IFERS Team

At the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Institute for Education, Research, and Scholarships (IFERS), our dedicated team members include fiscal project directors, interns, volunteers, and support staff in the United States and worldwide.

Prof. Newton Lee

President

Prof. Newton Lee is the founding president of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Institute for Education, Research, and Scholarships based in Los Angeles, California, a former Disney and Bell Labs engineer, and a 2021 graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy.

Serving as an FBI Ambassador, Lee expounds on social media, campus safety, student mental health, cybersecurity, and counterterrorism as portrayed in the highly acclaimed Total Information Awareness book series published by Springer Nature.

During his 10-year stint at The Walt Disney Company, he served as a steering committee member of the Disney VoluntEARS Leadership Council until 2006.

He has lectured at California State University Northridge, Emily Carr University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, San Diego State University, San Jose State University, Simon Fraser University, University of Southern California, Vincennes University, and Woodbury University. 

He earned a M.S. in Computer Science from Virginia Tech and an honorary doctorate in Computer Science from Vincennes University. He has been honored with a Michigan Leading Edge Technologies Award, two community development awards from the California Junior Chamber of Commerce, and four volunteer project leadership awards from The Walt Disney Company.

Newton was the lead game engineer at Disney Online, creator of AT&T Bell Labs' first-ever commercial artificial intelligence tool, inventor of the world's first annotated multimedia OPAC for the U.S. National Agricultural Library, developer of an AI Expert System for counterterrorism at the Institute for Defense Analyses, designer of an AI Expert System in pharmacology and drug interactions at Virginia Tech, and the longest serving editor-in-chief in the history of the Association for Computing Machinery for its publication Computers in Entertainment (2003–2018).

⇨ BOOKS

Among his 200+ publications in 3 languages and 6,000+ library holdings worldwide, the Total Information Awareness trilogy books have garnered rave reviews from Newsweek and The Daily Beast, ACM Computing Reviews, AdWeek SocialTimes, Choice Magazine, and Faith Radio, among others. Veteran Staff Sergeant Andrew Price of the United States Air Force (USAF) remarked, “I am inspired by the prospect of world peace. I’d fully recommend following the author’s steps, reaching beyond our borders, making friends outside our norm, and helping to foster world peace and a better tomorrow.”

⇨ GAMES

He has co-developed over 100 online games at The Walt Disney Company, and 12 bestselling & award-winning interactive titles including The Lion King Animated Storybook & Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree that were featured in the Billboard Magazine.

⇨ MUSIC

He has executive produced dance-pop songs that have played on American Idol and charted on U.S. Billboard, U.K. Music Week, and U.S. iTunes HOT 100 (Electronic). His latest albums are "Google It (Soundtrack)" and "I Am Not I"​ for which DJ Robert Scott called "a marvelous pop/dance affair of the highest order!"​


Project Directors

Anne Basham, Ed.D.

Anne Basham, Ed.D. is the founder of the Museum House with a mission to connect marginalized communities with collections and literacy. Dr. Basham received her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Innovation from Arizona State University and has interests in the integration of emerging technologies in promoting equity and enriched learning.


Kika Bradford

Kika Bradford is the executive director of Acceso PanAm. Kika has been advocating for access and conservation of Latin America climbing areas for over 10 years. She lives in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, balancing conservation and outdoor recreation especially in protected areas.


Andrea Cameron

Andrea Cameron is the co-founder of STEAM2GO. She has been teaching hands on science programs in Northeast Ohio for over 17 years. She has a Bachelors of Science from Kent State. Andrea is married and has three daughters.


Jessica Christianson

Jessica Christianson is a founder and director of Girls Rock Math that empowers girls to feel confident in math through collaboration, persistence, strategy building and mathematical thinking. Jessica received her Master's degree in Education from the University of Southern California.


Jim Cybulski

Jim Cybulski is a researcher at Stanford University and the president of Foldscope Instruments. A Foldscope is a low-cost, origami-based print-and-fold optical microscope that is ideal for applications in global health, field based citizen science, and K12-science education.


Scott Dunham

Scott Dunham founded Alerra's Wish Foundation (A.W.F.) to provide services for families and professionals in the prevention and rehabilitation of the abducted, endangered, and sexually exploited children.


Habib Fuseini

Habib Fuseini  founded Free Basic Education for the Unfortunate (FBEU) to provide free basic education to children in Ghana and other developing countries. Habib is a financial analyst previously with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. He holds an BA from Strayer University and an MBA from the University of District of Columbia.


Taylour Ganster

Taylour Ganster is the founder of Interconnect Therapy, a parenting hub in San Francisco that serves families and children with ADHD, Autism, anxiety, social & behavioral challenges, learning disabilities and more.


Ja'Near Garrus

Ja'Near Garrus is the founder and director of Greater Baltimore Christian Homeschoolers (GBCH), a support group for homeschooled children. GBCH’s focus is to build community amongst homeschoolers in the Baltimore area and offer opportunities for enrichment in the arts, STEM, oratory, and sports.


Austin Gaydosh

Austin Gaydosh is the project leader of the LA Urban Mobility Education and Hackathon Project. Austin's early years influenced him to pursue philosophy and during high school he also uncovered a passion for physics. It's in education and hackathons that he's found a way to not only pursue theory, but also apply it.


Debbie George

Debbie George is a co-founder of EASE T1D (Education, Awareness, Support, and Empowerment for Type 1 Diabetes) to provide a better understanding of the disease to help ensure the safety of children as well as to find a cure.


Melinda Gillinger

Melinda Gillinger was on her own raising a child with special needs, and she wants other families to never feel alone in this process. She founded Melinda Gillinger & Consultants, providing respectful special education consultancy to families and educational teams of children with special needs.


Ian Hale, Ph.D.

Ian Hale, Ph.D. is a renowned authority on the subjects of autism and Asperger’s. He has an intimate familiarity with the ontogeny and evolutionary background of autism, as well as the genetic factors that contribute to its development. He is creating a research database to explore the autism spectrum and better understand neurodiversity.


Thordar Han

Thordar Han is an undergraduate student at the University of Southern California majoring in Computational Neuroscience. She works as the director of the nonprofit branch for Next Level Foundation for tutoring and mentoring students from underprivileged backgrounds.


Pamela Hawxhurst, Ph.D.

Pamela Hawxhurst, Ph.D. is a founder of STARS Academy, a school for inner-city students with special needs and social-emotional challenges. Pamela Hawxhurst obtained her post-professional doctorate in occupational therapy after 25 years of practice.


Bache Holland

Bache Holland is a founder of Sign Cinema Entertainment. Bache brings 28 years of entertainment industry knowledge and resources. His vision has transcended to empowering the deaf communities to realize their creative capacity thereby amplifying a culture of arts and entertainment potential.


Charles Holsopple

Charles Holsopple is a human rights activist and founder of SUKHI 222 to educate, advocate, and participate in development of tools and best practices to insure the biological need and human right of all people of dignified access to 2 gallons of fresh water, 2,000 nutritional calories and 200 ft3 of secure tenure.


Geoffrey Hughes

Geoffrey Hughes is a founder of Presence English School that operates in Japan to educate and care for both Japanese and foreign students. Born and raised in California, Geoffrey has a passion for teaching and developing international communities.


Mimi Hymel

Mimi Hymel is the founder of Comfort Bears in a Catastrophe to support child disaster victims. Mimi majors in social media marketing with a minor in pre-law at Arizona State University. She is an Alpha Omicron Pi social sorority member, New Member Vice President for the national service sorority Omega Phi Alpha, and a member of the ASU Pre-Law Society.


Emmanuel Ande Ivorgba, Ph.D.

Emmanuel Ande Ivorgba, Ph.D., is the Founder and President of The Emmanuel Ivorgba Foundation. He is the recipient of the 2014 Unsung Heroes of Compassion Award in San Francisco. Dr. Ivorgba co-produced the 2012 award-winning documentary entitled “Dialogue in Nigeria: Muslims and Christians Creating their Future Together.”


Ashley Jennings

Ashley Jennings founded The Panel Foundation, Cleveland County - NC that promotes higher education by providing a panel of educated individuals who offer real-life examples to reach our future leaders and to help end poverty.


Lima Jevremovic

Lima Jevremovic is the founder of Jevremovic Institute of Behavior and Brain Sciences (JIBBS). She is a Mixed Reality (MR) experience designer specializing in cinematic Virtual Reality (VR) and stereoscopy with a focus on immersive educational content/concept development, 360 solutions and Digital Health.


Candy Nichelle Johnson

Candy Nichelle Johnson is an independent screenplay writer and children's book author. She writes stories for children and teens dealing with autism. Her books include Daddy Warbux House, Chrissy Teigen Teach Your Child To Cook , and Fun at Emporia State University available at The Lulu Bookstore.


Alex Karan, Ph.D.

Alex Karan, Ph.D. founded The Research Room to improve classrooms to better incorporate the rich and unique strengths and identities of Black and Latinx children. With a Ph.D. in psychology, he is an expert in social support and resilience, working on minority stress (e.g. LGBTQ, ethnic/racial populations) and health communication (e.g. patient support and adaptive health behaviors).


Danielle Keiser

Danielle Keiser founded Menstrual Health Hub for the exchange of information about menstrual health, menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and menstrual equity to offer social initiatives, educational resources, product information, research, Q&A forum, and advocacy campaigns to help drive awareness.


Ndindi Kitonga, Ph.D.

Ndindi Kitonga, Ph.D. is the co-founder of Angeles Workshop School, a revolutionary independent school in Los Angeles that incorporates role-playing games and social justice into a democratic learning model, providing a truly authentic education for inquisitive teens.


Chamila Kodagoda

Chamila Kodagoda started his career as an English teacher and later on worked as a journalist for a number of Sri Lankan print and electronic media. He founded Child Rehabilitation Center in 1998 to support thousands of children, women and elders of war-affected communities in Sri Lanka.


Jayne Amelia Larson

Jayne Amelia Larson is a bestselling author and creative content producer, and the creator and host of the BONUS BABIES podcast. She has volunteered with Los Angeles youth for twenty-five years, and is a proud CASA volunteer.


Artie Leary

Artie Leary of Gather and Give is a software industry veteran who thrives at creating an environment of technology and culture that leads to personal and professional success. Entrepreneur, leader, and strong believer in the incredible power of empowered and engaged individuals/teams.


John Lee

John Lee is a disabled U.S. Army combat veteran and founder of the Veterans Book Club to provide books for children of disabled veterans and veterans themselves by shipping them bulk of donated books on a regular basis.


Nunnaree Luangmoi

Nunnaree Luangmoi is founder and director of Center for Girls that inspires young girls to strive for a better future. As an experienced facilitator of human rights workshops and interventions, Nunnaree studied Community Development at Chiang Rai Rajabhat University and holds a Master’s Degree in Strategy Development.


Tammi Masters

Tammi Masters founded Natural Connections Academy to teach kinesthetic practice, project-based learning, and interactions with nature. Tammi has 15 years of experience in the field of education. She has an A.S. in Natural Resource Management (Forestry), a B.S. in Elementary Education with minors in science and social studies, and a Master degree in Educational Leadership.


Rain Breaw Michaels

Rain Breaw Michaels cofounded Sun Cinematography to award female students for excellence in cinematography. Rain is an internet technologist, and has worked with organizations including the League of Women Voters, UCLA, Technicolor, ICANN, and public libraries across the U.S. She has an MFA in Film Production from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.


Taishi Mizuno

Taishi Mizuno cofounded TC FAM beyond Education that offers an internship program to teach essential processes and techniques of TV productions and filmmaking. Taishi is a film & TV producer, director, and actor. His most recent work includes a talk show series called "Creative World" which started in September 2020.


Alicia Nuby

Alicia Nuby founded Cherishing Minds for youth and educational development. The ultimate goal is to open a K-5 STEAM-based charter school. Current projects include tutoring sessions, technology literacy sessions, and school supply drives. Alicia is currently a Ph.D. student in Public Policy & Administration with specialization in Nonprofit Management.


Laurence Okereke

Laurence Okereke founded UB League to improve the quality of life in the community by providing a space for young men and women to be mentored and developed into contributing members of society. The goal of UB League is to promote AIM: Accountability, Inclusivity and Mentorship.


Stephen Parliament

Stephen Parliament is responsible for Baaxal, Educación Waldorf en Puerto Morelos. an educational community inspired by the Waldorf pedagogy. Stephen teaches classes in Leadership and Advocacy for Early Childhood Education and in Diversity in Early Childhood at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.


Marja Perren

Marja Perren is the founder of Dasha Flash® Foundation and author of Dasha Saves the Day: At the Park. She is devoted to working with children on both a creative and educational level. Her children’s writing and community outreach initiatives such as the Hero Canvas Project™ act as a vehicle to inspire children to have an openness to art and good deeds.


Deven Radfar

Deven Radfar is the CEO of Next Level Tutors and an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley studying Political Science and Public Policy. Since his first tutoring job at Pali High’s Study Center, Deven has worked in tutoring and has mentored students from underprivileged backgrounds.


Sohini Ray, Ph.D.

Sohini Ray, Ph.D. is the founder of Legal Power. A J.D. candidate in Southwestern Law School, she received the Public Interest Law Committee award to work at ACLU Southern California’s litigation department in summer 2014. She has worked for California Lawyer for the Arts and Legal Aid Foundation in diverse legal fields ranging from family law, political asylum law and arts law.


Sohini Ray Arlene Rosen

Sohini Ray Arlene Rosen is the co-founder of STEAM2GO and the Enrichment Coordinator for Future Scientists. A graduate of Cleveland State University with a Bachelor of Science in Education, Rosen has also been a passionate teacher who EXCITES CHILDREN about science for over 20 years.


Allegra Searle-LeBel

Allegra Searle-LeBel is the National Coordinator for World Space Week USA. She brings organizational leadership, business knowledge and artistic perspective to the space sector, and is committed to making outer space accessible for all.


Gabriela Steinitz

Gabriela Steinitz is the President of the Corporación Cultural Trude Sojka in Quito, Ecuador in charge of the Trude Sojka House Museum’s collections. Gabriela studied art in France and Czech Republic. She earned a Master’s degree in Museology and has written a children’s book and numerous newspapers articles.


Scott Stubbe

Scott Stubbe is the co-founder of Angeles Workshop School, a revolutionary independent school in Los Angeles that incorporates role-playing games and social justice into a democratic learning model, providing a truly authentic education for inquisitive teens.


Favour Suomieyefa

Favour Suomieyefa is the founder of Peje Bongre Children's Foundation to support poor and vulnerable children in Peje Bongre Chiefdom, Kailahun District, Eastern Province of Sierra Leone in West Africa by giving them education, nutritious food and supplements, health and medical care, clean and safe drinking water, clothing and opportunities for their growth and development.


Michael Taiwo, Ph.D.

Michael Taiwo, Ph.D. is the founder of Michael Taiwo Scholarships that bridges the gap to potential for bright but indigent students from developing countries. Michael works for an energy giant as an Operations Director in the Renewable Energy space. He is a Doctor of Engineering who is passionate about education, scholarships, and energy transition.


Michelle Thornburg

Michelle Thornburg is a co-founder of EASE T1D (Education, Awareness, Support, and Empowerment for Type 1 Diabetes) to provide a better understanding of the disease to help ensure the safety of children as well as to find a cure.


Xuling (Suelynn) Wu

Xuling (Suelynn) Wu is the senior project leader of the LA Urban Mobility Education and Hackathon Project. Xuling has been a “conductor” of a high-level executive education programs for over 10 years. Today, she conducts S(TEAM)N, a startup helping young adults find their passion, confidence, and voices in science and technology.


Staff and Volunteers

Afeez Akinbode

Afeez Akinbode, IFERS Ambassador, received a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics Education from the University of Abuja in Nigeria. Presently residing and teaching in United Arab Emirates (UAE), Afeez is a self-motivated individual who applies his communication and interpersonal skills in volunteering to make a positive impact in the world.


Katherine Amoukhteh

Katherine Amoukhteh, Global Consultant, has had over 20 years in STEM before transitioning to teaching. She was awarded the Teacher of Year. She is the founder of Esports College and Career Pathways with the mission to provide a safe and supportive environment for gamers to improve. Her recent work includes women in gaming (the Hive) and high school & collegiate esports consulting.


Dr. Harjeet S. Anand

Dr. Harjeet S. Anand, Global Ambassador and Vice Chancellor, is a successful businessman in the fields of shipping, information technology, and filmmaking. Dr. Anand has been working on humanitarian projects in many countries in the world through his association with Rotary International and United Nations programs.


Kierti Bansie

Kierti Bansie, Volunteer, runs two charitable organizations in Houston, Texas to feed starving children and to provide food and safety to abused elderly. Born and raised in Suriname, South America by a single mother who raised eight children, Kierti self-learned investment strategies and went on to work for Charles Schwab, Merrill Lynch, and Morgan Stanley.


Christopher Bartley

Christopher Bartley, Internship Consultant, is a freelance content marketer, designer, and brand developer that requires storytelling, strategy, and salesmanship. An outstanding resume can only go so far. Chris intercedes on behalf of students with his skill set to help kick-start their career development.


James “Bonzai” Caruso

James “Bonzai” Caruso is IFERS Music Advisor and six-time Grammy-winning recording and mix engineer, producer, arranger, and songwriter, with over three decades of experience working with high profile recording artists including Chronixx, Alicia Keys, Protoje, Mariah Carey, Gwen Stefani, Missy Elliot, Erykah Badu, Bette Midler, Lenny Kravitz, and Cher.


Mark Carvalho

Mark Carvalho, Global Ambassador and Director of Business Development, is a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and an environmental futurist with 20+ years of experience in applying life science and chemistry to improve indoor air quality, health, and wellness. He is also a Chief Marketing Officer for the 501C3Coin cryptocurrency for nonprofits, University of Esports, and Planet Marz theme parks as well as a Director at Sunn Classic Pictures and Asian Film Festival. Mark is passionate about education that can change lives, and he helps expand its reach with governments and universities globally.


Tanumita Chatterjee

Tanumita Chatterjee, Internship Consultant, joined us after she completed her internship in the U.S. in 2015. "Working with IFERS is what guided me to go far in my career. Professional training in the United States added a whole new dimension to my career path and I would be truly happy if I can do something to light up the lives of international students and professionals."


Vinny Cheung

Vinny Cheung handles asset management for individual philanthropists who want to create a better world for everyone on the planet.


Eric Constein

Eric Constein (aka "CODannouncerGUY"), esports instructor, has been in the industry of Esports for over 15 years. His educational background consists of Broadcast Journalism at Temple University. He got his start, commentating for Call of Duty and Halo tournaments, before starting his streamer personality on Twitch and YouTube. Eric has been heavily involved in the influence of Esports and Education, working with RediNation. Most recent works include writing curriculum for San Diego States' global campus, for Intro to Esports, and Intro to Streaming.


Chris Davis

Chris Davis, Innovation Engineer, is an FPV Drone expert known in the community as DZ or DZDOESIT. He started his career in the U.S. Navy for ship to ship and ship to shore communications. With a B.S. in CIS, his goal is to use drones and tech to improve future generations. He has designed, manufactured, sold, and supported FPV drones worldwide over the past several years.


Sam Diamond

Sam Diamond, esports coach, started his journey into the gaming space through casual Team Fortress 2 tournaments in 2011. Starting in 2013, he played as a semi-pro gamer in Splash Damage’s Dirty Bomb. He continued to play semi-professionally with a variety of teams and games for the next several years. In 2016, Sam transitioned to coaching professionally and managing teams. He continued for several more years to coach and support up-and-coming talent for several minor and pro league teams in Overwatch. Sam is now working with high schools, colleges, and esports teams to build a more holistic and sustainable path into the professional gaming scene.


Maryam Farooqi

Maryam Farooqi, Fundraising Volunteer, has a background in law and substantial fundraising experience for a university in London. She brings the best of both worlds to IFERS. She has worked for nonprofit charities in the UK and abroad, and also has experience working for London-based law firms and the UK government.


Kirk Findlay

Kirk Findlay, Volunteer, is an award-winning documentary film producer. He was sports director, anchor, and reporter for live TV news channel at KREX-TV, KESQ, CBS Local 2, and KUNA. His short film "The Jack Matlack Story" won the Best Biography from American Film Institute, and his documentary "History of Portland Baseball" won the MLB Hall of Fame.


Elizabeth Grigoryeva

Elizabeth Grigoryeva, Volunteer, graduated from Woodbury University with a B.A. degree in Communication and Media Studies. She is experienced in sustainability activism, event coordination, fundraising, and international relations. She enjoys traveling around the world and learning traditions and visions of other cultures.


Dane Henderson

Dane Henderson, Business Development Director, is the Program Advisor for E-Sports Education at San Diego State University. He is also the media production manager at NFU Media for concerts, radio, media, and education. His passion is to help the next generation and future visionaries accomplish their goals and build relationships to create new opportunities.


Dinesh Helwate

Dinesh Helwate, Volunteer, is also a volunteer at Harshal Gramin Vikas Bahu Sanstha. He has earned a graduate degree in International Relations from Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom. He is authoring a new book on International Business, Growth and Uprising Threat of the 21st Century.


Millicent Johnnie

Millicent Johnnie, Education Consultant, is Assistant Professor in Performance and Choreography at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Her choreography has been featured in the film Scary Movie 5 and has been highlighted on ESPN, the Prince William Network, and Sunshine Networks.


Muhammad Imran Khan

Muhammad Imran Khan, Volunteer, is Deputy Director of Finance at the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority in Pakistan. He is also an acclaimed English article writer and researcher with publications in many countries. He is passionate about economic and social development in the developing world.


Marcela Melnic

Marcela Melnic, Communications Manager, graduated from the University of Moldova with B.B.A. in Marketing and Logistics in 2013. After graduation she lived in New York City for 3 years. Previously she worked for the social-philanthropic foundation Yahad as a volunteer coordinator. The volunteering experience gave her a deep appreciation to be involved in improving the quality of life.


Syed Musab Navish

Syed Musab Navish, Product Manager, earned a Master of Science in Technology Management from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology.


Chaitanya Niphadkar

Chaitanya Niphadkar is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Education, Research, and Scholarships. An alumnus of Harvard Business School and Lancaster University, he has earned two doctoral degrees, authored 5 books, and published numerous articles in international journals and magazines.


Frances Eames Noland

Frances Eames Noland, Director of Education, has an M.Sc. from the University of Oxford. She has served as a Trustee of Linacre College University of Oxford, an Open Research Champion at SOAS University of London, and a Faculty Representative at Goodenough College. Frances is committed to furthering Open Data & Open Research initiatives, authoring the book chapter ‘Privileged Information: The Corporatization of Information’ in Newton Lee’s Google It: Total Information Awareness.


Emily Peed

Emily Peed, Writer, was part of a scholarship-based diversity program from the National Center for Women and Information Technology. She studies technology and society, and is interested in solving inequality and environmental issues related to manufacturing and computing production through analysis and data science.


Cristina Platon

Cristina Platon, Associate Manager, handles communication and relationship with U.S. and global organizations. She has a Bachelor's degree from Universitatea Liberă Internațională din Moldova.


Emiliano Forino Procacci

Emiliano Forino Procacci, Education Consultant, is a psychologist who had taught in the Department of Communication Sciences at the Università Popolare of Gorizia. He holds three Master's degrees: Education Sciences, Psychology and Pedagogy, and Organizational Development and Human Resources. He won the 2016 Golden Book Award in Italy for his bestselling book "Comunicare con Successo."


Tellypuu "Blue" Quisquis

Tellypuu "Blue" Quisquis, Native American Advisor, has 20+ years of experience working with tribal governments and business executives in the field of education, technology, entertainment, food, Indian gaming, and economic development. He has advised commissioners, CEOs, at-risk youth, incarcerated youth and adults, politicians, law enforcement personnel, representatives of U.S. and foreign governments, mothers, daughters, teachers, and tribes.


Sarah Rabl

Sarah Rabl, Volunteer, studies psychology at Karl Franzens University in Graz. She is the team leader of the PLAST Student Platform, a volunteer at EFPSA Congress in Malta, an organizer of Fifteen Seconds Festival in Graz, and a volunteering teacher at Global Vision International on the Fiji Islands.


Raphael Sabbah

Raphael Sabbah, Volunteer, is the director of Platinum Choices Limited, an education consultancy. He holds a certificate in computer engineering and is currently pursuing a degree in international business management at Laweh Open University College as well as project management at the Institute of Project Management in Accra, Ghana.


Mihaela Tataru

Mihaela Tataru, Associate Manager, handles communication and relationship with U.S. and global organizations. She has earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Universitatea Tehnică a Moldovei.


Petra Uhrakova

Petra Uhrakova, Internship Consultant, earned a certificate in advanced English from British Centre Olomouc (Palacky University). As a freelance writer and blogger, she has written more than 60 published articles about luxury jewelry, watches, and successful people in business.


Louis Wai

Louis Wai, Vice President of International Outreach and Chairman of IFERS-Singapore, is the Singapore chairman of GCCT (Green Climate Change Technology) Foundation that focuses on renewable energy, environment, and sustainability. He is also executive vice president of the Hong Kong Daji Investment Group, and Chief Operating Officer of Aerides Investment Holdings.


Wallace Wang

Wallace Wang, Global Consultant, is a university lecturer who has written over 50 books on computer science, business, and acting. When he is not teaching iPhone programming and game design, he blogs about screenwriting on www.15minutemoviemethod.com and daily news on www.catdailynews.com for cat enthusiasts.


Advisory Board

Prof. Dr. Alvin Chan

Prof. Dr. Alvin Chan is the Yvon Pfeifer Professor of Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technologies at Cambridge Corporate University, Switzerland. His interests are in the area of Emerging Technologies such as cryptocurrency, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs for Art) and Zero-code Artificial Intelligence Development.


Dr. Edward Clift

Dr. Edward Clift, Chief Nonprofit Strategy Advisor, is former President of Brooks Institute and founding Dean of the Woodbury University School of Media, Culture & Design in Burbank, California. His guiding passion has always been to help transform students and others seeking to realize their potential as creative professionals. Dr. Clift earned his BFA degree from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, MFA degree from Savannah College of Art & Design, MA degree from the Annenberg School of Communication (U. Penn), and Ph.D. degree in communication from the University of Utah.


Charles Holsopple

Charles Holsopple is a human rights activist and founder of SUKHI 222 to educate, advocate, and participate in development of tools and best practices to insure the biological need and human right of all people of dignified access to 2 gallons of fresh water, 2,000 nutritional calories and 200 ft3 of secure tenure.


Dan Isaacs

Dan Isaacs is the Chief Technology Officer of the Digital Twin Consortium with 200+ members. Utilizing his 25+ years of industry experience, Dan is driving the adoption of Digital Twin and related technology, educating companies on the benefits and resultant transformational value, furthering education, promoting collaboration, and showcasing new innovative technology.


Quincy Jones

Quincy Jones is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award nominations, 28 Grammys, and a Grammy Legend Award in 1992.


Catherine Katona

Catherine Katona is an experienced business and legal affairs entertainment industry executive, valued consultant, and highly-skilled contract negotiator with bar memberships in NY, CA, FL and Washington, D.C.


Dr. Alan Kay

Dr. Alan Kay is an American computer scientist. He has been elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Royal Society of Arts. He is best known for his pioneering work on object-oriented programming and windowing graphical user interface (GUI) design. He was awarded the Turing award in 2003.


Brad LeBeau

Brad LeBeau is IFERS Music Advisor and founder of PRO MOTION (est. 1983) which is the oldest and largest independent dance music marketing company in the world, the only company of its kind to represent domestic and international talent throughout North America, and representing club deejays such as David Guetta and Skrillex as well as artists including Beyoncé and Britney Spears.


“Education has got to start first,” says Quincy Jones at the American Film Institute in Hollywood, California on November 4, 2006.

About Us

Address

811 West 7th St, Suite 1200
Los Angeles, CA 90017, US

About us

Established in 2004, the Institute for Education, Research, and Scholarships (IFERS) is an award-winning California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity organization dedicated to improving society by conducting scientific and social research as well as being a fiscal sponsor for more than 150 humanitarian projects. We believe in changing the world for the better through education, research, and scholarships. Our ultimate goal is to create a better world with lasting peace, prosperity, and universal rights for all.

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