Meet the Board

The Myanmar Children’s Foundation (MCF) Board, comprised of 7 – 11 members, drawn mostly from the Northern CA area, meets quarterly to discuss programmatic issues, plan events, select grant recipients, problem solve, oversee finances, and socialize.  The Board welcomes guest speakers and international visitors on occasion and watches photo and video updates of activities in the field.

 Leslie Anastassatos has extensive work and travel experience in Africa and Asia, in part sparked by a life-long passion in international education and community-driven development work.  She has worked for World Learning as well as two environmental conservation groups, the Mountain Lion Foundation in Sacramento, CA and International Bird Rescue in Fairfield, CA. Leslie has conducted skill-based trainings in Myanmar and Zimbabwe to help rural women increase their incomes.

Elaine Barratt has been a supporter of MCF since its very beginning and has served on the Board for several cycles. She is an avid early child education enthusiast and served as Director of the International Learning Center for children and parents creating space for emotional growth and acquisition of positive values.  She has lived in Los Angeles, Iowa and the South.  She has 10 grandchildren, likes to garden, walk and drink coffee.

Carol Corbett is an active member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis which has been a supporter of MCF.  With an M.S. in nursing, Carol worked for many years as an RN and Family Nurse Practitioner before becoming an insurance broker. She believes in the importance of freedom, education, and health care for all people.

Jim Grieshop, Professor Emeritus in Human Ecology at UC Davis, has been active as a community educator in international settings for over 50 years, starting with the Peace Corps.  A primary focus has been on creating innovative educational outreach efforts while directly and creatively involving local communities from the U.S., South America and Central America.  He has had learning experiences in Africa and Asia, including Myanmar.  As a faculty member at the University of California, Davis,  he continues working with local and international organizations, such as Sunrise Rotary Club of Davis, Academics without Borders and USAID assignments overseas.  He also has the quirkiest sense of humor of any of the Board members!

Pat Grieshop is a retired teacher and counselor who first became interested in Myanmar by buying handicrafts at an MCF event. This led to contributing to the organization and joining a Travel with a Purpose trip to Myanmar to see the culture firsthand.  She has a desire to contribute to the wellbeing of its youth.

Susan Steinbach, co-founder of MCF, utilizes her background in TESOL and international education in creating partnerships with trusted local grass roots groups and agencies in Myanmar.  She has worked on USAID projects, developed curriculum, taught DeBoer Fellows in Mandalay and Humphrey and Fulbright Fellows at UC Davis Extension.

Dr. Lyn Aung Thet, a retired Burmese-American physician, and his physician wife May have been volunteering at Nat Htauk Monastery Free Clinic in Bagan since their retirement from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.   Dr. Lyn’s extensive network of professional contacts with Burmese-Americans continues to enlarge the outreach and programming of MCF.

Koen Van Rompay is a Belgian veterinary doctor and HIV/AIDS researcher at the University of California, Davis. In 1997, after making a trip to India to present his research, he decided to get involved and together with his friends, he founded Sahaya International (www.sahaya.org) to which he dedicates his free time.  He has graciously mentored the startup of MCF and other non-profits in Northern California.

Mentors:

Thein Shwe, medical doctor specializing in Physical Rehabilitation, Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Thein lived in the United States for several years, working for the Centers for Disease Control.  He is an active supporter of MCF and has hosted Board members in his home in Yangon.  He also oversees finances for in-country programming.

Max Harrington, has lived and traveled extensively in SE Asia, speaks Thai, Hindi, Spanish, Indonesian and some Burmese. As one of the co-founders of MCF, his heart lies in Myanmar, even if his body isn’t there.  He currently works for the US State Department as a Foreign Service Officer.

If you are interested to offer your expertise as a member of the Board (bookkeeping, event planning, spreadsheets, website design, social media, public health, teaching,  or cultural knowledge), please contact us.  myanmarkids@gmail.com