Board of Directors
Richard Alton was the Director General of the Institute of Cultural Affairs International in Brussels for fifteen years and senior member of the Institute. He has over 30 years NGO management and contract experience. He was the Director of the Institute of Cultural Affairs work in Kenya to mobilize 1,500 villages for participatory comprehensive village development with a focus on village health systems funded by the Ford Foundation, the European Economic Commission (EEC), the Swedish Agency for Development Co-operation (SIDA) and Norwegian Agency for Development (NORAD). The Kenya work implemented a USAID family Planning International Assistance program to provide mother-child health treatment, spacing and pre and post birth care.
Elizabeth Houde is the CEO/President of the International Consultants and Associates (IC&A). She was the former CEO of the Institute of Cultural Affairs US and has 25 years senior NGO management and contract compliance experience. She was the very first Chief of Party for USAID in Russia for a Deloitte & Touch managed $5 million dollar program for Women and Family Health. This project included HIV/AIDS education, family planning product distribution, social marketing, and introduction of US pharmaceutical companies in the Russian markets. She was a Senior Western Economist for the World Bank in Russia and the Central Asian Regional Director for Mercy Corps International. She has been a senior manager of USAID projects globally including: all of the former Soviet Union (and Central Asia), Africa, Bosnia, and South America. She is currently enrolled in graduate studies for a PhD in Business.
Mary Laura Jones was a Senior Manager at the Institute of Cultural Affairs and is now a founding Board member and consultant at International Consultants and Associates (IC&A). She is a master facilitator with 25 years experience in leadership and health training and she is passionate about international and local community building. Mary Laura has an MA in History and Urban Development from Northwestern University. Mary Laura earned the Clement Stone Award for Exemplary Community Service in 1999. For the past fifteen years, Mary Laura has been a successful government grant writer specializing in urban development and organizational capacity building. After graduating from the University of South Carolina with Honors in English, Ms. Jones served in the US Peace Corps in the Philippines as a Teacher of English as a Second Language. As Area Co-Director of the Pacific Islands region, Mary Laura co-created the Pacific Leadership Training School which graduated 600 young leaders from 8 countries.
Louise Singleton is the former President of the Board of Directors for the Institute of Cultural Affairs and the current Secretary/Treasurer for International Consultants and Associates. Louise has a Masters Degree in public health and was the founder of our work in eight African countries on HIV/AIDS prevention and education. She authored a training manual on HIV/AIDS that is currently used in all eight countries.
Sunny Walker has over 25 years experience in organizational development and strategic planning, cross-cultural partnerships, multi-organizational collaboration, group facilitation, facilitation training, conflict resolution, strategic planning, personal and professional growth, team-building, budget control and meeting management. She is a certified ToP Facilitator and a member of the International Association of Facilitators
R. Bruce Williams has more than 37 years experience as a master and certified facilitator focusing on instructional strategies, group facilitation, and staff collaboration. He has published eight books on these subjects, specializing in public education through facilitation skills.
