Emilie McGlone is the founder of the Music and Art Peace Academy (MAPA) and currently the Director of the New York-based office of Peace Boat US, a non-profit organization working to promote peace, sustainable development and respect for the environment through educational programs organized onboard the Peace Boat. Prior to living in New York, Emilie worked in Tokyo as the National Coordinator for the non-governmental organization (NGO) Bicycle for Everyone’s Earth. She led an international team of volunteers on a two month cycling tour of Japan to raise awareness about environmental issues and promote sustainability. In 2004, she began working as the International Coordinator for the Tokyo-based NGO, Peace Boat, which holds Special Consultative Status with the Social and Economic Council of the United Nations.
Tonya Pittman is currently a resident of Brooklyn, New York. She is a member of the non-profit organization Universal Models for Peace (UMP), a network of fashion and media experts working together to help generate models of sustainable solutions to current local and global issues. By bridging efforts and creating partnerships from the worlds of art and commerce, UMP uses its vast network of leaders in fashion, music, film and finance to help highlight the efforts of organizations, companies, and individuals committed to creating partnerships. These partnerships honor the Global Compact, the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals, and the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals. Tanya also supports the non-profit organization ONE BROOKLYN COMMUNITY, which aims to make a difference in the lives of those living in poverty in Brooklyn. Her passion is supporting local communities and expressing herself through art and fashion. Info: universalmodelsforpeace.org
Julie Markham is the founder of Curious, a search engine via SMS for those without access to the Internet. She is also the founder of pingWHEN, a personal safety application for women. She believes that technology can be used as a positive force for empowerment. Julie has spent the past 3 years working with Unreasonable Group on projects ranging from Unreasonable@Sea, a 100-day voyage with 10 entrepreneurs looking to scale entrepreneurship, to Unreasonable@State, an event in collaboration with the US State Department and Stanford D. School. Julie is a Fulbright Scholar and has three Master’s degrees in business.
Athena Jones is based in CNN’s Washington bureau and reports on politics and general news. She has covered high-profile issues like the Affordable Care Act and the Healthcare.gov website, the war against ISIS, the Ebola virus, the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, and historic Supreme Court cases. Previously, Jones was a White House producer with NBC where she wrote packages, produced story segments and reported on air for MSNBC and NBC News. Prior to her work at NBC, Jones served as a freelance segment producer for CNN. In addition, from 2001 to 2003, she worked as a reporter for Reuters based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she covered the Argentine and Bolivian presidential elections, the farm industry, the collapse of the country’s economy and other topics. Prior to Reuters, Jones reported on politics and the economy in Chile and Argentina for Bloomberg News. Jones has been involved in community service projects since high school, when she volunteered at a homeless shelter and traveled to Tijuana to help lay the foundation for a primary school. In Washington, she has helped prepare food for the homeless at the city’s largest shelter. Info: cnn.com
Dayton Hughes is the Founder and President of Dayton Hughes Consulting (DHC), a leadership coaching and consulting company based in Carmel, California tasked with the mission of developing human capacity. He joins the 88th voyage team of Peace Boat educators with a wealth of international experience in leadership coaching and higher education career advising. Dayton’s professional background includes eight years of management training with a consulting firm in Tokyo, Japan called AMTGroup, serving a wide variety of clients there including Fuji-Xerox, JCB, and Japanese global trading giant, Itochu. Dayton’s enthusiasm for global experiential learning and emerging leadership development has led him to serve universities and institutes with international relations, sustainable business, and global peace studies programs such as Miami University, Wittenberg University, and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
Darren McGee is a sustainable architect and designer who currently lives in New York City. For years, Darren has been involved in the building and design process as a team leader in various projects. In addition, Darren has been an invaluable asset in several music and art events by constructing sets and stages for acts and exhibits at festivals. On this 88th voyage, Darren’s primary focus is to help Peace Boat’s sustainable development project by examining the sustainability issues that the Kuna indigenous people face and aid the organization in crafting eco-friendly septic tanks and sanitation systems.
Govinda Madhava Connors, nicknamed Madhi, was born into a Hindu family in California. His religious background is the single most important factor that influenced his culinary career and life goals. He has lived outside of the United States in several different continents for more than a decade, which sparked his lifelong interest in the vegetarian aspects of many unique food cultures around the globe. Chef Madhi was the head catering chef at the University of San Francisco for Bon Appetite before relocating to the east coast where he now owns a small catering business that is focused on vegetarian, vegan, and healthy authentic regional cuisine.
Hanssel Tavarez is a member of the non-profit organization Mythic Bridge, which focuses on providing hands on, narrative filmmaking education to youth in New York City. The program helps the youth transform their lives as they come to understand the power of storytelling/filmmaking as a mechanism for self-discovery, empowerment, and healing. Hanssel helps the youth develop these critical skills and work habits so that they can carry them with them beyond their experience at Mythic Bridge. Mythic Bridge strengthens youth resilience, as evidenced by improved self-confidence and continuing engagement in their community. Info:mythicbridge.org
Panyin Conduah is a recent college graduate of DePauw University and has been a student of the Downtown Community Television Centre (DCTV) youth media program PRO-TV since 2009. Her passions are in writing and film, which she hopes to utilize as a journalist in the future. She wants to continue making documentaries and other narratives at DCTV covering social issues that affect her community. Panyin is proud of her Ghanaian roots and continues to learn more about her culture through those close to her. Panyin wishes to travel the world and tell the narratives of underrepresented voices. In her spare time she enjoys finding new adventures, learning how to play the guitar, and making mixed media art pieces.