Kathlyn
Schaaf, President
Kathe is new to the WOVA Board but not new to WOVA
service. She was introduced to WOVA when she attended the 2002 Feminine
Face of Leadership Conference and subsequently volunteered to serve on
the Gather the Women Guiding Circle. She is the inspiration behind and
the coordinator of the Inaugural Gather the Women Congress: Weaving
a World that Works that took place in October 2003. She brings
to the board extensive administrative skills and experience in nonprofit
service. Her background includes a Masters Degree in Marriage and Family
Therapy. She is founder of Wise Woman Workshops, a vehicle through which
she provides workshops and seminars to empower women. She has served as
the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Positive Youth Development Initiative,
the Wisconsin Child Welfare Advisory Committee, served on many nonprofit
boards and convened numerous state and national conferences. (kathe@wova.org)
Lynn
Bieber, Vice President
Lynn Bieber has been a WOVA member since 1996,
served as the coordinator of WOVA's first annual retreat: Sourcing
Magnificence: Renewing the Feminine Within held
in Walnut Creek, California in February 2003 and as a lead facilitator
of WOVA's Feminine Face of Leadership Conference in February
of 2002. Lynn brings many gifts to her role as Board Member including
her expertise in group communication and process skills. Over the past
30 years as a family therapist she has developed her own view of the psyche
which she refers to as The Natural Self. This approach incorporates the
multiple levels of the expressive powers we each possess. Her desire to
see each person ignite the magnificence that resides within has been the
driving force in her work. She has trained and supervised other therapists
and taught numerous graduate level classes in her field. She has taught
family life education and relationship building skills to parents and
students. As a consultant to small businesses, hospitals, schools and
non-profit organizations Lynn as taught communication skills, organization
skills, team building and group process. Visit her website at: www.entrepreneurialhealer.com.
(Lynn@wova.org)
Shakira
Abdul-Ali
Shakira was introduced to WOVA when she attended
the February 2003 Retreat and Leadership Institute. She brings to the
Board her experience as a trainer, coach and organization development
professional. She has over 20 years of experience in developing and delivering
a wide array of human resource training, organizational effectiveness
and business development programs. She has counseled and coached hundreds
of individuals seeking to start or expand businesses; jumpstart or transform
careers; or improve professional performance and/or quality of life. She
has extensive experience in program planning, design, and implementation
and is widely recognized as a resourceful leader, dynamic facilitator
and strategic thinker. She is strongly committed to generating value through
organizational transformation that is grounded in group learning, team
building and consensus planning and management. Shakira received her baccalaureate
degree in Economics and Urban Studies from Wellesley College and her Master
of Science degree from the American University/NTL Program in Organization
Development. (shakira@wova.org)
Connie
Allen
Connie, founder of A New Vision for
Children, began her work in response to the emotional distress she saw
in children growing up in our modern world and the challenges experienced
by their loving parents and educators. As an expression of the joy she
finds in relating with children and watching them grow, she shares her
insights with others to increase their awareness of the emotional needs
of children. With a master's degree in psychology and over 20 years experience
teaching and working with children, families, and educators, Connie inspires
others to joyfully and courageously live their own truth. As a visionary
guide, trainer and consultant, Connie teaches the secrets of creating
truly joyful relationships with children of all ages and how to help all
children flourish as happy, successful people. Visit her website to learn
more: www.joywithchildren.com.
(connie@wova.org)
Donna
Collins
Donna Anderson Collins, feng shui expert, artist
and founder of The Everyday Feng Shui Company™, EarthLuck International
Society™, and the Texas Chapter of The International Feng Shui Guild™,
knows the value of change and the rewards of taking a chance. After
more than ten years in the cosmetic and spa industry and moves all over
the world, she changed career fields and made a name for herself in the
world of art and Chinese philosophy as the primary artist to the Saudi
Arabian Royal Family and a feng shui consultant and educator. Collins
concluded her Master certification in feng shui with Grand Master
Yap Cheng Hai of Malaysia in January 2003. A full time practitioner
since 1996 and a feng shui educator since 1997, Collins has created four
organizations to promote the art and science of feng shui, all devoted
to improving home, office, health and spirit. Determined to create
stress-free lives for her clients, students and family, Collins also completed
her licensing with The Institute of HeartMath this year. HeartMath
is the only scientifically-validated system of stress intervention techniques
and objective biometric feedback that quantifiably, and dramatically,
boosts the health and performance of individuals and organizations. For
more information about Donna and her work, please visit her websites at
The
Everyday Feng Shui Company and EarthLuck
International Society. (donna@wova.org)
Joyce
Sibson Dove
Joyce Sibson Dove is an attorney who practices in the area of corporate, probate and children's law. She went back to law school at 40 and has now practiced over 10 years; for the last year she has practiced with her daughter, Meghan Boudreau Daigle. Prior to becoming an attorney Joyce opened and ran factories in Asia, the Caribbean, and cottage industries in the US. She was born on the east coast and has lived throughout the country and in the Philippines. She has an active not for profit organization which helps orphans with the help of Rotary International. In 2003 the organization shipped $3 million / 25 tons of medical supplies to Ukraine, part of an ongoing effort since 1997 to help the 400 bed children's hospital there. Joyce is married with two children and lives in Tallahassee, Florida. Since 1985 Joyce has been involved with metaphysics and has joined the board to step up her participation in the seen and the unseen world. (joyce@wova.org)
Patrice
Edwards
Patrice is a gifted teacher, who brings a blend
of ancient wisdom, feminine power principles, and spiritual maturity to
her counseling work with individuals and groups. Her passion is to acknowledge
the potency in Femininity, sharing eternal Truths that empower healing
in this world. Recognizing Art as Ritual that heals and connects humanity
to the Spiritual realm, Patrice consults in cultural arts plannning. She
heads a spiritual life-coach practice in Western Washington and has worked
with hundreds of boards helping to define roles and responsibilities,
fundraising, strategic planning. You can find out more about Patrice by
visiting www.preciousandpowerful.com
(patrice@wova.org)
Sandy
Gaser
Over the past 30 years of life and
employment, Sandy has worked in administrative positions that require
leadership, communication, organization, writing, creative problem solving,
public relations and protocol. For most of her adult life she has also
been a social/political activist, continuing independent studies in sociology,
psychology and philosophy and she believes that synchronicity has played
a major part in her life experiences. Her highest goals are to connect
with others nationally and abroad, to communicate effectively and work
together for change in our social/political systems. Her desire is to
facilitate networking between women, in an effort to establish political
clout, and in promoting this movement in the media. She has begun a journey
and her traveling companions are the sisterhood of this world. (Sandy@wova.org)
Ronita
Johnson
Ronita is Principal of Inclusive Hearts, dedicated to
"creating opportunities for all voices to be heard and all hearts
to be included." As Diversity Consultant, Certified Life Coach and
International Circle Convener, she is dedicated to conscious evolution
through authenticity that encourages compassion and a spirit of loving-kindness.
She has served on several nonprofit boards and brings to the WOVA board
her leadership, planning, training and coaching skills. Her experience
has been that Women of Color often find reasons to say "no"
when asked to be a part of the foundation, energy and/or direction of
a particular movement. She has said "yes" to serving on WOVA's
board because she wants to be a part of the energy of wisdom that was
generated at the 2003 Gather the Women Congress and to be a part of weaving
a world that is kinder, gentler, more thoughtful, caring and appreciative
of all people and our planet. She feels that WOVA is like a new baby with
parents, godparents, guardians and community all offering nourishment
and guiding principles for the possibilities of a different kind of living.
"I offer myself, as a thread in this baby's life." (ronita@wova.org)
Marilyn
Nyborg, Member Liaison
Marilyn was introduced to WOVA through her service
as the Outreach Coordinator of the Gather the Women Guiding Circle and
the GTW Liaison. She brings to the board extensive leadership, group facilitation
and public speaking skills that she acquired through her work with Creative
Initiatives (Beyond War) and training with Jean Houston and Carolyn Myss.
She is the Sr. Partner in Nyborg-Dow Associates, a high tech recruiting
business with a 21 year track record. For the past 6 years she has produced
a newsletter "Seeing the World Through Women's Eyes" and is
currently involved in several community organizations focused on creating
peace, creating a mediation center, sponsoring mediation trainings, as
well as producing ongoing Gather the Women activities in her local community.
She lives on 8 acres of land situated on a private lake in Grass Valley,
CA where she and her partner hold workshops and other events. (Marilyn@wova.org)
Carol
Hansen Grey
Carol was appointed to WOVA's Board of Directors in October of 1999 and has served as WOVA's Executive Director since March, 2000. During her tenure she has helped WOVA expand its global reach through her development of the WOVA and Gather the Women websites and other online technologies and has moved WOVA in the direction of becoming a chaordic organization engaging in collaborative projects with other groups and networks. She is a nationally recognized motivational speaker, author, publisher, founder of the Lighten Up Process of Self Love, the Free Yourself from Fear process and the World Peace Experiment. She serves on the founding board of the Living Directory Trust, manages Open Heart Press Publishing and Distribution Company, runs a specialized design company, Collage Keepsakes and is a partner with her husband Victor Grey in their web development company, CustomDynamic.net In 1993 she co-founded the Reunion Center of Light, an alternative healing center located in Pleasant Hill, CA and served as one of its coordinators for over three years, as manager of its Feng Shui Arts Store/Bookstore and editor/publisher of its 40 page quarterly newsletter, The Beacon, with a distribution of over 5000 in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has also served on the founding board of the Health Medicine Forum, a group of 400 medical doctors and complimentary therapists working together to bring "health" into the practice of medicine and on Barbara Marx Hubbard's Guiding Circle of Evolutionary Circles. (carol@wova.org)