Roger Erskine, Board President

Roger Erskine has spent his professional life devoted to improving the education of students in the US.  Working between teachers and union officials, politicians and votes, Roger has helped groups come together to put children first.  He co-founded and led the League of Education Voters and seved as executive director of the South Dakota Education Association and the Seattle Eucation Association.  He is a frequent guest lecturer at Harvard, Temple and the University of British Columbia.  He has been an advisor to the Ontario Ministry of Education, and served on the Annenberg Foundation.  He has lobbied on behalf of the  South Dakota Education Association, the Minnesota Edcation Association and the Pennsylvania State Education Association, and worked for the National Education Association for 25 years, serving as Manager for Organizing, focused on Urban Schools.

Roger is a Minnesota native who enjoys twelve grandsons.

Malcolm Best, Treasurer
Emigrating to the USA from Uruguay in the 60’s with thoughts of becoming an astronaut, Malcolm was at the same time was fascinated with the possibilities of “inner-naut” travel. Degrees in Physics from Bowdoin College , Visual Design from M.I.T, Social Work from the U. of Washington , a year in a Fine Arts program, training in psychodrama, Zen practices, martial arts and adaptive leadership are just some of the facets of a life of learning, discipline and transformation.

As Senior Director, he authored and executed a strategic plan to bring Restaurants Unlimited, with 3000 employees, into the computer age. As Cinnabon was born, he was responsible for the information technology systems that would help the new chain take off. In the telecommunications sector Malcolm took on technical and leadership roles, harmonizing teams, mentoring and innovating.

In the last decade, relationships and social networks emerge as Malcolm’s central life theme leaving technical skills and decades of experience with systems analysis and design as supporting background. His current passion is, as human connectivity and scale increase, exploring and actualizing the incredible capacity that exists between people and between organizations, in service of the common good.

Teresa Ciabattari

Teresa Ciabattari is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Pacific Lutheran University.  She earned her B.S. degree at Santa Clara University and her M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Washington.  As a fulltime faculty member, she has taught in North Carolina, California, and Washington state.  Her teaching and scholarship focus on understanding and eliminating race, class, and gender inequalities, as well as on patterns of family formation and change in the contemporary U.S.  Her most recent scholarship investigates the development of the tourism industry in post-colonial Caribbean states.  Teresa is also deeply committed to yoga and meditation, through which she has begun to explore how self-awareness can lead to personal, interpersonal, and social change.

Dan Leahy, Vice President
Dan Leahy is an innovative personal and organizational development specialist. With 16 years of leadership education experience and another 16 as a clinical therapist he brings a unique blend of interpersonal and organizational perspectives to his work.

Dan is committed to leadership development. He believes that leadership is fundamentally a dance between the leader, the followers and the organizational mission.  His approach focuses on developing the ability to both take a stand and stay connected with others in service of the desired results.  Inquiry is emphasized and directed reflection is tailored to the individual’s circumstances.

He holds Bachelor’s Degrees in Communication Arts and Sociology from Washington State University and a Master of Arts in Applied Behavioral Science from Whitworth College. His post graduate training includes: the Art & Practice of Leadership Development program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government; Peter Bloch’s Regional School for Managing; Leadership Eastside; and Pacific Integral’s two-year Generating Transformational Change program.

His professional experience includes:  President of Leadership Institute of Seattle (2001-07); Dean of the LIOS/Bastyr University School of Applied Behavioral (1997-2007); Interim VP for Academic Affairs at Bastyr University (2007); faculty of the LIOS/Bastyr University School of Applied Behavioral Science (1991-2004); LIOS Senior Therapist and Assistant Dean of Students for Community Development (1982-1990); family therapist in Spokane & Seattle (1978-94).

Anh Vo

Anh is known for bringing her enthusiasm and positive energy to every situation.  She worked in the corporate field as an international turn around manager for six years helping her company’s multi million dollar accounts increase their profitability. Using her project management skills, needs assessment, team building, and coaching she was able to improve operational process efficiency, customer satisfaction, and bottom line profits.  Her approach involved leadership development, live action coaching with departmental managers, and performance coaching. She is continually excited by her work in coaching businesses and their employees align their vision and purpose.  It is her firm belief that relationships are the primary building blocks in every successful enterprise.

Anh values her connection to the community and volunteers extensively with local food banks and meal programs, while providing leadership in Board positions for community and city programs.  It is in the "giving back" that her sense of purpose soars.  In her work with local government she collaborated with city officials and community organizations to help design programs for youth-at-risk, Youth Leadership conferences, and Parent Leadership conferences.  Currently she is involved with the SAMMI Awards, an organization that recognizes outstanding achievement in community service.

As an environmentalist, she is aware that we are all global citizen needing to be mindful of our resources, Anh advocates that businesses move beyond sustainability and more toward restorative practices.

Anh majored in International Business in her undergraduate studies, and received her Masters in Applied Behavioral Science, with emphasis in Leadership and Organizational Development from the Leadership Institute of Seattle, through Bastyr University.  She is also a certified coach through the International Coach Federation (ICF).  In her spare time, she studies martial arts along with her two children and is a black belt instructor in Tae Kwon Do and Arnis, a Filipino weapons martial arts.  She has lived in many countries but calls the beautiful Pacific Northwest home.

Melanie Wyffels, Secretary

Born to a family of renowned educators in Brazil, Melanie has worked in international education most of her professional life. From childhood, she has been exposed to the challenges and the resulting creative solutions derived from the countless educational and political reforms in Brazil. She is fluent in Portuguese and English and has extensive experience in intercultural communication. She has been involved in cultural projects in Brazil and ESL exchange programs in the US for the last fifteen years.

As Assistant Curator of Acervo Fernando e Catherine Silva, in São Paulo, Brazil, Melanie organized Arte na 9 de Julho, events promoting the work of young, contemporary Brazilian artists. These bi-monthly events were open to the public and included theater, street art, performances, media, music and literature.

As Executive Director of the Brazilian Center of Philosophy for Children, Melanie and a team of 63 teacher educators traveled around the country to the promote Philosophy for Children program. This program develops critical and caring thinking skills in children from K-12 through philosophical dialogue. As Vice-President of the International Council for the Advancement of Philosophical Inquiry with Children, she organized international seminars in Australia, Spain, Brazil and the US.

Melanie moved to the US in 1999 with her family to work at Internexus, a network of schools specializing in International Education and exchange programs. She was the marketing manager and international internship coordinator for the Latin American and Asian markets until 2006.

Melanie is a member of the Board of Directors of Yazigi International, a network of language schools in Brazil and is a dedicated promoter of community projects related to fairtrade, ethics in business and social responsibility.

Melanie holds degrees in Business Administration and Philosophy of Education from the University of São Paulo, Brazil.