International House Board of Directors
2012-2013 Officers & Directors
Chair
Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau, University of California, Berkeley
Vice-Chair
Isao “Steve” Matsuura, Board Director, Bank of the West
Treasurer
Atef Eltoukhy, Chairman, Aurum Capital Management
Chief Executive Officer
Hans Giesecke, International House
Chief Financial Officer
Shirley Spiller, International House
Secretary
Maya Gopalan,
International House
Board Members
Yoshi Akiba, Co-owner of Yoshi’s
Robert M. Berdahl, Chancellor Emeritus
University of California, Berkeley
John S. Bronson,
Bronson Consulting LLC
Richard Dishnica, President,
The Dishnica Company LLC
Robert L. Duffy, Senior Partner,
A.T. Kearney, Inc.
Diane Dwyer,
NBC Bay Area News Anchor
Jamy Faulhaber,
Rancher, Central Valley
Charles H. Ferguson,
Writer and Director, Representational Pictures
Carlos Fernandez-Pello, Associate Dean
Graduate Division, UC Berkeley
Jawahar M. Gidwani, Chairman & CEO,
NeoKismet, L.L.C.
Martha M. Hertelendy, President,
GRAMP Foundation
Joyce M. Hicks, Executive Director,
San Francisco Office of Citizen Complaints
Michaele M. James,
AAA NCNU Insurance Exchange
Joan P. Kask, Director of Administration, IAS,
University of California, Berkeley
Jane Katsura, Clinical Nurse Specialist,
Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland
Kit Choy Loke, Attorney
Simon P. Lowes, Manager,
Global Social Performance, Chevron Corporation
Michael Morgan, Music Director and Conductor, Oakland East Bay Symphony
Jay L. Paxton, Managing Director,
Buchalter Nemer, APC
Milan Piterman
C.V. Ravi, Ph.D.
Peter Robertson, Vice Chairman, Retired,
Chevron Corporation
John Sears, Attorney
Amy Slater
Peter J. Taylor,
CFO, University of California
Tejash Unadkat, CEO,
Fatminds Inc.
Egon von Kaschnitz, CEO, Retired,
Zierer Visa Service, Inc.
Robert R. Wong, AIA,
Architect
Eugene Yano,
Yano Accountancy Corporation
Three Residents of International House
Why I Serve on the International House Board of Directors
I serve on the I-House board simply because it represents one of the best ways I know of to bring people together by transcending racial, cultural and political differences. It's a successful microcosm of what one day may be accomplished in many troubled parts of the world, such as the Middle East, where I was born. One of my dreams is to spread the culture of the I-House as an antidote to violence and conflict."
Dr. Atef Eltoukhy is the chairman of Aurum Capital Management, a family office in Woodside, CA. He is a member of the Board of Trustees at the American University in Cairo. Formerly, he was a professor at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, a scientist at IBM in San Jose, and an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, where he co-founded two companies in the digital storage industry and took them public. Dr. Eltoukhy authored many patents/publications in the semiconductor and magnetic thin film deposition technology. In the early 1990s, he launched a new career in investment management, wherein he co-founded two registered entities in San Francisco: a broker-dealer and an investment adviser. Dr. Eltoukhy's education includes a PhD from University of Illinois and a BS and an MSc degrees from Cairo University. He was also a graduate student and an instructor at the Materials Science Dept. at the American University in Cairo. His current philanthropic activities under the Eltoukhy Family Foundation include building a school in Sharkia, Egypt and sponsoring endowed fellowships for the benefit of Egyptian/Middle Eastern students at UC-Berkeley as well as at Stanford University. In addition, the Eltoukhy family has sponsored the Atef H. and Fofa A. Eltoukhy Endowed Scholarship at the American University in Cairo for the benefit of talented and deserving Egyptian students.
"I serve on the International House Board because I want residents to enjoy the same experience as I did as a resident. I serve because I made many of my best friends at I-House and hope others will do the same. I serve because I-House was in deep financial trouble in the 1970's, and I don't want to see that happen again. And last I serve because I love the old building and want to make sure that it is preserved for future generations."
Ms. Jamy Faulhaber received her bachelor's degree in Spanish and Political Science from the University of Colorado. She attended the University of California at Berkeley for her Masters Degree in Spanish Language and Literature and lived at the International House. She was previously an IBM Regional Sales Manager for New York and New Jersey; and co-founder of an import business selling hand-painted tiles and fixtures from Mexico. Ms. Faulhaber served on the Board of Directors of the International House from 1974 until 1978 and from 1985 until 1997. She has served as Chair of the Development and Finance Committees. She is the current Chair of the House Committee.
"I choose to serve on the I-House Board because I am deeply committed to life learning through cross cultural experiences. The I-House community (students, alumni, staff, board, etc.) sees very directly how cultural differences can positively impact each of us. These understandings help us continue our curious quest to learn how to live, how to teach respect, & become more adaptable with an eye toward a more tolerant, peaceful, & rich world."
Ms. Michaele M. James holds a B.S.B.A. degree from the University of Denver in Quantitative Methods and Statistics. She has been an active Board Member of International House since 1998, serving as the Chair of the Technology Committee for most of her tenure. Currently, Ms. James is a Vice-President of IT Applications at the AAA NCNU Insurance Exchange. Ms. James was previously a Vice President of Information Technology (IT) at Sun Microsystems.
"The people involved with I-House are another reason why I serve. Student residents I have met at I-House are some of the most impressive of my acquaintance. They demonstrate the intelligence and curiosity, skills, creativity, motivation, and tolerance that the world needs in its future leaders. Individuals on the staff and on the Board of Directors are another inspiration. Before joining the Board, I worked closely with a number of Board members and staff on a special project. This activity revealed to me just how dedicated the Board and staff are and, for those Board members who were alumni of I-House, the huge impact that I-House had on these impressive individuals' lives."
Ms. Joan Kask holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from California State University at Long Beach and a Master of Arts in Asian Studies from UC Berkeley. She spent a year studying in Taichung, Taiwan and has studied Chinese at the advanced level, as well as Japanese at the beginning level. She also has a reading knowledge of French. Ms. Kask has worked at the University of California, Berkeley for over 20 years in positions covering many aspects of university administration. Prior to her current position as Director of Administration, she served as Assistant Dean of International and Area Studies.
"My career in the oil and natural gas business has taken me around the globe to an incredible array of countries, communities and cultures from the most advanced to the most primitive and from the richest to the poorest. These experiences have convinced me that bringing people together around productive endeavors in an atmosphere of mutual respect is one way to advance tolerance and peace in the world. The mission of I-House is entirely consistent with this conviction."
Peter Robertson is retired Vice Chairman of the Board for Chevron Corporation. He was responsible for directing the company's worldwide exploration and production business. Mr. Robertson is a native of Edinburgh, Scotland and earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at Edinburgh University. He holds a master's degree in business administration from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School. Mr. Robertson is a member of the Russian-American Leaders Forum and has served as Chairman of American Petroleum Institute's Upstream Committee.
"To me I-House is very personal, it was my home away from home. When I arrived in September, 1961, I had just turned 17 and was the youngest resident. Immediately, all the other residents adopted me and started worrying about me, their younger brother. They made sure I took the right classes and got good grades, made sure I had enough sleep and had the right friends, etc. In addition, having come from the rather narrow perspective of the then British colony of Hong Kong, I was exposed to the smorgasbord of languages, cultures, histories of all the different residents from all over the world. I tell everyone I "grew up", ie, matured in I-House, my second home for the next four years.
This fall, my nephew moved into I-House. He represents the fifth member of my family, in the third generation, to be members of I-House. The unique experience of living in I-House should be preserved for future scholars coming to Berkeley."
Dr. Kwei Ü was born in China and received his B.A. in Physics and Biology from UC Berkeley in 1965 and earned an M.D. at the University of Wisconsin in 1969. He had externships in Germany and England and completed his residency at UCLA's Department of Neurology.
Recently retired, Dr. Ü practiced medicine since 1976 and was affiliated with the Chinese Hospital, the California Pacific Medical Center and the Saint Francis Memorial Hospital. Among his professional memberships are the San Francisco Medical Society and the American Academy of Neurology. Dr. Ü has served as the Vice President for American Bach Soloists and has a continuing avid interest in the cultures of Polynesia.
