Partners has eleven directors, ten Canadians and an Ethiopian. All of the directors have an interest and commitment to the Horn of Africa and are familiar with the problems and requirements of people in the area.

John Baigent
Executive Director of Partners in the Horn of Africa
Enderby, BC
John's interest in Africa goes back to the early 1960's when he was a volunteer with CUSO in Ghana. In 1988, while a partner in the Vancouver law firm, Baigent, Jackson, Blair, he took a sabbatical to work in Ethiopia for the World University Service of Canada (WLJSC). It was during this period that John fell in love with the country and its people and started to consider how he could establish a long-term commitment to the area. This resulted in Partners In The Horn Of Africa starting up in 2002. John works full time for Partners spending about half of the year in Ethiopia.

Mekonen Bayssie, Ph.D.
Physics Professor, Tennesee State University
Nashville, Tennessee
Mekonen Bayssie is Ethiopian from the Bale Mountain Region and, along with John Baigent, was one of the founders of Partners.

Kirsten Behler
Urban Planner
Vancouver, BC
Kirsten is an Urban Planner currently practicing in Vancouver.

Patricia Blocksom, Q.C.
Lawyer
Calgary, Alberta
Pat is a prominent family lawyer who specializes in mediating and arbitrating complex divorce cases. She has a keen interest in equality and human rights issues and was a member of the National Canadian Bar Association Task Force on Gender Equality in the Legal Profession. Pat has just recently returned from a trip to Ethiopia.

David Cosco
Chairman of Integra Tire & Auto Centres Ltd
Edmonton, Alberta
David co-founded Integra Tire & Auto Centres Lid. in 2008 and now has more than 70 stores in Western Canada. Prior to this, David served as the President and CEO of Tirecraft Auto Centers Ltd. for twenty years building it up to more than 200 stores across Canada and the seventh largest retail tire chain in North America when he sold his interest in 2005. David also runs the Partners’ office in Alberta and travels to Ethiopia at least once each year.

Marguerite Jackson, Q.C.
Arbitrator
Vancouver, BC
Marguerite Jackson is a respected British Columbia Arbitrator and, before that, a top ranked labour lawyer representing unions across Western Canada.

Rebecca Maurer
Director of Human Resources and Operations at Health Sciences Association (HSA) of BC
Vancouver, BC
Rebecca has been with HSA since June 1998, and in December 2008 was appointed to her current senior role.  The Health Sciences Association of British Columbia is a union representing more than 16,000 health care and social services professionals at over 250 facilities and agencies in acute care, long-term care, and community health, including workers at child development centres and transition houses.

John McAlpine, Q.C.
Lawyer
Vancouver, BC
John McAlpine is a senior trial and appellate lawyer in Canada specializing in civil litigation and is often involved in human rights and civil liberties cases. He is a former member of the Law Reform Commission of Canada, Past-President of the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association and past Chairman of the Legal Aid Society of BC. He was also a part-time Deputy Judge of the Territorial Court of the Yukon Territory. John regularly visits Partners’ projects in Ethiopia.

Seaton McLean
Film and Television Producer
Toronto, ON
Seaton was the co-founder of Atlantis Films which grew to Alliance Atlantis, has been Producer or Executive Producer of over 50 movies and TV series, and was the winner of an Academy Award in 1984 for Best Short Film, Live Action for his work as producer in the movie “Boys and Girls”.

Vince Ready
Arbitrator & Mediator
Vancouver, BC
Vince Ready is a prominent personality in Canadian labour relations, having arbitrated and/or mediated over 7,000 labour and commercial disputes in Canada and has been and appointee or Chair to many government inquiries/commissions.

Brooke Sundin
Retired Union President
Langley, BC
Brooke Sundin has recently retired after a career spanning 35 years in labour relations, the last 19 as president of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) BC Local 1518 representing 26,000 workers.


OUR STAFF
Yehalem Metiku
Partners in the Horn of Africa Country Representative
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Yehalem brings a wealth of international development experience to Partners in the Horn of Africa, and previously served on our board. Yehalem recently graduated with a Masters in International Development from the University of Victoria.