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People
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Karen Gordon, Founder & CEO
Gordon founded Whole Child International in 2004 to improve the quality of care for children without guardianship worldwide. By targeting the largely overlooked emotional needs of society's most vulnerable children, Whole Child's cost-effective, sustainable, and replicable program provides children with the tools they need to become productive members of society. As Founder and CEO of the organization, Gordon leads an international team of trainers, researchers, and other staff to change systems of care, advocate and influence policy, and conduct related research. Whole Child programs are currently being brought to scale with funding from the Inter-American Development Bank, TACA Airlines and SISEL International. Karen is a member of the Clinton Global Initiative and Whole Child's 2009 Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action, was selected to be highlighted as an example of how to tackle an intractable global problem at CGI's Annual Meeting on September 24, 2009. On February 20th and 21st 2010 joined by special guest His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Karen Gordon and Whole Child launched a global initiative to raise awareness of the plight of institutionalized children. During the two days with Whole Child, His Holiness engaged philanthropists, academics government officials, and the public on how to meet the needs of the most vulnerable children. Gordon is co-author on two articles published in 2010 in the peer reviewed Infant Journal of Mental Health, contributing important insights and realistic solutions to the public debate. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
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Claudia J. Perrino, Administrative Manager
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Programming
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Jocelyne Marie Takatsuno, Regional Program Director
Jocelyne Takatsuno joins Whole Child International after years of experience working with communities and organization's to improve the well-being of populations affected by conflict and underdevelopment. Prior to joining Whole Child, Jocelyne worked with the International Rescue Committee for several years as a program coordinator in Syria and northern Uganda. In this position she supervised the implementation of seven sectors (Health, Education, Child Protection and Development, Gender Based Violence, Economic Recovery and Development, and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) and drove the transition process from humanitarian emergency to post-conflict recovery. In addition to her experience with IRC, she has served as operations manager for New Field Foundation and as program officer for Relief International in Darfur, Sudan. She has also worked at the Federal Aviation Administration as the sub-Saharan desk officer and has been a consultant to a number of international organizations, including Coalition for International Justice, International Crisis Group, Institute for the Study of International Migration, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Whole Child International. Jocelyne received her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Mount Holyoke College and a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. She has lived and worked in France, Senegal, Uganda, Sudan, and Syria. |
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Ani Shabazian, Ph.D.
Ani Shabazian earned her B.A. from UCLA where she majored in Psychology and History and minored in Applied Developmental Psychology. She went on to pursue a Master's degree in Human Developmental Psychology from Harvard University. Ani then returned to UCLA to complete an MA/Ph.D. program in Urban Schooling from UCLA's Department of Education. Ani is the recipient of the UCLA Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award. While at UCLA, Ani had the privilege of being trained at the world renowned Pikler Institute, a Hungarian orphanage noted for its innovative and successful approach to rearing children raised in institutions. Ani's research interests focus on best practices in caring for children raised in institutional settings. Currently, Ani has a dual appointment at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), serving as an Assistant Professor in the LMU School of Education and as the Director of the Children's Center. |
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Gabriela Serrano, Regional Program Manager (Central America)
Leading the Central American office, Gabriela Serrano is responsible for coordinating activities in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and across the region. Gabriela previously worked within the Salvadoran government and at the University of Oregon in the United States, and is experienced in program planning and implementation.
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Diane Harkins, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.
Diane Harkins has an extensive background in developing and implementing programs that serve children and families. She is also director of the Center for Excellence in Child Development at the University of California, Davis, where she oversees continuing education programs for early childhood educators. Ms. Harkins consults with organizations on the application of adult learning methodology. She developed and managed transitional housing programs for homeless families and worked at Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford as a clinical social worker. |
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Collaborators |
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Christina J. Groark, Ph.D.
Christina Groark is Co-Director of the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development, Associate Professor in the School of Education, and adjunct faculty in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. She is responsible for several collaborative programs working on behalf of children and families, such as Early Head Start, Family Services System Reform, and the Starting Points Program. She has conducted an extensive intervention and research project in children's institutions in St. Petersburg, Russia, and is the author of many articles and book chapters in the areas of early intervention and international youth services. |
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Robert B. McCall, Ph.D.
Robert B. McCall is Co-Director of the Office of Child Development and a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. The Office of Child Development, started in 1986, is devoted to promoting and managing interdisciplinary partnerships in the domains of education and training, applied research, human service demonstrations, program evaluation, and policy studies pertaining to supporting the health, education, welfare, and development of children, youth, and families. McCall has authored hundreds of books, chapters, and articles on infant mental development, age changes in general mental performance, the prediction of later IQ, early childhood care and education, parenting, and issues in applied research methods and program evaluation. He has been an Associate Editor of Child Development and he was a Contributing Editor, monthly columnist, and feature writer for Parents magazine. |
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Learn more |
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