US Board of Directors

Linda K. Ziglar (Linda) retired in 2011 as Vice President of Finance at the American Frozen Food Institute (“AFFI”), where she also served as the Executive Director of the research arm of AFFI, the American Frozen Food Foundation. Prior to joining AFFI, Linda founded and operated the consulting firm LKL Consultants.  In this capacity she provided a variety of services to a client list that included Fortune 100 companies, non-profit organizations and law firms of all sizes.  Initially, she developed and modified mainframe software applications for the financial and banking industries.  With the advent of the personal computer, the focus of her consulting switched to PC based business applications and systems – designing, installing, and maintaining local and wide area networks for the legal and educational sectors.  She also provided statistical and numerical analysis services for legal defense groups involved in complex class action lawsuits and expert witness testimony with respect to the methodologies used.  In addition, she provided entrepreneurial advice for small technology firms seeking government contracts. Before starting her own business, Linda worked for the Institute for Defense Analysis writing scientific computer programs and analyzing and developing investment and support cost methodologies for the military. Linda graduated summa cum laude from the George Washington University with a degree in mathematics and has served on the boards of many non-profit and community organizations.  She is a member of the Order of St John. She and her husband, Jim, have three sons and daughters-in-law and nine grandchildren.

Maya is an attorney with over twenty-three years of experience representing clients in all facets of commercial real estate. Currently serving as Managing Counsel for Wayfair, Maya worked at Citizens Bank, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and founded her own practice prior to her joining Wayfair.

Maya graduated from Bowdoin College, magna cum laude, and Northwestern School of Law, cum laude. She lives in Westwood, Massachusetts with her husband and three children and is actively involved in public service. She is an elected member of the Westwood School Committee, currently serving as Clerk, and is Chair of the Westwood School Building Committee, in which capacity she is working with the Massachusetts School Building Authority to design and construct a new elementary school. Maya is also a former President of the Westwood Food Pantry and still serves as a Board member.

Ken Crognale is CFP’s Teasurer and is responsible for finance and accounting as well as grants administration.

Prior to joining CFP, Ken was Director of Finance and Administration at the Migration Policy Institute since 2014. Prior to MPI, he held senior roles in the accounting and finance departments at the Landon School, the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Earlier in his career, he worked in the banking regulation sector of the U.S. federal government.

Ken is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with more than 20 years in the not-for-profit sector. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in economics from the University of Pittsburgh and did additional coursework in accounting and finance at American University.

Mr. Belmar serves as Managing Director of Capitol Counsel Group, LLC (CCG), a firm that assists clients in the energy and financial services sectors to navigate federal regulatory and grant programs.  From 2006 to 2009, he served as Deputy General Counsel for Energy Policy at the US Department of  Energy, where he was a principal legal advisor to the Secretary and senior DOE officials. Prior to that,  Mr. Belmar’s legal career had been spent in private practice in Washington DC, primarily with the law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski LLP, including 22 years as a partner representing clients in the energy and financial services sectors on regulatory and legislative matters. He is an honors graduate of Brooklyn College and Columbia Law School, and he currently serves as a Member of the Town of Palm Beach Shore Protection Board, a Senior Fellow at the Administrative Conference of the United States, a Senior Counsel at the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies, and a Life Member of the American Law Institute. He resides in Palm Beach, FL.

Jonathan Berger recently retired from the U.S State Department after 21 years of service. His tours included Denmark, Serbia, Lithuania and Israel. Before that he worked on Capitol Hill for almost eight years, both on the House and Senate side. He currently lives in Wilmington, NC with his wife Liz and daughters Lillian and Eve.

Sharon Moore Bettius has over 35 years of experience providing valuation consulting and opinions, transaction advisory consulting, solvency and fairness opinions, damages analysis, forensic analysis and auditing and accounting services to more than 500 domestic and international clients. She has served as a Senior Managing Director and/or practice leader in three of the world’s largest international accounting or consulting firms in major cities around the U.S., including FTI Consulting, Inc, Arthur Andersen, LP, and Deloitte, LLC. She has served as Chief Financial Officer of private companies in turn-around situations on behalf of private equity investors and was elected to serve as the major voting shareholder on behalf of an international sporting goods manufacturer for purposes its sale negotiations.

As a result of her expertise and reputation, Ms. Moore has provided expert testimony in numerous federal and state courts, U.S. Tax Court, bankruptcy court, international courts of jurisdiction, including the World Court, binding arbitration and mediation. She has performed valuations of the assets, debt, and securities of private and publicly traded companies in numerous industries and consulted regarding the allocation, disposition and strategic deployment of such by management.

As a result of her unique range of experience Ms. Moore developed a preeminent reputation in post-transaction disputes, particularly “bet-the-firm” litigation. These cases in which the amount of damages is either so significant, typically in excess of several hundred million dollars, or involve judicial precedent so pivotal, as to possibly impact the long-term business outlook of an enterprise.

Ms. Moore holds a Masters in Accounting, is a Certified Public Accountant (Inactive Status), is an Accredited Senior Appraiser with the American Society of Appraisers, certified in Financial Forensics, and is a former Diplomate Member of the American College of Forensic Examiners. Ms. Moore served for four years as an International Governor of the International Board of Governors of American Society of Appraisers, the premiere independent international governance and standard-setting body for the valuation industry. Her governance region included the Eastern United States, Europe, and Australia. Ms. Moore has published in both various periodicals and in books published by Commerce Clearing House and McGraw Hill. She has also been a featured speaker and conference organizer in her field throughout her career.

Ms. Moore began her accounting/financial career at Deloitte & Touche in 1982 as a member of the audit staff. She became one of the original practitioners in the firm’s valuation practice at its inception, which began in its Chicago office. She ultimately become the firm’s Southeast U. S. Regional Practice Director, before leaving to form and lead valuation practices in other international firms.

Before returning to graduate school in Accounting in 1980, Ms. Moore spent a year on the legislative affairs staff of the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Alabama. She then spent approximately two years in public relations for the state’s not-for-profit high school for the performing arts. In this role, she was responsible for marketing literature, event promotion, branding concepts and made TV and radio appearances behalf of the school, whose training and reputation still launches its graduates into significant national and international careers in the performing and visual arts.

Ms. Moore dedicates much of her time now to philanthropy. She has participated in lobbying events on behalf of Prevent Blindness, the nation’s leading volunteer eye health and safety organization for several years. She is a member of the Order of St. John, a charitable order of chivalry and active in its Volunteer Corp, focused on aiding and enhancing the quality of life of returning veterans of the US military and devoting her professional experience and expertise to other philanthropic organizations which can benefit from them.

Ambassador (retired) Susan M. Elliott is President & CEO of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP), a position she assumed in August 2018. During her 27-year diplomatic career, Ambassador Elliott held a variety of leadership positions at the U.S. Department of State. In her current position as NCAFP President and CEO, she continues to promote resolution of conflicts and create understanding among people in many areas of the world. She oversees Track II discussions and plans programs to educate the public about important foreign policy issues. Ambassador Elliott’s commitment to promoting peace and stability motivated her to support organizations like Creating Friendships for Peace who share her vision.

From 2015 to 2017, Ambassador Elliott served as the Civilian Deputy and Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commander of the United States European Command. Ambassador Elliott was the U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan from 2012 to 2015. Prior to her Ambassadorial appointment, she served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, U.S. Department of State.

Ambassador Elliott served on the faculties of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia before joining the U.S. Department of State in March 1990. During her Foreign Service career, Ambassador Elliott worked in a variety of overseas and Washington-based assignments. Her previous overseas assignments include Minister Counselor for Political Affairs in Moscow, Russia; Principal Officer in Belfast, Northern Ireland; Deputy Economic Counselor and Visa Section Chief in Athens, Greece.

Born in Cyprus, Nick Germanacos was brought up and educated in Wales and England. He moved to Greece in 1965, where he taught and translated Modern Greek poetry and prose.  Together with his wife Anne, he ran the Ithaka Cultural Studies Program on the islands of Kalymnos and Crete.

He now lives in San Francisco, his wife’s native city, and travels to Greece where they have a home and farm. He is the author of Ora et Labora and Potshards, both collections of poems.

Rev. Dr. Everett C. Goodwin is a third generation ordained American Baptist minister and father of a fourth generation. He is a pastor, educator, professional historian and author.  He has served several ABC/USA churches including the First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, DC and, most recently, The Scarsdale Community Baptist Church in Westchester County (NY), part of Metropolitan New York City. He was also Interim Senior Minister of the Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC, 2013-2015.  He presently serves on the adjunct faculty of Wesley Seminary in Washington, DC, and is a guest preacher, speaker and consultant for churches and church related organizations.

Everett holds academic degrees from the University of Chicago (BA in Political Science), Andover Newton Theological School (MDiv) and Brown University (PhD in History). Among his books The New Hiscox Guide for Baptist Churches is a standard reference for Baptist church organization and procedures. Another, Down by the Riverside: A Brief History of Baptist Faith, is an introduction to Baptist history and experience that is widely used in both seminary courses and a variety of discussion groups. His most recent book, MMBB: Pioneer in Benefits – the First 100 Years, is a history of one of the first pension, insurance and annuity programs in the United States, originally founded as the Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board in 1911. His PhD dissertation, The Magistracy Rediscovered, later published in book form, was an exploration of the development of courts and jurisprudence during the foundational period of colonial and early federal Connecticut.

Mary lives in Maine and Florida and has hosted students from Europe and Eastern Europe through her many international friendships. She holds a BS in Education from C.W. Post College and a MA in Education from New York University. A former chairman of the Sustainers of the Junior League of the Palm Beaches, Mary is active in her communities and her churches.

Michael J Liatsos, Founder and Managing Director of MLA Technologies Services Ltd, is the President of CFP’s legally recognized Association, known as the Cyprus Friendship Programme Association. This Association of Cypriots, Greek-Speaking and Turkish speaking CFP Alumni parents and friends, supports and assists the coordinators to implement the CFP plans in Cyprus. It also organizes bi-communal social and project-based activities for the members and their friends.

Michael has 40 years of experience in the IT industry providing consultancy services in needs assessment and implementing total solutions in the finance, hospitality, healthcare and banking industries. As a result, he has built business relationships with a selected number of international organizations who are leaders in their respective fields. Together with these associates, he addresses consultancy projects and/or delivers total solutions. Amongst his esteemed clients are The Cyprus Government and semi-government organizations, major banks and private enterprises. His skills include design of innovative business solutions, digital marketing and commerce, channels transformation projects and multidisciplinary leadership.

Michael represented the Middle East Region for NCR as a Sales Vocational Manager and participated in an audience Q&A session with then NCR chairman, Bill Anderson, at NCR headquarters in Dayton, Ohio. He was appointed by the Cyprus government as the vice chairman of The Housing Finance Corporation (1993-1998). He is a holder of a Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics from the University of Manchester and a Management diploma from Kingston University in UK.

John McKinney M.Sc. OBE. – a retired Senior Public Servant living in Northern Ireland.  Since he retired from the N.I Public Service in 2004, he is engaged as an International Business and Management Consultant and Advisor with NI-CO [Northern Ireland cooperating overseas]. NI-CO is a not for profit, a public body dedicated to the pursuit of building efficient, accountable and sustainable public service institutions capable of managing donor aid effectively and implementing positive change.

John, a three times graduate from the Ulster University, including a spell at the Federal Executive Institute in Virginia, is a committed Community Person. His career spans 30 years in Local Government. He held positions as CEO in two Local Authorities the last being in Omagh during the worst atrocity in the N.I troubles when on the 15^th August 1998 thirty-one people lost their lives in a terrorist car bomb. For his efforts and support to the Community and in giving rebirth to Omagh, he was honoured by her Majesty the Queen and received the OBE in the year 2,000.  John then moved away from Local Government to set up the New Multi-million euro Special European Peace Programme that flowed from the Good Friday Peace Agreement.

During this time in the Peace Programme, the famous Warren Muir, then President recruited him to join the N. I.  Children Friendship Programme [CFP] where they stayed together until it came to a natural end when Peace took hold.  John and Warren then met up again when John started work in Cyprus, and Warren had an idea for the Cyprus Peace Project.  He travelled to Cyprus, and that was the start of our current Cyprus Programme; another step towards Peace.

Thomas McCarthy has been an Investment and Financial Advisor for 33 years. Prior to that he was a co-founder and Associate Director of a national non-profit organization of youth service programs for 13 years. He has served as a CFP Coordinator for over 25 years, beginning with the Children’s Friendship Project for Northern Ireland, where he also served as Vice-President for two years. A member of many Boards of Directors of non-profit organizations over the years, he currently serves on the Board of “Bikes for the World”, “Project PLASE” (PLASE = People Lacking Adequate Shelter and Employment), and “Project Change” (a youth development and leadership program). An active Rotarian, he is Chairman of the Maryland Rotary endowment for Gallaudet University.

Warren Muir is one of the founders, a five-year host, chairman, and executive director of the Cyprus Friendship Program (CFP), which has expanded and been renamed Creating Friendships for Peace. Before that, he served as fifteen-year host, chairman, and president of the Children’s Friendship Project for Northern Ireland, upon which CFP has been based.

Warren is a Ph.D. chemist with post-doctoral studies in Epidemiology/Public Health at The Johns Hopkins University. He spent 42 years in the nation’s capital working on the interface of science and public policy in several capacities. For ten years, he served as a senior staff member in the Executive Office of the President, Council on Environmental Quality in the Nixon and Ford Administrations and as the first director of the USEPA Office of Toxic Substances in the Carter Administration. After that, he founded and lead the Hampshire Research Institute, an independent environmental research and data analysis firm, for 18 years while serving on the faculty of The Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. His last 14 years in Washington were served as Executive Director of the Division of Earth and Life Studies at the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine/National Research Council.

H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth honored Warren in 1988 with the title of Officer Brother and in 1994 with the title of Commander in the Order of St. John.

Warren currently serves as a member of the Town of Wolfeboro, NH’s Conservation Commission and its Wolfeboro Waters Committee and is on New Hampshire Public Radio’s Community Advisory Board.