About

Board of Directors

Glenn Fisher Chair

Glenn has been volunteering for the Global Lives Project since 2014, focusing on managing volunteers and applying for grants. An avid traveler, Glenn (and his wife) have been trekking in Nepal, India and Peru; hiking in Switzerland, Italy and France and backpacking extensively in the western United States. From his travel, he strongly supports the message and content of the Global Lives Project. Formerly a Marketing Director at several tech companies, Glenn has also been Chief Operating Officer of an educational consulting company, a 5th grade teacher, and a teacher educator. He brings his wide experience to bear on the operations of the Global Lives Project.

Daniel Chein

Daniel Chein is an independent filmmaker based in Berkeley, CA. His short documentary BASHA MAN won the Student Film Award at CAAMFest2017 and an IndieFEST Award of Recognition. As an editor, his work on THE CHAIRMAN AND THE LIONS won the film First Prize at the ETNOFilm Festival and the Special Jury Award at the Zanzibar International Film Festival, and his role as a collaborator on CHANGA REVISITED earned the film the OutStanDox Award at the Astra Film Festival. Daniel is an Associate Producer for Walking Iris Media and a MFA candidate at San Francisco State University.<

Juddson R. Taube

Juddson is in Stanford’s Graduate School of Education PhD program known as SHIPS — Social Sciences, Humanities, and Interdisciplinary Policy Studies — where he is a Teaching Fellow in Stanford’s Teacher Education Program (STEP). He attends Stanford as a recipient of the H. Andrea Neves and Barton Evans Fellowship, established in 2004 to support Stanford PhD students with an academic background in the social sciences and a research interest in social justice. Juddson is also studying in the School of Communications for a coterminal Master’s degree in Media Studies. His prior work as an English teacher with the Latino College Preparatory Academy (LCPA) charter high school in East Side San Jose, particularly his work in collaborating with a Common-Core-aligned design study for English Language Learners known as the Reading and Writing Initiative. It was instrumental to the direction of his current research on charter schools and sociolinguistics. Also while at LCPA, Juddson received the 2015 Dorothy Wright Outstanding Teacher Award from San Jose State University. He holds a BA in Modern Literature from UC Santa Cruz (’05)  and a Master’s of Education in Teaching and Learning from the National Hispanic University (’12).

David Evan Harris

David Evan Harris is Founder and Executive Director of the Global Lives Project and Research Director at the Institute for the Future. David is a cross-disciplinary mediamaker, working at the intersection of art, activism and academic inquiry on the politically charged questions surrounding globalization and social justice.

A cross-disciplinary mediamaker, David wrote and directed newscasts for CurrentTV; and penned articles and shot photos for the BBC, the Guardian, Adbusters, Focus on the Global South, AlterNet, and Grist. He has spoken publicly about his work to audiences at the Smithsonian, UC Berkeley, Harvard, Stanford, United Nations University, Apple, Google, Adobe, and numerous other venues around the world. He speaks English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French. David founded the Global Lives Project in 2004 and holds a BA in the political economy of development and environment, with a minor in forest science, from UC Berkeley and an MS in sociology from the University of São Paulo.

Janice Campbell

Janice Campbell has a 30-year career as an Educator, Linguist, and
Manager in the Localization and Translation Industry. She holds an MA from Middlebury Institute of International Studies and certifications in Project Management, Total Quality Management, Six Sigma, and Scrum. For the last ten years, she has held a variety of positions at Adobe, where she worked on two Pro Bono projects for GLP. She currently leads the Machine Translation Program in Adobe’s Cloud Tech group. Janice is a frequent presenter, panelist and discussion lead at webinars, round tables, summits and conferences for Localization World, The Localization Institute, Translation Automation User Society (TAUS) and Association for Machine Translation in the Americas (AMTA). She was AMTA 2018 Commercial Track Co-Chair and is now serving a two-year (2018-2020) term as User Director on the AMTA Board. Locally, Janice is a frequent organizer and host for Bay Area Localization meetups. She has volunteered as a mentor for TechWomen.org, Girls Who Code, Adobe Digital Academy, Adobe Creativity Scholars, GenHERation, Adobe Youth Voices, and Upwardly Global.

Melissa Biggs

Melissa Biggs has over 25 years experience specializing in localization for software, content, marketing and hardware. She has held management positions and consulting engagements for corporate technical enterprises including Sun Microsystems Inc., Xerox Corp., Oracle Corporation, Informatica LLC. Her localization background includes localization business and technology implementations, corporate globalization standards, marketing, website, and technical contents. She has managed a range of localizable contents (software, documentation, training, websites, marketing, support, and legal) from engineering and testing through translation and technology implementations. She is a speaker at localization industry events and has worked on several boards and committees for localization industry groups. Melissa has a passion for global initiatives including volunteer work with women from emerging countries. She is a graduate of Bucknell University, with graduate work at San Jose State University. Melissa has worked abroad, and with talented teams and individuals in Europe, Asia, South America, on projects and the challenges of global business and technologies.

Jessica Shi Secretary

Jessica graduated from UC Berkeley with an undergraduate degree in Business Administration, where she also began volunteering for the Global Lives Project as a Project Manager. Post-graduation, she took on the role of Secretary on the board, focusing on fostering donor relationships and managing board meetings. She is currently working as an associate at ZS Associates, a consulting firm, focusing on market research in the pharmaceutical industry.

Emeritus

Sarah Davis Co-Chair until 2019

Sarah Davis has 17 years of experience in instructional design, research, program management, and international education. She is currently a Learning Consultant for Kaiser Permanente, designing interactive eLearning for their more than 200,000 employees. She previously has served as an Instructional Design Consultant for Pacific Gas & Electric’s apprenticeship and instructor-led programs, was a Program Manager for the Pearson Foundation, and consulted for the University of California, San Francisco. She holds a master’s degree from the Stanford University School of Education and a Graduate Certificate in Workplace e-Learning and Performance support from Boise State University.

Lawrence Wilkinson Member and Vice-Chair 2014-2020

Lawrence Wilkinson is Chairman of Heminge &amp; Condell (H&amp;C), an investment and strategic advisory firm, and Co-Founder of Global Business Network (GBN), the firm that introduced scenario planning to the world. Through H&amp;C, Lawrence has been and is involved in venture formation work, and as a director and counselor to a number of companies that he helped create, among them: GBN, Wired, Oxygen Media, Ealing Studios, Design Within Reach, Colossal Pictures, Public Bikes, and Character. At the same time, Lawrence continues to offer strategic counsel to a number of corporate clients, NGOs, and governments around the world, with whom he has been involved for years, among them The Walt Disney Company, UPS, CPB, BBC, Landesa, Oxford University, Harvard University, the World Economic Forum, and the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Singapore. Named a “Jedi Knight of Innovation” by Fast Company, Lawrence is a widely consulted and cited authority on strategic issues; he is a frequent speaker in public, industry, and organizational settings, and is active in a number of not-for-profit organizations and universities.

Peter Hogue Treasurer until 2019

Peter Hogue is a management consultant in Deloitte Consulting’s Strategy & Operations Life Sciences and Health Care practice. Peter has extensive experience supporting clients across several health sectors including provider, biopharma, medical device, and global health. At Global Lives, Peter oversees the Finance Committee as the Treasurer and serves on the Engagement Committee to drive awareness and marketing efforts primarily through social media and other digital platforms. Peter earned his BA in Economics from the University of California, San Diego and his MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Prior to graduate school, Peter was a Global Fellow with Deloitte India based in Mumbai.

Dan Jones

Dan works with the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University as a Digital Media Producer. He co-hosts and produces the weekly Berkman Center podcast, Radio Berkman, and generally produces/directs/writes/shoots/animates other digital content. He completed his MFA in Film and Digital Media at American University in Washington, DC. Dan produced the first Global Lives shoot in San Francisco with David Harris, collecting fond memories of hanging off of trolley cars and convertibles, and walking through the ocean with several pounds of cameras and sound equipment. He obtained his BA in Environmental Studies at Hunter College in New York City, after which he produced a narrative feature, a documentary, and several shorts and commercial pieces with his company, Blanket Statement Productions. He also was an assistant instructor in film and video at Education for the Arts in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In his previous life Dan made a hobby of jobs and internships, working at various times for a library, a Republican Senator, a Democratic New York City Councilwoman, for PBS, the United Nations, WBAI-FM, for a consumer advocacy group, and for a professional walker (no kidding). Dan enjoys talking about film, digital media, collaborative filtering, public radio, and podcasting, and in his free time likes to travel, cook, and eat.

Susie Richardson

Susie has a passion for education. She is on the Board of Directors of Facing History and Ourselves and serves on the Advisory Boards of Adolescent Counseling Services and The Foundation for a College Education. She spent 8 years on the Palo Alto Board of Education

Naomi Ture (2008-2014)

Naomi is a filmmaker and creative director, leading documentary and video productions from concept through completion.  She founded Ture Productions in 2011 to specialize in expertly crafted videos that inspire, promote &amp; educate.  Previously Naomi worked as Senior Producer for KMVT Channel 15.  During her 5 years at KMVT, she was a key figure in expanding and leading the development of its professional TV &amp; video production arm, as well as producing live studio shows.  Her videos have won numerous national awards since 2005.  Naomi holds a degree in Education Studies from Brown University and a Masters in Electronic Art from RPI.  On a personal note, she spent the first few years of her life in Japan, loves to travel and enjoys exploring the great outdoors.  Naomi is interested in the utilization of video and new media as a means to increase thoughtful dialogue, and spark social change.

Sara Crouse

Sara is Director of Strategic Partnerships for Creative Commons. In this role, she is responsible for generating revenue and engaging a network of partners across sectors, with oversight of CC’s fundraising, communications, and grants management. From 2008-11, Sara was Head of Partnerships & Foundation Relations for the Wikimedia Foundation. Previously, she worked in various roles in development and fundraising at Cambridge In America for five years, and at several non- and for-profit ventures based in New York City. She has a joint Masters in Journalism and French Studies from New York University, and a B.A. in French Language and English Literature from Georgetown University. (For kicks, Sara likes reading, writing, hiking, cooking, wining, dining, and dogs.) Through her work with technology-based non-profits, Sara is engaged in the free culture and open knowledge movements that are aligned with the Global Lives mission. Sara joined the board in October 2011, after being inspired by the immersive experience of a Global Lives exhibit, and its capacity to provoke empathy and understanding of diverse individuals and cultures.

Laura Welcher (2010-2016)

Laura Welcher is a linguist with interests in the documentation, description, and revitalization of endangered languages and in helping promote global linguistic diversity. She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley and works with speakers of critically endangered languages indigenous to North America as well as on projects that are helping to bring these languages back to modern, vital use. She is involved with several projects that are working to develop standards for digital language resources and tools to support the use of minority languages on the Web. Laura is currently at The Long Now Foundation, where she directs The Rosetta Project, a public digital archive of all human languages.

Andrew Mahlstedt (2010-2013)

Andrew completed his PhD in English at University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2012, focusing on the ethics of representing the marginalized poor in the recent era of globalization.  Before Madison, he taught English and directed the co-curricular program at the Mahindra United World College of India for four years, and he currently serves on the U.S. Selection Committee for the United World Colleges. He holds a B.A. and an M.A. (English) from Middlebury College, and an M.A. (International Comparative Education) from Stanford University.  In addition to the UWC in India and UW-Madison, he has taught at Middlebury College.  He brings nine years of experience in education to the board, and is focusing on developing the educational potential of Global Lives. He is (mostly) fluent in Spanish and proficient in Mandarin Chinese and Portuguese. He is currently a writer and a teacher, and living in San Francisco.

Heather McGough (2011-2014)

Heather is the Founder of Urbanity Events in San Francisco, CA.  Prior to delving into the world of entrepreneurship, she spent many years in the non-profit sector through her work with AmeriCorps in Florida, managing an adult literacy program, and leading a San Francisco startup creating multiple programs to serve inner city youth.  Heather helps support Global Lives Project with her experience in event consulting, fundraising, non-profit operations and her network in San Francisco’s philanthropic community.  She graduated from Indiana University with a double major in Psychology and Criminal Justice. In her spare time Heather loves to travel and enjoys the outdoors.

Learie Hercules

Learie is the founder and CEO of Octavia Technologies, LLC based in San Francisco, CA. Learie has over 20 years of experience consulting for most of the Tier 1 wireless carriers. As a pioneer and expert at the forefront of technology, one of his most noted achievements was managing the design and integration of the first 4G Network in the U.S. on behalf of Sprint Nextel. His career later evolved to specialize in communications systems for trains and light rail. He was responsible for the first functional design of the federally mandated Positive Train Control (PTC) in the U.S. for intercity passenger trains throughout the east coast. In addition to his engineering role, he was promoted to Vice President and managed a program portfolio of over $300 million. With his expertise in mastering cutting edge technologies, Learie serves Global Lives on its Web &amp; Education Committees. He holds a MS Computer Science &amp; BS Computer Science and Management as well as being a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), through Project Management Institute (PMI). In his spare time, Learie loves to hike, play soccer and travel.

Jessamine Chin

Jessamine currently works as Corporate Citizenship Manager for the VMware Foundation. In this role, Jessamine oversees VMware people engagement and community impact programs. Prior to VMware, Jessamine was the Philanthropy Program Manager for Adobe Systems, Inc. in the Corporate Social Responsibility department. Jessamine brings nine years of experience working with the nonprofit sector, with an emphasis on poverty-related issues.  Previously, she served as Executive Co-Chair of the Advisory Board for the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network. Jessamine has a BA from Georgetown University in Psychology and Photography, and is currently pursuing an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business.

Melissa Martin

Melissa Martin is an interdisciplinary designer working across the fields of interaction design, UX strategy and visual design. Her 10+ years career has led her to design products and services spanning a variety of industries including healthcare, e-commerce, energy management, mobile, non-profit, arts and education. Recent collaborations have included Kaiser Permanente, Microsoft, Google, Open English, SFMOMA, Hyundai, Pacific Gas &amp; Electric, La Cocina, BMC and the Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California. She currently serves as Interaction Design Lead at Method and periodically teaches interdisciplinary courses at California College of the Arts where she earned her MFA in Design. In 2012, she led the rebranding and website design for Global Lives and has since continued providing design and strategy consultation for the organization.

Rosa Wu

Rosa is a Product Manager at Google, where she loves working on products that better the everyday lives of the people around her. She brings experience in both technology and finance to Global Lives Project. She has had a long-held interest in international development, and recently spent a summer in Bangalore working on early prototypes of the Embrace infant warmer, a spinout of the Stanford d.school Extreme Affordability class. She holds an MBA from Stanford and BA from Harvard College. In her spare time, she enjoys indie trailer marathons, searching for amazing price-to-quality ratios, and generally taking on new adventures.

Vijay Karunamurthy

Vijay is a cofounder of AVOS Systems, where he leads development efforts around content discovery and collaboration, alongside Chad Hurley and Steve Chen. Previously he lead engineering teams at Youtube and Google, where he also worked on campaigns related to human rights, elections, and public health. In past lives he worked in finance and biology, and in his spare time can be found at hackathons and bay area community projects. He holds an MBA from UC Berkeley, a master’s degree in computer science from Stanford, and bachelor’s degrees in biochemistry and mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.