AFS Intercultural Programs welcomes two new members to the Board of Trustees: Regina Honu, social entrepreneur from Ghana, and Helmut Schuster, business consultant based in the UK. They will serve three-year terms on the Board and bring in their specific know-how and skills to advance AFS’s mission to build a more just and peaceful world by developing active global citizens, globalizing schools and institutions, and expanding access to intercultural education.
“We are delighted that Regina and Helmut are joining AFS as new board members,” said AFS President and CEO Daniel Obst. “They have both been long-term supporters of our organization. We are certain AFS will benefit from their exemplary skills, knowledge and perspectives on educating the next generation of global citizens needed in our complex societies.”
Regina Honu is the founder and CEO of Soronko Solutions, a software development company, as well as the Soronko Academy, Tech Needs Girls and many other initiatives. She is a passionate advocate for empowering girls and women in Ghana and throughout Africa. She has received numerous recognitions, including being featured on CNN as one the inspirational women who rock STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths), honored among women making an impact in Tech in Africa, named as one of 10 female entrepreneurs to watch in emerging economies, awarded Young Entrepreneur of the year by the GPA Awards from Africa 2.0 and much more. She belongs to the African Leadership Network and is a Mandela Washington Fellow. In 2018, she won the AFS Global Citizen of the Year Award. Regina is an alumna of AFS study abroad programs, from Ghana to Norway in 2000. Find out more about Regina in her interview with AFS.
Helmut Schuster, PhD is currently an executive advisor at bp, a global energy company, and spent the last decade as bp’s Head of HR. Advocating for diversity and inclusion and developing global competence in young people around the world is a major priority for him. Schuster helped create the innovative bp Global STEM Academies, a four-week international scholarship program for students from all backgrounds that combines STEM and intercultural learning. He studied international relations and completed his PhD in economics at the University of Vienna. Helmut is currently Chairman of Ivoclar Vivadent, and co-founder of Chirymoya, a social enterprise focused on building the next generation of empowered Colombians. A former board member at AFS Austria, Helmut is also an alumnus of AFS study abroad programs, from Austria to the USA in 1977.