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A.C.E. Executives
David B. Woodward, President and CEO (bio)
Anthony L. Fantham, COO (bio)
Colette Mercier, CFO (bio)
Sally Thomas, A.C.E. at SPU Director (bio)
Rick O'Connor, A.C.E. at MSU Director (bio)
Corporate Bios:
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David B. Woodward
President & CEO
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David Woodward is the President & CEO of Associates in Cultural Exchange* (A.C.E.), which he first joined in 1980. He has 30 years of professional international experience, including 21 years of senior management roles, in international business management, consultancy, and educational exchange programs and services involving clients from all major world markets. He became President and CEO of A.C.E. in 1998.
Woodward was born in Teheran, Iran, and spent his early youth in Southern Iran. He received a National Resource Fellowship in Near Eastern Languages and Civilization while at the University of Washington, and taught English as a foreign language at Kuwait University (1982-83). He has led in the establishment of a master's degree program in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, has taught a 5-credit course on Modern Middle East History, and has presented extensively in forums and conferences on Middle East issues, Islam, cross-cultural communication, language education, and international program administration. Woodward holds four degrees from the University of Washington including a Master of Education in Higher Education with a specialization in Teaching English as a Second Language, a Master of Arts in Near Eastern Languages and Civilization, a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics, and a Bachelor of Arts in History.
Woodward has led A.C.E. in the development of various business startups and educational projects involving small businesses, universities, corporations, and government agencies within the U.S. and in peer regions of the world. Clients Woodward has worked with include the Ministry of Education of Korea, the Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT), the Yemeni Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources, Samsung Corporation, World Learning, AMIDEAST, Academy for Educational Development, Kuwait University, Boeing, Microsoft, USAID, EPA, Japan-U.S. Exchange Commission and the University of Washington. He has established contracts for services, branch offices and representative service arrangements with client organizations in Oman, Kazakhstan, Russia, Switzerland, Japan, Korea, Australia, and six U.S. states, as well as managing for-profit and not-for-profit subsidiaries and spin-offs. Core activities have included managing personnel in over 80 locations in the Pacific Northwest, marketing internationally, organizational development, and setting up strategic relationships worldwide. He has led in the formation of several key international marketing consortia, and collaborative initiatives across professional disciplines. Woodward also provides recruiting, consulting and liaison services for the UAE Academy in Abu Dhabi, Sultan Qaboos University of Oman, Goodman Real Estate of Seattle, and Quality Schools International headquartered in Slovenia.
Woodward is fluent in Arabic, Persian, and French and has studied Hebrew and Greek. He is a member of the EIKEN Professional Advisory Council of Japan, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce-appointed District Export Council for Washington State, the Seattle Rotary Club, the Advisory Board of the Trade Development Alliance of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, the Global Business Advisory Board of Seattle University's Albers School of Business and Economics, is a Co-Chair for Study Washington, a Co-Chair for the Middle East Interest Group of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, and a member of the Taproot Theatre Advisory Board.
*DBA for American Cultural Exchange, a 501(c)3 founded in Seattle in 1973
Anthony L. Fantham
Chief of Operations
Anthony Fantham is the Chief Operations Officer of Associates in Cultural Exchange* (A.C.E.). He has 37 years of professional international experience, including 14 years of senior management roles, in international business management, and corporate technical and administrative programs and services involving clients from all business sectors. He became COO of A.C.E. in 2009.
Fantham was born and raised in London, England, and in 1972 joined British Telecom via their 3-year apprenticeship program which included attendance at Merton Technical College in Surrey. During training he was awarded certificates of merit each year for "Outstanding Field and College Results." Fantham was promoted to Technical Officer on completion and remained with British Telecom until 1980.
Fantham joined MCI Telecommunications in 1986. He quickly moved up the ranks from a Technical Consultant to Manager to Senior Manager of Operations where he was responsible for all facilities in Washington, Oregon, Northern California and interconnects with Alaska. His last assignment at MCI was a direct report to the President of Call Center Services as the Senior Business Manager. He was responsible for all aspects of this market segment, including: strategic and budget planning, vendor evaluation and coordination with Human Resources. Fantham also served for many years as an advisory board member with the University of Washington Data Communication certificate program.
Whilst earning a coaching license in 1979 from the Football Association in England, Fantham was recruited to play soccer at the University of Illinois, Springfield. He played three years of college soccer and earned a BA and MA in Communication and in 1984 wrote his thesis on "The Development of Direct Broadcast Satellites in the United States."
In 1999 Fantham took the opportunity to leave the corporate world for a period of time in order to spend more time with his wife and two young sons and volunteer in their schools as well as to follow up his keen interest in coaching soccer. Fantham became the Head Coach of girls' soccer at Ballard High School, Seattle in 2000 and moved to the Head Coaching position for both boys and girls' soccer at Ingraham High School, Seattle beginning in 2002. He is passionate about soccer and believes that the game teaches many of life's important lessons. He continually strives to apply the 'teaching moments' soccer provides to his players, coaches and parents, by doing so giving back to soccer the wonderful opportunities it has given him. Tony is also a soccer referee and has continued to play on competitive teams since leaving college.
Since 2006 Fantham has also provided consulting services, working closely with architects, clients, employees and the business owner to increase revenue and productivity.
Fantham has been married to his wife, Rosemarie, for over 25 years. Both of their sons are Eagle Scouts, and both are attending the University of Washington in the Foster School of Business.
Colette Mercier
Chief Financial Officer
Colette Mercier has 30 years of experience, primarily in nonprofit accounting, as finance director, controller, CFO, and consultant, in organizations of varying size and mission. Here work has included nonprofit administration, human resources, coordination between development and finance departments, and restoring fiscal order in troubled organizations.
Colette has worked with A.C.E. as a finance consultant since March 2003, joining our staff in September 2009. She also serves as Finance Director of The Collins Group, Inc., a Seattle firm providing fundraising management consultation to Northwest nonprofits.
Colette received her B.A. Degree in Social Studies Field Major from U.C. Berkeley, and completed Ph.D. coursework in Sociology and Anthropology at the City University of New York. She is a licensed spiritual counselor of United Centers for Spiritual Living, currently engaged in ministerial studies, and is participating in the creation and administration of Amazing Grace Spiritual Center Teaching Chapter.
Her personal mission is to promote fiscal/administrative integrity and transparency as the bedrock upon which an organization's mission can be securely grounded.
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Rick O'Connor
Director of the A.C.E. Language Institute at Montana State University
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Rick O'Connor is the director of the A.C.E. Language Institute at Montana State. He has served in this role since 2006. Rick is originally from New York City, but has lived and worked in various parts of the world including Afghanistan, Iran, and Japan. He has worked in the field of ESL since 1974.
Rick received his B.A. in English Literature from St. John's University in New York. He earned his M.A.T. in English as a Second/Foreign Language from the School for International Training in Vermont. Rick's Ph.D. is in Educational Administration from Washington State University. His research interests included curriculum development and program administration.
Rick has been the director of ESL programs at the Berkshire School in Sheffield, MA, Washington State University in Pullman, WA, and Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan. He has taught at the secondary and tertiary levels in Afghanistan, Iran, Japan and the U.S.
Rick has authored or co-authored six ESL textbooks. He has also given papers and presentations many times at the state, regional, and national levels. He has also taken part in the development and implementation of three academic curricula at three different universities.
Rick's been married to Masumi Adachi O'Connor for more than 30 years. They have three grown sons.
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Sally Thomas
Director of the A.C.E. Language Institute at Seattle Pacific University
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Sally Thomas has been the Director of the A.C.E. Language Institute at Seattle Pacific University since 2007. Ms. Thomas served as a senior teacher trainer in St. Petersburg, Russia from 2005-2007 with the U.S. State Department's English Language Fellow program. Prior to this role, Ms. Thomas worked with the Seattle Public Schools as an ESL teacher and was the Associate Director of the Language Institute for Refugees and Immigrants from 1999-2005. Since 1992, Ms. Thomas has taught English and basic skills in public and private schools to students of all ages and backgrounds including two years on the tiny island of Guam and three years in Russia. Ms. Thomas holds a master's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Seattle University and has a B.A. in education and a Washington State teaching certificate which she earned through Northwest University in Kirkland, WA. Ms. Thomas has traveled extensively throughout the world and is proud of being a first generation Norwegian.
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A.C.E.
200 W. Mercer Street, Suite 108
Seattle, WA 98119
USA
Tel: 206.217.9644
Fax: 206.217.9643
Email
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