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Short biographical notes on members of WACC's staff | | Randy Naylor General Secretary Randy, Canadian and ordained, was installed in the position of General Secretary in July 2001. He is responsible for liaison with the Asia region. He has worked for the United Church of Canada as a congregational minister, missionary, regional programme officer and as General Secretary for Communication (12 years), during which time he served on WACC’s Central Committee as a member and President from 1991-96. He was honoured for his work in communication with a Doctor of Divinity degree in 1995. He was head of communication of the National Council of Churches (USA) from 1997-2000. He has also worked extensively on communication policy in Canada and the United States, and was awarded the Everett C. Parker Award in 2000. | | | | | | | Lavinia Mohr Deputy General Secretary and Director of Programmes
Lavinia is the Deputy General Secretary and the Director of Programmes. A Canadian national, she joined WACC in 2003. Lavinia holds a Masters Degree in Communication and has worked in international cooperation for many years, much of it in the field of communication including community radio and audiovisual communication for democratic development. She is responsible for liaison with the Latin America Region. She speaks English, French and Spanish. | | | | | | | Philip Lee Deputy Director of Programmes
Philip, a British national, joined the staff of the World Association for Christian Communication in 1975 and is currently Deputy Director of Programmes. He is also the editor of the international journal Media Development and is responsible for Communication for Peace and Communication for Ecumenism Programmes. In addition, he is responsible for liaison with Africa and North America regions. Recent publications include Requiem: Here’s Another Fine Mass You’ve Gotten Me Into (2001); and Many Voices, One Vision: The Right to Communicate in Practice (ed.) (2004). He speaks English, French and Spanish. . | | | | | | | María Teresa Aveggio (Aguirre) Programme Manager for Partnerships and Projects
María Teresa's interest in communication goes back to her secondary school days when she actively contributed to the publication of her school magazine, both in her native city of Valparaíso, Chile and in Pomona, California, where she lived and studied for a year. Maria Teresa first studied journalism at the Journalism School of the University of Chile in Valparaiso. After moving to the UK María Teresa graduated with honours from the School of Communications at the University of Westminster in London. Before joining WACC ‘Tita’ Aguirre worked for the research departments of two large British Trade Unions. She also worked in community development for the London Borough of Hounslow and The Deptford Fund in Lewisham. She joined WACC as a Project Assistant for the Latin American and Caribbean region. She is now a Programme Manager for Recognising and Building Communication Rights Programme and Communication and Poverty Programme. She is also responsible for liaison with Europe and the Middle East regions. She speaks English, Spanish and Italian. | | | | | | | Sarah Macharia Programme Manager for Media and Gender Justice
Sarah joined WACC in April 2007. Of Kenyan origin, she is a feminist political economist with extensive work experience in the field of gender and human development. She has worked with African civil society and international development organisations. She is also currently a contributing researcher at the International Secretariat for Human Development housed at York University, Toronto, Canada. In addition to two East African languages, she speaks English and French. Sarah has a Ph.D. in Political Science from York University. She is responsible for Media and Gender Justice programme and HIV and AIDS, communication and stigma programme. She is also responsible for liaison with Caribbean and Pacific regions. | | | | | | | Richard J. Cridlan Programme Manager/Finance Controller
Richard, a British national, is WACC's Programme Manager/Finance Controller in the UK. A chartered accountant with an Honors degree in German and French and a postgraduate certificate in education from Nottingham University, England, he joined WACC in 1977. | | | | | | | Tim Meadley Manager of Administration
As Manager of Administration, Tim is responsible for a broad range of activities which support the work of the Association, including: facilities management, purchasing, human resources, insurance, and project management. Although born in England, he spent much of his life in Canada and has both UK and Canadian citizenship. Prior to joining WACC, he held a number of senior positions both in industry and working with charities. He has an MSc in nuclear physics, is a Life Member of the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, and is an Officer of the Order of St John. | | | | | | | Jitu Somani Finance Manager
Jitu, born in Uganda, joined WACC in September 2006. An experienced accountant, he has a long history of serving the faith-based community both as an employee and a volunteer. | | | | |  | | Gisèle Langendries Administrator for Programmes and Funding
Gisèle is a graduate of Latin American Studies from the University of Essex in the UK. Born in Belgium, she joined WACC in 1999. She speaks French, English and Spanish. | | | | | | | Teresia Mutuku Communication Officer and Web Manager
A graduate from the University of Gregorian, Rome, Italy, Terry joined WACC in July 2007. She has worked for various organizations in the field of communication and gender. In 2002, she founded a women's project in her home village to promote the rights of women and children. Previously, Teresia worked as a Communication & Networking Programme Officer for the Eastern African Sub-regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women (EASSI), a regional network engaged in the promotion of women rights in eight Eastern African countries. She also worked as a lecturer in Nairobi universities, and as a communication/ public relations officer for various organizations in Kenya. Teresia speaks English, Italian, some French and various African languages. | | | | | | | Mike Rowse Web-development Coordinator
Mike started working with WACC in the fall of 2007. He graduated from McMaster University in Hamilton Canada with a combined degree in Multimedia and Peace and Conflict Studies. He is primarily responsible for creating and further developing WACC's websites. He speaks English, French and German. | | | | | | | Edgar Bernal-Martinez Administrative Assistant
Edgar was born in Colombia, and has lived about half his life in Canada; as a result he is fluent in both English and Spanish. He joined WACC in 2007 as the Administrator Assistant, he is responsible for many of the day-to-day administration procedures, such as keeping membership records and entering payments of Media Development subscriptions into the database, providing support for the General Secretary and the Manager of Administration, coordinating the flow of information and resources as they relate to staff, visitors, and materials and many other duties as assigned. |
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