up on this quality, I used it to create Vision Care Global Youth, a teenage
organization that helps support prevent blindness all over the world. The urge to start
such support for the blind merely started with an article that one person every second
and one child every five seconds become blind. The achievements built as an
organization improves me day by day to form who I am and teaches me how valuable helping others is.
Ambassador Palitha T.B. Kohona
Palitha T. B. Kohona was appointed Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United Nations
on September 11, 2009. From 2007 until his new appointment, Kohona served as
Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and since April 2006, as Special Adviser
to the President on the Peace Process and Secretary-General of the Secretariat for
Coordinating the Peace Process. In 2005, Kohona led the United Nations legal
delegation to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at the invitation of that
country’s Government; having served as Chief of the Organization’s Treaty Section
in New York since 1995. Prior to joining the United Nations, he worked in the
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia from 1983; heading its Trade
and Investment Section under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade/World
Trade Organization, and attached to the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations
institutional mechanisms and dispute settlement unit in 1992.Kohona led Australia’s
delegation to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Trade and Development Board in 1988, and was posted to the Permanent Mission of Australia to the United
Nations in Geneva the following year. He has a doctorate from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, a
Master of Laws degree from the Australian National University, and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of
Sri Lanka.
Klevisa Kovaci
Klevisa Kovaci is the Program Coordinator for the 12th Youth Assembly at the
United Nations. She is an undergraduate student at Fairfield University majoring
in International Studies, Politics, and French, with a minor in Philosophy. At her
university, she is French Assistant Teacher, Research Assistant in the Politics
Department, and dedicated to the Model UN and French clubs as an officer. Born
in Albania and having studied abroad in France, Klevisa highly values different
cultures and languages. She is excited to be involved with Friendship
Ambassadors Foundation and the Youth Assembly at the United Nations.
Additionally, Klevisa works with Montage Initiative as co-founder of the Student
Advisory Board to help empower women globally. Klevisa is a member of the
Jesuit Universities Honors Society, National Collegiate Political Science Honors Society, and National Collegiate
Language Honors Society. While studying in France, she won the Prix Léon Wencelius en Philosophie for
excellence in the study of Philosophy. She is the recipient of several awards for excellence in French and is a
Magis scholar at Fairfield University. Klevisa aspires to make a change for the better in her community and
internationally. Her pastimes include playing the flute at her university symphony orchestra and painting.
Yan Yu Li
Yan Yu Li joined Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, Inc in 2008. Yan Yu is
Friendship Ambassadors Foundation's Financial Analyst and Accounts Manager.
She has overseen the development and facilitation for several major projects at the
Foundation: The Rhythms of One World, Annual Youth Assembly at the United
Nations, Emerging Global Leaders Seminar (Fairleigh Dickinson University), and
is the financial advisor of the Executive Director on most financial issues and,
especially, on all development issues relating to China (which is a major area of
development for the foundation from 2008 to the present). She also reports
financial status of the foundation to the Board of Directors on a regular level. Ms.
Li works with Mr. Izquierdo to lead FAF's large intern population each year. Yan
Yu has been working in finance for several years since she received her M.B.A. with concentration in accounting
and finance from the University of Bridgeport.
Marta Lopez
Marta López Pérez holds a long cycle degree in Translation and Interpreting and is a certified court translator and
interpreter of Arabic in Spain. Marta has several years of work experience in the fields of advocacy, conflict
resolution, intercultural mediation, translation and interpreting, public relations and quality management in Spain,
France, Tunisia, Portugal and the US. Currently, Marta is the “Do One Thing for Diversity and Inclusion”
Campaign Coordinator at the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, working closely with more than 100
international partners. Marta is also founder and CEO of Nur Translations, a Translation and Interpreting Agency
headquartered in Spain.
Chukwuma Menakaya
Chukwuma joined Friendship Ambassadors Foundation on 3rd January 2013
as Administrative Assistant FAF and now the Technical Director and Youth
Representative for FAF at United Nations. He holds B.Eng in Mechanical
from Curtin University Australia. An experienced individual in mechanical
and electrical engineering technology, design and development, power energy
and shipbuilding technology. He is very passionate about research and
development was able to design and developed a micro solar–hydro power
renewable energy system for telecommunication base station which could also
be applied for rural economic and energy development around the world. He is
a graduate of John Curtin Leadership Academy from Curtin University
Australia which main focus was on Vision, Leadership, Entrepreneurship and
community service. Chukwuma also is engaged with Peace Island Institute, Center for Global Affairs Identifying,
Researching and Developing issues that address global challenges, sustainable development and there possible
solutions. He has been involved in a number of community services globally one of which is motivational camps
on English and Math for rural school pupils in Tatau Sarawak East Malaysia. He earned an award for YB (Dr)
Lee Kim Shin award for outstanding community contribution in 2009 for his outstanding efforts and community
contributions (individual). In 2010 while in Curtin, he served as the first international Student Union President a
school that comprises students from all over Asia, Middle East, Africa and Europe. During his tenure, he
promoted and fostered integration, cultural diversity among students of the university. Chukwuma is a well
knowledgeable and focused young man that can always be reckoned with and has been of great service to the
Youth Assembly.
SIMONA-MIRELA MICULESCU
Permanent Representative of Romania to the UN
Ambassador Simona-Mirela Miculescu was the Director of the Department for
Communication and Public Diplomacy within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs prior to
her current position. During her 21 years of diplomatic career, she served twice as
Spokesperson for the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as Senior Media
Advisor to the Minister (1993 and 1999), Director of the Press Department within the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1994), Press Secretary of the Romanian Embassy in
Washington D.C. (1994-1998), and as Senior Public Information Officer at the Mission
of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Kosovo (19992000). Between 2000 and 2004, she served as Foreign Policy Adviser to the President
of Romania, becoming the first woman in the Romanian diplomatic history to be
granted the rank of Ambassador. Between 2006 and 2007, as part of Bearing Point, she acted as Senior Advisor
for Public Outreach to the Government of Iraq, within a USAID-funded project. Ambassador Miculescu also has
an academic background, as well as an extensive experience in public communication. Starting with her PhD in
Literature, her academic career as a professor of International Public Relations at two Romanian universities and
as publisher of several books and tens of articles goes in parallel with her evolution in diplomacy. In Romania,
she is known as one of the best experts in the area of management of international public relations and developed
the first curricula on this topic, which is now used in several Romanian universities. Since her appointment in
New York, Amb. Miculescu held the positions of Vice-President of the UNICEF Executive Board, Vice-President
of the Assembly of State Parties to the International Criminal Court, Member of the Bureau of the Francophonie,
and Chair of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee of the General Assembly, during its 66th Session
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations. His priorities
have been to mobilize world leaders around a set of new global challenges, from
climate change and economic upheaval to pandemics and increasing pressures
involving food, energy and water. He has sought to be a bridge-builder, to give
voice to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, and to strengthen the
Organization itself. Mr. Ban took office on 1 January 2007. On 21 June 2011, he
was unanimously re-elected by the General Assembly and will continue to serve
until 31 December 2016. At the time of his election as Secretary-General, Mr. Ban
was his country's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. His 37 years of service
with the Ministry included postings in New Delhi, Washington D.C. and Vienna,
and responsibility for a variety of portfolios, including Foreign Policy Adviser to
the President, Chief National Security Adviser to the President, Deputy Minister for
Policy Planning and Director-General of American Affairs. Mr. Ban’s ties to the United Nations date back to
1975, when he worked for the Foreign Ministry's United Nations Division. That work expanded over the years,
with assignments that included service as Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization and Chef de Cabinet during the Republic of Korea's 2001-2002 presidency
of the UN General Assembly. Mr. Ban has also been actively involved in issues relating to inter-Korean relations.
The Secretary-General speaks English, French and Korean.
Ana Maria Lebada
Currently serving as Development Director for the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation,
Ana Maria Lebada is a creative social marketing strategist, with experience in sales and
organizational communications, passionate about brand management, social media,
public outreach, and sustainable development. She is also an insightful Columbia
University-educated anthropologist, trained to work on complex projects that involve
multicultural issues. During her undergraduate studies, Ms. Lebada took part in several
international projects on social sustainability, advertising, and intercultural
communication (in The Netherlands, France, and Turkey). In 2008, she won – together
with her team – the bronze medal in the Institutional Communications section of the
national contest “The Communications Olympics” for a campaign against corruption
created for the Romanian Ministry of Administration and Interior. The same year, she
won an advertising school in Bucharest and was sponsored by Tempo Advertising to participate in the Cannes
Lions International Festival of Creativity. At Columbia, Ms. Lebada served as Communications Director of the
Columbia University Coalition for Sustainable Development and as Associate Director of Marketing for The
Columbia University Earth Summit 2013, and organized two high level private conferences on marketing and
branding together with Professor Donald Sexton, Faculty Director of the Columbia Business School.
NOB
NOB is the Gospel, Spiritual, Blues singer. NOB is the solo finalist of McDonald’s
Gospel Fest in 2012 and 2013, and Amateur Night winner in 2013. NOB is performing
in many different event and concert in tri-state area as a soloist; such as The New Hope
Baptist Church which was known as Whitney Houston’s home church, Richard Small
Wood's Concert and The Marble Community Gospel Choir concert. NOB has his first
original recording in NY this summer. The song “Find My Way “ will be released in
this fall as NOB's debut song in US. Official Face Book of NOB:
https://www.facebook.com/nobny
Bill Oberlander
Bill Oberalnder is Managing Director for Communications, Marketing and
Events at the ROBIN HOOD FOUNDATION. Robin Hood is New York City’s
largest poverty fighting non-profit organization, funding more than 200 charities
with an average of $150 million annually. Bill has 25 years of experience in
advertising story-telling and global brand building, marketing everything from
Target mini-skirts to Intel micro-processors, integrating across all mediums
including television, print, outdoor, radio, digital, social and experiential.Before
coming to ROBIN HOOD, Bill was Executive Creative Director at J Walter
Thompson, for accounts Bloomberg, Microsoft, Nestle and Brand USA.
Previously, he held similar senior creative positions at Cossette, McCannErickson, Ogilvy and Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners. Bill serves on the Creative
Review Committee of the Ad Council; Executive Director of the anti-hunger
initiative Agencies In Action LLC; Advisory Board member for the Art Directors Club; and Board member of the
Rye Arts Center.
Kate Offerdahl
Kate Offerdah is a writer for the International Institute of Sustainable
Development (IISD), following the UN General Assembly and the post-2015
development agenda. She is a Master's candidate at Columbia University, where
she is also receiving her BA, studying international environmental policy and
political science. Kate represented the UN Major Group for Children and Youth at
the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), was one of the cocoordinators for the NY+20 Conference for Youth, and is vice-president of the
Columbia University Coalition for Sustainable Development. She previously
worked in the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and as Youth
Leadership Coordinator for the Human Impacts Institute in New York. Her
advocacy and research interests include: youth participation in decision-making,
the representation of future generations, US foreign policy, and ethical political
philosophy. Kate was born and raised in Minnesota, USA and currently lives in
New York.
Dr. Josephine Ojiambo
Dr. Josephine Ojiambo holds a Masters degree (with Distinction), in Public
Health and Community Medicine from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
Israel and a Degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Nairobi,
Kenya and other several certified skills. Josephine is the Deputy
Ambassador/Permanent Representative at the Kenya Mission to the United
Nations in New York. Previously she has a Diploma in Diplomacy from the
Foreign Services Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kenya. She has
been involved in consultancy work in International (Public) Health with
Solutions for Health and Development (SHD) for nine years, in NGO work
with the International Centre for Health Development and Research (ICHDR)
for ten years, and with the Centre for Advancement of Women and Children (CAWAC) respectively. She has a
broad based 23-year experience in International Public Health and Community Development, and in Policy
Advocacy, Planning and Programming. She is a well recognized resource person for the training and development
of health and allied development professionals in aspects of Project Development and Management, in
Community Oriented Primary care and Family Medicine. Josephine has hands-on and administrative experience
covering the management of community, district, provincial and national programs.
Willice Onyango
I am the chairperson of the International Youth Council Kenya and
youth Ambassador for Water,Sanitation and Hygiene(WASH). I
am involved in global advocacy work which focuses on putting
young people at the heart of development policy and practice,
prioritizing the post-2015 agenda. My recent works in support of
the Post 2015 Agenda include: Engagement with United Nations
High Level Panel of Post 2015 Development Planning in London,
Monrovia and Bali; Speaking at and organising post 2015
conferences at national ,regional and international levels; writing
post 2015 youth articles and blogs and giving media interviews.
Lakshmi Puri
Ms. Lakshmi Puri is Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy
Executive Director of UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality
and the Empowerment of Women. She is currently Acting Head of UN Women. Ms.
Puri joined UN Women in March 2011, shortly after its creationThroughout her
career, Ms. Puri has promoted the gender equality and women’s empowerment
agenda in various capacities in the context of peace and security, human rights and
sustainable development. Prior to joining UN Women, Ms. Puri was the Director of
the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries,
Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.Ms. Puri
joined the United Nations in 2002 as Director of the Division of International Trade
in Goods, Services and Commodities. From 2007 to 2009, she served as UNCTAD’s
Acting Deputy Secretary-General.Ms. Puri joined the United Nations after a
distinguished 28-year career with the Indian Foreign Service, where she held the rank
of Permanent Secretary of the Government of India. As Ambassador of India to Hungary, concurrently accredited
to Bosnia and Herzegovina, she worked closely with the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General in
Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Indian peacekeeping contingent. Ms. Puri’s work with the UN dates back to
1981, when she was a delegate to the Commission on Human Rights.
John Romano
John Romano is a Global Fellow in the International Program at the Natural
Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Previous to joining NRDC, John worked for
the United Nations Division for Sustainable Development and was responsible for all
social media outreach at the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development
with a campaign that reached over 82 million people through over 1.6 billion tweet
views on twitter alone. He also worked with the civil society coordination team for
the Rio+20 Secretariat, helping facilitate the engagement of over 10,000 civil society
participants in the largest and most socially-inclusive conference in the history of the
UN. John has also served as a social media consultant for the Clinton Global
Initiative, coordinating all of the social media efforts for the 2012 CGI Annual
Meeting, with #CGI2012 trending on twitter worldwide throughout the course of the
two-day event. He is also currently a deputy-organizing partner for the UNCSD Major Group for Children and
Youth and is a recent graduate of the Columbia University Earth Institute's M.S. in Sustainability Management
program.
Prashanth Ramakrishna
Prashanth is the founder of Unheard Voices, the publishing organization of Peace
Perspectives. He was an American Delegate at Seeds of Peace in 2011. He
currently serves as a member of the Greening Forward and Jane Goodall's Roots
& Shoots National Youth Councils. He is also the Environmental Protection
Director of IYC USA. Prashanth is an international sustainability speaker and
has contributed to various publications including GOOD and the Huffington
Post. Prashanth has lived in Belgium, Germany, England, Canada, and the U.S.
He is now in China as an expat student attending the Shanghai American School.
Terry Ryall
Dr Terry Ryall is founding chief executive of national youth charity vInspired.
Following an extensive and diverse career working with young people (Terry
started out as an unattached youth worker at the height of the Northern Irish
‘Troubles’, ran a hostel for young Asian women, was a director of the Prince’s
Trust and is former CEO of Girlguiding UK), she laid the foundations of
vInspired in 2006, leading the organisation to create more than 1 million youth
volunteering opportunities. Terry’s passion for keeping young people at the very
heart of vInspired has ensured it has remained a game-changer in youth social
action, despite major changes in its funding and structure over the past year.
vInspired provides an innovative, exciting and wide range of ways for young
people to do good things – both online and offline. Terry loves spending time
with her family, sailing, motorbikes, gadgets and brain puzzles.
Christopher Stampar
Christopher Stampar is a 21 year old senior studying International Relations,
Economics, and Geo-Spatial Technology at the University of Miami. At age 15,
Chris began working at the Millennium Institute in Washington D.C, most
notably on research for the United Nations Environmental Programs Green
Economy Report with World Food Prize Laureate Dr. Hans Herren. Early in his
college experience Chris led youth mobilization efforts for the IAASTD Rio+20
Initiative, a joint program of the Millennium Institute and Biovision Foundation,
implemented through Nourish9Billion.org, a program he co-coordinated. He is
now the International Director for the youth led global environmental movement
IDEAS (Intellectual Decisions on Environmental Awareness Solutions) where
he develops new chapters and initiatives around the world. He is also an Energy
Specialist with Citizen Energy, conducting training, energy audits, efficiency analysis, and customer engagement.
In 2012, Chris delivered speeches to both the United Nations High Level Meeting on Happiness and Wellbeing in
New York and the Rio +20 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well as the Berlin International Economic
Congress in 2013.
Patrick Sciarratta
Patrick Sciarratta has been the executive director of FAF since 1993. He has spoken
at conferences and universities throughout the world on topics related to cultural
exchange and global peace building. His staff & he have opened and introduced
American groups to emerging destinations worldwide with active, customized
exchange opportunities. Under his leadership, FAF helped create and produces the
annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations, now in its sixth year, the Youth Band
for United Nations, and a series of internationally recognized Cultural Exchange
Programmes both at home and around the world. During the past five years, Patrick
led the foundation’s work to offer service to the nation after the tragic events of
9/11, uniting families of victims – he and colleague Szilvia Agoston spearheaded
FAF’s arts-related retreats and camps for the families and children of the victims,
called Finding New Hope supported with major funding by the Lions, Rotary, Red
Cross, Hitachi and others. Indeed through their efforts, those families were able to
re-connect with others tragically affected by war and terrorism worldwide. Mr.
Sciarratta was an elected Member of the Executive Committee at the United
Nations’ Department of Public Information (DPI) for its maximum tenure and then became the co-editor its NGO
Reporter, a quarterly that is disseminated to the 3000+ affiliates connected with DPI at the U.N. He also serves on
its annual DPI/NGO Conference Planning Committee, where he plays a role in the development of the annual
United Nations’ DPI/NGO conferences. Patrick was lead faculty member for the Arts Management Certificate
Program for over a decade at Purchase College of the State University of New York. Prior to his teaching at
SUNY, he taught at St. John’s University, Adelphi University, C. W. Post College, and New York University. He
was also the Director for Performing Arts at Hunter College of the City University of New York from 1987-1993,
during the reconstruction of the Danny Kaye Playhouse, and the Resident Director of the Israel Festival in 1984.
Co-founder and Artistic Director of the Bond Street Theatre Coalition, from 1976 – 1985, Mr. Sciarratta
produced, directed and co-wrote 12 plays with the ensemble; all of which were presented in New York and in
other national and international venues. He is currently chair of the Board of Directors of Bond Street Theatre.
Mr. Sciarratta has received many awards, including the MacArthur award as the leader of the Palenville Interarts
Colony (1980-1992), the Governor’s Citation for Excellence from Governor Rockefeller, the New York
University’s Gallatin Award for Achievement in the Arts, and is listed in four Who’s Whos internationally for
contributions to culture and community. Mr. Sciarratta is currently on the boards of UNA/Westchester (NY) &
Vanaver Caravan.
Olivia Singer
Olivia Singer is the Project Coordinator for the 12th Youth Assembly at the
United Nations. As a rising sophomore, she is an undergraduate student in the
Liberal Arts and Science’s Honors Program at the University of Michigan.
Interested in International Relations and Political Science, she plans on applying
to the Ford School of Public Policy. She is currently working towards a minor in
French and plans to study abroad in a French-speaking country her junior year.
At the University of Michigan she writes for the Michigan Journal of
International Affairs, which publishes articles related to current day global issues.
Since a young age, Olivia has been interested in multicultural issues starting with
her active involvement as an officer of Model UN Club. She has traveled and
studied in France and in India. She also attended a summer study course at
Northwestern University focusing on Social Justice and Humanitarian issues. Her
early interest in Friendship Ambassadors Foundation was born after attending the Youth Assembly at the age of
16. She was immersed in the multicultural body of the conference and loved attending all the many different
workshops. She later worked for Friendship Ambassadors Foundation in logistics and is now very excited to be
working on the Youth Assembly itself as well as EGLS.
Shawn Sweeney
Leading JGI's efforts in youth outreach and engagement, Shawn is responsible for
engaging young people in effective community service using digital networking
and social media. He works with young people to help them get the word out
about their efforts and achievements, and to connect their efforts with their
communities, the entire Roots & Shoots network and around the globe.Shawn’s
expertise ranges from youth based communications and social media, to humane
education and service learning to program development and education. Shawn
enjoys learning about the best ways to train youth and educators in service
learning, and how to connect them with their peers. Shawn has worked in youth
leadership and community service for over a decade. During this time, Shawn
served as president of his Roots & Shoots group at the College of Wooster, and
subsequently as a Roots & Shoots Fellow in 2007-2008. Shawn has also conducted
research in conservation education at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Bronx Zoo (Wildlife Conservation Society), and
Zoo Atlanta.Shawn is a United Nations NGO Representative for the Jane Goodall Institute and serves as a cochair of the UN NGO committee for the International Day of Peace.
Andrea Taylor
Andrea L. Taylor has been Director for U.S. Community Affairs of Microsoft Corp.
since June 2006. Ms. Taylor has to the role more than 20 years of experience working
with a variety of organizations around the globe and a track record of programs
designed to bridge the digital divide. In her new role, Ms. Taylor set the strategy for
and manage the implementation of Microsoft's Unlimited Potential program; Puget
Sound community engagement; and employee community programs in the U.S.,
including matching gifts and volunteering. Ms. Taylor works closely with nonprofit
organizations, governments and businesses in the U.S. to advance employability and
work-force development. Before joining Microsoft, Ms. Taylor was the founding
director of the Media Fund at the Ford Foundation. investments. Working in Africa,
Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and the U.S., her program provided support for
hundreds of projects including 'Sesame Street' in China and South Africa and National
Public Radio (NPR). She serves as a Trustee of Boston University and Director of Lincoln Institute of Land
Policy. She serves as a Trustee of WNYC Radio, Inc. Ms. Taylor is an adjunct faculty member at the Harvard
Graduate School of Education. She has also served as a delegate to four global summits of the United Nations:
Tunis in 2005, Geneva in 2003, Beijing in 1995, and Cairo in 1994. She graduated from Boston University in
1968.
Tami Tyree
Tami Tyree is a singer/actress, music historian, teaching artist, and community
activist eloquently telling the African-American story through song. As cultural
ambassador, herr passionate delivery of slave spirituals, blues, gospel, and jazz has
made her a much sought-after keeper of the flame. Ms. Tyree founded an arts-ineducation program ECHOES OF OUR ANCESTORS. As part of her cultural
exchange she's performed on Japanese television and produces concerts, workshops,
nightclub acts and lectures for citizens from Kindergarten to senior adult, in venues
as varied as nursing homes and elegant cabarets. Tami Tyree has a Fine Arts degree
from Howard University and has performed jazz with legendary performers such as
Al Grey and current trombone virtuoso Wycliffe Gordon. She's a gospel soloist
whose been the primary voice for choirs since the age of five; she even leant her
voice to the New York City Living Wage Campaign of 2012: fronting a 100-voice
all-city chorus and standing on the steps of City Hall singing (solo) motivational songs for the passage of the bill.
As a speaker for community building, social justice, and arts and culture, Ms. Tyree continues to be a mover and
shaker biringing historical music alive for generations to come; healing and motivating along the way. Listen for
her voice in the upcoming feature film, "Twelve Years a Slave" to be released in December, 2013. For more
information, please visiti her website, www.echoesofourancestors.com.
Sam Vaghar
Sam Varghar is the Executive Director and Co-founder of The Millennium Campus
Network, empowering university student organizations across the US to advance the
UN MDGs. In this capacity, Sam engages with numerous partners from The UN
Foundation and Better World Campaign to The Jenzabar Foundation and HewlettPackard. Under Sam's leadership, the MCN educates over 1,000 campus leaders
through annual conferences and has allocated over $50,000 in Student Action
Grants to support student activism. Sam was the featured speaker in a tour across
Bosnia and Herzegovina at the request of the State Department and met with
President Barack Obama at the White House in 2011 to share perspectives of US
youth leaders. Most recently, Sam was selected for the 2012 list of the "Top 99
most influential foreign policy leaders under the age of 33" by The Diplomatic Courier and Young Professionals
in Foreign Policy. Sam is a 2008 graduate of Brandeis University.
Morgan Wienberg
Morgan Wienberg is the co-founder of Little Footprints Big Steps
International Development Organization (LFBS). Six months
after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, this then18 year old high school valedictorian set off for the devastated
country. In 2011, LFBS became a registered Canadian charity.
LFBS strives to provide Haitian children with appropriate shelter,
food, and education through strategic projects intended to build
sustainable lives. The work includes advocacy and rescue of the
most vulnerable. At LFBS’s Transitional Safehouse children
receive love, medical, food, clothes, education and, where
possible are reunited with their families. Then LFBS’ work continues with the families toward healthy, selfsustainability by providing them with a trade or farm animals, etc. In just over a year’s time, LFBS has saved over
50 children, and changed the lives of many more. Morgan, now 21, lives in Haiti full-time and is the sole
Westerner on the ground and her work is totally voluntary (her mom provides her support). She has been a
recipient of the Governor General Academic Achievement Award and the first Youth recipient of the Yukon
Commissioner Award. She is a recent recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, was recognized in
Washington, DC as a finalist for the Berger-Marks Foundation for Young Women Impacting Social Justice and
was awarded the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellowship Award for Humanitarian Impact.
About Partners of the 12th YA@UN
Impact Repertory Theatre
IMPACT’s mission is to use performing arts and the dynamics of leadership training to develop and empower
youth. IMPACT believes that theater arts and education play a pivotal role in providing opportunities and
transitions for the leaders of tomorrow. IMPACT is rooted in creative self-expression and anchored by a
commitment to Safe Space, Outstanding Effort and Service to the Community. IMPACT promotes the positive
development of young people ages 12 to 19 by providing a learning environment that encourages, nurtures and
challenges its students. It offers arts and leadership workshops, performance opportunities, community service for
its participants. All of IMPACT’s music, choreography, dramatic writing and video projects are original.
Impact’s has appeared in the films “Disappearing Acts”, “Hughes Dreams Harlem” and “August Rush” which
earned them an Oscar nomination for best song in 2007. Live performances include People Magazines Next
Great Artists Showcase, the Apollo, Lincoln Center, Major league Soccer’s Tribute to Pele and headlining the
summer series at the Great Mall in Washington D.C. and the international arts festival in Bulgaria.
TakingITGlobal
TakingITGlobal is a Canadian non-profit organization that uses use the power of online community to facilitate
global education, social entrepreneurship, and civic engagement for millions of youth worldwide. For the past
four years, TakingITGlobal has been delivering the Adobe Youth Voices program – a global digital media making
initiative that works towards igniting young people’s creative confidence. Young artists from around the world
embark on a journey to gain the confidence to showcase their creativity through digital media. Using 21st century
media tools, young people are exposed to the new and unique ways they can capture a moment and share it with a
global audience. The program draws together young people from all walks of life around the world and unites
them through the arts. Throughout the year, young people create media projects – digital photographs,
documentaries, animation series, music videos and much more as a form of self-expression. In many cases their
media pieces are used to raise awareness about certain issues they are passionate about or are involved with. The
Adobe Youth Voices program allows audiences from around the globe to witness all aspects of the world – social,
political, environmental, educational - from a young artists perspective.
The Resolution Project
The Resolution Project is a global 501(c)3 non-profit fostering leadership development through collaborative
social entrepreneurship. Learn more, stay connected, and check out upcoming Resolution Social Venture
Challenges by 'Liking' Resolution on Facebook, www.facebook.com/resolutionproject, 'Following' Resolution on
Twitter, www.twitter.com/resolutionproj, and checking out the Resolution website, www.resolutionproject.org/!
The World Federation of United Nations Organizations (WFUNA)
Come meet WFUNA at the UN Youth Assembly! The World Federation of United Nations Associations is a
global non-profit with over 100 member United Nations Associations (UNAs) and thousands of
constituents all over the world. We work together to build a stronger United Nations.