Leadership & Governance

Donna follows in the footsteps of her father Bill Hagan as a second-generation Friendship Force board member. She travelled on her first FF trip in 1984 to Cali, Columbia, soon followed by Pau France, as an exchange with Dayton, Ohio. Bill and Mary Ellen Hagan were her inspiration to start one of the newest FF clubs in Boston in 2018. Donna currently works for GlobalData, a market research firm based in London that provides market and competitive insights to global companies across 22 industries. She brings more than 25 years of global account development and management experience in the technology industry. She and her husband, Bob have a family of 4 children and shared the love of travel. They started with 6 weeks wandering through Italy, and then later to China, backpacking in Patagonia, and others. The goal was to explore other countries, their culture and meet the people, travelling as the locals. She is an avid hiker, and rows competitively on a women’s team in Boston. She would love to help attract members who share the passion for exploring active adventures and new cultures. Donna holds a B.S. in Electrical & Computer Engineering from Purdue University with a Minor in Marketing.

​Jon Wagner has been involved with Friendship Force since 2016. In 2019 he launched the New FF Lake Simcoe club, of which he is currently club President. He has participated in world and regional conferences, FF Leadership Training in Nebraska, and journeyed extensively. Jon has a BASc. in Systems Design Engineering and a MASc. in Management Sciences and Cross-Cultural Behaviour, and is retired from a diverse career in Senior Human Resources, Organizational Development, Training & Development and Change Management leadership roles in large corporations. As President of J Wagner Consulting Inc. and Managing Director of VirtualeTeams he consulted to government, non‐profit and private sector clients. Jon is a “virtual work” pioneer. He has supported, researched and led virtual teams for over 25 years. He authored three books about virtual teams, meetings and classrooms. He also developed/delivered HR, Leadership, Management and Adult Learning workshops. Jon was co‐founder of the Toronto Organization Development (OD) Network and was on the Faculty of Canadian OD Institute and the Master’s Certificate in Adult Training & Development. He has been a frequent speaker at major conferences in Canada, US & Globally (Virtual). He has helped numerous non-profit organizations to global, virtual collaboration. Jon has worked internationally and with his family has travelled extensively in over 30 countries. He enjoys the natural world, music, learning about and experiencing other cultures.

​Andrew joined Friendship Force in 1986 and has been an active member of the Greater Manchester UK club ever since. He has served as journey coordinator many times and is currently the president of his club. His career background is telecommunications and computing, although he was also a partner in an adult mental health care home business for many years. Andrew likes to travel and his journeys have so far taken him to all seven continents of the world. His hobbies are music and photography.

​Christiane Beaupré has been a member of FF Montréal since 2009, and she has held the positions of Secretary and President. Christiane and her husband Yves Thouin have also managed many Journeys. Christiane set up exchanges/Journeys between Canadian clubs to promote cooperation between clubs. She has just completed a three-year term as Regional Representative for Eastern Canada Clubs. She spearheaded annual club meetings and completed her term with the first Ontario and Quebec club leaders’ conference. Christiane holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. She has had a career in the federal public service in Canada. She has served as Chair of many organizations and on the boards of organizations, including the Institute of Public Administration of Greater Montreal and the National Association of Federal Retirees in the Montreal area. Christiane continues her work as a management skills development coach in the Government of Canada. She is actively interested in developing leadership in Friendship Force clubs.

​John Hannah, former president of the Christchurch club, New Zealand. After retiring from civil engineering and project management, he has taken on numerous additional roles within Friendship Force and is now focusing his efforts on leading the development of the Global Club in New Zealand and is working on the Tech Advisory Committee – a group that helps to prioritize, guide, and test new technology initiatives. John came to Friendship Force after reading about the organization in the book by Jimmy Carter, former US president and has a real passion for progressing Friendship Force’s objective to create “A world of Friends is a World of Peace”.

Judi has been involved in Friendship Force since 1977 when she began the process to be selected for the first exchange to South Korea from Washington state in 1978. Prior to that, her family participated in other programs’ international exchanges. As a member of Friendship Force of Lower Columbia she has served as President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer and was a Field Representative for the Pacific Northwest/Northern Rockies Regions from 2016 to 2020. Judi worked in the educational field for ten years and in criminal justice for four, before returning to college in 1995 and obtaining a degree in Business/Accounting. She then worked for the state of Washington in Medicaid Program Management before retiring. Judi served on several civic organizations’ boards, including the United Way of Cowlitz/Wahkiakum Counties and the Ethnic Support Council, a non-profit organization which helps non-English speaking people assimilate into the local community. She has received several awards for her civic service. She has been married for 60 years and has 4 children.

Ken’s first FF experience was in 1999 with his wife Paulette and their daughters. Ken has joined or led FF journeys in over twenty countries since. A college exchange student in Bavaria and M.S. in radioecology, Ken retired in 2010 after thirty years with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, where he chaired national committees concerned with radiation safety. His interest in climate action began in the 1970s during an internship working on climate legislation at the U.S. Congress. He’s served on civic, historic preservation, and university library boards in his hometown of Greeley. He’s been FF Northern Colorado President and is in FFI’s hiking-biking-outdoor group and technology assistance group. The FFI and Rotary International global vision of promoting peace and civility is a personal passion.

​Marlena is many things: a physicist, a biologist, a marine scientist, an environmentalist, and a friend. She is the president of Green Sea Safari, Dubrovnik, Croatia, and ReReC Regional Resource Center, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is the editor of the “Nature and Environment” magazine and deputy editor of the newspaper “Eco Herzegovina”.

Ever since she was a little girl, Marlena was drawn to natural sciences, and although her first love was physics, she later decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Biology and Marine Sciences. Besides being a high school and college professor these past 20 years, she has been involved with numerous NGOs working to preserve the natural reserves of Dubrovnik-Neretva and Herzegovina counties. She has led over fifty EU-funded projects aimed at preserving protected areas and implementing EU standards. Working on this project is a continuation of relentless efforts to preserve the region’s natural wonders for younger generations. Marlena draws her energy and inspiration from the new generations – her students – who, she would often say, have the power to change the world. Marlena was the keynote speaker at FFI’s 2023 world conference in Croatia.

Michael is a specialist in conflict analysis and resolution and currently teaches for and directs the Peace, Conflict, and Security Program at the University of Colorado Boulder. He has worked in various positions in higher education over the past fifteen years, including international education, and he is the author of The U.S. Institute of Peace: A Critical History and the former editor of Unrest Magazine. His research explores the challenges related to contemporary violence and building peace. Michael was introduced to Friendship Force at the 2019 world conference in Boulder and was inspired by the organization’s mission and committed members.

​Mike McFarlane a retired academic, served as Vice President, President, and is the webmaster and online database administrator of the Sunshine Coast FFC, Australia. Mike enjoys weekly cycling, mountain biking, tennis with his mates, and skiting about his kids – especially his grandchildren. Appointed to a fledgling regional college that evolved into the University of Southern Queensland – Mike was involved initially in staff professional development as well as in the development of distance education that allowed people of all ages, occupations, educational levels, and location, to study off-campus. He developed his faculty’s international program, travelling regularly to Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, and India. Mike designed and taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses in analytics, and information technology, and co-managed SimStat – a self-funding consultancy specialising in modelling large complex systems and advanced statistical analyses. He worked with commercial software development teams in Pittsburgh USA, in 1997 and 2001. Mike was a Board Director of Tread Lightly Australia and held leadership positions in APEX, P&C of his children’s school, the Downs Four Wheel Drive Club, and the Queensland Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs.

​Robert Wagner, a business executive who has traveled, worked, and lived in numerous countries around the world. He was introduced to Friendship Force by his neighbors after his family moved back to Germany and he was looking to continue building the sort of global connections he had experienced through work. He has been a member of his club in Germany, Friendship Force of Bavaria, for 16 years and served as president for the past 6 years. He is looking forward to an expanded role with Friendship Force to further the mission of peace through friendship.

​Thiago is a Physiotherapy and Master of Science graduate who has lived and worked not only in his native Brazil but in the United Arab Emirates, where he worked as a cabin crew for Emirates Airlines. That role, at age 30, allowed him to travel extensively throughout the world and work as part of a multicultural team. However, his frustration with his level of English inspired him to start “SpeakOut”, his own successful English school and learning method based on verbal communication. He has become an effective ESL teacher and mentor, helping hundreds of professionals reach their English goals in business, finance, marketing, science, and technology, which has demanded, of course, that he become well-versed in these subject areas as well. He became a member of the FF Ribeirão Preto club in Brazil in 2017 and matched straight away with FFI’s values and mission. Two years later, Thiago led his first Journey, the global Journey “Fortaleza and Amazon Village” with 15 Ambassadors – a marvelous experience sharing some of the most beautiful landscapes of his country. Since then he has been selected for leadership roles in other successful Journeys. He invites his English students, mentees, and friends to participate when inbound Journeys come to his region, benefitting both these locals and the visitors as they are exposed to one another’s ways and cultures. Thiago counts outdoor activities, sports, and the ocean among his great loves, as well as history, geography, movies, seafood, coffee, and Japanese food.

​Yoshiko Koizumi joined the Friendship Force of Sapporo in 1999 for the simple reason that she wished to travel abroad. However, when she first experienced a Friendship Force inbound journey, she noticed that this organization offered something quite different from a travel lovers’ club. The FF history book “The Other Side of the Mountain” fueled her motivation to be deeply involved in the organization’s and local club’s activities. She became Vice President of the Sapporo club in 2005 and served as President since 2013, for a total of 14 years. Most recently, Yoshiko has been the Field Representative for the northern region of Japan since 2019. She has also been responsible for many inbound and outbound journeys, as a Journey Coordinator. While busy raising her three children, Yoshiko was also involved in her town’s community activities and the PTA, leading other volunteers. She is also a Vice President of the Hokkaido International Women’s Association. Her motto is “We learn by acting”.

​”In my work as an explorer, film maker and author, I have come to see that establishing relationships with ‘ordinary’ people around the world is something of crucial importance –a way of discovering the good will that in my experience is to be found everywhere. This is what citizen diplomacy is all about and what the work of Friendship Force is all about -making friends of strangers and discovering that there is far, far more that we have in common than divides us.”

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Benedict Allen is one of the world’s leading explorers, particularly known for his solo expeditions through rainforest, desert and Arctic -journeys famously achieved not with a satellite phone, GPS or any of the usual “backup” but after months training with remote indigenous communities. These and other ventures are depicted in his ten books -including two best sellers -and numerous television series for the BBC, National Geographic, Channel 5, the History Channel and elsewhere. Benedict is a former Trustee of the Royal Geographical Society and editor of the definitive Faber Book of Exploration, an anthology of adventurers past and present. According to the Daily Telegraph, he is one of only two ‘great British explorers.’ His expeditions include a seven-and-a-half-month jungle trek –the only recorded crossing of the Amazon Basin at its widest -the first recorded journey the length of the Namib Desert and a solo crossing of the Gobi with camels. In PNG, he was permanently scared and beaten for six weeks as part of a traditional ritual to become “a man as strong as a crocodile,” and elsewhere journeyed with a faithful dog team 1000 km through the Russian tundra in the worst winter in living memory. He has been shot at by hitmen, elsewhere in the Amazon been robbed and left to die, and once in Sumatra sewed up a wound to his chest with his boot mending kit. Few people alive have spent so long isolated and alone in so many different potentially hostile environments. Benedict also pioneered the use of a hand-held camera on expeditions, thus doing away with a camera-crew and allowing millions of people around the world for the first time to witness a testing journey –and immersion in remote communities and environments -exactly as it happened. It is no exaggeration to say he paved the way for every TV adventurer we see on our screens today. Of his immersive philosophy he says this:

“To me personally, exploration isn’t about planting a flag or conquering nature or going somewhere in order to make a mark. It’s about the opposite: it’s about allowing the place to make its mark on you.”

​”I was fortunate to be able to travel extensively around the globe during my tenure with The Coca-Cola Company. It made me appreciate the value of our similarities and our cultural differences and the fact that we are all ‘in this boat together.’ I consider my most important asset to be the friendships I have had the opportunity to develop globally.”

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Pat is a highly admired executive with over 40 years of experience in the C suite of Fortune 100 and middle-market companies.  He is noted for his ability to attract, develop and deploy highly talented people from various countries and cultures and is credited with positively transforming the quality of the world-wide finance staff at The Coca-Cola Company.  At Coca-Cola, Pat served as Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer as well as Senior Vice President and CFO of Coca-Cola North America.  He was very involved with the international operations of The Coca-Cola Company and traveled extensively, visiting Coke’s operations around the world.  He served on the board of directors of the Company’s bottling operations in both France and Germany.   Pat enjoys the opportunity to engage with people and cultures around the globe and takes pride in the friendships he has developed.  His other volunteer activities have included serving on the boards of advisors for the business schools at the University of Illinois and Georgia State University and the Georgia Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  Pat resides in St. Petersburg, Florida and enjoys bicycling and caring for his three dogs and five birds.

​”I am proud to be a member of the IAC at FFI. It feels to me that there hasn’t been a time in our history where forging friendships across the globe based on deep understanding of each other is more important. The work each one of us do to strengthen the ties of friendship amongst the people of our planet will do more good than what we can imagine.”

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Ahmet served as an Executive Vice President of The Coca-Cola Company until his retirement in March 2016, serving as the President of Coca-Cola International since January 1, 2013. In that position, he was responsible for all units outside North America. Ahmet began his career in 1983 as an Assistant Professor at the DeVry Institute of Technology. He joined the audit firm Coopers & Lybrand in Atlanta in 1985, serving in a variety of audit, consultancy & management roles. He joined The Coca-Cola Company in 1990 as a Financial Control Manager in Atlanta, and then moved to his native Turkey in 1992 as Region Finance Manager. In 1994, he joined the Coca-Cola Bottlers of Turkey as Finance Director and was named Managing Director of the bottler in 1998. He re-joined The Coca-Cola Company in 2000 as President of Eurasia Division.  During 2000 to 2012, Ahmet’s responsibilities increased from a geographic scope of 9 countries to 90 as the President of the Eurasia and Africa Group including, Africa, India, Russia, Middle East and Eurasia. A founding member of The Coca-Cola Turkey Life Plus Foundation, Ahmet also previously served as head of various business councils including Brazil – US, US – Pakistan and US – Turkey business councils. In 2013, Ahmet was named Chair of the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU), and served in that capacity until 2016. Following his retirement, Ahmet assumed various non-executive business roles around the globe. He is an advisory board member of Swire Coca-Cola, Board member at Hepsi  Burada and Board member in ESAS Holding in Turkey, a member of the Board of Directors to The Whole Coffee Company in Miami. He is    also a Board Member at the Turkish Philanthropy Foundation in New York and holds various advisory Board membership positions at the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. Youth development is Ahmet’s top priority, and to that end, he is committed to a variety of initiatives in this area. Ahmet has a Master of Science in Business Info Systems from Georgia State University, US, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Admin from Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. He is married to Fatos and has two children, Kerem and Esra.

“Travel far enough, you meet yourself.” – David Mitchell

Jeremi believes that travel, both local and international, and exploring different cultures helps us develop and grow as individuals while expanding our view of the world around us. For more than 20 years, Jeremi has helped organizations of all sizes realize their potential through program innovation guided by a strong sense of purpose. His experience is now being utilized to help Friendship Force International realize its potential and continue to grow in its role of bringing people together through understanding and friendship.

Jeremi completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Florida and holds a Masters of Business Administration from Queens University of Charlotte. He currently serves the Friendship Force International Board of Directors, members, and clubs as CEO & President.

Alexandra joined Friendship Force in 2024, bringing enthusiasm and expertise to her role. As Executive Assistant to the CEO, she works closely with Jeremi and plays a key role as liaison for the Board of Directors. Passionate about travel, social justice and human connection, Alexandra thrives on building relationships that transcend borders and cultures.

When not working, Alexandra treasures spending time with her favorite people and places; in particular, relaxing holidays with her parents in Virginia and summers in Tuscany with her Italian husband and young child. Before joining Friendship Force, she dedicated over a decade to museum education, focusing on creating and leading engaging art museum programs.

In her (limited) downtime, Alexandra enjoys vinyasa yoga, cross-stitch and day trips to NYC’s museums, always seeking ways to connect with and learn from the world around her.

After studying abroad in college, Allison was completely smitten with traveling internationally and exploring different cultures became her favorite hobby. Allison’s career with Friendship Force began in 1996 after returning home from an Au Pair position in Berlin, Germany. She has held many positions at FFI and currently serves as the Vice President of Member Engagement. Her favorite thing about the job is the people she works with, both the staff and the volunteers around the world. She lives in the suburbs of Atlanta, GA with her husband, two children, their dog Bella and from time to time, foster dogs awaiting adoption. When she isn’t working she can be found at the baseball or softball field cheering on her children as their biggest fan. )

Dana has been with Friendship Force since 2019 and has loved every minute of her new career. She currently helps to manage the fundraising and finance sectors of Friendship Force. She splits her time between being a full-time mom, teaching yoga, hiking, and being an active board member at a community nonprofit fighting local food insecurities. Her love for the outdoors and animals has inspired her to work toward a naturalist lifestyle in many ways. Between her husband Adam, two boys, Gus and Jake, and her two big black dogs and two rescue cats, there is never a dull moment in the Jackson house. Dana studied at Appalachian State University and graduated from Tusculum University with a degree in Business Management.

Hemily was born and raised in Brazil. She joined the FFI staff team in 2016 and supports the clubs in Latin America. Her passion for languages and travelling led her to live a few years abroad in Australia and Europe, where she studied English and Business. Hemily graduated in Languages, Translation and Interpreting and has an MBA in International Business. During her 2 years in Ireland, Hemily worked and studied with people all over the world and learned the importance of culture barriers being broken as people have so much to share with each other with respect and affection. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband while they watch their favorite TV shows with a big bucket of popcorn. Doing cross stitches and reading are her great hobbies and being a fur mum to Zoe, her little shih tzu, brings her great joy.

Kerstin enjoys travelling, hiking, reading, gardening and playing the piano. She speaks several languages and has lived in different corners of the world. She is now based in Munich, Germany. Kerstin holds a master’s degree in Intercultural Communication, Nordic Philology, and New German Literature from LMU München.

At FFI, she has been the go-to-person for most European clubs since 2016. Besides club support, she has worked with Journey Coordinators worldwide to facilitate a smooth journey process. Kerstin is also part of the FFI Virtual Experiences Team. She especially loves connecting with Friendship Force members in her online trivia games or during virtual FFI Book Club meetings.

Kimberly joined the Friendship Force staff in January 2018. She is based in Melbourne, Australia and is the contact person for clubs in Australia and New Zealand. She is also responsible for the Journey matching process each year. Kimberly has a Master’s degree in Human Rights and has spent most of her career working in international programs around the world. She has worked in Nepal, Mauritius, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Kimberly loves long flights, exploring new countries, and never says no to a cup of tea.

Mike joined Friendship Force in 2023 as a part-time Finance Associate and is responsible for posting payments and reconciling accounts. Mike lives in a mountain cabin in southern California with his wife Dineli, son Rylan, and chow chow dog Simba. Growing up, Mike was a swimmer, surfer, and water polo player. He still enjoys spending time on the water and spends most of his free time at the lake by his house with his family. Mike graduated from California State University, Fullerton, with a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics.

Olga is a Russian-born, Boston-bred nomad and entrepreneur with an academic background in psychology and international business. She followed her passion for cultural diversity and global connections around the world before settling in Colombia in 2014. Olga has over 15 years of work experience at the intersection of language, teams, travel, and technology. Her passions include community development, language learning, cultural exchange, dance, food, and the outdoors. Olga firmly believes that the future depends on building bilingual and multicultural teams and lifestyles, in order to drive innovation and facilitate more efficient problem-solving for both global and business challenges.

Olivia (“Liv”) joined Friendship Force in January 2024 to support the New Zealand clubs on their Journeys. Her previous experience includes working managing projects and events in the corporate world and marketing New Zealand wine internationally.

With two young children, a lot of Liv’s time is spent exploring the local beaches and parks in her neighbourhood, but when she gets a moment to herself she enjoys working outside in the garden and reading a good book.

Sebastian joined the Friendship Force staff in September 2023 and speaks French, Spanish and Mandarin, in addition to English. He is originally Mexican and decided to set up his life abroad in Canada to experience the true meaning of being multicultural. “I’ve always considered myself to be a citizen of the world, that’s why I always like to learn a new language as my main hobby,” he says.  He is based in Vancouver, Canada, where he supports the French-speaking Friendship Force clubs and those in the United Kingdom. He has a big interest in discovering new cultures, traditions, and languages. In his free time, he also enjoys reading good thrillers and going to the movies.

Taryn joined Friendship Force in early 2023 and has enjoyed putting her passion into practice. Currently, Taryn works with clubs in the USA and Canada as a Regional Support Manager while also helping to manage grant programs such as Open World and ALEX. She enjoys breaking down barriers and fostering meaningful connections – while making new friends across the globe!

Taryn’s favorite job title, however, is mom! She welcomed her first child, Camden, in 2021 and spends her days surrounded by books, legos, and Paw Patrol. Prior to becoming a mom, Taryn spent 8+ years working in higher education – specifically in study abroad and international student exchange. In her free time, Taryn enjoys traveling, swimming, music, baseball, home projects, and spending time with her family!