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PWRDF elects new board of directors

January 21, 2008

By pwrdf

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Toronto — The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF)  has elected a new Board of Directors that reflects a rich diversity and acknowledges its strong connection to international partners.
The board of 18 includes three leaders in international development, several Anglicans with international development experience, governance and finance expertise, significant health sector experience, and extensive public engagement expertise. The board sets policy which provides the strategic direction for the organization.
The Most Rev. Archbishop Fred Hiltz, the Primate, is the president of the Board of Directors of The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund. The former Bishop of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island was elected the 13th Primate of The Anglican Church of Canada at its General Synod in Winnipeg in 2007. Archbishop Hiltz was elected assistant bishop of the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in 1995 and elected diocesan bishop in 2002. He was a member of the Council of General Synod from 2001 to 2004 and has served as the Anglican co-chair of the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission since 2006.
Denise Hambidge of New Westminister, B.C. is the vice-president. She has extensive experience at all levels of the wider church and especially with PWRDF as a long-time member of the PWRDF diocesan unit in New Westminister. Her involvement in the mission work of the church dates back to her life and work in Tanzania as a Volunteer in Mission with her husband. She provides strong leadership to the development program and public engagement activities of PWRDF.
Laura Marie Piotrowicz of Hamilton, ON is the board secretary. She has extensive experience at all levels of the wider Anglican Church and especially with PWRDF as a youth representative at the World Council of Churches’ 9th Assembly in Mutirão and as a member of her diocesan PWRDF committee. Laura is aspiring to a PhD in liberation theology to add to her MDiv and ThM. She has travel and field experience with aid agencies, experience in social justice and environmental advocacy and is fluent in French and Spanish.
Jim Cullen of Mississauga is board treasurer. He has worked in a variety of positions at Church House since joining General Synod in 1997. He has served as treasurer and director of financial management and development, and directed the finances of the national office through both the incorporation of the pensions department and PWRDF. He has planned his retirement a number of times but his extensive knowledge and commitment to all things related to General Synod have prevented this from taking place.
International Partners
Mara Lucia Manzoni Luz of Salvador, Brazil was elected as an international partner from Latin America in November, 2004. She works at CESE  (Ecumenical Coordination for Service in Salvador). She formerly worked at CREAS (Regional Ecumenical Centre of Advice and Service) through which she helped to develop capacity-building programs with churches, local organizations and ecumenical initiatives throughout South America.  She facilitated a roundtable discussion between PWRDF and partners in Brazil in 2003, and in 2006 participated as a member of the leadership team in the Canada-Central America Ecumenical Dialogue.
Dr. William Ogara of  Nairobi, Kenya  was born in Kenya. He came to PWRDF with a finance and development background. He initially worked in an international audit firm for eight years as a certified public accountant before moving in to consultancy work with CORAT Africa, a Pan-African Christian non-profit organization which exists to improve management and leadership capability in churches in Africa. At CORAT, he is responsible for consultancy assignments which include accompanying churches and church-related organizations through processes of change and renewal; leadership development and facilitating partner consultations and evaluations.
Farida Akhter of Dhaka, Bangladesh is executive director of UBINIG (Policy Research for Development Alternative) in Bangladesh, an organization that works with rural and urban women and has been a PWRDF partner for the last 10 years. She also runs Nagigrantha Prabartana, the only feminist bookstore in Bangladesh that has become an important meeting place for women. In her role as a journalist, she has extensive experience in research and networking on development and women’s rights.
Indigenous Partner
Dr. Kaherakwas Donna Goodleaf of Kahnawake Mohawk Territory, Que. earned a masters degree and a doctorate degree in multicultural education from the University of Massachusetts. She is the author of a book titled, Entering The War Zone: A Mohawk Perspective on Resisting Invasions, published in 1995. She also served as former associate director for the First Nations and Inuit teacher training program at McGill University, and has taught at various colleges and universities in Canada and the United States. She is the executive director of the Kanien’kehaka Onkwanen:na Raotitiohkwa Language and Cultural Centre.

Youth Council Representative
Eric Traficante of Guelph, Ont. spent the summer of 2007 as the Youth Initiative intern with PWRDF, working with Rob Shearer on many of the new initiatives and programs. With a wide range of interests and experiences, both in the world of music and in social justice advocacy, he has spent much time on broadening his knowledge of the workings of PWRDF and its relation to youth in the church. He has a passion for science and mathematics and as such has good communication, interpersonal and computer skills. He is in his first year at the University of Guelph, in biomedical sciences.

Diocesan Representatives
Dr. Vivian Ayoungman is from the Siksika First Nation east of Calgary, AB. She received a doctorate of education degree, majoring in elementary curriculum and instruction. She has devoted many years to committee and volunteer work, including the Canadian Aboriginal Science and technology Society and the National Indian Education Council. She has been director of education for the Treaty 7 Trial Council since 1991. She is concurrently the acting executive director of the First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium (FNAHEC).
Edward Lewis of Victoria, B.C. brings his lengthy experience of the Anglican Church and his strengths in journalism, communications and futuristic thinking about communications with parishes and dioceses to the board. A parish priest, he has also served as the editor of three diocesan newspapers in addition to serving on both the General Synod information resources committee and the board of directors of the Anglican Journal.

Chris Longson
of Calgary, Alta.  has worked in diocesan and parish conferences for PWRDF, serving in several capacities. He was born in New Zealand and has lived in Malaysia, China, UK, Netherlands and Canada where he works as an engineer. He has visited several PWRDF projects in El Salvador and Tanzania.
Tom Morgan of Saskatoon, Sask. has served as Archbishop of Saskatoon from 2000 through his retirement in 2003. He began his ministry as chaplain with the Blackburn Royal Infirmary, UK, and continued as curate and rector in several rural parishes in Saskatchewan beginning in 1969. In 1985, he was ordained Bishop of Saskatoon, a position he held until his installation as Archbishop of Saskatoon in 2000. In addition to parish and diocesan work, he has served on various boards including the Anglican Church of Canada Pension Committee.
Judy Oatway of Montreal has participated in strategic planning and implemented parish ministries in her diocese and has extensive experience in the workings of the Anglican Church of Canada. With a B.A. and an M.A. in theology, she has developed and implemented educational programs and studied historic sites. She has served on parish advisory boards and various community boards. Judy is presently the chair of the Montreal PWRDF diocesan unit and has reinvigorated and enlivened the work of PWRDF there.
Philip Poole of Toronto, Ont. Is the Suffragan Bishop for the Diocese of Toronto with responsibilities for York Credit Valley. He has extensive experience serving on boards and committees for General Synod and in the secular community. He has conducted workshops and is the author of several articles and publications. He travelled to South Africa in 2002 with the Compass Rose Society to witness the work of our church around HIV and AIDS.
David Pritchard of Whitehorse, Yukon is a retired priest from the Yukon who has been PWRDF diocesan voting representative since 2004. He spent 16 years in Swaziland and has considerable experience with southern African NGOs, including over 12 years as executive director of a Swai NGO in substance abuse. He brings a lifetime of experience in education and serving through church and community boards and organizations, both in Canada and abroad.
Lynn Ross of Magog, Quebec, has been actively involved at both the parish and the diocesan levels with PWRDF and the wider Anglican Church. A parish priest, he has served as editor of the Quebec Diocesan Gazette, sat on the boards of the International Anglican Consultative Council, General Synod and as a communications contact at Lambeth ’98. He also has extensive experience in the mental health field, acquiared while sitting as a member of Board AMI Quebec and Mental Health Estrie, Sherbrooke. He has expertise in communications, advocacy, financial development, international associations, and communicates to a wider constituency through his photography.
Rev. Dr. Adela Torchia of Jasper, Alta has a master’s degree in liberation theology and a PhD in ecology and world religions, thus pursing both human justice and eco-justice questions. In earlier years as a roman Catholic, she worked locally on various CCODP projects and also supported the work of UNICEF in various ways. An ordained Anglican priest in the Diocese of Edmonton, Adela is the incumbent of St. Mary and St. George Church in Jasper. She is a tutor for Athabaska University and has worked in church journalism and post-secondary education for many years. She has been attracted to PWRDF work through eco-justice issues and empowering women in the fight against HIV and AIDS.  

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