The Board of Directors: President, the three Vice Presidents, Secretary and Treasurer are elected at the Biennial Conference and normally serve for a two-year period, as does the appointed Parliamentarian. There is a limit on the number of terms a board member may serve.
President
The FAWCO President is responsible for FAWCO's strategic development in consultation with the Board based on the FAWCO Mission Statement, the approved Resolutions & Recommendations as well as current Board goals. In addition, the President coordinates the work of Officers, US Liaison and UN Liaison.
Ann Marie Morrow, AWC Finland
Ann Marie, a native of upstate New York, holds a BSc in Management and an MBA in Business Management from Clarkson University. Her extensive professional experience is largely in coaching and training. Ann Marie joined AWC Finland in 1998 and has held several positions in her club, including President, Treasurer and FAWCO Rep. In 2015 she joined the FAWCO delegation to CSW59 and as Regional Coordinator for Region 2, she co-chaired the Region 2 meeting in April 2017. She currently is in her second term as FAWCO VP Communications.
Ann Marie says, “I have enjoyed the challenge of the 1st VP position these past four years and feel there is more I can learn and give back to FAWCO. I am proud to be able to represent the organization and its members. I really connect with the FAWCO Mission on all levels. This is even more true today, as I have seen firsthand the committed and passionate women and men that make up FAWCO. I have genuinely enjoyed working with and learning from FAWCO members and volunteers from all over the world. It has been a challenging tenure to say the least, but I am excited to keep going and to try and help FAWCO be the best it can be. I wish to help FAWCO continue to fulfill its mission over the next few years.”
First Vice President
The 1st VP is responsible for communications - the FAWCO website, FAWCO publications, social media, advertising and sponsorship, and public relations.
Mary Dobrian, AIWC Cologne
Mary Dobrian grew up in Iowa City, IA and earned a BA in Theater from Yale University. After acting professionally in New York, she moved to Germany in 1995. She now works as a freelance translator of primarily non-fiction texts from German to English for books, films, academic publications, websites, advertising and marketing, as well as using her theater training to provide voiceovers and dubbing for film, video and audio books. In her many years as a member of the AIWC Cologne, Mary has served as FAWCO Rep, among other positions. She chaired the FAWCO R&Rs Committee in 2018-2019, is a member of the Human Rights Team, and has served as FAWCO VP for Global Issues for two terms.
Mary says, “It has been a true joy to work with the Global Issues Teams for the past four years. They are some of the wisest, most passionate and most committed women I know. Despite the enormous challenges brought on by the pandemic, we have even been able to come up with new ways to connect with one another, share information and raise awareness of issues that affect women and girls around the world. And even though we can’t meet in person, our virtual global organization has been a great support system for our members – in some ways I feel we have become closer than ever. In fact, through the pandemic, the whole world has become closer together than ever, and the critical issues that affect us all – in environment, education, health and human rights – are all the more tangible. I hope and sincerely believe that FAWCO can continue to build on the strength, knowledge and compassion we have gained during this challenging time and continue to be a force for positive change in the world. I’m looking forward to it."
Second Vice President — Member Clubs
The 2nd VP is responsible for Member Clubs relationship management: she liaises with Club Presidents, Club FAWCO Reps and Regional Coordinators. She manages service offerings for our Member Clubs, publishes the monthly FAWCO e-newsletter "News-in-Brief", and attends Regional Meetings.
Kanika Holloway, AWC Antwerp
Kanika, who was born and raised in the East Bay area of Northern California, holds a BA in Political Science from UCLA and an MBA in Luxury Brand Management from ESSEC, Paris. She has lived in France and in Belgium for a total of 12 years. Her professional background includes a career in finance management which brought her the opportunity to live on both coasts of the US. Currently, her career is in change management and executive leadership. She is also occasionally a guest lecturer teaching Diversity & Inclusion at a local Business School in Antwerp. Kanika has served as both President and Treasurer of AWC Antwerp during their 90th year anniversary, and currently serves as FAWCO Second Vice-President Member Clubs.
In Kanika’s words, “My goal this term is to focus on inclusiveness in our outreach toward all of our clubs in all 10 regions of the world. Inclusive means to be intentional in our support as the Member Clubs Team to meet member club needs and elevate their growth goals. As the world evolves during these uncertain times we can keep a positive and inspiring outlook and set an impactful example. To be pioneers for transformative change and awareness in support of the lives of women and girls’ empowerment and safety is a noble purpose. I see us as leaders and not followers of empty trends of “international clubs” of today.
As the Member Clubs Team, we can imagine formative change among FAWCO Clubs while encouraging sisterhood, diversity and inclusiveness and thereby leveling up our organization as a whole. We need to look toward the legacy that each of us are part of. The soul of our organization is the capability of the combined talents of everyone within it. Let’s be courageous for each other, empower and cheer on our people to speak up, participate and stay fabulous and fierce while doing it.”
Third Vice President — Global Issues
The 3rd VP is responsible for the Target Program, the FAWCO Youth Program, FAWCO's Global Issues Teams and the Administrative Committees.
Mary Manning, Heidelberg IWC
Mary Manning was born in Ohio and grew up on a beautiful farm with 9 siblings before attending Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, getting both her Bachelors and Masters degrees in business. After working as a software consultant she transitioned into a career as a translator after her children were born. After spending nearly 18 years in Italy, she moved to Germany where she is self-employed. Mary has served as treasurer for her club, the Heidelberg International Women’s Club. She got involved in FAWCO through the Human Rights Team, where she serves as Co-Chair. She was on the planning team for the Human Rights in Focus event held virtually in November 2021.
Mary notes, “I got involved with the Human Rights team by a happy coincidence, when My-Linh Kunst and Karen Castellon asked me to do some techie work for our Human Rights in Focus conference in late 2021. I was so impressed with the team of women that we worked with, who had such passion for human rights and a desire to protect and raise up women and girls around the world. I was inspired by their commitment and I hope to get more FAWCO women involved in our Global Issues Teams.”
Treasurer
The Treasurer performs all of FAWCO's financial duties which include collection of fees and other income-related items, disbursements for expenses, management of the budget, and monitoring and reporting of financial status to the Board and to all Member Clubs at FAWCO's Annual General Meeting.
Cathy Farnan, AWG Paris
Cathy is a native of Annapolis MD, where she grew up as an avid sailor. She earned a BS in Accounting from the College of William and Mary, and has been a Certified Public Accountant. Cathy has worked professionally as a Comptroller and Senior Auditor. After moving several times around the US and living in Japan, Cathy was in Paris from 2016 until June 2021, where she was a member of AWG Paris. She served as VP Finance/Treasurer, VP Activities and was the President, during COVID-19. Cathy has been the FAWCO Treasurer since April 2021 and also previously served on the 2019 FAWCO Target Project Selection Committee, analyzing the financials of project proposals.
In Cathy’s view, “FAWCO plays a critical role in empowering women around the world. I look forward to using my business skills to position FAWCO for the future and continue to advocate for the improvement in the lives of women and children. As a member of the FAWCO Board, I have enjoyed working with FAWCO women from many different clubs all focused on contributing towards a shared goal. Positive change comes from people who come together with energy and inspiring ideas. FAWCO is an amazing vehicle for many women living overseas to become involved."
Secretary
The Secretary takes minutes at all meetings, keeps the registry of Board members, and organizes all meetings of the Board.
Laureen Scharps, AIWC Frankfurt Taunus Rhein-Main
Laureen Scharps, a native Californian, received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from UCLA and her Masters of Arts in Cinema from the University of Southern California. After some years in film and television production with Walt Disney Studios and Columbia Pictures Television, she moved overseas and has been working as a freelance English teacher since 1998. Laureen’s experience with FAWCO started in 1994 when she became AIWC Düsseldorf’s FAWCO Rep - a post she continued when she moved to Frankfurt in 1996 and came back to in 2018 after nearly a 20-year break. She has attended seven FAWCO conferences, the first being 1996 in Bad Homburg. Her first regional meeting was one that she co-organized - just this year in Frankfurt. Laureen served as the FAWCO Foundation Relief and Development Chair (1999-2001), joined the FAWCO US Voting Committee in 2018 and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Team in 2021. During the pandemic, Laureen organized the “Women Speak Up about Race” virtual panel series (2020-21), and this year, she serves as an integral member of the Target Project 5 Environment Selection Committee (2022).
Laureen notes, “I would like the FAWCO Board to explore ways to increase FAWCO Club membership and further develop avenues that serve the needs of disadvantaged women and children.”
Parliamentarian
The Parliamentarian is an appointed, non-voting position on the Board. She advises the Board, maintains the Administrative Guidelines and Bylaws, and can be consulted during conferences and meetings on administrative procedures.
Patti Meek, AWC Dublin (Appointed)
Patti is a member of the American Women’s Club of Dublin and was introduced to FAWCO when she co-chaired the 2012 FAWCO Conference Committee. Patti served as Secretary to the FAWCO Board from 2013-15, was elected as President of The FAWCO Foundation in 2015, and was appointed as Parliamentarian for TFF’s 2017-19 Board. She continues to be actively involved with The Foundation’s Archive Team. A native of California and a graduate of UC Davis, Patti has lived in Dublin with her Irish husband and two sons since 1997.