Board of Directors (US)

International Advisory Council  |  International Crews  |  Board of Directors  |  Staff

David Evan Harris, Executive Director
David Evan Harris is Executive Director of the Global Lives Project and Research Affiliate at the Institute for the Future. David lived in Brazil from 2004-2007 as a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar, receiving a master's degree in Sociology from the University of São Paulo. His master’s thesis was a comparative study of the relationships between domestic workers and their employers in Brazil and the US. David received his B.A. in 2003 from UC Berkeley, where he created his own major in "political economy of development and environment." In college David took part in the International Honors Program, where he spent eight months traveling and studying in Tanzania, India, the Philippines, Mexico, and the UK. In 2000, he held an internship at the White House Council on Environmental Quality and has since worked as a consultant to numerous non-profit and educational organizations in the US and Brazil. In Brazil, David wrote and directed newscasts for CurrentTV. His writings and photographs have been published in print and online with the BBC, Adbusters, the Sarai Reader, Glimpse Magazine, Next American City, Focus on the Global South, Alternet and Grist. David’s written work has been translated into French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch and Chinese. David speaks fluent English, Portuguese and Spanish and intermediate French.

 

Helen McGrath, Vice President
Helen was raised on a farm in Oxnard, CA, and moved to the East Coast before settling in San Francisco in 2004. She holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, and is a graduate of the International Honors Program. She began doing community work in New York City through the Public Allies Apprenticeship program, and has now worked in the Mission District with youth and arts programming for 4 years. She shares her time between Streetside Stories and CELLspace, where she supports an urban arts program for immigrant youth (Mission Urban Arts) and the events program for the performance space.

 

Jason Burwen
Jason has several years' experience in the non-profit sector. Besides working with a number of advocacy organizations on environmental and socioeconomic issues, he co-founded and managed projects for Emergency Communities non-profit disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Jason helps support Global Lives Project with his experience on issues of non-profit operations, donor relations, online communications, and fundraising, as well as his community of connections in the philanthropic community. Jason is currently a graduate student at the Goldman School of Public Policy and the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley.

 
Jason Price

Jason J. Price
Jason works in anthropology and documentary video.  Originally from Nutley, New Jersey, he received his BA from Middlebury College, then served in Peace Corps Malawi and AmeriCorps in Chicago.  He holds an MA in sociocultural anthropology and an Advanced Certificate in Culture & Media from New York University.  His film, The Professor, is distributed by DER and has screened at festivals worldwide.  Jason sits on the Board of Directors of Friends of Malawi. He joins our Board after having produced and directed the Global Lives Project's third shoot which features Edith Kapuka in Malawi.  Jason is currently a doctoral student in sociocultural anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley.

 

Heather Sparks
Heather Sparks is a conceptual artist whose work spans installation, sculpture, and video as well as drawing and painting. Heather’s work has been exhibited internationally, and was recently included in the Valencia Biennale, “Observatori”, in Valencia, Spain and in the Lyon Biennale, in Lyon, France. Her work has been reviewed and featured in Flash Art, World Sculpture News, Art Papers, LA Times, Herald Tribune, Ha’aratz, Studio Magazine, Camerawork Journal of Photographic Arts, Surface Magazine, Architecture Now, Der Freund, SF Bay Guardian, Slash Seconds, Opium Magazine, Zing Magazine, and other publications. In addition to her art practice, Heather founded and directed a production company for film and commercial shoots, which was based in San Francisco, CA from 1995-2001, and worked as an art consultant in London, UK from 2001 to 2006. Heather returned to the US from London to complete an MFA fellowship at Stanford University in 2007. She received her BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, and received a Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture Fellowship in 1994, and was a Kala artist in residence in 2000.

 

Naomi Ture
Naomi is Senior Producer at KMVT Community Television in Mountain View, CA.  An independent digital artist as well, she employs documentary video, educational technology, animation and installation. Her various pieces include a documentary on leukemia, an online exhibit for the Exploratorium, and an animation of children's existential theories. She has presented her work at the Oral History Association, Harvard Community Design Symposium, FilmColumbia, NeXtfest and Galapagos art space.  Naomi spent the first few years of her life in Japan, loves to travel, and is active in Taiko (drums). She holds a degree in Education Studies from Brown University and a Masters in Electronic Art from RPI.

 

Tony Maridakis, Board Chair
Tony has over 25 years experience leading teams in the Information Technology sector in a variety of industries. He served on the board of the Family Service Agency of San Francisco prior to becoming involved with the Global Lives Project. Tony has traveled extensively and lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina before joining the board. In addition to his work in IT and on the GLP board, Tony is involved in the arts as a painter, photographer and sculptor working towards a degree at UC Berkeley Extension. Tony holds a BS in Computer Science from CSU, Fullerton.

 

Jeanne Chen, Secretary
Jeanne is currently a fellow with Villgro Innovation Foundation based in Chennai, India and is working on commercializing and bringing to market rural innovations. She was previously a management consultant at L.E.K. Consulting in San Francisco and worked with corporate clients in a number of industries, particularly healthcare, to develop their growth strategies. Additionally, she continues to consult for the Open Society Institute on their global youth initiatives and debate education programs. Jeanne is a graduate of the Huntsman Program at the University of Pennsylvania, and holds a B.A. in International Studies as well as a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of Business. She has traveled to over 30 countries and speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese, French, intermediate Spanish, and is learning Hindi.

 

Josh Weber, Treasurer
Josh currently works as an Associate for L.E.K. Consulting in San Francisco, CA.  Within the nonprofit sector, he has previously advised Bay Area-based child welfare and microfinance organizations through his affiliation with the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Josh's background in corporate finance and strategy consulting will assist the Global Lives Project as it diversifies funding sources and expands its presence through both online and real-world exhibitions. Josh holds a BS in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business.  He is proficient in German.