Sonia Selwin

Chief Executive Officer

Sonia Selwin is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the People Empowerment Alliance for Creativity and Education (PEACE).

She has worked in varied positions: Assistant Professor, Unit Leader, Internal Quality Verifier, and Program Manager in the Business Department, over 16 years in India and Bahrain. Her area of interest includes grant writing, innovation, entrepreneurship, STEM education, development of educational institutions, empowerment of women, youth, low income individuals, disabled & minorities.

Her interest in women entrepreneurship emerged when she was pursuing her Bachelors in Business Administration and started a sari business to pay her college tuition. After completing MBA, she registered for masters of Philosophy where she conducted a research on measuring empowerment indexes to develop women entrepreneurs. Her Ph.D. research was on the empowerment of women entrepreneurs through Micro-enterprises in India.

Currently, Sonia Selwin is a Post Doctoral Researcher in Leadership at Andrews University, Michigan. She is involved in researches related to women in Church, STEM education and entrepreneurship.

Selwin Peter Gnanasigamani

Vice President, Finance

Selwin Peter Selvakumar Gnanasigamani is the Co-Founder of the 'People Empowerment Alliance for Creativity & Education'(PEACE). He is an organized and responsible professional with a history of working under high-pressure situations, reputed for effective team management, quality office administration, accounts management, solid multitasking, and time management skills. He has a very important role in the strategic planning and development of the non-profit PEACE. He has an MBA in Marketing and a Diploma in Medical Lab Technology.

He served as the administrative assistant for the Defense attaché of Rwanda where he prepared documents, maintained databases, attended orientation and training program on DCAS 2.0 that helped to make diplomatic clearance for the Rwandan President and Prime Minister’s visits to the U.S. Selwin also has experience handling Presidential Motorcade with the United States secret services and worked with the U.S Police (Washington Union Station), SoD protocol to secure diplomatic landing and overflight clearance. He assisted in providing total security of delegates through DCAS (Diplomat Clearance Application System), and acted as a liaison between the embassy and OFM through e-gov, a service of the OFM.

Previously, he was the General Manager of Winson Marketers in India which imported and exported leather goods and granite. Additionally, he was involved in printing and marketing school notebooks. He is highly skilled in developing business proposals, organizing the delivery of products to clients, planning yearly budgets, and management of the employees. To add to his credit, he also served as an Accountant in an Adventist School.

Selwin is passionate about volunteering in church activities and has been in charge of Audio- Visual Management and telecasting church services online. He has exceptional skills in setting up and connecting equipment for the church programs to go live on youtube and Facebook. He possesses extensive knowledge of lighting systems, miking systems, audiovisual equipment, and components. Moreover, he has a strong troubleshooting ability and is experienced in setting up simple to complex arrangements, with a highly detailed focus. His dedication to the church is highly commendable.

Dr. Jay Brand

Board of Director

Dr. Jay Brand served as Chair of the Department of Psychology and Social Work at La Sierra University. As Associate Professor of Psychology, he helped develop PhD and PsyD programs at Loma Linda University, both now accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). Dr. Brand also served as Corporate Ergonomist, Organizational Behavior Specialist, and Cognitive Psychologist for Haworth, an international supplier of office work environments.

As a professional writer, editor, and speaker, Dr. Brand has published research on Christianity & cognitive science, the philosophy of science & research methods, APA style, office and workplace ergonomics, collaboration, and creativity & innovation. His current research focuses on organizational development, sustainability, leadership and organizational dynamics. He is also writing a book, "A Personal Journey from Science to Faith."

Dr. Brand teaches courses in Organizational Design & Behavior, Organizational Development, Creativity & Innovation, and Academic/Analytical Writing. He participates in writing/editing doctoral research, mentoring Leadership & Higher Education doctoral and masters participants, peer-reviewed journal editing; consulting on learning & memory, research methods, statistics, innovation/growth strategy, and aligning workplace strategy with organizational strategy & business goals.

He enjoys translating peer-reviewed, scientific research into applied implications that address practical issues and solve real-world problems; is comfortable integrating global, corporate realities with academic priorities, and interested in defining user-centered design problems and providing research-based solutions.

His specialties include blending science with design to define and solve human-centered problems; creativity & innovation, research design/methods, subjective measurement, writing & editing, organizational development, change management, evidence-based design, human factors and ergonomics.

Immediate past: Consulted with Fortune 1000 on strategy & strategic alignment, change management, ergonomics, macroergonomics, organizational design & behavior, organizational development, workplace performance, industrial/organizational psychology, knowledge worker productivity, environmental psychology, design research.

Anthea Washingtonn

Director of Development

Anthea Washington is a dedicated and motivated professional possessing over 19 years of experience in higher educational institutions in India, Dubai, and Muscat and has enjoyed teaching diversified students, part- time learners, and specific target groups. She has rich teaching experience in areas such as Organizational Behavior, Entrepreneurship, Business Communication, Business Studies, HRM, Business Management, and professional development courses. She holds a Ph.D. in Human Resource Management and an MBA in Education Management.

She also has worked for five years in an NGO that has given her a depth of knowledge in writing project proposals and preparing & delivering short courses on family life management, environmental concerns, health, and hygiene for different target groups such as women, children, and youth.

Currently, she is working in a reputable university in Coimbatore, India as a Professor in the Department of Management Studies. She continues her passion for blogging at http://www.questmeraki.com, a personal blog where she writes her thoughts on various academic and general topics, with a particular focus on research questionnaires, research topics, and so on. She is also pursuing B.Th. in Discipleship & Ministry to prepare herself to serve the Lord Almighty.