United Nations Association Greater Seattle Chapter

Abdi is a
graduate of USC school of Cinema. He has led several successful creative
companies. He has lectured at various colleges on issues such as personal
transformation and on Iran. He was the Associate Producer of Rick Steves special
on Iran for PBS. In May of 2009 Abdi co-led a delegation of UNA to Iran. Abdi
leads 2 delegations/tours to Iran every year.

ARNP, MSN, MPH. Advanced practice nurse and public health provider with a practice focus on wellness, health promotion, and disease prevention. During her 9 years of service with UNA, she has been committed to social and human rights activism, gender equality, environmental issues, as well as global health.

Carleton S. Pritchard was the point-man for International Affairs Programming for the Charlotte, North Carolina World Affairs Council for 13 years before coming to Seattle. While in North Carolina he also worked with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library Senior Outreach Services and as the Director of Auxiliary Services for Davidson College. He spent one year as Group Leader for the Hotel Development Team at the US Agency for International Development in Amman, Jordan, and has worked in prestigious roles for many hotels across the United States. Today, Carleton is involved with the Education Committee at The Shepherd’s Center in Seattle as well as Great Decisions Programs in Ballard, Shoreline and Charlotte.

Specializes in political science, international relations, international law, diplomacy, as well as in management of development projects. Danny has experiences in providing expert advice and support on the negotiation, conclusion, implementation and follow-up of programs and projects financed by international financial and development institutions such as the United Nations.

Eugene Martin has been an instructor in English as a Second Language for 25 years, in Boston and Seattle, and an instructor in English as a Foreign Language in Korea, Taiwan and the Czech Republic. He currently teaches in an adult intensive ESL program on Capitol Hill in Seattle. He is the facilitator for Puget Sound Millennium Goals Project, a group of activists who promote knowledge of and action towards achieving the MDGs. Recent activities include preparations to serve as MDG advisors in an undergraduate course in Communications Design at SPU beginning in January. Eugene is active in the Seattle chapter of RESULTS, and he traveled to Washington DC in June 2011 advocating the Education for All Act of 2011, meeting with Sen. Maria Cantwell.

Irene Diaz-Soto is originally from Spain. She graduated with an undergraduate degree in journalism and a postgraduate in International Cooperation and International Law at the University Complutense in Spain. Currently she is attending the Masters in Nonprofit Leadership program at Seattle University, which has given her opportunities to develop new projects in health care and education for women. Since 2010, she become involved with the American Red Cross assisting in projects at the International Services Department where she is an instructor of International Humanitarian Law for different academic institutions focusing on restoring family links, tracing cases and searching for families who have been separated by armed conflict.

Jan has been a resident of the Puget Sound area for nearly twenty years and currently practices law in Snohomish County, focusing on Elder Law. She is a long-time member of the World Peace Through Law Section of the Washington State Bar, and has an abiding interest in issues of peace and justice. She was one of twenty-five who went on the two-week chapter tour to Iran in May.

Jennifer Williams was born into a multi-national family. She has toured Europe extensively as a classically trained musician and studied sociology and modern music composition in Paris at the Sorbonne. She returned to the US to pursue a career in international threat assessment and analysis for ArmorGroup, a London-based company. For 7 years, she composed and performed in an experimental music band and produced 2 albums, and has since returned to college to finish her BA in liberal arts. Currently, she is working towards completing her concentration in global studies and psychology at Antioch University. Last November, she organized a multi-city artist exhibition in support of ending the apartheid of Israel and Palestine.

Maria Joao Andrade Thuau has dual-citizenship in Portugal and France. She attended the Lusiada University in Portugal and studied International Relations and Political Science. Professionally, she has been a translator, journalist, reporter, and was the founder and head of a cultural cooperation project and assistant of the Portuguese counselor of cooperation in the Cape Verde Islands. She was also a board member of Ten thousand villages in Austin, Texas, and was an election observer for the European Union in El Salvador and the Ivory Coast for The Carter Center. Most recently she was the invited speaker to the students of the Masters of Arts in Management of Conflict at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Italy regarding the Ivory Coast Elections of 2010.

Matthew Metz is a Seattle attorney specializing in civil litigation.  Speaks Spanish and French, and works extensively with immigrant communities.   Lived in Mexico. and France.  Interested in international human rights and alternative energy. 

Peinda is originally from Senegal, West Africa. She teaches at the French American School of Puget Sound. She graduated from Cheikh Anta Diop University majoring in English literature. She began working as an interpreter and became aware of a high rate of illiteracy in her hometown and some remote villages in Senegal and decided to devote herself to educating and helping all kids who do not have a chance to attend school and get the education they deserve. 

A
career educator, Rebecca established and directed The Language School
of Spokane for second language education, language services, and
multicultural exchanges. She completed her PhD in 1997 at Gonzaga
University in “Leadership Studies.” She taught English as a Foreign
Language at Fatih University in Turkey.  A faculty member in the
Woodring College of Education (W. WA Univ.), Rebecca volunteers for
efforts related to the environment and peacebuilding in all contexts.

MPH (hospital administration), BSc (pharmacy). Worked 4 years in Borneo (pharmacy and hospital development), 18 years in Hong Kong (hospital and urban community health development), 3 years for Guyana Ministry of Health (rural primary health care systems/USAID), 4 years for Liberia MOH (pharmaceutical supply system/USAID), 4 years short-term work mainly for MOH pharmaceutical supply systems in African countries for USAID, WHO, UNICEF, DANIDA, etc. Since 2000 active in UNA Seattle as president, co-president and advocacy chair positions, and UNA-USA regional representative.

Ph.D. (International Studies, Queen’s Univ, Ontario); MA (Pol. Sc., Univ. Manitoba), BA (Univ. W. Indies); Chair, Division of Social Sciences, Bellevue Community; College; Adjunct Prof EWU. Previous: Prof. Pol. Sc. Kwantlen Univ. College, Surrey, BC; Visiting faculty Pol. Sc. UBC; Visiting Prof. History and Pol. Sc. Royal Roads Military College, Victoria, BC; Asst. Prof. Simon Fraser Univ. BC.