President: Vanessa Brooks (USA), an attorney by profession, came to Dhaka six years ago with her two children and her husband who is a pediatrician and public health physician at ICDDR,B. She is presently the Grants and Contracts Administrator at ICDDR,B. Her relationship with the UN community extends back to her college internship with UNESCO in Nairobi in 1977. She has worked for UNETPSA and was also a writer for UN Yearbook. The World Association of Former UN Interns and Fellows selected Vanessa as their delegate to the UN Special Session on Children in May 2002.

The strong support of the active Board allows her to take a more guiding role than actually on management. She feels the Board is quite professional in its output and in the functions that each hold. She would like to spend more time on the ByLaws, on issues affecting following spouses and refining the Welfare selection including coordination with DAWC and BWA on our project support.