Zubin Davar, Executive Board Member, President At twenty-three years old, Zubin Davar is obliged to be with The $100 Solution™ since the Fall 2007 Semester at Sea voyage, during which he studied international service learning in Dr. Strenecky's Service Learning class. While abroad, Zubin's particular interest in international development work evolved into an ardent passion. Implementing The $100 Solution™ in partnership with the Chennai Rotary Club in India, his project facilitated HIV/AIDS education and awareness in the impoverished surrounding areas of Chennai. Enthralled by the transformative effect that the $100 Solution projects had on the students and communities in need, Zubin seized the opportunity to further his involvement in the program and was elected to its Board of Directors in 2008. He has since traveled to over twenty countries, studied international economics in context at East Shanghai Normal University in China, and worked internationally in the Political Section of the United States Embassy in Madrid, Spain. Zubin holds a B.A. from UCLA in International Development Studies and his senior thesis, recognized by UCLA's Vice Provost, drew unique conclusions on the capacities of NGOs, versus government programs, in providing effective development assistance. He also received an honorable mention for the Charles E. Young Humanitarian Award in 2008. Zubin looks forward to continue traveling a major part of his life and serving with The $100 Solution™ well into the future. Nate Cook, Executive Board Member, Vice President Nate Cook graduated in 2009 from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida with a B.S. in Business Management and a minor in Leadership Studies. His life-changing experience began in Dr. Strenecky's classroom, where he joined other students in implementing The $100 Solution™ around the world with Semester at Sea. He worked with staff and students at a YMCA Boys Center in Chennai, India to provide funding for a hot water heater, giving the children the opportunity at hot showers for the first time in their lives. Realizing the power of just $100 and its incredible potential, Nate continues to serve as a Board member with The $100 Solution™. Prior to traveling around the world with Semester at Sea, Nate has taken part in numerous mission projects both locally and internationally. From his environmental work in Iceland to his economic development and partnerships in Kenya, the 23-year-old is dedicated to enhancing the lives of people around him. Since graduating from Eckerd College, Nate works as a professional crewmember on board a private motor yacht, meeting interesting people and seeing unique places. With a passion for making the world a better place, Nate looks forward to playing an active part in the future success of The $100 Solution™. Cilia María Ruiz-Paz, Executive Board Member, Secretary Cilia María Ruiz-Paz is a native of Colombia, South America who became involved with The $100 Solution™ while on the fall 2007 Voyage of Semester at Sea. She holds a B.A. degree in International Studies and Psychology from Iowa State University, and is currently a Criminal Analyst contractor for INTERPOL, United States Central National Bureau in Washington, D.C. In her 25 years of life, Cilia Maria has developed an insatiable curiosity and love for international issues and cultural knowledge, and has coupled that passion with her interest in law enforcement in her current position. She has studied abroad on various occasions and has had the opportunity to carry out a couple of $100 Solution projects herself in both Chennai, India – working on facilitating HIV/AIDS education to local communities – as well as in Montpellier, France – working with the homeless and nomadic population of the city. She also volunteers as translator for police departments in an attempt to bridge and aid underrepresented populations in her local community. Cilia María aspires to continue traveling and learning languages, while making her mark on the international community in every way she can. She plans on pursuing an international law degree and focusing on international mediation in the future. Brandon Bowman, Executive Board Member, Communications Liaison Brandon Bowman is a 22-year-old senior at Western Kentucky University studying Public Relations and Corporate Communications. Bowman began his collegiate career competing in WKU's multi-national champion speech and debate time. He involved himself in campus ministries and in the Honors College as an early leader. As a sophomore, he studied at Harlaxton College in Grantham, England. During his junior year, he was invited to join the campus' new fraternity, Phi Gamma Delta. There, he authored the group's Crisis Management Plan, Chartering Petition, and edited three awards applications. He wrote correspondence for the Fraternity, including letters to graduates, potential new members, and parents. Bowman joined The $100 Solution™ while he was a junior. He had enrolled in "Community Approach to Service," an Honors Colloquia, where his $100 Solution project was to teach English to disadvantaged families in his city. He was nominated and elected by his class to represent WKU at The $100 Solution™ Annual Conference, and there, he was elected to Communications Liaison. Since his election, he authored the group's bylaws, organized the creation of a $100 Solution Project Index, helped actualize an organizational structure and growth plan for the program by recruiting professionals and students, and finalized The $100 Solution™ Project Application. Colby Cook, Associate Board Member, Financial Committee Colby Cook, a 20-year-old student at Florida Atlantic University, has been with The $100 Solution™ since the fall of 2009 where he attended Dr. Strenecky's International Service Learning class aboard the Semester at Sea's MV Explorer. Through various domestic and international mission trips, Colby's passion for service learning has become intertwined within his life from an early age. Semester at Sea gave Colby the chance to partake in service projects in both India and Vietnam, adding to his previous international field experiences in both Kenya and the British Columbia. He is studying Hospitality with an emphasis on Hotel Management where he hopes to eventually live abroad, continuing his work in the international service field. Mackenzie Gotshall, Associate Board Member Mackenzie Gotshall has been involved with The $100 Solution™ since the Fall 2009 Semester at Sea voyage, and learned a great deal from Dr. Stenecky in his Service Learning class. A 21-year-old senior at Nazareth College in Rochester, NY, Mackenzie is seeking a degree in Business Administration with minors in Human Resource Management and Women and Gender Studies. After traveling the world, Mackenzie found that her true passion is serving others. She participated in three $100 Solution projects in Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Hawaii, among many other service projects during the Fall 2009 voyage. At the end of the voyage, Mackenzie was awarded the Eileen and Bernie Strenecky Service Award by her fellow shipmates to honor her dedication to service. She has a love of travel and helping others, and plans to continue giving back in any way she can through her work with The $100 Solution™. In her future, Mackenzie is seeking to remain involved in the non-profit world to help make a positive difference in others' lives.
The $100 Solution™ is one of the few, if not only, fully functioning international non-profits run completely by young adults under the age of 25. The Executive Board brings various skill sets to the table, but there is a common passion and understanding that unites them: service above self. An Associate Board, made up of some of the finest young minds our country has to offer, coordinates with the Executive Board and assists managing the organization. An Advisory Board comprised of highly successful professionals from all industries and sectors guides the Executive and Associate Boards. The group includes 9 doctorate degrees and a dozen of foreign languages are spoken among it. All operational decisions are made by the Executive and Associate Boards and with such promising potential; there is no telling how far The $100 Solution™ will go.
