AGM Elections Results

Meet the Executive Board 2004-5

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.

Vice President: Rinda Maramis (Indonesia) arrived August 2003 from New York. Her husband, Larry, works with UNDP. She graduated from Trisakti University in Jakarta, Indonesia with a degree in Hotel Management and Tourism. Rinda elected not pursue a career so she could concentrate on her family. With 3 sons (23, 19 and 14 years), it has been a big challenge bringing them up in 9 different postings. Her interests include traveling, meeting new people, sports, fashion, knowing more about healthy life-styles, keeping fit. Rinda was Vice President and the Hospitality Chair of UNWO Nepal (1993-95) and Activity Coordinator of UNLA, Vietnam (1992-93). She hopes to enhance the link between hospitality, membership and activity committees and encourages members to contribute ideas and to focus more on making newcomers feel welcome; as well as encourage Bangladeshi members to organise tours and cultural events.

Secretary: Pauline Bottrill (UK)joined UNWA just when she was badly needed. She said "Becoming a secretary has helped me to be connected with other women in the international community who likewise are living and working in Dhaka".  She enjoys helping others make the most of the opportunities of living in a developing nation. Her husband is with the World Bank. They have three children who are all in the environment field. She lived in the Wimbledon area of London and has a degree in Art and Design and taught at Roehampton until 1990, when they moved to the United States. She has professional interest in textiles, particularly woven textiles as she taught textile arts for many years. She has taken up playing tennis and has been enjoying short trips to neighboring countries especially when it involves spending time with family and friends.

Treasurer – Allison Thomas Hessic (Trinidad & Tobago) has been a member of the UN family for 15 years, accompanying her husband, Carl, who is working for UNDP, to Swaziland, Malawi and Indonesia. They arrived in Dhaka just over two years ago with their son. She joined UNWA immediately, serving on the Welfare Committee. Her work experience with the previous board motivated her to continue and serve as Treasurer. She wanted definitive results to fulfil previous commitments and has been bent on achieving these goals through fundraising. With this strong determination she truly believes and envisages that improving the means of helping the lives we touch will be tremendously satisfying. She is interested in participating more in Welfare trips to various schools, orphanages and groups during the coming year.

She asks fellow UNWA members and those who have not yet participated to “Take a chance and get involved, and help make the Association your community of friends. You’re missing a lot, and it does make a difference in one’s daily life to take the time to helping others”.

Hospitality – Marika Vollmann (France) is a psychologist, and came to Dhaka in September 2002 to join her husband who is the UNESCO Representative in Bangladesh. She has two daughters aged 23 and 16 years old. Her younger daughter is going to the French International School in Dhaka.

Being UNWA Hospitality Chair is a lot of challenge for her yet she has been inspired by the support of the board and the members. Last year, she hosted almost every month a coffee morning for 20 to 25 people. With the board and the working committees’ support, she initiated a cocktail gathering which accommodated working women to join and welcome the newcomers. It received an overwhelming response from the working ladies as well as the Muslim ladies during EID time. Newcomers attending were not only there to make friends but also to know more about life in Bangladesh. UNWA doesn’t only offer the hospitality kit; members tried to answer questions asked by the newcomers, and helped in making them feel settled and adjusted to the new surroundings. She hopes to establish contact with UNDP & other UN agencies who will assist in letting us know when newcomers arrive in Bangladesh.

Welfare – Anowara Ahmed (USA) served as Welfare Committee Chairperson on the previous board. Originally from Bangladesh, she has lived abroad for many years with her husband whose job with the UNICEF took her around different places. The journey of active participation with UN women’s groups started in 1979 in Ethiopia, where she was Welfare Committee chairperson for three years. In New York she worked for four years with different committees of the UN Women’s Guild. In 1995 she was elected Vice President of the Guild and along with her duties she undertook the responsibility of managing product sales. In Japan (1997), she joined the UN University of Women’s Association and served as Vice President and Acting President. Her work with UNWA has given her a lot of satisfaction and she looks forward to another successful year with the support of UNWA board and members.

Membership – Olga Ivanova (Ukraine) has a Master’s degree in Philology and Teaching English as Foreign Language. Her husband Mamo, works for the UNHCR and they have a seven year-old son at the American International School. With the work of her husband, they’ve been to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Georgia, Ethiopia and Iran. She does yoga, and likes walking and swimming as well.

This is the first time she is a member of United Nations Women’s Association and she said “ I am really happy to be one, Everybody knows how difficult the transitional period of settling in Bangladesh could be. But with all the support, advice, friendly concern and optimism of UNWA members life became not only easier, but really enjoyable for me. I hope all those who have joined the UNWA recently and  those who are going to join us in the future will feel the same. I will be glad to work as chair of the Membership Committee and I am looking forward to a new UNWA year full of exciting activities and friendly get-togethers“.

Activities – Vassana Barclay (Thailand) has a degree in commerce, and has been in the UN family since 1982. She arrived in Dhaka in July 2002 with her husband, Bill, the Deputy Country Director of World Food Programme. With a family of 3 children (the oldest is a teacher, the second is in the University in Texas, and the youngest is attending high school in Chiangmai, Thailand), they have been in Thailand, Pakistan, Sudan, Kenya, Afghanistan & were in Indonesia prior to coming to Bangladesh. She enjoys painting and other forms of art and sometimes ventures to take classes on theThai art of vegetable and fruit carving. She also plays tennis and squash.

She joined UNWA last year and volunteered to help out as the Membership Chairperson. In the process, she is pleased to have made many new friends. This year she is certain that her work as Activities Chairperson will be as satisfying. She finds the work UNWA does in support of local charities particularly gratifying.