Leadership Team

Board of Directors and Advisory Council

Board of Directors

Dr. Christine Sarah Nielsen serves as Chair of the Board of Directors and President of New Pathways since its founding in 2012. “More than a decade ago, we listened as hundreds of women shared their great desire to do whatever it took to improve their families’ lives. Opportunities for sustainable livelihood were scarce or non-existent. How could they supplement their husbands’ meager wages, avoid debt, and offer their children a brighter future? The voices of those women stayed with us, and we set out to help. From our humble beginnings, we have truly made a difference in the lives of women and their families. Now we are celebrating the voices of empowered entrepreneurs who have benefited from our programs!

In 2006 Dr. Nielsen helped to establish an NGO for women’s development in the Philippines called Buhata Pinay (Do It, Filipina). She was the 2007 Fulbright-SyCip Distinguished Lecturer in the Philippines, the first woman to receive this Award. In this role she had opportunities to deepen her knowledge of Philippine socioeconomic environment and interacted with over 1000 academics, business leaders, government officials, and students on Luzon, Cebu and Negros Islands. In 2010 Christine was instrumental in establishing a women’s garment business in a remote farming community on Negros Island. The municipality of Valladolid awarded a Certificate of Recognition to Professor Nielsen “for her exemplary contribution conceptualizing Pathways for Women toward Global Entrepreneurship and Women’s Empowerment.”

Christine is a recipient of a Governor’s Citation from the State of Maryland for “outstanding service as Director of International Programs” and for “contributions to further the economic development agenda of Maryland’s businesses.” The Baltimore Business Journal featured Prof. Nielsen as one of the area’s top 25 most influential business educators for leadership of international business education and for “revolutionizing” the way that international business is taught at the University of Baltimore. She has received the University of Baltimore President’s award, and the Board of Regents’ Faculty Award for Teaching, the highest honor bestowed by the University System of Maryland. Christine retired from the University of Baltimore as Professor of International Business Emerita and the Yale Gordon Chair of Distinguished Teaching Emerita.

Dr. James J. Albrecht has served the food industry for more than 40 years, including 15 years with McCormick & Company. He devotes his considerable expertise to global issues of food security. “In many parts of the world dietary iron deficiency continues to be a major health/wellness issue. New Pathways’ Iron Fortified Coconut Vinegar Project in the Philippines is an excellent grass-roots approach to dealing with this problem.  It uses some sophisticated science to provide a stable source of iron, while at the same time delivering a product that is acceptable, available and affordable at the village level.”

Jim retired from McCormick in 1998 after serving in a variety of leadership positions in the company. Prior to his time there, he worked for major corporations such as International Minerals and Chemicals Corporation, the Coca-Cola Company, and the Nestle Company. In addition to authoring papers on the subject of general areas of product development and flavor technology, Dr. Albrecht previously served on the Department of Food Science External Advisory Committee, is an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois, an Executive in Residence at the University of Baltimore and served as guest lecturer at Zamorano University.

Dr. Elaine Arata joined our Board because she “… believes in our goal of creating livelihood opportunities at the grass roots level and I am proud to be a part of this effort.” After graduating from the Indiana University School of Medicine, Elaine completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado in Denver. Since finishing her specialty training she has worked in direct patient care in a variety of settings including an emergency room in Denver, a multispecialty group practice in Colorado Springs, the Colorado State (Psychiatric) Hospital in Pueblo, a small town in northern Indiana with a large Amish population and in an office-based practice in Annapolis and Severna Park.

Elaine has long been interested in medical volunteer opportunities and worked at the Annapolis Outreach Center for many years until it closed. After seeing the adverse health effects of poverty on the patients at the Outreach Center and on the people she met during the medical mission to the Philippines, she believes that trying to fix their medical problems without addressing the reasons the problems exist is futile.

Dr. Mairead O’Reilly received her initial college and dental training from Trinity College, University of Dublin, in Ireland. She was certified in orthodontics at Eastman Dental Center in Rochester, New York, received an Master of Science in Oral Biology from the University of Rochester’s Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry, and is a board certified Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. Her broad experience in the orthodontic field includes extensive treatment of young children, adolescents, adults, children with craniofacial anomalies and other specialized applications. She is licensed to practice dentistry and orthodontics in Ireland, the United Kingdom, all member countries of the European Union, the District of Columbia, and Maryland.

In addition to her professional credentials, Dr. O’Reilly keeps up with the constant changes in her specialty by regularly studying at some of the nation’s most prestigious dental training centers, including the Pankey Institute, the Dawson Center for Advanced Dental Study, the Piper Education and Research Center, the Seattle Institute for Advanced Dental Education and the Eubank Teaching Institute. She believes that continuing education is crucial to providing the highest quality, most up-to-date treatment approach. Dr O’Reilly has been repeatedly named the area’s “Best Orthodontist” by What’s Up Annapolis magazine and the Baltimore magazine and has been voted “Best Orthodontist” by The Capital Newspaper Annapolis for the last 7 years.

Dr. Russell Keith Raney serves as Treasurer. Dr. Raney has served as the principal investigator for several NASA contracts in the space-based radar field. In that capacity he has had responsibility for budgets in excess of $1M, and for several professional and support staff. He holds advanced degrees in applied mathematics. Dr. Raney was one of the founders and the first Chairman of the Inter-Faith Coalition of Congregations (1970-2008) of Ann Arbor, Michigan, which raised nearly $1M in response to the challenges of the Black Economic Development League and other social causes. He has been a major participant in rural development projects in the Philippines, capitalizing the first steps towards the Doldol garment center, facilitating low interest rate loans for the local farmers, and supporting the technical infrastructure of the local leadership.

Ms. Mary-Helen Risler is retired from the U.S. federal government after 37 years of service. At the time of her retirement she was a supervisory economist for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in its headquarters research organization in Washington, DC.  In this position she lead a technical staff of economists, mathematical statisticians, and operations research analysts conducting tax administration and tax compliance research. She was born and raised in Kenmore (Buffalo) NY and earned a Bachelors degree in Economics and Government from St. Lawrence University.  After a three-year tenure at the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis in Washington DC, she returned to graduate school earning a Masters degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She then began her career with the IRS. Mary-Helen is an active member of Zonta International, a worldwide organization focused on building a better world for women and girls.  She has served in several leadership and committee chairperson roles for both the Zonta Club of Annapolis and Zonta District 3.

I am fortunate to have a comfortable retirement which gives me the time to pursue new interests and expand my participation in other activities. I learned of New Pathways to Enterprise after meeting Christine Nielsen through Zonta International and the Zonta Club of Annapolis. I have supported New Pathways financially for several years and am honored to take a more active role in the organization. I’m excited to work with this wonderful organization which provides knowledge and resources that assist Filipino women in turning their talents and interests into successful businesses which contribute to their well-being and that of their families.

Mr. Terrence Ross serves as Secretary. He retired as the Program Manager for e-Learning at the University of Baltimore (UB) which maintains UBOnline, UB’s online campus. Mr. Ross was a pioneer in the design of the University’s webMBA program, the first nationally accredited, fully online MBA program in the world, called “one of the best” by U.S. News & World Reports. Mr. Ross served as the e-Learning leader for UB’s webBachelor program, and webMPA, a Masters in Public Administration. He is applying his technical skills to the NEW Pathways’ initiatives in order to provide a globally accessible platform that will promote the activities and serve the needs of the members, associates, and partners of New Pathways.

Mr. Joseph Specter is a member of the Board of Directors, with over 10 years of experience in non-profit organization leadership. Currently, Joe serves as president and general director of the Arizona Opera. Previously, he was general director of the Austin Opera, and director of institutional relations for the Metropolitan Opera, overseeing a portfolio of over 100 institutional funders, including foundations, corporations, and the Lincoln Center Corporate Fund. Previously, as senior client service associate for the investment firm Lord, Abbett & Company, Joe supervised over 30 institutional client services accounts representing approximately $2.6 billion in assets under management. He designed and directed communications to institutional clients and consultants for quarterly reports, including detailed investment commentary and analysis of investment performance. Joe is a certified financial analyst. His interests include social entrepreneurship and creative communities.

Advisory Council Members

Darell Artates recently fulfilled her term as Public Diplomacy Officer at the Philippine Embassy in the United States, and is stationed currently in the Philippines. While serving as the Public Diplomacy Officer her portfolio included cultural diplomacy, public affairs, press relations management, and Filipino community engagement. She served also as the administrator of Sentro Rizal Washington DC or the Philippine Cultural Center in the U.S. capital, and the Embassy’s Gender and Development Focal Point Officer (GFPO). As GFPO, she was responsible for mainstreaming gender issues in the Embassy’s work program and spearheading initiatives to promote the rights of Filipino women, especially those in the marginalized sectors. It is in pursuit of these goals that she welcomed the opportunity to be a part of NEW Pathways Advisory Council. In addition to her role on the Advisory Council, Ms. Artates serves in an ex officio, advisory capacity on the New Pathways’ Board of Directors.

Before her posting to the United States, she was assigned to the Public Information Services Unit (now the Office of Public Diplomacy) of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. She gained her previous work experience in multicultural environments. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of the Philippines Manila and received a Master’s degree in International Studies from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.

Jayces Christine Corpuz Garello is Head of Research at IISLA Ventures. IISLA’s vision is sustainable prosperity for people in rural communities. We believe that if people in remote places live their dreams and aspirations without leaving their homes and families, many of the social and environmental challenges we are facing today could be avoided, if not eradicated. IISLA bridges capital to businesses with mission to improve and transform the lives of people in remote, rural communities whilst simultaneously protecting the environment, preserving local culture and addressing the needs of the growing global population in a sustainable way.

Ms. Garello holds  a degree in Economics & Management from Brunel University, London, UK. Upon finishing university, she joined the finance team of a global logistics company and continued to study towards a professional qualification. She holds a CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting. She has volunteered with an NGO in Tanzania and worked on microfinance project especially targeted to diverse groups of women.  Aside from the collection and monitoring of loans, other duties involved in this project extended from educating the women on basic math, training them with  simple bookkeeping, exploring business ideas with them and helping out in different aspects of their businesses.  This experience has influenced her decision to leave her job and seek for “greater perhaps”!

Jayces was born and raised in the Philippines but is now living in the UK.  It has always been her childhood dream to give back to her home country when she grows older and has the capacity. She learned about NEW Pathways and was deeply moved by its dedication to empower women, an initiative that is very timely and close to her heart. She thoroughly enjoyed her time with NEW Pathways. “No days are the same – I get to work on different exciting projects at a time and engage in different activities. I get to walk the ‘path’ with these women and learn a lot of things while I contribute towards their empowerment.  Simply knowing that I am helping them achieve a better life is what makes me get up from bed every morning and be ready to work without expecting anything in return.  I can honestly claim that my time with NEW Pathways has led me to my greater perhaps!”

Charles D. McGlynn is an instructor in the Geography, Planning and Sustainability Department, Rowan University, New Jersey. He is a geographer whose primary area of research is water resources. Dr. McGlynn’s research focus is on the unique response to salt water intrusion and bacteriological groundwater contamination in Cebu City, the 2nd largest metropolis in the Philippine archipelago. He has family ties to Cebu and the Visayas and has returned nearly every year for over two decades. His family also supports the Our Lady of Lourdes children’s outreach and feeding program in Cebu with clothing, books and school supplies.

“I was blessed when fate placed me together with Dr. Nielsen at the 2016 Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue (FIND) conference in Philiadelphia. Over the past year, I have learned much about the fantastic work New Pathways does. My family and I are thrilled to be a part of such a focused, well-run organization that is dedicated to a noble cause. I am honored to be placed in an official capacity with New Pathways and rest assured that I will work tirelessly to advance New Pathways mission in the Philippines.”

Nelly Nacino is President of the Mother and Child Association in Taguig, Metro-Manila, Philippines. She started out in the late 1980s with one sewing machine on loan and built her business into an Association of over 100 women who provide student scholarships, livelihood training and support. Ms. Nacino’s business is rag-making out of t-shirt scrap material, and handwoven doormats. Also, she owns and operates a sari-sari store in her neighborhood. She is a local community leader and an active director of her housing development. Nelly has been working with NEW Pathways since its inception. She is an inspirational speaker and skilled livelihood trainer.

Hector Veloso serves on the advisory board. He holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines; an M.S. in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison; and, an MBA in Marketing from the University of Chicago. Mr. Veloso specializes in “Greenfield” projects, building food processing plants in the Philippines, USA, China, and Indonesia. He ran the first profitable joint venture in China in 1980s for Beatrice Foods. He retired from McCormick and Company where he held, among many positions, the managing director/business development for Asia. During retirement, he has volunteered with ACDI-VOCA in the high jungles of Bolivia. In this capacity he helped to wean farmers from cultivating coca by providing meat processing and marketing expertise to the meat processing plant that accepted the hogs raised by the farmers. Mr. Veloso continues to provide consulting services to operations in Indonesia and the Philippines. He is an active member of the Santo Niño Council of the Knights of Columbus in Baltimore County where he has served as past Grand Knight and continues to serve under the Church activities committee. Mr. Veloso is a member of the advisory board of the Asian Arts & Culture Center at Towson University.

Maria Carmencita (Menchie) Veloso serves on the Advisory Board. She has a degree in Banking and Finance from the University of St. Paul in Manila, Philippines; speaks 6 languages, three of which are Filipino including Tagalog, Hiligayon, and Sinugbuanon (Cebuano). She is fluent in Spanish and speaks rudimentary Chinese. Mrs. Veloso served as President of the Guangzhou International Women’s Club in the early days of the opening of China in 1980’s together with her husband who ran one of the earliest joint ventures in China. She has lived in China, Singapore and Indonesia. Born and raised in the Philippines, Mrs. Veloso immigrated to the USA in 1965 with her husband. She remains an active member of the ladies auxiliary of the Santo Niño Council of the Knights of Columbus in Baltimore County, and is a member of the advisory board of the Asian Arts & Culture Center at Towson University.

Christine R. Williams has over 25 years experience designing and delivering programs and strategies that enable leaders and organizations to improve performance and achieve their goals.  Her cutting edge programs are considered world-class by both industry and Government standards and she is often invited to speak on the topics of leadership development, organizational change and the application of neuroscience to improving leader and organizational effectiveness. She currently provides consulting, program design, instruction, coaching, and key-notes to a variety of corporate, government, university and non-profit clients and recently designed the first technical leaders program aligned with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Executive Core Qualifications.

Chris previously served as Director of a number of NASA’s leadership development programs including NASA’s s first technical program, the Systems Engineering Leadership Development Program. She also designed and led NASA’s Executive Coaching, Leadership Development, Mentorship and Fellowship Programs, represented NASA on Federal and industry panels and committees, and at National and International Conferences. Chris led several studies that resulted in the development of a new framework for developing NASA engineering leaders. After receiving her BS in Oceanography, Chris graduated Summa Cum Laude from The Johns Hopkins University with an MS in Organizational Development and Applied Behavioral Science.  She has a certificate in business management from the Harvard Business School and a Professional Coaching Certification from the Newfield Network. Chris is also the recipient of a number of leadership awards including NASA’s Outstanding Leadership, External Achievement and Space Flight Awareness Awards. Chris is passionately committed to enabling women to better their lives in the world.

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