Founding Board of Directors

These are the brave souls who stepped up to turn the Open Forum Foundation from an idea into a living, breathing, incorporated entity.

President Shadee Malaklou

“A native of what has been popularly dubbed “Tehran-geles” (Los Angeles, California), I grew up in Southern California before moving to North Carolina in 2003 to study at Duke University.  I graduated in 2007 with a double major in Cultural Anthropology and Women’s Studies.

“I speak Farsi fluently and have a working knowledge of Arabic.  I currently reside in Washington, DC, where I work with women from Iraq as part of State Department-funded programming.  My interest in the Open Forum Foundation stems from a desire to understand foreign governments, especially in the Middle East, and to enable voters in those countries.”

Vice President Ellen Williams

“I am excited to be part of this effort, especially in light of today’s political climate. It cannot be denied that what happens here has ripple effects globally, whether it’s with regard to banking, pollution, or aggression. And vice versa of course. So the more communication we have with our leaders, locally and internationally, the better.

“My background is in behavioral health. I have a Ph.D. in clinical psychology which I finished in 1991. I am currently enrolled in an MBA program which has proven to be both more challenging and more interesting than I imagined. I have held a wide variety of positions in my field. I’ve worked in the public sector in Hawai’i and New Mexico in programs related to the school system and the health system. I have worked in the private sector for large for-profit corporations in Hawai’i and Tennessee in the hey-day of managed mental health care; start-up behavioral health programs in Hawai’i for underserved youth; non-profit hospital systems in Hawai’i and Florida; as a business owner in private practice in Hawai’i; in community mental health in Florida; and as an instructor, internship supervisor, and dissertation chair for an online university.

“I currently reside in Jacksonville, Florida and am the Director of Behavioral Health for a large hospital system that serves 3 counties in Northeast Florida. We operate 4 hospitals, one of which has a full service behavioral health unit for adults and children including inpatient, intensive outpatient and a 24/7 call center. An offsite outpatient behavioral health department operates 6 offices in 3 counties.”

Secretary Kristen Guskovict

“I grew up in South East Michigan and received my B.A. in International Relations and Human Rights from Webster University in St. Louis, MO.  After graduating, I joined the Peace Corps and lived in Burkina Faso, West Africa as a Health Volunteer for two years.  Upon returning to the U.S. I decided I needed a better understanding of poverty and the social welfare system here in the U.S. Therefore, I took a job with a local food bank in Hartford, Connecticut.  After several years, I decided to continue focusing on the the needs of vulnerable populations so I returned to school.

“Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work and study in Australia, Europe, the Philippines and Africa. I have over eight years of non-profit management experience working in both domestic and international social services.

“I received my M.S. in Global Affairs focusing on Humanitarian Relief in 2007 from New York University. Currently, I am the Assistant Director for the Safe Haven Field Coordination Program with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS). In this role I work with unaccompanied, undocumented minors who have entered immigration proceedings in the U.S. I am responsible for overseeing program activities to ensure they meet the highest child welfare standards and comply with the terms of a contractual agreement between LIRS and the Office for Refugee Resettlement.”

Treasurer: Patrick Benz

“I received a B.A. in European History from Georgetown University in 2002 and an M.S. in Global Affairs focusing on private sector development from NYU in 2007.  I am now working for a large firm as a project manager specializing in discretionary and as of right tax incentives for commercial and industrial properties and business owners throughout the NY area.

“I also work closely with my brother who owns a fair trade export business based in Indonesia (with additional offices in Cambodia and Kenya).  We work closely with the IFC and provide resources and capacity building to our artisan communities.”

Carolyn Kissane, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.

Clinical Associate Professor of Global Affairs, NYU Center for Global Affairs

Carolyn Kissane received her Ph.D. from Columbia University in Comparative and International Education with areas of specialization in: Political Science, Post-Soviet Transformation, and NGOs.  She currently teaches course in the areas of Global Civil Society, the Geopolitics of Oil, regional courses on Central Asia and China, and International and National Women’s Movements.  She is also the NYU Coordinator for the Women’s Initiative.  She received the Distinguished Teaching Award for Excellence in the spring of 2006. She held a National Security Graduate Enhancement Language and Area Studies Fellowhip for one year of study in Kazakhstan and Russia, and was the recipient of a Fulbright Hayes Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship for her research on Post Soviet changes in the teaching of history.  She was awarded a scholar-in-residence grant from the Kennan Institute in Washington, DC, an International Research and Exchange Board Grant for field study in the Republic of Kazakhstan and a two-year fellowship from the Carnegie Council for Ethics and International Affairs. She is author of numerous published journal articles and is currently examining public policy, nongovernmental organizations and finance in petroleum rich countries. She serves on the Advisory Board for Art for Refugees in Transition.  Prior to joining NYU, Kissane taught at Colgate University and Columbia University.

Areas of Expertise:

Energy Issues Involving Central Asia and Russia
Social Movements
NGO’s and Civil Society
Public-private Partnerships
Societies in Transition
International Educational Development
Education
Public Policy