ABOUT US: Board of Directors

Officers

Susan S. Swift, DPA

Chair

Susan S. Swift, DPA, board Chair, is founder and President of Susan S. Swift, Ltd., a consulting firm that focuses on the organizational development, executive coaching, strategic planning, and governance needs of health care, educational, community service, and other institutions in the public and private sectors. Prior to this, she was the chief administrative/financial officer of three large health-related organizations. She has served on a variety of boards and task forces, including Planned Parenthood of Maryland, which she chaired for two years, and the National Osteoporosis Foundation.  After moving to Florida, she was asked to join the board of Planned Parenthood of South Florida and the Keys Advisory Committee for the board of the Red Cross of South Florida.

Cynthia A. Fields

Vice Chair

Cynthia A. Fields, board Vice Chair, is a retired direct marketing executive. The bulk of her career was spent at Victoria's Secret Direct. During her tenure as president and CEO, revenues of the catalogue and internet increased from $50 million to $1 billion, making the business one of the largest and most successful in the industry. She currently serves on several for-profit boards and consults with various retail and direct operations. A supporter of Planned Parenthood for many years, Ms. Fields brings a strong sense of commitment to the family planning issue.  She has been an outspoken advocate with both political and corporate leaders, and she is a business leader who has introduced Pathfinder to many others.

Manuel Urbina, MD, MPH

Secretary

Manuel Urbina, MD, MPH, board Secretary, is a co-founder of Investigacion on Salud y Demografia (Insad), an association that aims to contribute to the effectiveness and impact of governmental and nongovernmental initiatives on the issues of population and public health toward development in Mexico and throughout Latin America.  Dr. Urbina is on the Faculty of Medicine at the National University and is president of the Department of Public Health and Social Medicine of the National Academy of Medicine.  Prior responsibilities included Director General of Medical Services at the Social Security Institute for Government Employees, Undersecretary of Health in Mexico, General Director of the Health Services in Mexico City in 1995, Secretary General of the Mexican National Population Council in 1990, and coordinator at the national level for family planning in 1984-1989.  A noted speaker and accomplished author of several books on family planning and public health, he also contributes to global population efforts as a member of both the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population and the International Committee on the Administration of Population Programs. 

James M. Schwartz

Treasurer

James M. Schwartz, board Treasurer, is Group Executive Vice President of Women’s Sportswear for Mast Industries, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Limited, Inc., the world’s largest specialty retailer of apparel. Being responsible for a global production team in 15 countries, Mr. Schwartz has extensive experience working with diverse cultures and managing a global organization. In addition to providing goods and services to The Limited, Inc., Mast Industries sells to major retailers, such as Express, Chico’s, New York & Co., Lane Bryant, and Abercrombie & Fitch. Mr. Schwartz has traveled extensively throughout Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, Central America, and Mexico. This exposure has resulted in his growing conviction that the work of Pathfinder and its in-country partners is fundamental to the economic, social, and health development of virtually every developing country. He and Mast Industries are proud of the role they played in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act. Mr. Schwartz is an executive member of the Washington University New England Regional Cabinet, as well as a member of the Arts and Sciences National Council at Washington University.

Directors

Andrew A. Arkutu, MB, FRCOG

Dr. Andrew A. Arkutu worked for Pathfinder International from 2001 through August 2006 and joined the Pathfinder Board of Directors in November 2006. He was Pathfinder's country representative in Ghana for five years and its medical director for Africa for three years. Before joining Pathfinder, Dr. Arkutu held numerous positions for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Nigeria. His last position with UNFPA was director of their Country Support Team for Southern Africa. Between his service with UNFPA and Pathfinder International, Dr. Arkutu served as special representative of the executive director of UNFPA in Eritrea and Sierra Leone. His special skills and areas of interest are sexual and reproductive health/rights and family planning, including adolescent reproductive health and HIV/AIDS, with a focus on policy formulation, review, and analysis; program design, development, and management support; training of service providers and management personnel; and program evaluation. Dr. Arkutu has been chair of the Board of Directors of the Centre for African Family Studies, a leading African and international nongovernmental organization in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights. He has been the invited guest speaker, or delivered the keynote address, at many international conferences and is the author of many books, case reports, and clinical studies.

Richard L. Berkowitz, MD

Dr. Richard L. Berkowitz is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Director of the Residency Program and Quality Improvement in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Columbia University Medical Center. Prior to that, he was Professor and Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at the Mount Sinai Medical Center for 18 years and director of its Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. In between post-graduate studies, Dr. Berkowitz served as a Peace Corps physician in Mauritania and Nigeria, and worked as a consultant for Family Planning International Assistance in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. Dr. Berkowitz is a pioneer in the use of obstetrical ultrasound, and has developed several invasive procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of fetal diseases in utero. He is a member of numerous professional and scientific societies, has been president of the New York Obstetrical Society, and was a senior national board examiner for many years in both general obstetrics and gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine. Dr. Berkowitz serves on the editorial boards of several scientific journals, and his numerous publications include over 200 peer reviewed articles, as well as authoring or editing more than 35 books and book chapters.

Cornelia L. Cook

Cornelia L. Cook has been an active volunteer in the medical care field, family services, literacy programs, and her church since 1968. Currently, she is on the vestry of St. Andrews Church and a volunteer for Hospice and Palliative Care of Cape Cod and Hospice of Southwest Florida. Mrs. Cook currently serves on the board of the Visiting Nurse Foundation and has served as a board member of the Dedham Visiting Nurse Association, Family Service of Dedham, and Dedham Women's Exchange. Mrs. Cook was a teacher at Dedham Country Day School and a sales representative for Zeckendorf Corporation. Her commitment to the issue of family planning is a result of her long-standing concern for women, children, and families. Mrs. Cook is an advocate, a volunteer, and leader who has introduced Pathfinder's work to many others.

Patricia J. Cooper

Patricia J. Cooper has over 30 years of private and public sector experience as a public policy analyst, strategic planner, entrepreneur, and civic leader. Ms. Cooper served for eight years as a senior executive appointee by two prime ministers of Canada to provide advice on the effects of legislation on women and children. The mayor of Calgary appointed her, as one of 11 citizens, to develop the economic strategic plan for the City of Calgary into the 21st Century; and she was appointed by the Calgary Police Commission to review policies and procedures of citizens’ complaints against police conduct. Ms. Cooper was a founding member of the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund to achieve equality for women through education and litigation under a new Canadian Constitution; and served on the Board of Directors of the YWCA of Canada, The United Way of Calgary, the Senate of the University of Calgary, and The Calgary Chamber of Commerce. Since moving to the United States in 1990, Ms. Cooper served as executive director of the Children’s Museum of Denver, where she directed the financial turnaround of the museum with a focus on early childhood learning. She served as a Fellow at the Center for International Affairs at Harvard University in 2002-03. In Denver, she serves on the Advisory Board for the Institute of International Education, and the Urgent Action Fund. Ms. Cooper serves on the Founding Board of ProgressNow, a grass roots progressive network; The Cloverleaf Foundation; and The Institute for Conflict Resolution. She also serves on the Leadership Council for Harvard Divinity School, and on the board of Arghand Trust, a farmer's cooperative based in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Ms. Cooper is a principal of Capital Sisters International, a microenterprise innovation.

Andrew L. Frey

Andrew L. Frey is a partner in the law firm of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, specializing in appellate and supreme court litigation. He has argued over 60 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and numerous cases before state supreme courts and federal courts of appeals. Mr. Frey is a member of the American Law Institute and a fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. He is the author of a number of articles and other publications on various legal topics, including appellate and supreme court advocacy and punitive damages. Mr. Frey has a lifelong commitment to family planning, and served on the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington.

Walter J. Gamble, MD

Dr. Walter J. Gamble is a retired pediatric cardiologist who was on the staff of Children's Hospital Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, for 32 years. He is a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and serves on the boards of several organizations in the Boston area, including the New England Aquarium, Science Museum, and Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences. Dr. Gamble is a son of Dr. Clarence J. Gamble, Pathfinder’s founder.

Susan M. George, MD

Dr. Susan M. George is a public health professional with years of experience at clinics and student health centers in New Mexico, Maine, and California. Currently, she is working at a women's health care clinic with primarily Spanish-speaking patients in the Mission district of San Francisco and providing primary care and family planning at the Planned Parenthood Golden Gate affiliate in California. Dr. George worked with the Portland, Maine Public Health Ryan White Program, and is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health. Dr. George served on the board of Planned Parenthood of New Mexico and was part of a forum on emergency contraception at the University of New Mexico. She is the recipient of numerous academic honors and awards.

Jane L. Havemeyer

Jane L. Havemeyer’s professional affiliations over the years include public relations and customer relations with major corporations; legislative aide in the Office of the Mayor of New York City; social issue lobbyist with the New York State Legislature; and independent consultant on projects in publishing, the arts, education, women’s political initiatives, and with community-based organizations. Ms. Havemeyer is co-chair and founder of New York ChoicePac, a pro-choice political action committee for New York State; president of the Board of Trustees of Central Park Brass; vice president of Havemeyer Management Services, Inc.; and recent past president of the Board of Trustees of Greenwoods Counseling Services, Inc. in Connecticut. She currently serves as an advisor/consultant to several not-for-profit organizations. Ms. Havemeyer is a veteran of many political campaigns and has been actively involved as a volunteer in the areas of reproductive choice, health care, child care, and domestic violence. Some of her past volunteer affiliations have included hospital board member, independent school board member, and philharmonic and theatre board member.

Denise E. Holmes, JD, MPH

Denise E. Holmes, JD, MPH, is Assistant Vice President for Policy and Program at the Association of Academic Health Centers in Washington, D.C. She has worked in health policy for more than a decade, and previously served on the staff of the White House Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments. Ms. Holmes also practiced law for several years, primarily in commercial litigation. In 2000, Ms. Holmes was an Atlantic Fellow in Public Policy, based at the European Centre on the Health of Societies in Transition (ECOHOST) at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. She is the author of numerous articles and books on a variety of health policy issues, including health professions education, health systems, global health, and biomedical ethics. Ms. Holmes has worked and traveled extensively in the former Soviet bloc nations.

Anne Hale Johnson

Anne Hale Johnson chaired the board of Union Theological Seminary in New York, NY from 1996 until the spring of 2005. In April 2005, she was awarded the Union Medal at a ceremony in New York City. Ms. Johnson is a member of the National Advisory Boards of the National Council of Churches and The Interfaith Alliance. Ms. Johnson is a board member of the Presbyterian Church’s Covenant Network, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Planned Parenthood Foundation, and “The Living Pulpit.” She is a “Reimaginer” and a member of the “Voices of Sophia.” A pro-choice political activist, Ms. Johnson was a founding member of the Republican Majority Coalition, and Safe Travel America, an organization dedicated to improving public safety in transportation. In 1995, she attended the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.

Julia G. Kahrl, PhD

Julia G. Kahrl, PhD, a daughter of Pathfinder's founder, Dr. Clarence J. Gamble, is a former free-lance photographer, psychotherapist, and educator. She is currently involved with land conservation efforts in Maine. Dr. Kahrl has served on the board of the Kairos Foundation, La Leche League International, and a variety of other organizations. She has taught courses in human development and is the author of articles that have appeared in publications related to her interests.

Edward M. Kaplan

Edward M. Kaplan, a graduate of Columbia College and Vanderbilt University Law School, joined the law firm of Armstrong Allen, PLLC, in Memphis, Tennessee in 1965 and retired from the practice of law in 2006. He was a member of the Special Corporate Law Revision Committee of Tennessee Bar that wrote the current Tennessee Corporate Code, and was editor of the Martindale Hubbell Tennessee Law Digest from 1999-2006. After the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mr. Kaplan was a member of a group of lawyers who volunteered their services to run a pilot program that resulted in the establishment of federally funded legal services in Memphis and Shelby County. Mr. Kaplan served on the Board of Directors of The Alan Guttmacher Institute and Memphis Planned Parenthood, serving two terms as chair of the latter. He was a member of the Board of Directors and president of Arts Appreciation Foundation; is a member, and was twice chairman, of the board of Opera Memphis, Inc.; and is a past president (2005-2006) of the Jewish Historical Society of Memphis and the Mid-South.

Rajen A. Kilachand

Rajen A. Kilachand is Chairman and President of Dodsal Group, a transglobal multinational company with a diversified portfolio of businesses operating in several countries with a multicultural workforce. The headquarters for the engineering and construction business is in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; the headquarters for the fast food and restaurant business and the trading and distribution business is in Mumbai, India. The Dodsal Group is recognized as one of the leading players in the engineering and construction business, having received many awards for safety and smooth project execution. Mr. Kilachand is Director of Dodsal Pte. Limited, Dodsal Pvt. Ltd., and Dodsal Corporation Pvt. Ltd. He is trustee and on the Board of Management of The Bhatia General Hospital in Mumbai. In addition, Mr. Kilachand is trustee of a temple in the state of Gujarat in India called the Shree Somnath Trust.

Kathryn H. Lansing

Kathryn H. Lansing is a committed volunteer on reproductive health issues in the U.S. and internationally. Ms. Lansing is vice-chair of the Board of Directors of the Lake County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Chicago Community Trust, and is past board chair of Planned Parenthood of the Chicago Area. She was president of the Women’s Board of Lake Forest College and worked as a paralegal in Philadelphia and Chicago. Ms. Lansing is highly committed to the family planning issue and has traveled extensively abroad.

Elisabeth L. Lyon

Elisabeth L. Lyon works with nonprofits in strategic planning and policy development.  She worked for the Model Cities Program in Charlotte, North Carolina; was Director of Urban Affairs for the Greater Baltimore Committee; and has been a consultant in urban planning in her current home city of Portland, Oregon. She has served as a trustee of organizations as widely varied as the Oregon Coast Aquarium, the Oregon Episcopal School in Portland, The Library Foundation, Inc. in Portland, and Planned Parenthood associations in Maryland and Oregon, the latter of which she served as president. In addition, Ms. Lyon served as president of the Board of Directors of Associates of the Oregon Symphony and she chaired the Endowment Committee of the Oregon Episcopal School in Portland. She has considerable experience in strategic planning, fundraising, and not-for-profit governance, and a demonstrated commitment to the fields of education, environment, and reproductive health.

Deborah Prothrow-Stith, MD

Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith serves as Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Professor of Public Health Practice at the Harvard School of Public Health, where she created and served as a founding director of the Division of Public Health Practice. In 1987, Governor Dukakis appointed Dr. Prothrow-Stith as the first woman Commissioner of Public Health for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In that role, she established the first Office of Violence Prevention in a state department of public health, expanded prevention programs for HIV/AIDS, and increased drug treatment and rehabilitation programs. Dr. Prothrow-Stith wrote The Violence Prevention Curriculum for Adolescents, a forerunner of violence prevention curriculum for schools and communities. She has authored and/or co-authored over 80 publications on medical and public health issues, including Deadly Consequences, the first book to present the public health perspective on violence to a mass audience; Murder Is No Accident, a blue print for community-based violence prevention work; and Sugar and Spice and No Longer Nice, a guide for parents of girls. Dr. Prothrow-Stith has received ten honorary doctorates and numerous awards, including the 1993 World Health Day Award, the 1989 Secretary of Health and Human Service Award, and a presidential appointment to the National Commission on Crime Control and Prevention. She has traveled internationally as a delegate, visiting scholar, and lecturer, and recently lived in Tanzania for three years.

Nafis Sadik, MD

Dr. Nafis Sadik is Special Advisor to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and his Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific. Prior to becoming Special Advisor to the Secretary-General, Dr. Sadik was executive director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) from 1987-2000, with the rank of Under-Secretary-General. On her appointment to UNFPA in 1987, she became the first woman to head one of the UN's major voluntarily-funded programs. She acted as Secretary-General of the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994. Dr. Sadik was the first recipient of the Hugh Moore Award (1976) for her advocacy in population issues and was the recipient of the United Nations Population Award (2001) in the individual category. Her leadership in the field of reproductive health and rights and her contributions to improving the health of women and children around the world, has brought Dr. Sadik many international awards and honors. Among her varied activities, Dr. Sadik is a member of the UN Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on Alliance of Civilizations; a member of the board of directors of the World Population Foundation, the United Nations Foundation, the International Women's University (Hannover, Germany), the Asia Society, the Center for Reproductive Rights; and a member of the Advisory Board of Society for the Promotion of Community Health, Education, and Training (Pakistan). Dr. Sadik's numerous publications are in the areas of reproductive health and family, population and development, women, and gender and development.

Kathryn Ketcham Strong

Kathryn Ketcham Strong is a community volunteer and long-time activist in women’s reproductive rights and health care. Currently, she is active in the management of a property management/real estate investment company and, formerly, worked as a mental health intake worker/crisis counselor. Ms. Strong currently serves on the Board of Directors of Facing the Future: People and the Planet and served as its chair from 1998-2001. She also is a member of the Virginia Mason Hospital and Medical Center Board of Governors. Ms. Strong served on the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood of Seattle-King County for 16 years, serving as board chair from 1994-1996. During that time, she oversaw the merger of the Western Washington affiliates’ initiative to secure reproductive rights for the women of Washington State. Ms. Strong also served on the Board of Directors of Seattle Mental Health Institute.

Alfred W. Tate

Alfred W. Tate was Chief of Staff to The Honorable James A. Leach, Member of Congress, from 1980-2003. In this capacity, he provided policy analysis and advice to a progressive Republican Member of Congress of increasing seniority on a wide range of domestic, economic, national security, and international issues. He wrote Floor statements, committee testimony, speeches, newsletters, and correspondence on a similar range of issues. In addition, he supervised the staff in Washington and the District Congressional office in Iowa. Mr. Tate and Congressman Leach have been close friends since they were elementary school classmates and, thus, enjoyed an uncommon alliance throughout their careers. From 1983-1992, Mr. Tate was an Editorial Board Member and writer for The Ripon Forum, a bi-monthly journal of political commentary. In the 1970s, he was assistant to the president of the Minnesota Private College Fund, and teaching fellow and tutor at the Harvard College and Divinity School. Mr. Tate was a recipient of the Kent Fellowship from The Danforth Foundation, and won The Traveling Fellowship from Union Theological Seminary. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he served five years on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Navy.

Howard Wolpe, PhD

Howard Wolpe, PhD, a former seven-term Member of Congress and former Presidential Special Envoy to Africa’s Great Lakes Region, is currently Director of the Africa Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and of the Center’s Project on Leadership and Building State Capacity.  A specialist in African politics, for 10 of his 14 years in Congress, Dr. Wolpe chaired the Subcommittee on Africa of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.  He also chaired the Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.  Prior to entering Congress, Dr. Wolpe served in the Michigan House of Representatives and as a member of the Kalamazoo City Commission.  Dr. Wolpe taught at Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan, and served as a Visiting Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program of the Brookings Institution, as a Woodrow Wilson Center Public Policy Scholar, and as a consultant to the World Bank and to the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. State Department.  Dr. Wolpe is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Endowment of Democracy, of Africare, and of the Advisory Board of Coexistence International.  He has written extensively on Africa, American foreign policy, and the management of ethnic and racial conflict.  Currently, he is directing post-conflict leadership training programs in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Liberia.  Dr. Wolpe is the recipient of the African-American Institute’s Star Crystal Award for Excellence, of the Michigan Audubon Society’s Legislator of the Year Award, and the Sierra Club’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Emeritus Directors

Sharon W. Allison

Sharon W. Allison is the former president of the board of International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region and member of the Governing Council of International Planned Parenthood Federation. In addition, she was chair of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and president of the Waco Foundation. She currently sits on the boards of Guttmacher Institute, Americans for UNFPA, and the board of visitors for Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Her lifelong commitment to improving her community is evidenced by her participation on a number of boards, including Outreach Commission; League of Women Voters; United Way of McLennan County, Texas; Junior League of Waco (president); Protective Services Commission, and Evangelia Settlement. Ms. Allison was a delegate to the 1994 UN International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo and the 1995 UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.

J. Bayard Boyle, Jr.

J. Bayard Boyle, Jr. is Chairman of Boyle Investment Company, a prominent real estate development firm in Memphis, Tennessee. He was a member of the board of First Tennessee Bank, Memphis and served on the boards of Memphis Planned Parenthood, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, the Tennessee Nature Conservancy, and is currently a board member of Rhodes College and The Intercollegiate Studies Institute.

James R. Epstein

James R. Epstein, grandson of Pathfinder International's founder, Dr. Clarence J. Gamble, is President and Chief Executive Officer of EFO Capital Management, his family's financial management and estate planning business based in Washington, D.C. The company has a widely diversified investment horizon, but is currently focused on developing real estate. A proud father of two children, his other interests include building community, finding solutions to suburban sprawl, and supporting Waldorf Education, homebirth options, and alternative health modalities.

Sarah G. Epstein

Sarah G. Epstein, a daughter of Pathfinder International's founder, Dr. Clarence J. Gamble, has been an active member of the board of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC (PPMW). A volunteer for PPMW, she has counseled women on the maternity wards at the District of Columbia General Hospital and has spoken to many groups, particularly adolescents, on family planning. Ms. Epstein is a former member of the board of the Population Institute, The Centre for Development and Population Activities, and of World Learning. She currently serves on the boards of the Federation for American Immigration Reform and Population Services International. She has traveled widely in developing countries. She and her husband, Donald Collins, founder of International Services Assistance Fund (ISAF) and their team have received permission for a Phase III trial of Quinacrine Sterilization (QS). It is underway in the U.S., India, Chile, Brazil, and Mexico. Ms. Epstein lectures on the artist, Edvard Munch, and shares her collection of his graphics with museums in the U.S. and abroad.

Henry W. Foster, Jr., MD

Dr. Henry W. Foster, Jr., immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee, is Professor Emeritus and former Dean of the School of Medicine, Vice President for Health Services, Meharry Medical College; Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vanderbilt University; and past chair of the U.S. Committee for the United Nations Population Fund. Dr. Foster is a recognized national and international leader in medicine, family planning, and education. In 1988, he received the First White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities Faculty Award for Excellence in Science and Technology. While serving as Professor and Chairman of Meharry’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Foster spent five years as Senior Program Consultant for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and directed its Program to Consolidate Health Services for High-Risk Young People. He developed the “I Have A Future Program” to reduce teen pregnancy, which was recognized by President George H. W. Bush in 1991 as one of the nation’s “Thousand Points of Light.” In May 1993, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences conferred upon him the first of six honorary doctorate degrees. In 1995, Dr. Foster was nominated by President Clinton to become U.S. Surgeon General. Although the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee sent forward a favorable recommendation for his confirmation, his opponents denied an up-or-down Senate floor vote. From 1996-2001, he served as President Clinton’s Senior Advisor on Teen Pregnancy Reduction and Youth Issues. Dr. Foster is a member in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and serves on the boards of Drew University of Medicine and Science, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and the Brush Foundation. He has served on the boards of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, and chaired the Board of Regents of the National Library of Medicine. Dr. Foster’s numerous publications include his book, Make a Difference.

 Mary B. Hewlett

Mary B. Hewlett was chair of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of Pathfinder International for three years and served as president of the Boston Children's Service Association for over a decade. She now serves on the board of the merged agencies of Home for Little Wanderers and Boston Children’s Service Association, one of the largest child welfare agencies in the country. She also serves as treasurer of Boston Partners in Education. She is an activist, with the needs of children and women at the center of her concern. She has long been an advocate of reproductive freedom. Mrs. Hewlett also serves on some arts boards in the city, including Boston’s Lyric Opera and Boston Baroque. In September 2006, she was honored by Opera Boston as an Arts and Social Activist.

Benjamin R. Kahrl

Benjamin R. Kahrl is Social Studies Department Chair at Dartmouth High School. He received his Principal Certification at Harvard Graduate School of Education and is a repeat winner of Excellence in Teaching Awards. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 1989 and graduate degrees from both Ohio State and Harvard Universities. His interest in family planning derives in part from the commitment of his parents and his grandfather, Dr. Clarence J. Gamble. He has traveled specifically and extensively to see family planning projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Susan C. Kirk

Susan C. Kirk is chair of the Board of Regents of the University of Colorado and a business consultant for the Denver law firm Holme Roberts & Owen. She is an activist and long-term supporter of family planning. She has served as a member of many boards, including Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood, Denver Center Performing Arts Foundation, and the Paramount Theater Foundation. She served as president of Planned Parenthood of Seattle, King County; and as president of the Junior League of Seattle, King County. Ms. Kirk also served as Finance Chair and Project Director for Senator Timothy E. Wirth. She is presently chair of the Women's Business Development Committee, a governor-appointed member of the Women's Economic Development Council, and a member of the Colorado Women's Forum.

Mary D. Lindsay

Mary D. Lindsay has been active in hospital and family planning efforts since 1950. She has been president of the boards of The Margaret Sanger Research Bureau; Planned Parenthood of New York City; and Family Planning Advocates, New York State.  She was on the board of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and served or serves on the boards of many other charitable organizations, including Union Theological Seminary, Cold Spring Laboratory, and Columbia University School of Nursing. In 2003, she was designated the nursing school's Alumna of the Century. Ms. Lindsay has represented Pathfinder at United Nations forums in Amsterdam and The Hague in 1989 and 1999, respectively, and serves on the board of Americans for UNFPA. In October 2006, she received their Lifetime Achievement Award.

Florence W. Manguyu, MD

Dr. Florence W. Manguyu is a consultant pediatrician in clinical practice in Nairobi, Kenya. She is a member and past president of the Medical Women's International Association. Dr. Manguyu served on the International NGO Steering Committee for the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development and chaired the NGO Forum of the conference. She serves on a number of local and international boards on policy issues. Dr. Manguyu is an ardent and respected advocate for the health and well-being of women and children around the world. In her home country, she pioneered the drafting of the first comprehensive Act on the Rights of the Child. She is currently working with a research team in search of an effective HIV/AIDS vaccine in East Africa.

Prakash Shah

Prakash Shah was the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq. Prior to that, he was India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York City where, among other duties, he served as India's chief negotiator on Security Council reforms and at the UN Disarmament Conference. He also served as Vice Chairman of the UN Working Group on Strengthening the UN System and as India's representative on the United Nations Population Fund board. He earlier served as India's Ambassador to Japan, Venezuela, and Malaysia and as Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva. As an independent consultant, he serves on a number of boards, including Khandwala Securities Bombay, Symbiosis International Education Society, and Indo-American Arts Council. Mr. Shah is a member of the Board of International Advisors of Sloan Global Consultants, Washington, DC; UPS Corporate Division, Washington, DC; and Dodsal Group, United Arab Emirates. For 3 1/2 decades as an Indian diplomat, he has wide experience in political, economic, and petroleum issues. That experience includes commodity agreement negotiations with the EEC and petroleum and trade matters with OPEC countries.

Philip Y. Shen, PhD

Philip Y. Shen, PhD, is President of Leggett & Platt Asia Pacific, a division of Leggett & Platt, Inc., a Fortune 500 company. Dr. Shen has traveled extensively internationally over the past two decades and has established a worldwide sales network. His more recent focus has been in Asia Pacific and People's Republic of China, where the company has extensive manufacturing facilities. Dr. Shen is the recipient of numerous awards, including the President's E Star Award for Export Excellence in 1992 and 1995, and the Florida International Businessman of the Year in 1991. He is a board member of the Secretary of Commerce's Florida District Export Council and participated in the State Department Special American Business Internship Trainee Program in Russia. Dr. Shen received his Masters and PhD degrees in biochemistry, became fascinated with food and, later, business. Born in Shanghai, raised in Hong Kong, he came to the United States as a college student. His interests are varied and expansive; they include child adoption and development, and the cultural and trade intersections of East and West.

Normand F. Smith, III, Esq.

Normand F. Smith III, Esq. is a partner in the Boston, Massachusetts, law firm of Burns & Levinson LLP. He was chair of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of Pathfinder International for 15 years, during which time he provided leadership to the organization as it moved from a budget of under $10 million to over $50 million. He also was board chair when Pathfinder was selected by the United Nations to receive the UN Population Award in 1996. He has traveled widely in developing countries and has observed family planning projects and programs on three continents.

Paul H. Todd, Jr.

Paul H. Todd, Jr., a former chair of Pathfinder's Board of Directors and Executive Committee, is Chairman of Kalsec, a spice extraction company in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He was a member of Congress from 1965-66. During that session, he authored the first legislation for the use of U.S. funds for international family planning services. He served as CEO of Planned Parenthood-World Population (now PPFA) from 1967-1970. He is on the boards of several organizations; has served as board chair of two different liberal arts colleges, one in Michigan, the other in California; and serves as a member of many chemical and food societies. He has written many papers and is the holder of an extensive number of patents.

Joseph C. Wheeler

Joseph C. Wheeler, in the course of a long career with USAID, headed field missions in Jordan and Pakistan and, in Washington, served as Assistant Administrator for the Near East and Deputy Administrator, retiring in 1982. He then was appointed Deputy Executive Director of the UN Environment Program (UNEP) from 1983-85, followed by election to the Chairmanship of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD's) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) from 1986-91. In 1991-92, he worked on the preparation of the 1992 Earth Summit. After retiring in 1992, he undertook a number of international consultancies. Recently, he has been active in community affairs in Concord, Massachusetts, including especially the campaign to preserve the house in which Henry David Thoreau was born.

 

Back to top