About TheCommunity.com

Ian was a Creative Director for one of the large multinational ad agencies in Australia when he jumped off into the developing world. We met up with him in East Timor, where he was making films for the UN there, and training six young Timorese in web design. They now have the first web design firm in East Timor. He helped us on a documentary for the event where East Timor was accepted into the UN as a new nation, editing a short film and making it beautiful. He sent us the design for the "What's so hard about Peace?" section from a brothel in Thailand where he was doing a documentary on the young girls sold into sexual slavery from the hill towns. He just returned from Vietnam and a film about unexploded bombs and landmines. He sends us designs from the odd Internet cafe along the way.

Pat Boutin, Education Coordinator. Pat served for seven years as Tibetan Coordinator for Amnesty International. Already holding a Master's Degree in Fine Arts, she then went back to school for her teaching credential. A long time Artist in Residence for the school systems in the State of Washington, Pat was then contracted to develop Learning Essential curricula for the Washington school systems. She has worked for six years as the Education Coordinator for the Hands on Children's Museum in Olympia funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where she is recognized for innovative breakthroughs in educational programs for children.

Mary Wald, Chairman and President. Mary has worked in marketing, promotion and public relations for the publishing and graphics industries for fourteen years. She worked on promotional and marketing campaigns for four New York Times best sellers and acted as Account Executive and/or Art Director on promotional projects for clients that have included Pepsi, Sprint, Warner Records, and more. She owned New West Media, a San Francisco Bay Area web development firm, for three years, simultaneously running a non-profit project which generated resources for Tibetan children in exile.

José Ramos-Horta, Chairman of the Advisory Board. The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate from East Timor (see our learn section) has been a chief advisor to us nearly
since the beginning. He is the Prime Minister of his country, but finds the time to take our calls and emails, spend a few hours over dinner, and keep us pointed in the right direction on our priorities. From the beginning when this site was little more than an idea from a
web developer, and as we have grown, José has unfailingly provided the perspective and insight needed for us to keep going through what can be a very confusing area, peacebuilding and peacemakers.

Tim Rosaire, Creative Director. Tim has won three Clio awards for ad campaigns that included "Reach out and touch someone" for Pacific Bell and others. He was Creative Director on the first television ads to use computer graphics, in a campaign for Levi Strauss. His clients include Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Comcast, Chevron, AT&T and more.

Jesse Kornbluth, Director. If his name sounds familiar, it is probably from a Vanity Fair cover article, or something in the New Yorker, Esquire, the New York Times or another national publication. Jesse was Editorial Director of America Online from 1996-2003 and has authored six books.