Featured Program:
Learn about Children First, COCI's support of orphans and poverty stricken children in Kenya.
Featured Fundraising:
Sedona Marathon
February 9, 2008
Sedona, CA
COCI OFFICERS
JULI HALL
COCI Founder and Chairman of the Board
Juli is a Principal of JKC inc. and a Senior Program Leader for Landmark Education. Juli has coached and trained over 80,000 people in the areas of effective communication, team-building, leadership, integrity and consistently producing extraordinary results. The results of her work include: clients who have generated teams that have fulfilled impossible projects; organizations that have successfully established their presence in foreign countries; the founding of COCIwhichhas raised millions of dollars for programs serving thousands of vulnerable children around the world. Juli was raised in Vancouver Canada where her generous, compassionate and philanthropic Mother Edith Lando was awarded the Order of Canada. Juli recently took on a newadventure and married Price Hall, a brilliant actor, director and producer. Juli is the Mother of two incredible young women, Abbie Kamin who recently produced the first anti-global warming rally in New Orleans kicking off 1,437 of them around the U.S., and Jennie Kamin – Student Body President of her High School. Juli is an athlete, actor, and social activist. Juli exemplifies the difference that ONE individual can make in the world.
JOHN R. GARRISON
COCI President and Chief Executive Officer and Public Health Advocate
John Garrison served as Chief Executive Officer of the American Lung Association, America’s oldest national volunteer health agency from July 1990 through June 2001. Prior to that he had been the Chief Executive Officer of Easter Seals from 1978-1990.John has been a national leader in the battle against the tobacco industry and in the fight for clean air.
John has served on the board of directors of the National Health Council, where he is a past Chairman. He served six years on the board of directors of Independent Sector and also served on the advisory panel to the National Charities Information Bureau Standards Review Project. He along with Dr. C. Everett Koop, served as one of two non-Minnesotans, on the board of the Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco. He also was a member of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' Hospital Professional and Technical Advisory Committee and currently serves on their Public Advisory Group on Health Care Quality. He served on the board of directors of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and presently is a board member of The Coalition for World No Tobacco Day, Health Care Choices, and the National Board for Respiratory Care.
He was recognized by Business Week in March 1990, as one of America's five top social service executives. He was also profiled in The Foundation Center's book Careers for Dreamers and Doers and authored an article on strategic management in United Way's guideline book, Making It Work. He is listed in Who’s Who in America.
Mr. Garrison graduated from Harvard College and received his master's degree in public administration from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Affairs where he finished first in his class. He is a recipient of a distinguished alumnus Torch Award from the Wagner School. He has received an honorary doctorate degree from Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska. John currently resides in an historic farmhouse in southern New Jersey with his wife and fellow board member, Sally.
REBECCA S. MILLER
COCI Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Rebecca Miller served as President and CEO of COCI until 2002. During her tenure she was instrumental in developing a number of the organizations programs, partnerships and fund development initiatives including the national "Miracle Tour" with HRH Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia. Rebecca established the initial de-institutionalization round table network in Romania and served on Senator Mary Landrieu's task force on the de-institutionalization of children. Before joining the COCI staff, she served on the board for several years as secretary and enjoyed a professional career as a senior executive in retail business systems with Federated Department Stores. She recently re-joined the staff of COCI as Chief Operating Officer. Her focus is on upgrading and integrating the systems and processes of the organization to support the expansion of our reach.
In 2000, Rebecca received an award to the Rockefeller Foundation's "Next Generation Leadership Program", a two year fellowship focusing on democracy and social justice. She currently serves on the advisory council for this alumni group which is housed out of the Research Center for Leadership in Action (RCLA) at New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Rebecca also serves on the Board of Trustees for her Temple as Chair of their long-range strategic planning initiatives. She continues to provide gratis coaching and consulting services for other non-profit organizations and is an active volunteer in her children's schools. Rebecca is currently writing a novel that looks at different choices women make regarding having and keeping children and alternative paths for creating families. Rebecca lives in Westlake Village, California (northwest LA) with her husband Joel, a Human Resource executive, Inc. and their two children, Anna Isabelle (2001) (click here to view her personal page) and Molly O’Sullivan (2004). She is a passionate cook and wine enthusiast and loves creating opportunities for people to make a difference in ways that inspire them to be extraordinary.
KATHRYN M. (Kate) FLAVELL, BSE, MA. Ed.
COCI Board Secretary
Kate is a high school math teacher at in Hemet, California. She also supervises the SAT College Board tests during the school year, and is the advisor for her high school’s Chapter of California Scholarship Federation, an honors and service organization. In the past year, CSF held two biathlon fundraisers for COCI. Kate received Honorable Mention for the Golden Apple Award for 2006.
Prior to teaching, she was a Manager in the Automation College for Honeywell Industrial Automation and Controls Division in Phoenix. Kate was also one of the co-founders of Phoenix Youth at Risk and served as the course supervisor.
Kate currently serves as the Director for California Winter Ashram, an annual weekend program under the auspices of United Christian Ashrams. She is the proud mother of 3 children, 3 stepchildren, and 10 grandchildren, performs in local community and regional theatre, and leads music at her church.
Bill is the customer service / operations manager for Bridgeway Capital Management and Bridgeway Mutual Funds. Bill worked previously at Fiserv Investor Service and Aim Management. He is also on the board of The Bridgeway Foundation whose primary focus is working towards the prevention of oppression, genocide, and human rights violations. He has a BBA from Sam Houston State University and holds Series 6 and 63 securities licenses.
COCI MANAGING DIRECTORS
Mary Borojevich, LT, USN(ret)
President and Founder of "TAM Living Research Institute", Country Director for COCI Serbia, Professor of English, American Literature and American Studies at Slobomir P University in Republika Srpska. Living 1/2 time in Belgrade Serbia since 2001, Mary supervises COCI's programs there and teaches part time in private university. After a 23-year military career a natural cooperation was established with the American Embassy, local faculties and government ministries in Belgrade. When not in Serbia, Mary lives in Coronado, California where she operates a spiritual lifestyle research and counseling organization. A graduate of University of Washington in Seattle, Mesa college in San Diego, and pursued graduate studies at University of South Florida and Naval War College.
Tiffany Burd
Graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Science in pre-medicine Psychology. Currently working as an Activities Coordinator for an HIV/AIDS Adult Day Care Center in Houston, Texas; Bering Omega Community Services. Her social work in Romania, Siberia, Serbia, Slovenia, Southern Siberia and the USA has sparked her passion to help individuals in desperate situations. Her focus has generally been on street children and individuals that are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. She is a Youth team leader/mentor in the COCI Youth team and member of the COCI Romania Program Team.
Jerry Fishman
Mr. Fishman's producing career began in 1991 with an off-Broadway debut, co-writing and starring in his interactive, adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's comedy, The Music Cure. Other directing/ producing credits include the original one-man show The Songs that I Schlepped in New York and Tel Aviv, and Evita, in Norfolk, VA. Jerry is proud to have created The Children's Theatre Workshop-NY with 4-time Emmy nominated composer Birch Johnson, which produced six original musicals written by kids for kids with a CD entitled the Johnson & Fishman Songbook. Currently in development with film & television projects in his own production company, Kilroy Productions, Mr. Fishman is also the director of Kilroy Productions Music Studios (KPMS), which provides in-home music instruction throughout Manhattan, CT Westchester & Putnam Counties. The KPMS faculty is made up of gifted performing artists with extensive teaching experience in voice, piano, guitar, bass, percussion, winds, violin & viola. KPMS boasts a performing ensemble of 21 young performers ages 8-18, called Kilroy Kidz that have performed at such venues as The Bronx Zoo, Madison Square Garden & WOR 710AM.
In 2005, KPMS produced Katrina's Kidz, a 70+ young performer benefit concert in response to the national disaster. In the only event of this kind organized, produced & performed by young people to help the young people hardest hit by this tragedy, Kilroy Kidz raised over $14000. Jerry is honored to be of service on the board of Cherish our Children International.
Nicholas A. Florescu
Founder and President of Centrade USA, Inc. established in 1991. Centrade is a holding company in Houston Texas with subsidiaries: Saatchi & Saatchi, Red Cell, Zenith Media, Patone Studios,and Cable Direct. Other holdings also include Chainsaw Europe, a highly regarded Post Production Facility in Romania affiliated with Chainsaw Studios in Santa Monica, California. Mr. Florescus' impressive Career extends itself into Oil Trading, Real Estate and Public Relations. In 2003 Nicholas Florescu was named the Honorary Consul for Romania in Texas, charged with bringing US investment to Romania. His position as Honorary Consul links him uniquely with governmental Romanian Authorities and to the investment community of Texas.
Sally Woodruff Garrison
Has been involved with the international community since she was one of the earliest exchange students to France through the American Friends Service Committee. She is pleased to be a part of COCI as their Director of Programs, a response to the political unrest and poverty she has witnessed. In the past, she taught ESL at Lewis College (IL) and elsewhere; founded and directed a Learning Lab for Lakeview Learning Center (City Colleges of Chicago); and was a third grade teacher in Mount Kisco, NY and Hamilton Township, NJ. In New York state, she served on the Boards of The Children's Center (migrant children), and the Columbia County Historical Society (CCHS) where she founded the Society's Federal Period Study Group, a tool for recruiting and training docents for the society's museums. She chaired large fund raisers for the CCHS, and the Columbia County Council on the Arts, and was active with the Shaker Museum in Chatham, NY. She graduated with honors from both New York University and Northern Illinois University (MS Adult Education), and has taken extensive course work at the New York School of Interior Design. She maintains a keen interest in architecture, having overseen the restoration of the 1728 home she shares with her husband that was featured in 2000 on Bob Villa's television program, Restore America. Currently, she's excited about the children's book she's writing for her three grandchildren — and energized by the great needs of the children whose lives have touched hers through her work with COCI.
Carla Heiser, MS RD LD
President and founder of the Heiser & Associates, PC. Carla received her nutrition training at the State University of New York College at Oneonta and Masters of Nutrition and Dietetics at New York Medical College (Valhalla, NY.) She worked under the auspices of leading cardiovascular and endocrine researchers at Columbia University(New York, NY) and Medlantic Research Institute (Washington DC). Carla has 21 years of combined clinical nutrition and research experience.
Carla specializes in integrative medical nutrition practices that combine Western and Eastern approaches-- blending advanced nutrition with medical approaches to optimize health outcomes. Carla is a frequent invited-speaker at national meetings and has published research in the areas of diet effects on blood fat levels; antioxidants in human disease; and diet intervention for chronic disease. Carla practices in health care settings working in partnership with physicians to optimize therapies. Carla is also a managing director and board member with Cherish our Children International, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, serving children in developing countries.
Arlene Levy
Married for 38 years to her extraordinary husband, Jerome. They have 2 beautiful daughters; Genene, 37 years old and Jennifer (click here to view her personal page), 35 years old. Genene and Michael have 2 incredible children; Max, 4 years old and Lily, 2 years old. For the past 30 years, Arlene has been participating in seminars and Leadership programs with Landmark Education Corporation. This has powerfully impacted; raising her family, her work as a teacher, realtor, pastexecutive director of Cherish Our Children International, and as present National fundraising eventscoordinator and Nikifit registration and nutrition support. Arlene's accomplishments include; her treasured family, B.S. in Education degree, raising several hundred thousand dollars for the children COCI serves, 1st place All NaturalBodybuilding Competition, 2001, and supporting thousands of people in having breakthroughs in their lives, including fundraising and weight loss. She is committed to supporting others in accomplishing their goals.
Dana Long
Wife and mother of three year old twin girls. Her husband, David, is the Town Counsel President while being a full-time father on the tiny island they live in near Newport, RI. Dana has worked as a front-line sales person, sales manager, operations reengineering manager, professional coach, and corporate facilitator of sales, service, and leadership seminars during her close to twenty year career. She currently drives leadership/talent development within a large global organization, APC-MGE. Her endeavors in life have consistently reflected her joy in creating innovative ways to help others succeed. Whether it is through her professional career, global travels, or through her volunteer activities with organizations such as The Women's Foundation or Cherish Our Children International, she continues to express her passions.
Judy Maloney, B.A; MBA; Principal
Judy has coached and trained over 40,000 people in the areas of communication, team-building, leadership, and producing extraordinary results. The results of her work include: clients producing exponential results in their productivity and profits; projects that have brought breakthrough financial and industry rewards; and orchestrating large numbers of people fulfilling large initiatives over long distances with infrequent meetings. Judy is a musician, athlete, explorer, and is very curious about new ways of thinking. She is also a proud Grandma and mother.
Tim Maloney
An entrepreneur, currently President of Ultimate Energy, Inc an investment company. He is semi-retired and spends his time creating nurturing environments for family and extended families, as well as pursuing interests in green building and mentoring young entrepreneurs. He is a fun Grandpa and proud father of Lisa and Tracey. He resides in both Arizona and Wisconsin.
Annette Nathan
A
Senior Partner with Mark Kamin and Associates, Inc., and has been delivering training and development for over twenty-three years. Annette specializes in communication and teambuilding. Annette's consulting includes one on one coaching sessions, executive leadership training, team building and public speaking. She also leads a highly innovative time management and productivity workshop that "Human Resource Executive Magazine" awarded "Top Training Program of the Year" in 2003. Working inside a general framework Ms. Nathan customizes the delivery of her consulting products for the individual needs of particular clients. Annette has also worked with non-profit organizations committed to human development and transformation. These groups include a summer camp serving inner-city youth, a relief organization rebuilding preschools destroyed in Bosnia and the tribal leadership of a Native American community in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Annette has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations engaged in international relief work affecting children. Annette graduated with honors from Duke University in 1978. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and three children.
Doug Plette, BSEE, MSEE
Doug is president of his own management consulting firm, specializing in executive coaching and integrating multibillion dollar companies after mergers or acquisitions. Doug serves on the Boards for two non profits, COCI and an organization working to bring peace and reconciliation to Northern Ireland. He lives north of Houston Texas with his wife Dana. His daughter is a University of Georgia graduate in Finance. In his spare time, Doug collects and races old muscle cars and sports cars and is working on an initiative to bring reconciliation and economic opportunity to a small town in the Mississippi Delta.
Dave Posluszny
A software industry professional, and currently a Senior Manager at Oracle Corporation where he is accountable for managing the development of training courses used throughout the world by Oracle customers. He is also a Seminar Leader for Landmark Education, and has led transformational programs to hundreds of people, which are designed to have participants produce breakthrough results in areas of life to which they are committed. He is pleased to have recently returned to the board after serving previously as Board Secretary and having co-chaired several large fundraising events in Atlanta for COCI. He most recently has taken on co-managing athletic team events, and is planning on doing the Paris marathon in April 2008 as a COCI fundraiser. Dave is passionate about travel (one more continent to go!), fitness, sharing good food and wine with friends, and making a difference. He lives in Atlanta, GA with his rambunctious dog, Jake.
Partner and Senior Consultant for Mark Kamin and Associates, Inc., has been consulting and training executives and professionals for 20 years. Formerly, she was the founder and principal of Advant-Edge Technologies Group, Inc., an Arizona based consulting firm. She has consulted with a wide range of businesses since 1987, from restaurant chains to utilities, hospitals to high tech companies. She is grounded in the paradigm of business and business language, which continues to be a source of her success. Becky is a proficient communicator and relies on her tough compassion to uncover hidden issues in an organization, which is essential to causing their success. Becky is a highly accomplished coach, having the executives and managers she works with take on and fulfill breakthrough projects.
Becky began her career with one of the largest training and development companies in the world and has been leading adult educational and transformational seminars since 1982 in North America, Europe and the Middle East. She works with both small and large organizations, such as Sterling Bank of Texas, Houston Independent School District, Camden, Metals USA, ConocoPhillips, EDS in Frankfurt, Germany, Western Geco (a division of Schlumberger), First City Monument Bank in Lagos, Nigeria and many others.
Becky has been a featured speaker at the National Automotive Dealers Association, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), The Federation of Houston Professional Women and Texas Society of CPAs. She has been on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Women Business Owners and was formerly a broker and sales trainer for Merrill Lynch. Ms. Robbins has designed and delivered programs for over 200 companies, including companies in Israel, Canada, Germany, Nigeria and other international locations. Her practice focuses on the human factor in business and she is in great demand to coach individual executives and management teams. She has trained and coached over 5,000 people and has a passion for their success.
Pat Strong
She has
worked at every level of government in her career before starting Strong Strategies in 2003. Strong Strategies is a political consulting and public affairs firm dedicated to making a difference in the lives of others. Specifically, her firm specializes in public education campaigns and grassroots lobbying as well as facilitating conversations between various groups and government. Her list of clients consists of extraordinary organizations and individuals with the common goal of improving the world in which we live.
Jill Thomas - Nurse / B.S. in Speech Pathology/Audiology and Nursing
Has worked as a Pediatric Oncology RN for the last 14 years. Past volunteer work was with resettling Viet Nam Refugees in the 1970's and resettling and acting as expert witness for political asylum cases for refugees from Central America in the 1980's. Jill has two sons and has been the leading force behind COCI’s Kenya "Children First" program.
Jennifer Johnson West
Has lived in Houston, California, Venezuela and the United Arab Emirates. She holds a Masters Degree in Public Relations from the University of Houston and a BS in Speech Communication from the University of Texas. Jennifer has worked with many non-profit organizations including the South Central YMCA, the Houston Food Bank and St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. As the Program Coordinator for the COCI Houston Triathlon teams in 2005 and 2006, she developed an advisory board of professional athletes supporting COCI volunteers. Jennifer lives in Abu Dhabi in the UAE with her husband Shawn, their daughter Ann Marie and twin boys Jake and Jon. As a fitness instructor, Jennifer is very active in COCI athletic fundraising events and supports everyone in achieving personal fitness goals while fundraising for children in need!
