ACTO
BOARD MEMBERS
Meet the Board
President
Vikram Bhatt, is a cisgender male, who identifies as an Indian, heterosexual and agnostic about religious affiliation. Among his core identities is that of a curious explorer, a father, and a person who has been in a spiritual partnership with his wife over the last 25 years. As a coach he embodies intuitive wisdom, and as a coach educator as well as a coach trainer he embodies the identity of a disruptor, who challenges the status quo and is invested in evolving coach training towards serving the consciousness shift on this planet. While proudly embracing his Indian identity, he claims his global citizenship with shyness and some nervousness, and he is learning to own those identities that are outside of his birth and his origin. What has helped him live in uncertain time is the value of friendship and learning.
President-Elect
Virginia González-Vélez Valcarce, Woman white mother, a university graduate, Spanish, grew up in the Canary Islands from a peninsular family. She graduated from Madrid and settled there. She is an entrepreneur, non-conformist who seeks her own fulfillment and the people she interacts with through spiritual practice and coaching. She is a coach trainer.
Vice-President
Shareefah Sabur, Black, US American (second generation born free), Female, Muslim; has a non-visible disability. Born in Ohio to working class parents of the Great Migration. Earned two Master’s degrees and worked in healthcare for over 30 years, locally and internationally. Executive Director of the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, certified diversity professional, coach educator, coach.
Treasurer
Jim Smith, PCC. Skinny white kid who grew up in an economically-challenged Catholic and ethnic suburban community where eight siblings and hand-me-downs was the norm and everyone’s grandparents were “from the old country.” Struggled with both depression and sexual identity. First in his family to graduate university, he built a multi-hued and international family through birth and adoption, learning along the way how to advocate for those with differing abilities. Proud that he has always sought to raise up strong women both in his sons/daughters and in the workplace. Situational vegan. Loves to dance, garden, and curate dark beers, owns 16 ways to make coffee, and loves to talk to strangers.
Secretary
Sharon Brown, identifies as Black/African-American, cisgender, heterosexual female, with a partially visible disability. She is a mother, partner to her husband of nearly 41 years, grandmother, coach, coach educator, and people/plant/animal lover. Sharon is warm, compassionate, intuitive, and more spiritual than religious. She values social justice, social transformation, continuous learning, making coaching accessible, indigenous healing and wisdom traditions, plants as medicine and nutrition, deep connection, collaboration and co-creation. Sharon also values coaching as a support for those dealing with current-day, historical and generational trauma related to racism and other types of oppression. She grew up in a working-class home with parents who valued the higher education they didn’t have the opportunity to pursue. She lives in northern New Jersey, USA near where she was born and raised.
Hector Garcia Lopez, White, Spaniard now living in Madrid, Spain. However most of his life has taken place in Latam countries. Hector has been educated in UK, Spain, Argentina and Brazil – in economics, engineering, general management and business administration. Holds an MBA from the University of Buenos Aires; post-graduated from Kellogg School of Management, Chicago, USA, and Ashridge College, London, UK. Certified as GMS – an international designation for Global Mobility Specialist from the WERC, Washington DC, USA and Hong Kong. Fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese; conversational skills in German and Italian.”
Eileen Laskar, is a Christian woman, living an urban life but with a cute village girl within who shows up as humble, sometimes shy and introverted. Eileen enjoys intimate relationships and avoid crowds whenever possible. She is married to a wonderful husband who she believes is a Godsend gift to her. She is a mother of 3 adorable sons. Though her names get people confused about her origins, she is proudly African, and specifically proudly Kenyan. Eileen is a natural nurturer of plants; she considers them her pets. She has a pure green thumb and almost everything she plants grows. She never throws away seeds and gifts her friends fruit trees and potted plants. In all her spheres of influence, the key words that inspire her work are Excellence, Impact and Legacy. Eileen turned 50 in June 2022, and is completely awed by the perspective shift and calmness of the 5th floor. She’s loving her best life now, without regrets and enjoying it thoroughly.
Joanne Louis is a Black woman who is a coach, motivator and an arts lover. Joanne is a constant learner who is passionate about making coaching accessible to all. Joanne believes coaching is a way to achieve one’s goals and living a purposeful life. Joanne is a life learner who values higher education, holds a BBA and a MBA along with numerous certifications. She has lived in the southern part of the United States for the last 30 years. Joanne is fluent in English, French and Haitian Creole. She enjoys spending time with friends and travelling and learning about different cultures.
Sukari Pinnock-Fitts, is a cisgender woman and a member of the African diaspora. She is a heterosexual Baby Boomer, living with a hidden disability and some degree of socio-economic privilege as a U.S. National. She has no religious affiliation, believing strongly that the “universe provides.” She is the daughter of a Jamaican immigrant father and South Carolinian mother, and was raised with one sibling in a middle-class, multi-racial neighborhood in Los Angeles. Now residing on the tribal lands of the Nacotchtank, Sukari has been coaching leaders in all sectors for over 20 years, supporting clients in the U.S. and abroad. She is a devoted partner-spouse, a proud mom and a favorably biased “Nona” to three delightful grandsons
Zach Prosser is a Christian man living in a suburban area with a love for city life, who shows up as a compassionate leader with vision and passion for making an impact. He is an introvert that does a lot of extroverted things and enjoys close friendships and his wonderful wife and three beautiful children. Zach grew up in the midwest area of the U.S., spent a lot of time living in the southern states, and is currently living in the northeastern U.S. His family heritage are immigrants from Wales, where he loves to visit and learn more about his ancestry. Zach is an ICF MCC coach and trainer. He loves to travel and learn about others.
Johan van Bavel, is a proud man living in the south of the Netherlands with his boyfriend. The color of his skin is white. He was born and raised in the Netherlands and identifies as a Dutch man. The family he was born into was working class and he has 3 brothers and 3 sisters. He is the only one in that family with a bachelor’s degree. Johan lives with his boyfriend, with whom he has been a couple for 27 years now. Ten years ago, he started a coach training school, which is accredited by the ICF as ACTP. He is an ICF MCC, an accomplishment of which he is quite proud. A former rugby player, he still loves sports, although his physical ability doesn’t allow him to engage much in sports. He loves to travel, to meet new people and to learn about different cultures.
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