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Samsara Foundation, The Netherlands: Board of Directors

Chairman : P.J.Th. Marres

Pieter Marres holds a masters degree in economics from the University of Amsterdam. He worked as a United Nations Volunteer from 1972-1974 at the Bureau of Statistics in Maseru, Lesotho. In 1975-1976 he worked for the United Nations Development Programme as a junior professional officer in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
From 1976 onwards he works for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in different functions as policy officer and was deputy chief of mission in Dhaka, Bangladesh (1981-1983). From 1992 to 1996 he was director at the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam.
He became ambassador in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia (1997-2000), chief inspector of the Foreign Service (2001- 2004) and ambassador in Bangkok, Thailand (2004-2008).
Since 2008 he works as advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague.
He is married and has two children.
His e-mailaddress is pieterjoseemarres@yahoo.com

Member of the board : A.A.L.M. Lombarts

Angelique Lombarts studied at the Hotel Management School (Maastricht) and she holds a degree in Social Sciences (Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam). She has held several positions in the hotel and congress industry. Since 2003, she owns her own company AloA Consultancy and she works as associate professor City Marketing & Leisure Management at Hogeschool Inholland.
Mail address:
a.lombarts@aloaconsultancy.nl.

Treasurer: P.C. Kinds

Patrick Kinds started his career in 1991 at KPMG. He finished his education as Certified Public Accountant and graduated at NIVRA/Nijenrode. He interrupted his KPMG career for 3 years while working for AEGON the Netherlands and returned in 2009 to KPMG, where he is a manager in the financial audit. Patrick lives in IJsselstein with his wife and two children.
His email address is pc.kinds@planet.nl

Secretary: C.C.W. Rinia van Nauta

Connie Rinia van Nauta has been active as administrative employee in the trade & industry as well as for non-profit organizations. She is retired and lives in Amsterdam.
Her e-mail address iss crinia@planet.nl.

Honerary chair : A.P.C. Hendriks

Annelie Hendriks lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand and is the local contact-person for Samsara. In the past Annelie was exhibition coordinator at the Museum for Ethnology in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and director of the Cross-cultural Training Department of the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam. As a business consultant for cross-cultural management Annelie has long experience in Asia. She is the founder of Stichting Samsara in the Netherlands and Samsara Foundation in Thailand. Her e-mail address is annelie@loxinfo.co.th

Important advisor for Samsara Thailand

Khunying Kasama Wotawan Na Ayuttaya, former Secretary-General of the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) at the Ministery of Education in Thailand suggested to the Samsara Foundation, Thailand to invite Mr. Somkiat Chobphol, current Deputy Secretary-General of OBEC to become a special advisor to the board of Samsara, Thailand. Mr. Somkiat Chobphol has accepted our invitation. He will retire from his current post in September 2011. Samsara Foundation, Thailand would like to analyse and discuss with Mr Somkiat Chobphol the situation of the Vocational Education in the Province of Mae Hong Son and in which way it can be more attractive for hill tribe children. Samsara feels very honored that Mr Somkiat Chobphol is willing to support Samsara in its objective to give more hill tribe children a fair chance in the Thai society.

Samsara Foundation, Thailand: Board of directors

Since March 2008 Samsara Foundation, The Netherlands does not need to operate anymore under the auspices of FERC (The Foundation for Education of Rural Children) in Thailand as the Samsara Foundation is officially registered as an independent local NGO in Chiangmai, Thailand under the name “Samsara Foundation”. The board of the Samsara Foundation in Thailand” consists of six persons.

VChair/director scholarship program: Carl Samuels

Chair/director scholarship program: Carl Samuels
American, retired and who lives in Chiangmai since 2003. In his professional life he was a management consultant.
Email: carlsamuels@loxinfo.co.th

Member of the board/director capital projects program: Annelie Hendriks

Dutch, lives in Chiangmai since 2000. In the past Annelie was director of the Cross-Cultural Training Department of the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam.
Email: annelie@loxinfo.co.th

Member of the board: Sasiwimon (Naomi) Wongjarin,

Thai, lives in Chiangmai. She studied museology in the Netherlands and she speaks English and Dutch fluently. She worked for some years in the art world in Chiangmai.
Email: wongjarin@hotmail.com

Member of the board: Sansanee Wannangkoon (not in the picture)

Thai, lives in Chiangmai. She is director of the Language Institute at the Chiangmai University.

Treasure: Darunee Wonggrattanatam,

lives in Chiangmai. She works as manager International Relations at the Siam Commercial Bank in Chiangmai.

Volunteer capital projects: Ratana Keunkeaw,

Thai, lives in Chiangmai. She works since 2001 in close cooperation with Annelie Hendriks in executing Samsara’s projects in the Mae Sariang region. She worked for twelve years in Belgium and works at this moment in construction and gardening and owns a Muay Thai boxing camp.

All members of both boards are volunteers.