Dave Rice | President | Executive Board

He is a member of Congressman Mike Levin's Special Task Force on Nuclear Waste at San Onofre Nuclear Plant, and is also the Founder/Commissioner of the West Coast Adult Soccer League (800 members). He has also been a continuous volunteer in community organizations such as AYSO, Kiwanis Club, and others.

Rhett Kuseski | Vice President | Executive Board

Rhett Kuseski’s humanist values found a perfect fit within UNA for making the world a better place. Here he can apply both his compassion for humanity and his tech skills to benefit the group. He is the President of the Humanist Association of Orange County and regularly leads Meetup discussions on philosophy, theology, and social justice issues. He is also the Vice President of Americans United for Separation of Church & State Orange County. He has a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from The Ohio State University and a Master's degree in Biblical Studies from Asbury Theological Seminary. Professionally, he is a computer IT Systems Administrator, part-time freelance User Experience (UX) Design Consultant, and runs a UX Design Meetup. He enjoys traveling and going on cruises (pre-COVID) with his wife who is a former teacher of children with special needs and enjoys fostering rescue animals. He is a geek for sci-fi, fantasy, and Lego.

Joy Adams | Interim Membership Chair | Treasurer | Executive Board

Joy Adams is a retired international business executive committed to the UNA mission. She has broad leadership experience in the corporate and nonprofit sectors and believes in a strong US-UN relationship for a better world. 

She is also Adviser to UNA Women OC, and Director of the Council of Organizations

info@una-oc.org

Jayne Herring | Secretary | Human Rights Ambassador | Executive Board

Jayne is the Director of Special Events for the Pacific Symphony, and also serves on the executive board of the World Affairs Council of Orange County. Most importantly, she is raising two daughters she hopes will carry on the activist spirit. She is committed to finding ways to be of service to her community, and is a passionate advocate for the power of the arts for human rights. In December 2022 she founded the “Arts as Activism” event in partnership with Soka University of America’s Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Human Rights.

Originally from suburban Pennsylvania, she first experienced international travel as a full scholarship exchange student to Greece with Youth for Understanding at age 16, and vowed immediately to be a diplomatic global citizen. She moved to New York City after her original collegiate studies in theatre and started her career in hospitality, earning a position with a global association, managing events in over eight countries and on four continents.

Concerned about global events, especially as a mother, Jayne went back to school in 2017 to pursue a dual degree in Human Rights and International Studies at Southern Methodist University, focusing on public and foreign policy in Asia. While working towards her degree, she studied arts and culture in London, and East Asian politics and culture at Kwansei Gakuin University in Nishinomiya, Japan. There, she participated in an international Pre-G20 Summit Joint Workshop, “The G20-United Nations Relationship: Working Together for a Secure, Sustainable World.” As she finished her degree, she interned at the World Affairs Council of DFW and the International Rescue Committee and served on multiple boards and committees of nonprofit and arts organizations in Dallas, Texas before moving to her new home in Southern California.

Ankush Subhashrao Gadekar | Young Professionals Director | Executive Board

Ankush is our Director of Young Professionals. He holds a Master of Engineering degree in Global Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Michigan, a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, Pune, and an Associate’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from GP, Yavatmal.

“I strongly believe that education makes a positive difference in the world when it creates curiosity in your mind to learn anything and be a lifelong learner as opposed to just giving you definitions, laws, theorems, and facts. I want to contribute to making quality education accessible and affordable”

Kristin Manna | Governmental Affairs Ambassador | Board of Director

Kristin studied Communications: Television and Film Studies and minored in Political Science at Vanguard University and followed up with a master’s program at UCLA. 

She currently works as Director of Media & Public Relations for Competitive Edge Advisory Group which is a Public Relations/Media Relations and Digital Marketing firm. 

Her professional experience also included employment as a Feature Film/Television editor for A&E Biography, HBO films, Campus Crusade for Life, Billy Graham films, and Dick Clark Productions.  

She has experience as a producer for the podcast “Inspiration Rising” managing talent acquisition; media booking; talent booking; podcast marketing; script writing; marketing and advertising.

Kristin’s previous professional experience led her to politics which enhanced her political experiences over the past 2 decades.  She has an extensive political history working on campaigns including Presidential, Congressional, State Senate, and federal campaigns as well as leadership positions both elected and appointed. 

Her most recent political experience is working as a Legislative Advocate for Thomas Paine Memorial Association, a non-profit group dedicated to honoring Thomas Paine with a memorial in Washington D.C. Her duties were to gain  Congressional & Senatorial support of  House Bill H.R.6720 to authorize the Thomas Paine Memorial Association to establish a monument in Washington D.C. for Thomas Paine. On  December 2022 the bill was passed by both the House and the Senate. President Biden signed the bill into law on December 27, 2022.

Kristin served as Regional Director for the Republican National Committee (RNC),  Election Integrity team during the 2022 election cycle.  She holds a leadership position as the Governmental Affairs Ambassador for the United Nations Association, Orange County. She serves as an OCGOP Central Committee representative and as a Member of the Sub-Committee for Voter Outreach.  She serves on the Board of Directors for Global Hope 365, a non-profit whose mission is to prevent Human Trafficking and Child Marriage.

She is married to her husband, Joseph Manna, and is a proud mother of 3 wonderful adult children C.J. 23yo (graduate Cal Berkeley B.S. Computer Science working for A.I. incorporated; Mackenzie, 21yo, the third year Chapman University honors student; and Delaney 18yo, senior at Orange County School of the Arts.

Nisreen | UNA-OC Women’s Affinity group Chair | Board of Director

Nisreen is an activist and certified life coach passionate about building bridges between Eastern and Western cultures by bringing awareness about Islam, and the Arab culture to the American community. Her goal is to empower countless women through creating a dialogue around marriage, self-esteem, parenting, and self-development. She was born and raised in Palestine, moved to the United States in 1979, and became more active in educating the public following the tragic events of September 11.

Nisreen is a lover of art and culture. She has lectured about Palestinian women and Embroidery to college students, libraries, and institutions interested in art and culture. She arranged for groups of students to attend the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts to appreciate Islamic Art History.

In 2009 she was invited to the University of Oslo in Norway to lecture on: The Challenges and Opportunities for Muslim Women in the United States; and Building Bridges Between Muslims and Non-Muslims in the United States.

Nisreen took the opportunity alongside members of the Muslim Public Affairs Council to train the 2,200 officers of the Transportation Security Administration at the Los Angeles International Airport. To discuss the various cultural and religious observations of Muslim travelers and advise the most appropriate way to administer security protocol while being sensitive to cultural practices.

Nisreen’s work was featured in numerous newspapers and magazine publications including the Los Angeles Times, Al-Arab Newspaper, and Aziza Magazine. She also received the following awards for her volunteerism: Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the United States House of Representatives; Paul Harris Fellow for the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International; and Whittier College.

Rima Nashashibi | Advocacy Co-Chair | Board of Director

Rima@GlobalHope365.org

Rima Nashashibi, Founder and President of Global Hope 365, a local nonprofit dedicated to ending harmful practices towards women and girls such as Child Marriage, Human Trafficking, and other forms of gender-based violence, is an Internationally Recognized Speaker, Political and Community Leader/Activist with more than 20 years of experience in public speaking, conducting seminars, and media appearances nationally and internationally, promoting openness, equal opportunity, tolerance, fairness, and justice for persons of all genders, ethnicity, religious backgrounds, and political persuasions. Ms. Nashashibi has been a guest speaker locally, nationally, and internationally including hosted by the U.S. Department of State in places such as Jerusalem, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait. In addition, Ms. Nashashibi trained the women in Saudi Arabia in August 2015 on how to run for office in anticipation of the historical election held in December 2015 where women participated for the first time in the history of the Kingdom. 

Ms. Nashashibi through her work as the founder and president of Global Hope 365 was able to unanimously pass the No Child Marriage under 18, No Exceptions resolutions in 13/34 cities in Orange County and in Culver City, testify in various states at both the Senate level and the House to advocate for legislation to end Child Marriage under 18, No Exceptions including NH, RI, HI, KS, NY, and AK. Both RI and NY passed the legislation in June and July of 2021. She made history in California by launching the CA Coalition to End Child Marriage in September of 2019 and when she received the first Proclamation supporting ending Child Marriage under 18, No exceptions from the City of Newport Beach in October 2020, and from the City of Tustin May 2021. She also hosted the first Child Marriage survivor stories and advocacy summits in the State, on July 22, and August 5, 2020, respectively. 

Recipient of Numerous Awards. Most recently Ms. Nashashibi received the Women’s Leadership Award from the United Nations Association, Long Beach Chapter and the Global Peace Foundation, Inc, on June 3, 2022, a Congressional Certificate of Special Recognition on June 3, 2022, and the Angels Against Human Trrafficking Award by the Bilteral Safety Corridor Coalition, May 13, 2022. She was also listed in the Orange County Register Newspaper OC’s top 125 most Influential people, December 27, 2021. Ms. Nashashibi was also the winner of the Los Angeles Times B2B Publishing team’s Inspirational Woman of the Year in the nonprofit executive category on October 26, 2021. Received on behalf of Global Hope 365 a California Assembly Certificate of Recognition for being nominated as 2021 Nonprofit of the year in recognition of our work to end Child Marriage and Human Trafficking on July 29, 2021; Senator Dave Min recognizing Ms. Nashashibi for her work through Global Hope 365 in ending Child Marriage and Human Trafficking May 2021, Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. 

She was also nominated and selected for the Legacy Award by Women’s Journey Foundation, March 2021. She was nominated for the Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce’s 2021 Women of Influence, March 2021, and as one of Orange County Business Journal's top businesswomen in Orange County October 2020, and selected to receive a Congressional Woman of the Year Award in March 2020. Ms. Nashashibi also received the Community Activism Appreciation Award, from Women For: OC, August 25, 2019; Appreciation Award, “Co-Chair of the International Development Committee, Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce“ 2018-2019, in July 2019; Appreciation of her Service and Leadership in the field of Refugee Support” May 2019 by Sunrise USA; a Life-Time Achievement Award April 2019 by the Arab American Civic Council; various Congressional, State Senate and Orange County Supervisorial proclamations in recognition of her leadership in the community; the Partner of the Year by the Irvine Chamber of Commerce in 2017, “In honor of Women Making a Difference in Orange County 2012” by the California State Senate. “In honor of many years of dedicated service and leadership 2012” a US Congressional Recognition Award; the Harry S Truman Lifetime Achievement Award by Democratic Party of Orange County, 2006.

Essraa Nawar | Board of Director

nawar@chapman.edu

In her role, which has continuously grown in scope during her tenure at Chapman, Essraa has re-imagined diversity at the Leatherby Libraries, creating and implementing the first-ever Library Diversity Statement and Plan, leading the library to receive the first-ever Diversity Award. She curated over 50 diverse exhibitions, participates regularly in scholarly activity, and gave a popular TEDx talk at the Technical University of Munich on how to feel welcomed and empowered in a diverse world. She defines diversity holistically and organically. She led and implemented the library’s inaugural Marketing and Fundraising Strategy, helping the library earn two CASE awards, one ALA PR award and raise over 5 million dollars in support of the libraries’ activities and community engagement. A leader on women's empowerment, Essraa was invited by the Egyptian Government to participate in a women’s conference and was honored as one of the top 30 Egyptian women abroad. She works closely with the Ministry of State for Emigration & Egyptian Expatriates’ Affairs and the National Council for Women on initiatives that benefit the Egyptian economy, tourism, interfaith understanding, and status of women. As an interfaith advocate, her campaign #changethenarrative aims to breaking stereotypes and promote peaceful coexistence. In April 2022, she was recognized as one of California’s Women of Influence and December 2022 she was named one of Orange County’s 125 Most Influential people