Program Speakers
Rod Beadle
is Executive Director, Engineers In Action (EIA). Rod is a registered Professional Engineer with over 33 years of civil engineering experience in the United States and throughout the developing world. Engineers in Action is dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of vulnerable communities in Latin America. EIA worsk in partnership with local communities to increase access to water and infrastructure, building their capacity and resilience. Rod oversees all EIA operations, coordinates with partner agencies and NGOs, promote awareness of EIA’s programs, develops new programs, and explore opportunities to expand operations into other countries and regions.
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Bruce Compton
is senior director of international outreach for the Catholic
Health Association of the United States. He is responsible for assisting and supporting CHA-member organizations in their outreach activities in the developing world. His duties include facilitating collaboration among CHA-member organizations and others, seeking to enhance the impact of international ministries. Bruce also is responsible for education regarding international outreach issues and encouraging CHA members' participation in various activities of international ministry. For more information 
Bintu Musa-Harry
joined the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer in 2017 and is currently serving as a Consular Officer at U.S. Embassy, Port-au-Prince. She has also worked as a Thomas R. Pickering Fellow in the Bureau of African Affairs Office for Central Africa and the International Narcotic and Law Enforcement section of U.S. Embassy, Lima. Mrs. Musa-Harry has worked in Guyana, Panama, Rwanda, and Peru. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, she designed programs for adult education, youth development, and girls' empowerment initiatives. She also served as a Fulbright Scholar in Rwanda. She earned a Master’s Degree in International Development from American University in 2017, and a Bachelors of Art in Political Science and International Studies from Towson University in 2010. She speaks Spanish, French, Haitian Creole, and Sierra Leonean Krio.
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Jerome McDonnell
is a host of Worldview, WBEZ’s global affairs program, since 1994. Jerome joined WBEZ in 1984 as an intern thinking this would be a quick “Peace Corps like” broadcasting experience. But suddenly he was producing a business program and then a Saturday morning calendar program. These days his picture is in the dictionary under “public radio lifer." McDonnell produced the internationally focused program Midday with Sondra Gair and took over as host after Sondra passed away. Jerome believes broadcasting’s highest calling is to bring people together to make difference.
joined the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer in 2017 and is currently serving as a Consular Officer at U.S. Embassy, Port-au-Prince. She has also worked as a Thomas R. Pickering Fellow in the Bureau of African Affairs Office for Central Africa and the International Narcotic and Law Enforcement section of U.S. Embassy, Lima. Mrs. Musa-Harry has worked in Guyana, Panama, Rwanda, and Peru. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, she designed programs for adult education, youth development, and girls' empowerment initiatives. She also served as a Fulbright Scholar in Rwanda. She earned a Master’s Degree in International Development from American University in 2017, and a Bachelors of Art in Political Science and International Studies from Towson University in 2010. She speaks Spanish, French, Haitian Creole, and Sierra Leonean Krio. For more information |
Rick Burns
is an Army veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan and the founder of Karadah Project International, an Iowa 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation committed to building sustainable, long-term solutions in partnership with the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. Karadah Project strives to give equal access to ideas and partnering opportunities that empower people and communities to solve their own challenges to build stable and economically productive communities. Rick is a member of the Council Bluffs Iowa Sister Cities Association Board of Directors and serves as the Sister Cities International Afghanistan Country Representative. He has facilitated partnerships between cities in the United States and municipalities in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
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NANCY ECONOMOU
is the founder and president of Watts of Love, which was founded in 2012 following a business trip to the Philippines. While there she realized the drastic need for safe and renewable lighting. As a mother of five boys, Nancy was compelled to equip vulnerable families to help raise them out of a continuous cycle of poverty. Nancy has made it her mission to deliver light and love to the poorest of the poor worldwide. Prior to forming Watts of Love, Nancy sold high-end jewelry at Cartier Jewelers in Chicago. Nancy is an active member of her church, as well as an advocate for raising families out of poverty around the world.
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Dr. M. Zaher Sahloul
is a Critical Care Specialist, Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Illinois, a humanitarian, and a strong advocate for refugees and victims of disasters including his homeland Syria. He founded several global organizations including, MedGlobal and SAMS to reduce healthcare disparity, globally focusing on disaster areas like Syria, Yemen, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Greece, Lebanon, Jordan, and the Rohingya crises. Dr. Sahloul was awarded the Chicagoan of the Year award in 2016 for risking his life in medical missions to besieged Aleppo, the "Heroes Among Us" award by the American Red Cross in 2017 and the UNICEF Chicago Humanitarian award in 2017. Dr. Sahloul co-chairs the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition and sits on the advisory boards of Heartland Alliance, the Syrian Community Network (SCN), and the Center for Public Health and Human Rights and Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Sahloul co-founded MedGlobal, a medical relief NGO dedicated to providing sustainable and innovative solutions to victims of global crises.
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