Sudan Sustainable Development
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Conference Info
Management Team
"A man can only lead his people if he shows them a vision of the future ... They are Merchants of Hope."

Napoleon
french general
king of italy
(1769-1821)
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Bernard Mullin BERNARD MULLIN, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Dr. Bernard Mullin is considered to be a leading expert in sports marketing and sports management with over 28 years of experience in the sport and entertainment industry.

Dr. Mullin joined The Sixteenth of May Foundation as Chairman of the Board. He serves as Chief Volunteer of The Foundation, provides leadership to the Board of Directors, partners with the Administrative Staff in achieving The Foundation's mission, encourages Board's role in strategic planning, monitors financial planning and financial reports and plays a leading role in fundraising activities.

Dr. Mullin held executive positions with professional teams in the NBA, NHL, IHL and MLB as well as holding a Vice Chancellors position at the University of Denver. He also worked in the NBA office for 4 years as Senior Vice President for Marketing and Team Business Operations. Bernard is currently the President and CEO of the Atlanta Spirit which oversees the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Thrashers and world-class Philips Arena.

Dr. Mullin graduated from the University of Kansas with a Ph.D in Business, an MBA and an MS in Marketing. He resides in Atlanta where he is active in the community serving on the boards of Central Atlanta Progress, the Atlanta Sports Council and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Mullin is married to Valerie and has three grown children Julie, Lara, Steven and a stepson Chad.

Gary Jackson GARY JACKSON, SECRETARY OF THE BOARD

Gary M. Jackson, Esq. is a partner in the law firm of DiManna & Jackson, LLP. He is a founder of the Sam Cary Bar Association, an association of Colorado African-American lawyers and judges.

Mr. Jackson joined The Sixteenth of May Foundation as Secretary of the Board. He maintains records of the Board and ensures effective management of foundation's records, manages minutes of Board meetings, ensures minutes are distributed to members shortly after each meeting; Helps coordinate events, publicity materials, newsletters and websites and he is responsibility of all the legal aspects of the Foundation and he is sufficiently familiar with legal documents - articles, by-laws and IRS letters.

Mr. Jackson is the recipient of the University of Colorado School Of Law's "Order of the Coif", a Special Commendation from the U.S. Attorney General, and the University of Colorado School of Law's "Private Practitioner of the Year."

He is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Board of Trial Advocates. In 2006 and 2007, Mr. Jackson was named one of Colorado's Superlawyers.

Al Charron AL CHARRON, TREASURER OF THE BOARD

Al Charron is a native of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico and a graduate of Brown Institute. He is the Founder and CEO of Absolute Lending, Inc. a mortgage bank and resource center headquartered in Colorado.

Mr. Charron joined The Sixteenth of May Foundation as Treasurer of the Board. He manages finances of the Foundation, oversees fiscal matters of The Foundation, provides annual budget to the Board for members' approval and ensures development and board review of financial policies and procedures.

He is in the business of assisting low-income families with all aspects of financial planning that allows a feeling of self-worth to materialize. He has worked with over 6,000 families over his career and is instrumental in their community building as well.

Mr. Charron offers his time gratis, in an effort to work in the inner city with youth and adults who have fallen on hard times. He resides in Denver with his son Taylor and daughter Zaidy.

"To not make a decision is a decision. It happens in all countries when a certain force - which everybody thinks is wrong - begins to take over and nobody decides to stand up against it, or the people who stand up against it can't rally enough support. What usually happens is a small minority stands up against it, and the major portion are a lot of indifferent people who aren't doing anything one way or the other. And by not accepting the responsibility, those people eventually have to confront the issue in a much larger, more painful way."

George Lucas
director, producer
screenwriter
(1944)
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Michael Ditchfield MICHAEL DITCHFIELD, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Michael Ditchfield brings an extensive background in humanitarian causes and professional sports to the Foundation.

Mr. Ditchfield co-founded The Sixteenth of May Foundation and became President and Chief Executive Officer. He plans, organizes, directs and provides overall oversight for The Foundation’s programs, projects and activities in accordance with policies established by the Board of Directors.

Mr. Ditchfield is a best selling author, former professional athlete and accomplished speaker on the Third World. As a Goodwill Ambassador to Africa for Project C.U.R.E he has worked in Rwanda with the orphans of the 1994 genocide, establishing a branch of the Sports for Peace Foundation. He was also instrumental in bringing sports into Project Mercy in Ethiopia through the Cunningham Foundation.

Mr. Ditchfield resides in Denver, Colorado and is a partner in JING Restaurant, which supports the efforts of The Foundation in the Sudan on a monthly basis. He will be documenting the rebuilding of Sudanese lives in a documentary and book with “Daniel” Deng Bol Aruei.

Deng Bol Aruei “DANIEL” DENG BOL ARUEI, VICE-PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

“Daniel” Deng Bol Aruei was born in a small village in Kongor, Twic East County of Southern Sudan in the late 1970s. During the Sudanese civil war, he took refuge in Ethiopia and Kenya before coming to the United States in Nov 2000.

Mr. Deng co-founded The Sixteenth of May Foundation and became Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer. He oversees creation, development, implementation and evaluation of The Foundation’s global programs and help with grant research and writing.

Mr. Deng has worked for many international organizations within the last fifteen years including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Rescue Committee, Lutheran World Federation and Save the Children-Sweden. One of the Lost Boys of Sudan, Mr. Deng is a student at the American Military University and designs websites.

Mr. Deng has a Diploma in Computer Science and Finance and Accounting, a certification in Nonprofit Administration and a Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership for CEOs and EDs. He is a member of New Horizons Computer Learning Centers – Dallas. He lives in Plano, Texas and currently provides nonprofit consulting for small nonprofit organizations.

Jacob Manyuon Deng JACOB MANYUON DENG, ELECTRONICAL AND ENGINEERING CONSULTANT

Jacob Manyuon Deng was born in Kongor, Twic East County of Southern Sudan. During the Sudanese civil war, he lived in Panyido and Kakuma Refugee Camps respectively.

Mr. Deng joined The Sixteenth of May Foundation as Electrical and Electronics Engineering Consultant. His roles and responsibilities are to help The Foundation determine appropriate electrical tariffs, design, layout power plants and erect power lines, building wiring and power plant maintenance and supervision.

Mr. Deng is an Engineer by profession, specialized in telecommunications, electronics and heavy power. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Nairobi. He is a Member of Institute of Electrical Engineers of Kenya (MIEK) and Member Registration Board of Kenya (MRBK).

Mr. Deng previous worked for Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) as Site Assistant Engineer and currently employed with Gibb Africa, LTD, a Kenya based Engineering Company as Electrical Engineer. He has designed, installed and supervised power plants in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Sudan.

Neyeska Mut NEYESKA MUT, GOODWILL AMBASSADOR

Neyeska Mut comes to the Sixteenth of May Foundation from the oil and gas industry where she has spent 28 years pursuing diverse energy projects around the world. She is President and CEO of Nycon Energy Consulting where she specializes in bringing a Sustainable Development focus to major integrated projects operated by large international oil companies. This work has most recently been concentrated in Venezuela and Alberta Canada.

Mrs. Mut was born in Caracas, Venezuela. She is a petroleum engineer by training and a graduate of the University of Southern California. She works with indigenous peoples who are most directly impacted by the development of integrated energy mega-projects to both sustain a subsistence life style where that is preferred and to integrate communities into real partnerships with industry where that is desired.

Mrs. Mut is active in the Mile High United Way in Denver where she co-chaired the Tocqueville Society major donor organization with her husband Stephen. She is an active volunteer with United Way International where she is assisting efforts to bring "Success by Six", a program designed to upgrade early childhood educational facilities and curricula so that their graduates are properly prepared for kindergarten, to communities outside of North America. She lives in Denver Colorado with her husband and young son Stephen.

Sudan Sustainable Development