Provost at Acacia University, the Online Graduate School for Educators, Dr. Henley holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Educational Administration and Supervision and a Master’s degree in special education for emotionally handicapped K-12.

Dr. Henley has been a teacher, principal, and an administrator for many years and has been involved in the online professional development and graduate education for more than 20 years.  Dr. Henley is founder of the American Graduate School of Education and Acacia University and enjoys collaborating with all of the Teacher-Learners.  On a personal note, she and her husband enjoy spending time at her mountain cabin, going on jeep trips in Colorado, and visiting grandchildren. She has always enjoyed traveling and experiencing new adventures.  She visits many schools in Egypt, United Arab Emirates, China, South America, Mexico, and in many states in the USA.

Education is the BEST and MOST CHALLENGING of all professions is Dr. Henley’s motto.

Dr. Marilynn Henley

Rees Candee has been producing, writing and directing programs for 43 years with his company, Candee Productions, Inc. Since graduating from the University of Wisconsin in 1975 with a B.A. in Television and Film, Rees has created more than 2000 programs on a diverse number of topics and a for variety of clients. He creates documentaries, concert films, TV spots and educational and marketing communications. Candee Productions builds programs per commission and conceives and self publishes independent programs. Rees’ pieces have been recognized with numerous awards including a regional “EMMY”, “TELLY”s, “CINE” Golden Eagles, Gold “AURORA”s, Gold “PHILO”s, “INTERCOM” awards and many festival awards. Rees can be reached at rwcandee@gmail.com or 480-223.2684.

Rees W. Candee

Maureen Geraghty

An entrepreneur at heart and is someone who organizes and manages enterprises with enthusiasm and determination. Maureen has over 25 years of business experience, including sales, marketing, planning, budgeting, fundraising, and product development; and over 12 years’ experience in early childhood education. Her educational background includes directing, teaching, training both teachers and parents, and writing and developing an integrated curriculum with a series of children’s books on virtue education. Her passion is connecting people through communication, such that they are left touched, moved, and inspired. Maureen’s strong leadership skills provide those she serves with support and resources to develop themselves personally and professionally. She is passionate about making a difference and is a strong advocate for the homeless and under-represented populations in Arizona and beyond borders. Her expertise is in bringing big picture understanding and emotional intelligence to the table along with a hands-on application from a deep knowledge of system methods and principles. She enjoys discovering creative ways to define and develop her interests professionally, such as exploring how to make a difference in the world creating fun and play activities, and she fosters ease in other’s lives through art and self-expression. A lifelong learner, Maureen embraces community service and is as an integral part of the World Connections Foundation team where harmony is valued and efforts are paramount to creating and being the change needed in the world.

Rasheryl McCreary, PCC, is an Executive Leadership Coach, Leadership Development Consultant and Keynote Speaker with deep expertise in Brand Strategy, Leadership Presence and Communications for Leaders and Organizations. She is the CEO of TAO Leadership Development, Inc. and has trained/coached thousands of leaders at some of the world’s biggest brands, such as: Amex, Capital One, P&G, Cisco, HBO, PayPal, The Central Intelligence Agency, and Harvard Business School. </P?

She is the Founder / Creator / Host of:

• LeadHERship Presence™ and A Woman’s Voice™ for Professional Women
• Brand Y.O.U. ™Business Lab for Entrepreneurs
• The Virtual Presence Webinar Series for Citrix
• The Leader & The Muse Radio Show™
• The Communicate with Impact for Virtual Teams™ Podcast

Rasheryl is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, and a recipient of the Marshall Memorial Fellowship and the Northern Ohio Live Award of Achievement. Prior to her leadership consulting career, Rasheryl was an award-winning professional theater actress/writer/director and founder of the non-profit organization, The Living Legacy Project, Inc. (LLPI) which used theater to teach leadership skills to at-risk and high-potential youth. For her work with LLPI, Rasheryl was awarded the prestigious Marshall Memorial Fellowship.

In 1993, Rasheryl received her Spiritual Practitioner license at Agape International Spiritual Center under the tutelage of Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith. She currently serves as the Director of Practitioners at New Vision Center for Spiritual Living in Phoenix, Arizona.

Rasheryl McCreary, PCC

Gloria Petersen, CPP

Gloria Petersen is an Author, Trainer Speaker. She is founder/president of Global Protocol, Inc. Her dynamic presentations have inspired audiences for over 25 years to handle professional and social situations with class and finesse. Gloria is a graduate of the Protocol School of Washington® and received her certification from The Professional Image Institute. Gloria is a renowned Certified Protocol Professional and author of The Art of Professional Connections, a four-guidebook series with companion Subject Matter Expert (SME) training modules. Her clients range from Fortune 100 companies to emerging entrepreneurs. Gloria hosted the FOX television series, “Image of Success,” served as etiquette judge on The Learning Channel, and has served as an expert on numerous radio and television shows. She has also published articles and served as a contributing columnist for
magazines, trade publications, and corporate newsletters.

Steven Eric Connor is a Communication Expert, International Life Coach, Certified Negotiation Expert in Real Estate, Leadership Facilitator, Train-the-Trainer, Author, Philanthropist, Founder of Unconditional Self Empowerment™ and Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Realtor ®.
For more than 30 years, Steven has been enlightening thousands of people in teaching the science and power of communication. He was specifically selected to create sales and training curriculum for a national company with more than 60,000 business clients. He was one of seven Divisional VPs in developing a national sales team from 29 offices to 130 offices in 10 years—all making a profit within first 60 days of opening.

As a writer and journalist at the age of 16, Steven is one of the most influential communicators in the world. He touches the hearts and souls of his audience and clients, regardless of culture, age or previous life experiences. His one-on-one and group coaching services range from facilitating dynamic workshops, identifying communication styles, and improving work/life balance. Steven Eric Connor’s personal motto is: “Define yourself based on your vision, not your history. Change takes time, breakthroughs happen in an instant!” Steven has served on non-profit board for the past 30 years. He currently resides in Paradise Valley with his wife; they spend as much time as they can with their 5 children and 10 grandchildren.

Steven Eric Connor 

Chantel Dooley

Chantel Dooley works in Impact Assessment for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). Chantel is the proud surviving fiancée of Captain Alex J Stanton, United States Air Force. In honor of Alex, a Special Agent with the Office of Special Investigations in Phoenix, Arizona, Chantel joined TAPS as a survivor and is now giving back to continue the mission of providing comfort, care, and resources for all who grieve the death of a military loved one. Chantel holds a BS in Biology from Arizona State University, an MA in Secondary Education from the University of Phoenix, and will earn her Ph.D. from Grand Canyon University.

Chantel began her career as a high school biology teacher using the pedagogical practice of Modeling Instruction with the American Modeling Teachers Association. She now serves as a board member for ATHENA Valley of the Sun as the Honoring ATHENA Inspired Leaders Committee Chair. Chantel is also serving as a Member-at-Large on the Board of Directors with the American Modeling Teachers Association. Chantel is a student member with National Training Laboratories and a member of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Chantel is proud to be a supporter of the World Connections Foundation and looks forward to the continued collaboration in support of educational efforts worldwide. Working with the World Connections Foundation enables Chantel to combine her purposes in life; her love of education, her belief in the empowerment of others, and connecting all who live with the beating broken hearts over the loss of a military loved one.

For over 25 years, Victor Smilgys has been involved in the IT sector of the Financial Services industry. He started bringing PC based banking services to consumers in the early 90’s. As the Internet started to become mainstream he shifted towards web development designing the first commercial website for a technology-based credit union in the Silicon Valley in 1996. As the internet evolved so did his skill set in developing sophisticated interactive award winning transactional websites that was still simple and easy to use for the average consumer. Today he is Vice-President of Digital Services for a billion-dollar credit union that serves high-tech industry leaders such as Apple, Google and Intel. Victor holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and certifications in web development, web design, and internet technologies.

Victor Smilgys

Dr. Linda J. Miller

Dr. Linda J. Miller is a leader, consultant, educator, and entrepreneur with expertise in leadership, employee engagement, and innovative work behavior contributing to continuous innovation.  Linda has results-oriented competencies and success driving and exploiting useful organizational change and innovation.  Linda has earned several industry certifications including Project Management’s PgMP and PMP; Toastmaster International’s distinguished Toastmaster designation (DTM), Scrum Master, Carnegie Melons’ SEI-CMMI, DevOps, HIPPA, and Executive Leadership.  Linda applies her excellent adaptive leadership style to build a strong coalition, obtain consensus, and motivate high-performance teams to meet the customer targets and the needs of the fast-paced, evolving marketplace.  Linda has managed multi-million-dollar project portfolios impacting enterprise teams across numerous industries including healthcare, finance, electronics, energy, education, and insurance.  Linda uses proven skills, tools, methods, and techniques to assist organizations to create and implement strategies promoting a culture of continuous innovation. Linda has a DBA (Doctor of Business Administration) in the field of Strategy & Innovation from Capella University, an MBA from Grand Canyon University and a BSBA in Management Information Systems from Tennessee Technological University.   Linda’s mission to serve others is demonstrated in her volunteerism and entrepreneurial work.  Linda serves on two boards including Athena Valley of the Sun chapter of Athena International supporting emerging, evolving, and established women leaders and World Connections Foundation helping to advance intercultural education and leadership.  Linda is a part-time adjunct faculty in the business department of Northern Arizona University and for thirteen years was adjunct faculty in the business and technology department at Paradise Valley Community College in Arizona.  Linda is the founder of Guide de Vin sharing tasting and cellar management expertise or simply cultural history and science experienced and expressed through wine.  Linda founded Lead with Innovation which provides superior lean portfolio consultancy services.

Anne Butler Montgomery has worked as a television sportscaster, newspaper and magazine writer, teacher, amateur baseball umpire, and high school football referee. Her first TV job came at WRBL-TV in Columbus, Georgia, and led to positions at WROC-TV in Rochester, New York, KTSP-TV in Phoenix, Arizona, and ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where she anchored the Emmy and ACE award-winning SportsCenter. She finished her on-camera broadcasting career with a two-year stint as the studio host for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Montgomery was a freelance and/or staff reporter for six publications, writing sports, features, movie reviews and archaeological pieces. Her novels include: The Scent of Rain and A Light in the Desert. Montgomery teaches journalism at South Mountain High School in Phoenix, is a foster mom to three sons, and is an Arizona Interscholastic Association football referee and crew chief. When she can, she indulges in her passions: rock collecting, football officiating, scuba-diving, and playing her guitar.

Anne Montgomery

Dan Kulmala

Dan Kulmala is a Professor of English who has considerable international experience in education. After completing his PhD in English at the University of Kansas, Dan Kulmala accepted a position at Fort Hays State University in Hays, KS. His professional interests have gravitated away from the study of drama and theater to essay writing, transfer of learning, performance-based learning, innovative curriculum development, instructional design, online learning and Global English. With a focused interest in theories of the post-modern university, he develops new programs of study and re-designs existing courses at FHSU. He has been awarded a Teagle Foundation Teaching and Learning Scholar position and serves on the Advisory Board for SXSWedu. As a leader, he has held positions as Assistant Dean of the Graduate School, Chair of Modern Languages, and the Executive Dean of Academic Affairs, Asia Programs at Fort Hays State University. Current projects include an English Composition textbook entitled Learning through Writing to be published by Great River Learning.

Dr. Robin Massey has more than 20 years’ experience in academia and leadership in a variety of organizations. Trained as an Industrial Organizational Psychologist, Dr. Massey works in K-12, college, and university classrooms as an educator and as an advisor and coach to organizational leaders. She is a trusted advisor and consultant to leaders of faith-based organizations, non-profits, and other entities. Through her work in neuro-diversity, compassion fatigue, and professional resiliency, she helps to improve health, relationships, engagement, and performance of individuals and organizations. Using a trauma informed approach to transforming organizations Dr. Massey focuses on developing leaders, building compassionate communities, and sustaining cultural change. Dr. Massey’s unique talent as a connector allows her to facilitate relationships and bring individuals together to form positive environments where people can thrive.

Robin L. Massey, PhD

Dr. Cynthia Lopez

Dr. Cynthia Lopez is a retired educator with more than forty years of experience in Texas public schools and is now serving as an adjunct professor for Acacia University. In 1971, she began her professional experience as a high school English teacher and then earned a Master of Education in Secondary Education in 1974. Later, she earned a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas Pan American. She has also served as an adjunct professor for Mary Hardin Baylor University and the University of Texas Pan American. Her professorship includes teaching English courses and curriculum and instruction as well as instructional leadership education courses. Before retiring, she was an assistant superintendent in the El Paso area for seven years. Her administrative experiences include designing curriculum, school accountability, and the supervision and mentoring of teachers, principals and district administrators. Her dissertation examines school improvement, the process of reculturation, cultural belief systems, leadership roles for continuous improvement, teaching and learning, student support systems and change factors. Her presentations at national conferences include leading successful school turnarounds and transformations. She has served as an AdvancED Lead Evaluator and team member for more than fifty reviews.

Dr. Miller is a respected scholar and practitioner applying his passion and expertise to serve his family, profession, and community with the utmost integrity. Dr. Miller is recognized and acknowledged by his business associates, customers, and his fraternity of academic scholars, peers, and doctoral students for his excellence in business, academic acumen, and dedication to serve and help others. In 1975, Andrew Miller received his Ph.D. in Psychology from Arizona State University and received his Arizona Psychology License with a specialization in counseling and clinical psychology. For the next 15 years, Dr. Miller was a private practitioner and principle partner with a successful group of psychologists and psychiatrists who owned the Institute for Human Services located in the St. Luke’s Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. During that time, Dr. Miller received the Distinguished Service Award from the Arizona State Psychological Association. He further served the community by designing and implementing therapy and clinical programs specializing in the treatment for eating disorders and chronic illnesses. Dr. Miller was elected as the Phoenix chapter President of the Health Psychology Association and served from 1985 – 1995, opening and operating a JACHO accredited hospital called Willow Creek Hospital and Treatment Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. JACHO (Joint Commission International) provides accreditation standards for patient safety and quality of health care in the international community. At Willow Creek, Dr. Miller established an innovative and effective model using a team approach to treat patients with eating disorders. In the late 1990s, Dr. Miller received a grant from Banner/Samaritan Medical Systems and served as the Chief Investigator successfully conducting clinical trials for chronically ill patients. At several medical conferences for members of national medical associations, Dr. Miller presented the evidential research results for the completed study used to advance research to help the chronically ill. In 2011, Dr. Miller focused on well-being and, as a principle partner, garnered funding for a start-up business called WellBeingisNatural, Inc., (www.wellbeinisnatural.com). WellbeingisNatural, Inc. is supported by a board of prominent doctors and financial investors where he has helped military families and other individuals cope with chronic illnesses facilitating a higher-level of functioning. Dr. Miller joined Grand Canyon University as an adjunct faculty in 2015 and serves as Dissertation Chair within the Psychology Department and instructor for doctoral content courses. Dr. Miller is truly honored to serve as an advisor on the board for the World Connections Foundation helping to advance intercultural education and leadership.

Dr. Andrew Miller

Glenda Lambert

Glenda Lambert is a native of Suriname and has lived in the US since 1989. Since 2004, Glenda has been an ‘English as a Second Language’ teacher at Tempe Schools and Gateway Community college. Her bi-cultural background and focus on community collaboration has led her to a number of volunteer opportunities and community leadership roles. Glenda received her Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies and a Master degree in Education and TESOL at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ. She is married to Maxwell and has 2 daughters Mahogany and Yasmine and a son Richman.

Cheryl Watkins is executive director and founder of Student Assistance Training International, a non-profit organization dedicated to the development and training of school & personnel in Student Assistance Programs. Cheryl was the creator and district coordinator of the first Student Assistance Program in Arizona for a period of 10 years. Under her guidance, the program became a state and national model recognized by school districts throughout the United States. In addition, Cheryl has been instrumental in spearheading national and state school substance abuse legislation and has trained schools in 50 United States and 30 foreign countries. Her program was recommended to the Welsh Assembly Government as “Best Practice” in Managing Challenging Pupil Behavior and as a National Resource on Student Assistance Programs by SAMHSA in “Help is Down the Hall, A Handbook on Student Assistance.”

Ms. Watkins honors include the United States Student Assistance Program Professional of the Year, National Rural Institute on Addiction “Harold Hughes” Exceptional Rural Professional of the Year, Phoenix Woman of the Year, National Federation of Parents for Drug-Free Youth Recognition Award, National Council on Alcoholism Bronze Key Award, and the 2013 National Association of Children of Alcoholics Claudia Black/Robert Ackerman Life Time Service Award.

Cheryl has served on the following boards: The National Association of Leadership for Student Assistance Programs (founding board member); National Prevention Task Force (co-founder/past president), consultant and trainer to the National Organization of Student Assistance Programs and Professionals, National Association of Children of Alcoholics, National Association of Prevention Professionals and Advocates, the National Council on Alcoholism and founding board member of Students Assistance Training United Kingdom.

Cheryl Watkins

Lynn Moran, MBA, ACC, BCC

Lynn Moran is a Professional and Board Certified Coach. She is a Leadership and Executive Coach, Business Advisor and Consultant. Lynn is the CEO of Sonoran Life Transition and Performance Coaching and the Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Arizona Coaching and Consulting. Prior Lynn was the President of Ethel M® Chocolates, the retail, B2B and direct-to-consumer confectionery business within Mars, Inc., one of the largest food companies in the world. Lynn’s key accomplishments at Ethel M included talent development and organization alignment, repositioning and enhancing the brand image, packaging redesign and relaunch and expanding the reach and presence of the product line into event marketing and high visibility, upscale retailers. As part of the Company’s community involvement, Lynn designed and launched the “Feed Your Mind” literacy program to encourage a love of reading in youth. Funds were awarded to support two key reading initiatives for children. In 2002, she was named one of the Most Influential Businesswomen in Southern Nevada. Lynn has a BS in Business Administration from Centenary College and a MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University, is a professionally trained and certified coach, and Six Sigma Green Belt. Board Memberships include the Arizona Women’s Leadership Forum and the Institute for the Advancement of AD/HD Coaching where she was a two-term Board President. She was also a Board member of HELP of Southern Nevada and the Southwest Job Network. Lynn is currently the President of the Centenary College President’s Circle and was an Adjunct Professor at Centenary where she taught Principles of Marketing and Organization Design and Behavior courses. Lynn works with individuals, leadership teams and companies to ensure they achieve their highest level of leadership effectiveness and business performance. She speaks at meetings and conferences on and delivers training workshops on subjects as diverse as Performance Leadership, Building A Personal Leadership Brand, Effectively Leading a Multi-Generation Workforce, Effectively Managing Conflict, Managing the Overwhelm, and other popular business and leadership topics. In addition to her speaking engagements, Lynn has done a ½ hour show on the “Circles of Change” radio program for the last several years. She also regularly appeared on local television in Las Vegas. In addition to her business passion around the optimal performance and impact of leaders, teams and companies, Lynn regularly volunteers in her local community and is active in numerous fundraising initiatives.

Dr. McCollum

Dr. McCollum served as the 2013-2014 President of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the largest food and nutrition professional organization in the world, with over 75,000 members of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) and Dietetic Technicians Registered (DTR). A professional in the field of nutrition for over 20 years, Glenna currently serves as the Vice President of Health and Nutrition for PhycoBiosciences, an agricultural firm focused on sustainability. She served as Director of Nutrition for Central Arizona College for over 17 years, where her innovative, nationwide distance learning programs were offered to students from the military, public health, clinical settings, extended care, school nutrition programs, wellness clinics and more. In Arizona, she is a member of the board of directors for Project CENTRL (Center for Rural and Agricultural Leadership), was a founding member of Gold Canyon Bank, and the inaugural president of Chandler University. In her native community of Chandler AZ, she served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Chandler Education Foundation raising over $1M annually in support of scholarships, grants, and educational projects. Glenna received the Academy’s Outstanding Educator of the Year, was Arizona’s Outstanding Dietitian of the Year, the Outstanding Woman of Chandler and also received the Community Service Award from Project CENTRL. McCollum received her Doctorate in Management and Organizational Leadership from the University of Phoenix where collaboration was the focus of her dissertation. She also received her Master’s in Public Health from Loma Linda University, and two Bachelor of Science degrees from Arizona State University (nutrition and public health).

Dr. Cindy Bradford is the retired AdvancED State Director for Texas, a former professor and superintendent of schools. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and journalism from Baylor University, a masters and Ph.D. from the University of North Texas where she was later recognized as an “Outstanding Alumnus.”

Her career began when she signed on as a high school English/journalism teacher, but she quickly became the district’s Director of Communications and then served in various other administrative positions, including Superintendent of Schools for a suburban district outside Dallas with more than 8,000 students and 12 campuses. While also serving as an adjunct professor of educational administration at a local university during her time as superintendent, she found another niche—preparing young educators to become instructional leaders and left the superintendency to take a graduate professorship at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley (formerly University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB). At UTB she gained tenure and was recognized for “exceptional merit.” After “her first retirement,” she began leading teams for SACS/CASI TEXAS (AdvancED), and soon became a field consultant. Over a 15-year period, she led more than 500 AdvancED accreditation teams in Texas, as well as for international services and for Department of Defense schools. She has been to 62 countries for either educational business or personal travel.

Dr. Bradford has also served as an educational specialist for low-performing schools, contracted by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), and as an independent consultant for Title-One schools. She has been a speaker at various state and national conferences as well as for local motivational venues. Dr. Bradford is a published author of numerous professional articles and three mainstream contemporary novels. She is currently serving as an adjunct professor for dissertation committees for Acacia University.

Dr. Cindy Bradford

Grant Noel

Grant Noel is the Founder and CEO of World Music Stage, a music record label, management and publishing company. “I love music. I’ve been a music fan my whole life, and a would-be musician for the last 15 years. I’ve met hundreds of talented music artists, and if I’ve realized anything, it’s that music is meant to be shared; and dreams of making it should be and are possible. That’s why I created World Music Stage, a place dedicated to sharing music and making dreams come true. As for the name, it pretty much wrote itself.” Grant and his wife moved to the U.S. from Canada in 1989, becoming U.S. citizens shortly thereafter. Grant’s background includes being one of Canada’s top Investment Executives in the financial services industry and 20+ years in the computer industry working on large-scale integrated systems.

Jane Kwa is a fashion entrepreneur. Born in Singapore, she has an international management consulting background having worked and lived in many countries. She now owns her own fashion business. Her product lines are carried in high-end boutiques in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Jane holds a Bachelor of Mathematics and History from The National University of Singapore and an MBA in International Business from Business School Sao Paulo – University of Toronto. Jane is Head of Business Solutions for Sparx Logistics, and International Management Consulting Company that advises many of the Fortune 500 companies. She enjoys cooking and traveling and is mum to Chloe, a 15-year high school sophomore.

Jane Kwa

Dr. Kristine Quade

Dr. Kristine Quade is an internationally recognized management consultant having worked with more than 200 clients in over 20 countries. She combines her experiences and education to help her clients learn how to thrive during times of rapid change. Dr Quade is recognized as a leading edge by her peers, teaches in Masters and Doctoral programs at seven Universities, is a frequent presenter at the international conferences and has published seven books and numerous articles on change.

Based on her over 40 years of work with change in individuals and organizations, Kristine has come to learn that what used to work, no longer does. She has researched and developed a different way of approaching chaotic, unpredictable change and her tools are easily applicable to leadership, team effectiveness, influencing the dynamics of change, global strategic thinking, creativity and innovation, and accomplishing what others say is impossible.

Dr Quade is currently focusing her efforts on training and placing women on Boards of Directors and utilizing the ATHENA Leadership Principles to strengthen women leaders around the globe.Her areas of expertise includes leadership, team effectiveness, influencing the dynamics of change, global strategic thinking, creativity and innovation, and developing capacity for change.

Mel Sellick

Mel Sellick is an international journalist, media coach and awareness development expert. Her work is powered by the latest advances in neuroscience and positive psychology.

A gifted and intuitive communicator, Mel trains individuals and companies to present themselves powerfully and authentically in all forms of communication.

Mel has lived and worked around the world, bringing inspirational and cross-cultural stories to light on television and in film. Mel’s work has aired on NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC, NIKE, the Associated Press, INHD Hi-Definition Network, AOL TV, History Channel, Voice Entertainment films, Pay Per View, Island Def Jam Records and National Geographic.

Ben Lao brings a unique blend of technical skills and administrative experiences to World Connections Foundation. Ben holds a Master’s in Computer Science from Texas A&M University. Ben has been the Senior software engineer for Hewlett-Packard, developed C++ compiler and software consultant for customers, as well as a software engineer for Apple Computer Inc., developing software tools on the Taligent platform.

He has recently served as Headmaster for Global Elite International school in Zheng Zhou, Henan Province in China from 2014 through 2018. Prior to that, he was Senior educational consultant for Shin Shiin educational NGO, in charge of teacher training and special education. He has served on the Board of education for Cupertino Union school district, Cupertino, California as well as Initiated the first Mandarin immersion program in California. Earlier in his career he was Director of Asian Pacific Islanders students for California School Boards Association, in Sacramento, California allowing for subgrouping Asian students to avoid lumping to one monolithic Asian student group.

Ben Lao