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Our Board of Directors
Piper Hendricks, Esq.
After graduating from the University of Michigan law school, Piper’s legal career – and passion for human rights matters – began with an internship at the Arias Foundation... Learn More Theresa Harris, Esq.
Before moving to her current position at the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science), Theresa served as the Executive Director of Human Rights... Learn More Simon Billenness
Described by the New York Times “a super-specialist” in human rights advocacy, Simon has over 20 years of experience helping investors, non-profits, universities, communities, and unions use their power to hold corporations accountable. Learn More Peter Alden Hyde
For more than 25 years, Peter has pursued his passion for the written and spoken word, authoring pieces for everything from newspapers to the stage. He began a career in... Learn More |
Sara E. Murphy
Sara began her career working for NGOs in the international development and disaster response fields. She had an epiphany one day, and thought she had invented.. Learn More Niyati Shah
Born in Ohio, as a first-generation South Asian, Niyati fondly remembers traveling to India throughout her childhood. After completing her undergraduate degree... Learn More John Rafferty, Esq.
After graduating law school in 2012, John received the SuperLawyers Pro-Bono Award for his dedication to combatting human trafficking. John then studied the scope of sex and labor trafficking as a Fulbright Fellow in Ecuador and now represents victims of labor trafficking. John's creativity extends... Learn More Thomas M. (Wilke) Green, Esq.
Thomas is an attorney, licensed in Virginia, who presently is founder and CEO of Castleman Property Group LLC, (CPG), a Virginia company that specializes in... Learn More Jim Schmitt
Jim has a security and international development background and has worked in senior management positions in both public and private sector organizations. Originally from Minnesota, he has managed programs in the United States, Berlin, the Balkans, Iraq, Post-Katrina... Learn More |
Piper Hendricks, Esq.
After graduating from the University of Michigan law school, Piper’s legal career – and passion for human rights matters – began with an internship at the Arias Foundation and later the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Costa Rica. She then returned to the United States where she enjoyed over two years at the Washington, D.C. office of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP before serving as a judicial clerk in the Southern District of Florida. Piper then returned to D.C. to become the International Justice Project Director at The World Organization for Human Rights USA, where she managed accountability cases and oversaw impact litigation, coalition building, media strategy, and policies for raising public awareness. Piper then moved to the International Rights Advocates, where she continued litigating human rights matters.
After years of litigating before an “audience” of judges and opposing counsel, Piper decided to share the stories she saw in human rights cases through film and reach the public at-large. To do so, she founded p.h. balanced films. Her goal: raise awareness of how each and every one of us are linked to global supply chains and how we can ensure human rights are respected in the making of the products we use. When she isn’t working on film, Piper is a legal consultant and remains active in the legal community. She currently serves on the Board of the Washington Foreign Law Society and recently completed a three-year term as the Chair of the D.C. Bar Association’s Immigration & Human Rights Committee.
After graduating from the University of Michigan law school, Piper’s legal career – and passion for human rights matters – began with an internship at the Arias Foundation and later the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Costa Rica. She then returned to the United States where she enjoyed over two years at the Washington, D.C. office of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP before serving as a judicial clerk in the Southern District of Florida. Piper then returned to D.C. to become the International Justice Project Director at The World Organization for Human Rights USA, where she managed accountability cases and oversaw impact litigation, coalition building, media strategy, and policies for raising public awareness. Piper then moved to the International Rights Advocates, where she continued litigating human rights matters.
After years of litigating before an “audience” of judges and opposing counsel, Piper decided to share the stories she saw in human rights cases through film and reach the public at-large. To do so, she founded p.h. balanced films. Her goal: raise awareness of how each and every one of us are linked to global supply chains and how we can ensure human rights are respected in the making of the products we use. When she isn’t working on film, Piper is a legal consultant and remains active in the legal community. She currently serves on the Board of the Washington Foreign Law Society and recently completed a three-year term as the Chair of the D.C. Bar Association’s Immigration & Human Rights Committee.
Simon Billenness
Described by the New York Times “a super-specialist” in human rights advocacy, Simon has over 20 years of experience helping investors, non-profits, universities, communities, and unions use their power to hold corporations accountable.
At the socially responsible investment firm Trillium Asset Management, Simon pioneered the use of shareholder pressure on oil, gas, and mining companies operating in countries racked by conflict and burdened by repressive regimes in Burma, China, East Timor, and Nigeria. Simon also worked with Greenpeace and U.S. PIRG to file the first shareholder resolutions at BP on climate change and is an active champion in the Free Burma movement. While at Oxfam America, Simon created a coalition of social investors that successfully pressed Procter & Gamble to start offering Fair Trade Certified coffee through its Millstone brand.
In addition to p.h. balanced films, Simon currently serves on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Campaign for Burma and the Committee on Socially Responsible Investment of the Unitarian Universalist Association and is an advisory board member of SumOfUs.
Described by the New York Times “a super-specialist” in human rights advocacy, Simon has over 20 years of experience helping investors, non-profits, universities, communities, and unions use their power to hold corporations accountable.
At the socially responsible investment firm Trillium Asset Management, Simon pioneered the use of shareholder pressure on oil, gas, and mining companies operating in countries racked by conflict and burdened by repressive regimes in Burma, China, East Timor, and Nigeria. Simon also worked with Greenpeace and U.S. PIRG to file the first shareholder resolutions at BP on climate change and is an active champion in the Free Burma movement. While at Oxfam America, Simon created a coalition of social investors that successfully pressed Procter & Gamble to start offering Fair Trade Certified coffee through its Millstone brand.
In addition to p.h. balanced films, Simon currently serves on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Campaign for Burma and the Committee on Socially Responsible Investment of the Unitarian Universalist Association and is an advisory board member of SumOfUs.
Theresa Harris, Esq.
Before moving to her current position at the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science), Theresa served as the Executive Director of Human Rights USA, where she built on years of human rights activism and community organizing. Theresa has been a dedicated volunteer with Amnesty International, coordinating AI USA’s Middle East Regional Action Network. Theresa has done outreach and publicity as a volunteer for the Florida Center for Survivors of Torture, and taught English to refugees in Florida through Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Program. Theresa served for several years as a member of the board of directors of Amnesty International USA and a member of OMCT’s governing body (General Assembly).
Theresa received her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law, where she was a Public Interest/Public Service Scholar, an editor for the Human Rights Brief, and a member of the Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law Student Advisory Board. She holds a Master of Science in Planning from the University of Tennessee and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology.
Before moving to her current position at the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science), Theresa served as the Executive Director of Human Rights USA, where she built on years of human rights activism and community organizing. Theresa has been a dedicated volunteer with Amnesty International, coordinating AI USA’s Middle East Regional Action Network. Theresa has done outreach and publicity as a volunteer for the Florida Center for Survivors of Torture, and taught English to refugees in Florida through Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Program. Theresa served for several years as a member of the board of directors of Amnesty International USA and a member of OMCT’s governing body (General Assembly).
Theresa received her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law, where she was a Public Interest/Public Service Scholar, an editor for the Human Rights Brief, and a member of the Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law Student Advisory Board. She holds a Master of Science in Planning from the University of Tennessee and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology.
Sara E. Murphy
Sara began her career working for NGOs in the international development and disaster response fields. She had an epiphany one day, and thought she had invented the concept of ethical investing. While initially disappointed that others had thought of this long ago, she was fortunate to be able to enter the humming field of Sustainable and Responsible Investment (SRI). With the exception of a few years as an environmental consultant, she has never looked back. Her first job in the SRI field was with a Washington, DC-based research firm, where she conducted social and environmental analysis of publicly traded companies. From there, Sara moved to Europe to work as a senior sustainability analyst for a large SRI fund management team. Now back in Washington, DC, Sara is an independent writer and analyst, focusing on sustainability issues that are material to investors and consumers. Her primary clients include The Motley Fool and The Sustainable Investments Institute.
Sara holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia in French and Spanish, and a Master of Arts degree from George Mason University in Economics. Sara grew up in Asia and Africa, and has had the misfortune of observing first hand the direct and indirect effects of companies’ human rights abuses. Her hope is that, in some small way, her work can make such abuses a thing of the past.
Sara began her career working for NGOs in the international development and disaster response fields. She had an epiphany one day, and thought she had invented the concept of ethical investing. While initially disappointed that others had thought of this long ago, she was fortunate to be able to enter the humming field of Sustainable and Responsible Investment (SRI). With the exception of a few years as an environmental consultant, she has never looked back. Her first job in the SRI field was with a Washington, DC-based research firm, where she conducted social and environmental analysis of publicly traded companies. From there, Sara moved to Europe to work as a senior sustainability analyst for a large SRI fund management team. Now back in Washington, DC, Sara is an independent writer and analyst, focusing on sustainability issues that are material to investors and consumers. Her primary clients include The Motley Fool and The Sustainable Investments Institute.
Sara holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia in French and Spanish, and a Master of Arts degree from George Mason University in Economics. Sara grew up in Asia and Africa, and has had the misfortune of observing first hand the direct and indirect effects of companies’ human rights abuses. Her hope is that, in some small way, her work can make such abuses a thing of the past.
Niyati Shah
Born in Ohio, as a first-generation South Asian, Niyati fondly remembers traveling to India throughout her childhood. After completing her undergraduate degree in Communications at the University of Cincinnati, Niyati earned a graduate certificate in Historical Documentary Filmmaking from George Washington University and produced a collaborative local film about religion in the Washington region. Niyati then worked for nearly seven years at Discovery Channel as a producer for the International Networks, creating and managing over 100 programs in 35 languages worldwide. There, she directed and created knowledge sharing tools between domestic and international departments and corporate clients, ensuring timely and on-budget development, production and delivery of original commissions and co-productions.
In 2010, she independently directed and edited short films in Ghana illustrating innovative development projects aimed at alleviating poverty. She was awarded the Women of Vision Scholarship and an Organization of American States fellowship in film and gender, respectively. Most recently, Niyati completed her Master’s degree in International Development/Conflict Management at Johns Hopkins University (SAIS).
Niyati is currently working on a short film for the Payment Systems Development Group at the World Bank. As the Director, Producer, Writer and Supervisor of the project, Niyati’s work aims to increase consumer awareness and conduct basic research among key stakeholders and culminates in documentary film on experiences in sending remittances and recommendations for improvement of the process.
Born in Ohio, as a first-generation South Asian, Niyati fondly remembers traveling to India throughout her childhood. After completing her undergraduate degree in Communications at the University of Cincinnati, Niyati earned a graduate certificate in Historical Documentary Filmmaking from George Washington University and produced a collaborative local film about religion in the Washington region. Niyati then worked for nearly seven years at Discovery Channel as a producer for the International Networks, creating and managing over 100 programs in 35 languages worldwide. There, she directed and created knowledge sharing tools between domestic and international departments and corporate clients, ensuring timely and on-budget development, production and delivery of original commissions and co-productions.
In 2010, she independently directed and edited short films in Ghana illustrating innovative development projects aimed at alleviating poverty. She was awarded the Women of Vision Scholarship and an Organization of American States fellowship in film and gender, respectively. Most recently, Niyati completed her Master’s degree in International Development/Conflict Management at Johns Hopkins University (SAIS).
Niyati is currently working on a short film for the Payment Systems Development Group at the World Bank. As the Director, Producer, Writer and Supervisor of the project, Niyati’s work aims to increase consumer awareness and conduct basic research among key stakeholders and culminates in documentary film on experiences in sending remittances and recommendations for improvement of the process.
Peter Alden Hyde
For more than 25 years, Peter has pursued his passion for the written and spoken word, authoring pieces for everything from newspapers to the stage. He began a career in public relations while serving with the U.S. Navy throughout Asia and the Indian Ocean. Peter edited the newspaper at the Naval Submarine Base, New London in Groton, Connecticut, which was named the top Navy newspaper worldwide in 1995. In 2000, Peter became the spokesman for Millstone Power Station, eventually rising to lead the Communications Team at the largest nuclear power station inNew England.
In 2009, Peter joined Arc Aspicio, a homeland security and intelligence consulting firm in Arlington, Virginia. The following year, he began a career as an independent producer and served as the chair of the marketing and public relations committee for the Alexandria Film Festival. Peter currently serves on the marketing and public relations committee for the Little Theatre of Alexandria, where he is also an associate producer.
A lifelong wanderer, Peter has had the great good fortune to explore most of Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, Patagonia and China’s northern Silk Route. He holds a Master’s Degree in Management from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of the State of New York in Albany, New York.
For more than 25 years, Peter has pursued his passion for the written and spoken word, authoring pieces for everything from newspapers to the stage. He began a career in public relations while serving with the U.S. Navy throughout Asia and the Indian Ocean. Peter edited the newspaper at the Naval Submarine Base, New London in Groton, Connecticut, which was named the top Navy newspaper worldwide in 1995. In 2000, Peter became the spokesman for Millstone Power Station, eventually rising to lead the Communications Team at the largest nuclear power station inNew England.
In 2009, Peter joined Arc Aspicio, a homeland security and intelligence consulting firm in Arlington, Virginia. The following year, he began a career as an independent producer and served as the chair of the marketing and public relations committee for the Alexandria Film Festival. Peter currently serves on the marketing and public relations committee for the Little Theatre of Alexandria, where he is also an associate producer.
A lifelong wanderer, Peter has had the great good fortune to explore most of Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, Patagonia and China’s northern Silk Route. He holds a Master’s Degree in Management from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of the State of New York in Albany, New York.
Thomas M. (Wilke) Green, Esq.
Thomas is an attorney, licensed in Virginia, who presently is founder and CEO of Castleman Property Group LLC, (CPG), a Virginia company that specializes in property development, construction and acquisition of residential real estate. CPG owns and manages a large property portfolio with zero outstanding debt.
Thomas previously served as Chief Counsel, Senate Special Technology Committee and Counsel, Senate Banking Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee and was a candidate for Congress in the 7th District of Virginia.
Thomas is dedicated to international development and nonprofit development. His experience in these realms includes: Fellow, Lusaka Agreement, Nairobi, Kenya; Visiting Scholar, International Law Center, Kampala, Uganda; and Consultancies at Tsunami Reach and The Globalist.
Mr. Green has practiced law both in the private sector and government. He holds a BA (University of Richmond), MA in international relations (University of Sussex) England, a JD (University of Richmond) and a LL.M in international law (Georgetown University Law Center).
Thomas is an attorney, licensed in Virginia, who presently is founder and CEO of Castleman Property Group LLC, (CPG), a Virginia company that specializes in property development, construction and acquisition of residential real estate. CPG owns and manages a large property portfolio with zero outstanding debt.
Thomas previously served as Chief Counsel, Senate Special Technology Committee and Counsel, Senate Banking Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee and was a candidate for Congress in the 7th District of Virginia.
Thomas is dedicated to international development and nonprofit development. His experience in these realms includes: Fellow, Lusaka Agreement, Nairobi, Kenya; Visiting Scholar, International Law Center, Kampala, Uganda; and Consultancies at Tsunami Reach and The Globalist.
Mr. Green has practiced law both in the private sector and government. He holds a BA (University of Richmond), MA in international relations (University of Sussex) England, a JD (University of Richmond) and a LL.M in international law (Georgetown University Law Center).
Jim Schmitt
Jim has a security and international development background and has worked in senior management positions in both public and private sector organizations. Originally from Minnesota, he has managed programs in the United States, Berlin, the Balkans, Iraq, Post-Katrina New Orleans, East Asia, West Africa, and Afghanistan. Jim received a master's degree in Business Administration from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts and is an ISMA graduate of the Kellogg School of Management's, "Leadership in Crisis Situations" program in Evanston, Illinois. Jim and his family live in suburban Washington D.C.
Jim has a security and international development background and has worked in senior management positions in both public and private sector organizations. Originally from Minnesota, he has managed programs in the United States, Berlin, the Balkans, Iraq, Post-Katrina New Orleans, East Asia, West Africa, and Afghanistan. Jim received a master's degree in Business Administration from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts and is an ISMA graduate of the Kellogg School of Management's, "Leadership in Crisis Situations" program in Evanston, Illinois. Jim and his family live in suburban Washington D.C.
John Rafferty, Esq.
After graduating law school in 2012, John received the SuperLawyers Pro-Bono Award for his dedication to combatting human trafficking. John then studied the scope of sex and labor trafficking as a Fulbright Fellow in Ecuador and now works in Philadelphia, representing victims of labor trafficking. John's creativity extends to film creation, website development and event photography. John formerly lived in Japan and Bahrain as a Naval Officer. John's experience with exploited migrant workers in the Arabian Gulf prompted him to leave military service and begin a path that would allow him to become a voice for exploited and enslaved workers around the globe. |