Tajikistan Team - 2004 World Cup Presentation

"Students Make a Business of Learning"

George Lucas Foundation

SAGE Global Advisory Board

1. Ms. Poonam Ahluwalia, Executive Director, YES (Youth Employment Summit), Newton, MA

2. Mr. Van Ajemian, Social Entrepreneur and Attorney, Los Angeles, CA

3. Mr. Jeb Brugmann, Founder, The Next Practice, Toronto, Canada

4. Mr. Rhett Butler, Owner, Mongabay.com

5. Mr. Edwin Byers, Principal, DeloitteTouche, Enterprise Risk Services, San Francisco, CA

6. Mr. Jean-Francoise de Lavison, bioMérieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France

7. Mr. Quentin Eister, Businessman, Bloemfontein, South Africa

8. Dr. Robert Galindez, CEO, St. Roberts Academy, Philippines

9. Mr. Klaus Haftendorn, International Labor Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

10. Dr. David Harrison, CEO, loveLife, Johannesburg, South Africa

11. Mr. David Hauser, Founder and Chief Technology Officer, GotVMail, Newton, Massachusetts

12. Mr. Matt Hinson, Echostar Satellite - Enterprise eCommerce

13. Ms. Raissa Kaziyeva, Director of Professional Development Center in Almaty Economic University (AEU), Almaty, Kazakhstan

14. Ms. Rieva Lesonsky, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Media (publisher of Entrepreneur Magazine), Irvine, CA

15. Dr. Ruben Martinez, Interim Chair, Criminal Justice, University of Texas, San Antonio, TX

16. Ms. Michelle Messina, President of the Global Direction and Strategy Agency, Explora International

17. Ms. Esther Nguyen, Managing Director, EVIZI, Silicon Valley, CA

18. Mr. Emeka Okafor, Founder, Timbuktu Chronicles, New York, NY

19. Mr. Kenneth Pasternak, Principal, Chestnut Ridge Capital (former CEO of Knight Capital, Inc.), Woodcliff Lake, NJ

20. Mr. Cody Sisco, Associate, Business for Social Responsibility, San Francisco, CA

21. Ms. Malgorzata (Gosia) Smigielska, Poland SAGE Country Coordinator, Poznan, Poland

22. Mr. Charles Toney, Retired, NUMMI (a joint venture of Toyota/GM), Chico, CA.

23. Mr. Lei Wang. President, Cambridge Global Business Network Ltd.

24. Ms. Margaret Wong, Founder and CEO, McWong International, Sacramento, CA and Hong Kong, China

25. Mrs. Modupe A. Adelaja, Director General, Small & Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN)

26. Mr.Franklin Cudjoe, Head, Imani: The Centre for Humane Education

27. Mr. Leszek Izdebski, CEO and a founder, Green Fields Media

28. Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu, Chairman, BGL Ltd, Former Minister of Finance, Nigeria

Poonam Ahluwalia, a resident of Lexington, MA, has ably championed the cause of youth employment amongst the world leaders, UN bodies, development agencies and youth activists’ across the globe through her YES Campaign. The decade long YES Campaign was launched in Egypt in 2002 with the Bill Clinton, Former US President as one of the co-chair.

As the Executive Director of the YES Campaign, Poonam directs the Campaign forward and provides guidance to YES Country Networks in more than 60 countries. Referring to the recent Hyderabad YES Regional Forum 2003, “I was over-whelmed by the response that we got” says beaming Ahluwalia. The Honorable Chief Minister Sri Nara Chandrababu Naidu had announced the launching of YES Academy – an international centre of excellence on jobs and training – on the valedictory day of the Forum.

“I am sure as we move, from Hyderabad to Mexico for our next global summit in October this year; we will be able to bring more opportunities for the unemployed youth of the world.”

Ahluwalia has been honored by the California Legislature and the Indian-American Trade and Commerce Council for her work as “an outstanding youth community leader”. She was also nominated as the 2003 South Asian Woman of the Year Award by the India New England News, a leading newspaper for the South Asian community.

Attorney Van Ajemian is learning to be a social entrepreneur, preferring to work with innovative concepts and programs, like SAGE, as a means to improve the lot of humankind. Ajemian spends much of his working day drafting documents for nonprofit organizations, even editing the SAGE MANUAL OF BUSINESS IDEAS AND BEST PRACTICES.

Ajemian, a graduate of the UCLA School of Law, writes occasionally about concepts to democratize democracy in the United States. He believes that youth have greater potential to become assets to their communities, even before high-school graduation, than adults generally believe. He sees a need for each individual to learn and practice self-reliance to the extent possible, because of inherent limits to humans managing large systems, like national governments, effectively. He is supportive of SAGE because he sees the program as a needed experiment by which we will learn whether individual self reliance mixed with codependence in a small community would be optimal with regard to job security, health, emergency preparedness, sustainable communities, and a sustainable planet.

Ajemian has interned on Capitol Hill and in Sacramento, California. His avocation is foreign languages, and he likes to optimize his time by reading American classics in other languages, as when he read GRAPES OF WRATH in Spanish. Occasionally, he will play Bach's "Invention No. 13" without too bad a mistake or too long a pause. Ajemian's big regret is that life is short, there is so much to learn, and he is a slow learner.

Jeb Brugmann is President of Globalegacy and a Founding Partner of The Next Practice.

He is a highly regarded expert on sustainable community and urban development. With a 20+ year career in the municipal and urban sector, he has worked directly with 49 cities or urban slum communities in 21 countries on their local sustainable development projects, and has scaled these activities into large, global programs.

In 1990, Brugmann founded the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), the international environmental agency for local government, in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Union of Local Authorities. He served as ICLEI’s Secretary General from 1991-2000. In this capacity, he founded the ‘Local Agenda 21’ movement, endorsed by 178 countries at the 1992 UN ‘Earth Summit’, which has engaged more than 6,400 communities in 113 countries in community-based development planning and implementation. In 1991, Brugmann also founded the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign, which has since involved more than 500 cities and towns in 50+ countries in a coordinated effort to quantify and reduce their local greenhouse gas emissions.

Trained as an economist and public administrator, Jeb holds a B.A. in economics with highest honors, specializing in regional economics, from the University of Massachusetts and a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government.

Rhett A. Butler is founder of mongabay.com, a leading environmental science web site that aims to raise awareness in conservation issues while recognizing the importance of responsible economic growth. On the site, Rhett has written about the role of microfinance and microenterprises in conservation and development efforts.

"Countries with significant rainforest cover are generally among the world's poorest countries," says Rhett. "As such, people's day to day survival is dependent upon natural resource use. Most local people living in and around forests have limited employment options; they must live off the land that surrounds them making use of whatever resources they can find. Their poverty costs themselves, their country and the world through the loss of the biodiversity and ecosystem services like erosion prevention, flood control, water treatment, and fisheries protection. Since traditional aid has been somewhat ineffective to date, encouraging entrepreneurship through microcredit strategies could give these people new opportunities to improve their economic well-being while reducing their dependence on the unsustainable use of local resources."

Through Mongabay, Rhett has provided comment and information on the environment for several media outlets as well as NGOs and government agencies. He also runs WildMadagascar.org, a web site that focuses on the biological diversity of Madagascar and development issues that involve the island.

Prior to founding the Mongabay and WildMadagascar.org sites, Rhett helped launch a small Internet startup involved in advanced search and knowledge technologies working primarily on the management and business development side of operations.

Rhett graduated from the University of California at San Diego with a Bachelor's of Science in Economics-Management Science. Rhett currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, but frequently travels to tropical countries to meet with scientists and others involved in conservation and development work.

Ed Byers is Principal with Deloitte's Enterprise Risk Services practice in San Francisco. With over 13 years of experience at Deloitte, Ed has served numerous internal audit and consulting clients. He currently leads Deloitte's Risk and Control practice for its Northern Pacific Region. His experiences include financial audit, internal audit, business process and IT reviews, SAS 70's, developing and implementing IT systems, managing large scale system and data conversions, and developing and implementing quality assurance practices. Prior to joining Deloitte Ed worked for the State of California, IBM, and Procter and Gamble.

Jean-Francois de Lavison is currently Vice-President of International Affairs and Public Relations at bioMérieux and member of its Executive Committee. Since he joined the company in 1981, Jean-François has managed international projects and activities all around the world: Europe, Latin America, Africa, Middle East and Asia. He has also a valuable experience with many international organizations, such as the European Union, the World Health Organization, the World Bank and the Gates Foundation, among others. A French national, Mr. de Lavison speaks several languages apart from his mother tongue: English, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.

bioMérieux is a worldwide group specialized in the field of in vitro diagnostics for medical and industrial applications. The group designs, develops, manufactures and markets systems used in:
• Clinical Applications:
the diagnosis of infectious diseases, such as hepatitis, HIV, tuberculosis and respiratory infections, as well as pathologies such as cardiovascular diseases or cancer, based on the analysis of biological samples (blood, saliva, urine …);
• Industrial Applications:
the analysis of an industrial sample (food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products) or an environmental sample (water, air, surface), to determine its microbiological quality.

Jean-Francois was also elected new President of EDMA, the European Diagnostic Manufacturers Association, during the General Assembly held in Brussels on 8 June 2005. He has been closely involved with EDMA since 2003. In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) testing provides objective information as a basis for better decisions in health care. EDMA represents the IVD industry in Europe. The mission of EDMA is to raise awareness of the value of in vitro testing, to support an appropriate regulatory system, to work towards a realistic economic environment for health care in Europe and to be an effective voice in globalization.

Quentin is Chairman of Interstate Bus Lines, a large passenger transport company in the Free State Province. Quentin has spent a number of years with SAB Miller as a senior executive. He is both a business and social entrepreneur; and has initiated numerous initiatives including a travel life style magazine in Central South Africa.

His career has straddled both the corporate and social sector serving on organizations that promote entrepreneurship. He holds a bachelors degree in commerce from the University of South Africa. He is a non-executive director of Kwezi V3 Engineering Inc.

Quentin’s passion for tourism was noticed by the authorities in the Free State Province and was recently appointed Chairman of the Free State Tourism Authority; he is also the Chairman of the prestigious Black Management forum, a non-profit organization aiming to enhance managerial leadership of young South Africans.

Dr. Robert Galindez is president ST. Robert's International Academy, a school that offers caregiver education programs. Dr. Galindez is also President, SIFE Philippines, Inc.

Klaus Haftendorn gained a large experience in informal sector development, small enterprise support and vocational training during his professional career. He acquired this experience since 1972 through a number of projects executed for the German bilateral cooperation under his responsibility in North and West Africa, Asia and East-Europe covering various fields of expertise on SME promotion. In the field of vocational training he implemented vocational training centers for various trades and developed curricula ranging from modular short term training including start-up training for business starters and upgrading training to full four years training with elements of “dual training system”.

Klaus Haftendorn joined the ILO in 1995 as Senior Specialist in SME development within the Job Creation and Enterprise Department. He managed a large portfolio of SME projects in East-Europe and West Africa.

Since the UN Millennium Summit in 2000 he became involved in the Youth Employment Network YEN created by the UN Secretary General connecting together the World Bank, the ILO and the UN Secretariat to reduce Youth Unemployment. He became a member of the YEN High Level Panel working groups on Employability and Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship education at all educational levels is strongly recommended by the working groups to make young people more entrepreneurial and aware about entrepreneurial activities as career option. Since then he promotes as the Global KAB Program Coordinator entrepreneurship education through the ILO training concept “Know About Business” that has been introduced in more than 20 countries till now.

David Harrison, CEO of loveLife, South Africa's national HIV prevention campaign for teenagers, will discuss the dilemmas facing post-Mandela youth, the implications for HIV prevention in South Africa, and the real prospects of reversing the epidemic over the next five to ten years.
Driven as a lifestyle brand, loveLife combines high powered media with country-wide youth services and outreach. Its innovative approach has attracted considerable international interest and scrutiny.

Previously Dr. Harrison was the founding executive director of the Health Systems Trust, a leading non-government agency in support of health services development in South Africa. He also initiated and edited the South African Health Review – a systematic annual appraisal of health and health care, and subsequently established the Initiative for Sub-District Support aimed at improving the quality of health care in public health facilities throughout South Africa.

David Harrison is a medical doctor. He also has an MSc (Med.) related to planning of child health services in peri-urban informal settlements, and is a Masters graduate from the Goldman School of Public Policy.

Mr. David Hauser is Chief Technology Officer and also a co-founder of GotVMail Communications®, the professional sound of today’s small business. In addition to serving on the SAGE Global Advisory Board, Hauser is an active member of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization (YEO), and mentors students at Babson College, where he graduated with a degree in Entrepreneurial Studies and garnered several awards including the prestigious “Small Business Initiative Award.”

GotVMail Communications offers the most advanced and affordable suite of hosted, virtual and on-demand telecommunications services that allow small- and home-based businesses, as well as mobile professionals, to sound more professional and function more productively. Starting at just $9.95 a month, the VirtualOne service from GotVMail provides the “big company” functionality of a large company phone system without the need to purchase or maintain expensive onsite equipment. Features include the recently-announced myGotVMail advanced online administration tool, a virtual toll free or local number, customized main greeting, multiple mailboxes for departments and employees, call forwarding to any phone or extension anywhere in the world, and email delivery of voice and fax messages. More information about GotVMail can be found at www.gotvmail.com.

“I am very pleased and honored to be a part of SAGE's Global Advisory Board,” said Hauser. “Part of having a successful business like GotVMail means having the power to affect social change and give back to the community through which you draw your success. SAGE provides young entrepreneurs with a great opportunity to hone their business skills and network with established professionals.”

EchoStar Satellite is the number two Digital Broadcast Satellite provider with DISH Network providing service to 11.5 million subscribers in the continental U.S. Matt joined EchoStar in early 2004, and is responsible for North American eCommerce strategy, overseeing all online acquisition efforts and the formation of an end-to-end ecommerce environment. A seasoned entrepreneur, Matt has also founded several high-tech companies that maintain profitability. Matt currently lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife Sarah and is an avid skier.

Dr. Raissa K. Kaziyeva is a graduate of Kazakh State National University named al-Faraby, one of the biggest universities in Kazakhstan. She has a degree of Candidatus of Economic Sciences (PhD). She is the director at the Professional Development Center of Almaty Economic University (AEU), established in 1998. AEU is a division of "Ordabasy" Corporation, Kazakhstan. This company is a fast-growing organization offering students an excellent opportunity for career development. Both AEU and Raissa, personally, have considerable interest in the SAGE program.

Raissa’s interest and sphere of investigation is SME development. Kazakh youth need positive role models who demonstrate that one person can make a lasting difference for the future of Kazakhstan and the development of the free-enterprise system. It is often assumed that expected changes in the economy might come faster from a new generation rather than from the old one; thus, Raissa tries to dedicate some time to promote different innovative educational programs. For example, from 1997 to 2003, she had a wonderful experience with SIFE as a director of this program in Kazakhstan. Now, Raissa is manager, jointly with the Ukrainian Association of Project Management, of an educational project whose main goal is to promote (disseminate) professional project-management ideas according to IPMA standards.

As the investment resources of governments become increasingly limited, there is a growing expectation that the creative forces of human capital would trigger economic development. Experience from the Kazakh economy provides an extensive list of the most common barriers which hinder the development of SMEs. One of them is the inability to articulate new business ideas. The SAGE program can provide a training center for college and secondary students, availing them of the opportunity to discuss and promote their ideas, to teach one another, and to identify and solve social problems.

Raissa will strive to realize the SAGE -KZ mission by working to set up a student center of social responsibility and business ethics. Raissa is open to learning more about other cultures. Another of her goals is to improve her English. Learning more about other cultures and improving here English are both important reasons to participate in this multi-national program. Welcome to Kazakhstan, SAGE!

Rieva Lesonsky brings to her role as editorial director at Entrepreneur Media Inc. a winning combination of expansive high energy and verve, which has served as the basis for the success of Entrepreneur magazine and numerous media brand extensions which include Entrepreneur.com, BizStartUps.com, Mexico, and Entrepreneur’s Be Your Own Boss. Each month, millions of established and aspiring entrepreneurs turn to Entrepreneur Media for the advice, guidance and inspiration generated by Ms. Lesonsky and her staff. Under her editorial eye, Entrepreneur Media has become the nation’s leading authority for and about entrepreneurs.

Ms. Lesonsky co-authored the books Start Your Own Business, Young Millionaires and 303 Marketing Tips and wrote Get Smart.

Ms. Lesonsky served on the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) National Advisory Council for six years. The SBA also honored her as a Small Business Media Advocate and a Woman in Business Advocate. For five consecutive years, she was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential Journalists by Business News Reporter. A nationally recognized speaker and expert on small business and entrepreneurship, Ms. Lesonsky has appeared on numerous national TV programs, including Good Morning America and Oprah. She can be heard regularly on The Dolan’s with Ken and Daria Dolan over the WOR Radio Network.

Ms. Lesonsky holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the prestigious journalism program at the University of Missouri, Columbia. She is listed in Who’s Who in America. During her 19-year association with Entrepreneur Media, Ms. Lesonsky has served in various editorial and management capacities. Prior to joining Entrepreneur Media, Ms. Lesonsky’s career included research positions for a major Los Angeles publishing corporation, as well as at Doubleday & Co. in New York City.

Her admittedly full schedule permitting, Ms. Lesonsky enjoys watching baseball and relaxing with a good book. Originally a native of New York, she now lives in Irvine, California.

Dr. Rubén O. Martinez is a nationally known scholar with expertise in the areas of higher education, race and ethnic relations and diversity leadership. His areas of specialization include leadership and institutional change, education and ethnic minorities, youth development, and environmental justice. He is currently Interim Chair Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he is also Professor of Public Administration.

Dr. Martinez has published and lectured widely in the areas of leadership, organizational transformation, race and ethnic relations, education of ethnic minorities, and environmental justice. At present, he is co-authoring a book titled The Challenge of Diversity for Leadership Roles and Practices in Higher Education.

In 1997-1998, he served as President of the Western Social Science Association. During 1994-95, he served as an American Council of Education Fellow, studying issues in higher education and serving as an administrative intern under Dr. Robert Shirley, President of the University of Southern Colorado. In 1993, he and Professor Adalberto Aguirre, Jr., published a book titled Chicanos in Higher Education.

Michelle E. Messina is president of the global direction and strategy agency, Explora International. Clients include technology entrepreneurs and governments from Europe, Asia, and Latin America. She is also Vice President of International Programs at The Enterprise Network of Silicon Valley responsible for creating strategic relationships with technology innovation regions throughout the world. Michelle is also active in the international entrepreneurial community as an advisor to TechBA, the Mexico - Silicon Valley Business Accelerator, and a board member for SAGE, Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship, focused on advancing youth entrepreneurship and community service around the world. She conducts workshops for technology entrepreneurs, designed to improve their preparedness for global expansion, and has presented them around the world.

Michelle has over 19 years sales and marketing experience with emerging technologies and companies including E-commerce and internet applications, VoIP, computerized robotics, biotechnology, and enterprise services and software applications. She has served as a Vice President Sales, Vice President of Marketing, Business Development Director, and Business Unit General Manager. Michelle is a published photographer, authors and multilingual.

Esther Nguyen is the Managing Director of Evizi, LLC a global services and technology outsourcing management company. Esther focuses on building business between US and Southeast Asia. Prior to establishing Evizi, Esther started Koidra Consulting LLC, a management consulting company, serving startups to Fortune 500 companies. Esther was founder/CEO of Pure Skin, a beauty and health e-commerce website, which was later acquired. She also was founder/CEO of E2 Bio-Composites, a manufacturing and licensing company that converted agriculture waste into raw materials for the plastic-injection molding industry.

Esther has significant experience with startups. She has been involved with a number of international and domestic projects, either in business development, mergers and acquisitions, project management, and/or forming strategic alliances. Esther earned her bachelors degree from the University of Southern California and her Juris Doctorate from Golden Gate University School of Law.

Mr. Emeka Okafor is a consultant and entrepreneur with a background in Finance and Information Technology who lives in New York City. His interests include sustainable technologies in the developing world and paradigm breaking technologies in general. His blog, Timbuktu Chronicles seeks to spur dialogue in areas of entrepreneurship, technology and the scientific method as it impacts Africa.

The United Nations, in conjunction with Sun Microsystems, recently appointed Mr. Okafor as a Sun Participation Fellow:

"... PopTech selected Fellows from across Africa and from among Africans living abroad and working on improving conditions in their home countries. Each Fellow is working to advance social and economic agendas including reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS, alleviating extreme poverty through fair trade, business and government reform, and improving healthcare. "The young African leaders at PopTech will have a significant opportunity to draw on the knowledge of technological visionaries and discuss ways that technology, combined with the convening power of can contribute to efforts by the next generation to improve opportunity in their home countries," said Djibril Diallo, director of the UN New York Office of Sport for Development and Peace..."

Mr. Okafor is also involved with the IPE Group www.ipegroup.net (site under construction) IPEG is a network of professionals working at the intersection of capital markets, international development, and technology. The group formed to share experiences, collaborate on projects, and dream big. Members hail from small enterprise to large, microfinance to hedge funds, nanotechnology to health services. What unites us a belief that the private sector can bring scalability, sustainability and focus to emerging markets. What drives us is a dream to make the world a healthier, more secure, and more equitable place for all people.

Mr Okafor is also a partner in Caranda Teas a socially responsible start-up that manufactures a range of organic herbal teas sourced from Africa.

Mr. Pasternak was co-founder of Knight Capital, Inc., a publicly traded $1 billion financial services company. He served as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer from its founding in 1995 until his retirement on January 31, 2002, and as Chairman of Knight’s Board of Directors from October 2000 until January 31, 2002. Under Mr. Pasternak’s leadership, Knight became the leading wholesale market maker in the U.S. securities markets, serving institutions in addition to broker-dealers, and expanding its presence into global markets in Japan and Europe. In addition, Knight managed an asset management business, Deephaven Capital Management. Deephaven has 1.3 billion in assets managed by approximately 100 employees, and is considered one of the leading multi-strategy funds.

Prior to founding Knight, Mr. Pasternak was a Senior Vice President, Limited Partner and Trading Room Manager for Spear, Leeds & Kellogg-Troster Singer, from 1979 until 1994. Mr. Pasternak served on the Board of Directors for NASDAQ, the Board of Adirondack Trading Partners, L.L.C. (an options trading firm), the Advisory Committee of BRASS Utility, LLC (BRUT), and the Board of Directors of NASDAQ Europe and the International Stock Exchange (ISE). Mr. Pasternak was the Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year in NJ” in 1999. He has been the subject of numerous newspaper and magazine articles. He is often called upon to provide testimony to the U.S. Congress regarding important market structure issues. Mr. Pasternak received a B.A. from the State University of New York at New Paltz in 1976. He was educated in the Margaretville Central School system, graduating in 1972, where he was the recipient of the Regents Scholarship and a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship.

Cody Sisco has worked for Business for Social Responsibility since 2003. His current responsibilities include supporting and executing consulting projects with clients in the technology and pharmaceutical industries, with particular expertise in supply chain responsibility and sustainability reporting.

In the past year he has advised companies on reporting content and metrics and he has conducted research to determine best practices for reporting on economic impacts to inform the revisions to the Global Reporting Initiative Guidelines. Sisco has also worked with the Electronics Industry Code of Conduct Implementation Group on the development of risk analysis and supply chain monitoring tools and frameworks.

Prior to joining BSR, Sisco worked for Redefining Progress on the organization’s Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative (EJCC) where he gained experience in international, national and regional policies addressing climate change. His research focused on the environmental health impacts of climate change and the environmental justice implications of climate policy. Cody co-wrote the “Ten Actions of Climate Justice Policies” with EJCC Director, Ansje Miller.

Previously, Sisco worked for the City of Emeryville, California in the Community Economic Development Department. He supported programs in public art, affordable housing and small business development. He was a staff contributor to Wiretap magazine, an online peer-driven youth magazine. Sisco graduated Magna Cum Laude from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Urban Studies and a B.A. in English. His community service activities focus on the arts, the gay and lesbian community and sustainable urban development. He sits on the advisory board to Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship in a personal capacity.

Mrs. Ma³gorzata OEmigielska was a Poland SAGE Coordinator for the last three years. She, in cooperation with the other coordinator - Ewelina Marcinkowska, mentored high schools, gathered funding for the teams to take part in SAGE World Cups and also organized Poland SAGE competitions in Poznan. She took part in the 1st SAGE World Cup in Kansas City in May 2003 and in the 2nd SAGE World Cup in San Francisco! in May 2004.

She graduated from the Poznan University of Managament and Banking in 2003. Currently, she studies English Philology and she works as an English Teacher at! a primary school in Poznan.

"I had the time of my life with SAGE, " said Malgorzata. "I loved working with high school students. It was a lot of work, but it was work that gave me so much fun and satisfaction as nothing else. SAGE is needed in Poland and SAGE is needed all over the world. If I can help it grow in any way, I will be honored and glad to do it".

Charles Toney retired from NUMMI in March of 2003. His career spanned thirty-nine (39) years, thirteen (13) of which were spent at NUMMI – A joint venture between Toyota and General Motors. At NUMMI he served as a Staff Specialist. In this capacity he trained Team Members at all levels of the organization. His primary focus, however, was in the area of management consulting/training and organization development.

Prior to NUMMI, Charles spent most of his career working in various HR roles (e.g., Employment, Employee Relations, Human Resources Development and Management) in several Fortune 500 companies. He completed his undergraduate education at the University of California, Berkeley and San Jose State University where he earned his BA in Sociology. He has also completed a Certificate in Human Performance Technology, and graduate courses in Cultural Anthropology.

Since he retired, Charles has been actively engaged in working with a number of companies as an independent management consultant. He likes to work on building high performing teams, creating learning organizations and helping management to plan and work through large scaled (complex) organizational change. In addition to his consulting practice, Charles also does volunteer work with Chico Unified Schools and CSU, Chico.

On a personal note, Charles has two sons, one of whom is a graduate of CSU, Chico and SIFE alum; the other is studying to become a chef. Charles and his wife Sophia maintain dual residency in “beautiful” Northern California (San Francisco and Chico) where he enjoys playing golf and weekend trips to the wine country. When the opportunity is available, Charles also demonstrates his belief in continuing education by attending workshops, seminars and courses in the field of Cultural Anthropology.

Mr Lei Wang is President of Cambridge Global Business Network Ltd. He is also a PhD candidate in Judge Business School, University of Cambridge. He has completed his undergraduate study in Dalian University of Technology, and has a masters degree from the London School of Economics; he has also completed his executive education in the Cambridge Health Leadership Program.

Mr. Wang has also been selected to be a consultant and intern for the World Bank (China) and UN Headquarters (New York). He also consults with various MNCs and is a consultant for the CEO of CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Service Engineers). He is founding President of LSE-Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR), and he also founded and co-directed ELBA Global Conference in summer 2005 in Northern California.

Mr Wang has published various papers in economics and management and been invited to be a Reviewer for International Journal “Corporate Reputation Review”. He also believes that environment will play a critical role in sustaining further economic prosperity and sustainable development should be underlined in social and economic development. He has been invited to talk on BBC World TV “World Debate on Climate Change” as the only Chinese speaker and he has led the project ‘The Decision Support System for Integrated Water Planning and Management within an Industrial Park’, which is the sub-project of the Eco-planning and Environmental Management for China’s Coastal Communities (Canada International Development Agency Tier 1 Project). His report with Xiuwei Yang, "The investigation of the sustainable development of the environment in Dalian," has been singled out top honors in China. He has also been given national and international competitive awards, such as “Wusi&Jianhao Award” and “BaoSteel Award.” He believes that entrepreneurship is one of the key pillars for national competitiveness, and young entrepreneurship is the hope for entrepreneurship and global prosperity.

Margaret Wong is the President of West Sacramento-based McWong International, Inc. she worked for over 10 years as Corporate Controller for Bostrom Management Corporation in Chicago and as Vice President of American Savings and Loans in Stockton before coming to Sacramento in 1984 to start her own business. Margaret founded McWong International, Inc. in 1984, a company that specializes in exporting of environmental & energy related technology and equipment for turnkey wastewater treatment projects in China; as well as manufacturing and importing of lighting related products to the US. Since that time, she has used her extensive network in China and experience in doing business with China to create one of the west coast’s most successful China trade companies. Margaret has won numerous business and community awards and she has a strong sense of her heritage and is extremely active in the local Chinese community, California and China Trade relationship, promoting increased understanding and exchanges and trade between US and China.

China has become a new engine for global growth and “migration of entrepreneurial talents from Hong Kong to China has played a big role in the development of China,” Wong says. She notes that the trading system between Hong Kong and China is maturing, and this process can be further supported by Hong Kong and its trading partners’ continued efforts to create aggressive sales strategies, new markets and high quality products.

Mrs. Modupe A. Adelaja

Mrs. Modupe A. Adelaja is a lawyer, business woman, politician and administrator. She is a graduate of the University of Lagos, Nigeria. She also attended the University of Birmingham, UK, where she was the Vice President of the Nigerian Student Union (1991-1992). She is currently Director General of SMEDAN, and was appointed to this position by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. President Obasanjo recognizes that small and medium sized enterprises are major contributions to the diversification of Nigeria’s economy and a vital tool for the creation of wealth, poverty alleviation, employment generation and vitalization of rural communities. As such, SMEDAN was established by the SMIDA ACT 2003 to promote and facilitate the development programs in the SME sub-sector of the Nigeria economy. SMEDAN has become the “one stop shop” for starting, resuscitating and growing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria.

Before venturing into public office, Mrs. Adelaja had some stints with the private sector. As an entrepreneur, she ran her own stationery and printing enterprises, and later became a mortgage banker. As a lawyer she briefly worked in her father’s chamber and later served as principal state counsel at the department of Customs and Excise from the Federal Ministry of Justice. She later ran her own private law firm and private business registered as DESKMATE LIMITED.

In 1999 she was appointed the first-ever Nigerian female Minister of State for Defense where she effectively re-directed policy and action in favor of sustainable development of the Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) as well as successfully attracted foreign attention and development assistance to the Armed Forces Resettlement Scheme. She re-organized the Directorate of Military Pensions (DMP), a measure undertaken to protect the welfare of ex-servicemen and was instrumental to the strengthening of necessary organizational capacity for the Nigerian Legion.

In her later capacity as Minister of State for Defense in charge of Navy, Mrs. Adelaja committed herself to the building of a formidable Nigerian Navy. Her performance here paved way for appointment as full cabinet Minister of Solid Minerals Development, where she laid new foundations for solid minerals and the mining sector. One of her main accomplishments was the formulation of the seven year (2003-2009) Strategic Action Plan for the Development of Sector.

Mrs. Adelaja has recently concluded a sensitization tour of 31 out of 36 states of the Federation, which has set in motion new collaborations between the public and private sectors for the purpose of developing the SME sector. She is currently championing the establishment of Business Support Centers (BSCs) and Business Information Centres (BICs) in all states and local government areas in order to fast track entrepreneurial development in Nigeria.

As a member of President Obasanjo’s Economic Management team, Mrs. Adelaja has been making immeasurable contributions to the empowerment of the citizenry and the socio-economic development of Nigeria.

For more information about SMEDAN, please visit www.smedan.gov.ng.

Mr.Franklin Cudjoe

Franklin Cudjoe is head of Imani. Founded in 2003 Imani is a non-political, non-profit, tax-exempt educational foundation and accepts no taxpayer money from government. Imani seeks to thrive solely by contributions from private individuals, foundations, and businesses and by the sales of its publications. Mr. Cudjoe was formerly a program officer and research assistant at the Institute of Economic Affairs in Ghana. A Land Economist by training, he works closely with partner think-tanks across the world to promote public policy ideas in Ghana and abroad. He is a frequent commentator in print and broadcast media about Africa development issues, including appearances on BBC, CBC, Swiss and Swedish National TV, Austrian National Radio and varied local Ghanaian media, and has been published or quoted in the Ghanaian Daily Graphic Accra Daily Mail, Ghana Web, My Joy online, London's Daily Telegraph, The Wall Street Journal, El Mercurio (Chile), La Republica (Costa Rica),the Ottawa Citizen, the San Francisco Chronicle, Netzeitung Voice Of Germany, and many others. Franklin speaks to policy makers, students groups in Ghana and abroad. Franklin is an Adjunct Fellow at the Independent Institute in the USA and the International Policy Network in London. Below is more information about Imani:

Mission: To stimulate public discussion of the promotion of economic prosperity in Ghana and Africa through market solutions such as property rights, the rule of law, free markets and free speech.

Vision: To educate and create a core of young scholars that will promote free enterprise, individual liberty, personal responsibility and voluntary action as ends of a free and prosperous society.

Projects: Imani will strive to promote the institutions of a free society by facilitating weekly student programs on the principles of free enterprise, individual liberty, personal responsibility, and voluntary action. The essence is to grow social and business entrepreneurs through educational outreach programs, identify promising talents and feed them into the existing market scholarship networks where they will be equipped to develop it into their own undertakings. Simultaneously Imani will aim to stimulate public understanding of the following policy issues:

• The environment (land, water, pollution, etc.) and development. Analyzing the impact of market approaches such as property rights, the rule of law and free markets

• Globalization and the benefits of trade liberalization as well as the obstacles to free trade in Africa

• Poverty eradication measures

• Health and Social Security issues from the standpoint of market solutions

http://imanighana.org/home.php

Mr. Leszek Izdebski

Mr. Izdebski is the CEO and a founder of Green Fields Media – a strategy consulting organization serving the Media, High Tech, and Telecom industries. Previously, he worked as an Associate Partner in Accenture’s Communications, High Tech, Media & Entertainment Strategy Practice and earlier, in the Media and High Tech industries.  Mr. Izdebski has managed and been involved in a range of early market entry product strategy development and business planning efforts for media, telecom, and high tech companies in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia for over fifteen years. Among his specialty areas are: product strategies, business strategies, M&A, alliances, Intellectual Property valuation, and JV activities.

He was responsible for many first-in-the-world service and product developments and rollouts. For the last ten years his work has been mainly focused on iTV, IPTV, Broadband Services, and various media-on-demand strategies and products. His clients include DirecTV, Sony, BellSouth, Verizon, NTT, PacBell, MediaOne, McGraw-Hill, CBS, Electronic Arts, PCCW, Telecom Italia, TVA Brazil, and many other media and telecom companies.  Previous experience includes the development, rollout and management of products and the development of product strategies and interactive services since 1983 in high-tech startups and established companies. He has taught at various colleges and universities in the US and in Europe.

Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu

Dr Kalu Idika Kalu has served twice as Nigeria’s Minister of Finance. He has also served his nation as Minister of National Planning as well as Transport.. He attended Kings College, Lagos and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA, graduating with BS in Economics (1964) and a Masters in Econocmics (1965). He completed his PhD (which he began in 1966, but could not complete, because of Nigeria’s civil war) in 1972.

Dr. Kalu, popularly known as K.I.K, was a Research Fellow at the University of Wisconsin (1966, 1970-72), and a Research Fellow/Lecturer, Economic Development Institute, EDI, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (1988-70). He joined the World Bank (1972-80) as an Economist, and was Country Economist in East Asia and the Pacific Region. He was Head of Economics of Skoup & Co. Ltd (1980-84), and is currently Chairman of BGL Ltd (Investment and Asset Management Services) and various other companies. He is married to Dr (Mrs.) Imo Kalu, and has five children.

For an in-depth interview of Dr. Kalu, please visit: http://www.kwenu.com/achebe/2005/13kaluikalu.htm.