Happy Thanksgiving and Meet the Staff!

We wish you a happy Thanksgiving. It’s a very meaningful American tradition and True Parents have always appreciated this holiday.

GPA brothers and sisters are using this time to reconnect as a group, recharge themselves after the first 10 days of Competition, and prepare themselves for the next step. They will be celebrating Thanksgiving in groups or teams, enjoying each other’s company, a feast and the opportunity to receive God’s Words more deeply.

We would like to take the occasion of this newsletter/ blog post to introduce all the fine men and women who are dedicated staff members of the GPA program!

You may have heard names thrown here and there by your son/or daughter over the phone, maybe seen pictures with captains, but it is now time to formally introduce you to them.

Through this newsletter/email, you can get to know the staff members a little more personally, through family pictures, job descriptions, previous experience, and most importantly, identify whom to contact for any questions you may have.

Please let us know if there is any more information you may require to understand the program and those who ensure its function better.

Roland Platt Director of GPA

Roland Platt, originally from Island of Jersey of the British Channel Islands, had his start with GPA back when it was called STF, 15 years ago. He started as a Team Leader and worked his way into becoming

the Director of STF 8 years ago, and has continued to lead the program with dedication and a strong sense of the spiritual purpose of GPA since.

He is blessed to his wife, Jina Platt, and together they have 4 children (not all shown in the picture above), and live in Tivoli, NY.

As Director of GPA, Roland’s responsibilities blanket every aspect of the program, from managing the staff, to speaking at workshops, to overseeing the day-to-day needs of the program and its participants.

Louise Honey Assistant Director of GPA, Mother Figure

Louise Honey joined the forces of GPA 3 years ago, and declares that she is hardcore GPA until death! She is the Assistant Director of GPA and collaborates on all things with the Director Roland Platt. Doubling also as Head Mother Figure, she takes care of all the spiritual and non-spiritual needs of those in the program, from staff to participants.

She was blessed in 1982 to Steve Honey, has 4 children, and lives in Westchester, NY.

She coordinates with everyone in all aspects of the program, but most importantly she is the main communicator with parents of the GPA participants. Any needs from home that requires GPAs assistance can be coordinated through Mama Honey, whether they be medical needs, family emergencies, questions on the well-being of a participant, she is the one to call.

Kenzo Tanaka Group Leader - Red Nation Kenzo Tanaka, originally from Japan, has also been with STF/GPA for about 15 years. He has a unique capability of connecting to the participants and the Team Leaders, becoming a father figure to many. He is currently in charge of the Red Nation.

As a Group Leader, he is responsible for a total of about 30 people. Under him are 2 of 3 third years, who in turn are responsible for 2-3 teams of 5 people. Kenzo san, like the other Group Leaders, ensure everyone’s safety throughout the year, that they are getting the education needed to succeed in their experience, and that the participants are kept accountable to their internal and external goals.

He is blessed to his wife Anisa, and together they have 2 girls. They currently live in Denver, Colorado.

Besides being a Group Leader, Kenzo san in the past has been the main organizer in our fundraising efforts, locating area, setting goals, etc. and is our main scheduler. He creates the basic schedule for every workshop we have done.

Francis Marsal Group Leader - Green Nation

Francis Marsal, originally from France, is also a Group Leader with GPA. He was part of the original group who started STF 15 years ago, had left to continue his work as a professional chef and other projects, and recently came back to the program 2 years ago. He is currently in charge of the Green

One of the projects in the past was to help start STF Latin America, and therefore Francis lived in South America, Brazil more specifically, for a few years. He has a strong sense of God and a very clear spiritual connect that he can bring to others, which is what made him perfect for initiating STF Latin America and helping kick-start it.

Francis is blessed to his wife Marina, and together they have 5 children. They currently live in Redhook, NY.

Tolik Kazak Group Leader - Blue Nation

Tolik Kazak, from Belarus, is also part of the original team who have stayed with STF/GPA for the last 15 years. He has also been a Group Leader for several years, taken responsibility for the safety of his group, ranging from 30-50 people each year. He is currently in charge of the Blue Nation.

On top of being a Group Leader, Tolik has also been the key element in our Adventure Training part of the program. An avid outdoorsman, he has taken survival courses and provides the unique experience of relying on our own out in the wilderness. It truly is an experience that pushes participants beyond their comfort zone and bonds them together as family.

Tolik is blessed to his wife Nadya, and together they have 4 children. They currently live in Redhook, NY.

Nadya Kamiyama Senior IW, Education Coordinator

Nadya Kamiyama, originally from Russia, has been working with GPA, like Roland and the other Group Leaders, back when it was known as STF. She has been with the program for 15 years and excels at being an IW.

An IW, known either as Ideal Woman, or Itinerary Worker, is a councilor and a mediator. She assists with any personal issues a person may have. Whether it is with the program, issues with other people, or advice on how to develop spiritual habits or create a life of faith. She spends a lot of time on the phone making sure the Team Leaders are handling their responsibilities well, that they are personally doing all right, and offers advice and comfort when necessary.

She is blessed to her husband Satoshi, who also worked with STF in the past as a Group Leader, and together they have one son. They currently live in Chicago, IL.

Christine Froehlich IW, Education Coordinator

Christine Froehlich has worked with STF and GPA on and off throughout the years for almost 15 years.

Though the program has changed and developed, her strength and what she contributes to the program remains the same: her knowledge of the Divine Principle, how it is applicable to life, and life of faith.

She has returned to GPA this year to work together with Nadya Kamiyama as IW and Educational Coordinator.

As an IW, she also speaks to Team Leaders and GPA participants to make sure they are taken care of in every way, and as an Education Coordinator, she

Helps decide the educational curriculum for workshops and frontline training.

She is blessed to her husband Tom, and together they have one daughter. They currently live in San

Leandro, CA.

Keimi Kanno Project Manager

Keimi Kanno has been working as a GPA staff member for 6 years. Currently the only 2nd generation full-time staff member, she works as a Project Manager, handling the logistics and administration that accompanies smaller portions of the program, such as the new applications to GPA, Community Outreach Program, the Pilgrimage, Fundraising workshops, etc.

She is 30 years old, is an STF Europe graduate, spent 10 years in Europe and whole family still resides in Europe. She currently lives in Manhattan, NY.

Thanh Le Chief Financial Officer, Logistics Coordinator

Thanh Le, Vietnamese born, joined GPA as a staff member 4 years ago. As a young 1st generation Unificationist, he took to the job with zeal and competence. His function as Chief Financial Officer is he makes sure our organization has enough funds to run. He pays our bills, balances our budget, and secures that money is never a priority over the true purpose of GPA.

As the Logistics Coordinator, he is also responsible for big projects such as booking workshops, making travel arrangements, and securing any external needs participants may have.

Thanh is 24, has a degree in Anthropology from Notre Dame, and currently lives in Barrytown, NY.

For any questions regarding finances, tuition, or logistics of GPA, please feel free to contact him.

Hiroshi Suzuki Safety Director

Hiroshi Suzuki, originally from Japan, has been with GPA with a very long time, if you include the fact that 4 of his 5 children have all done anywhere from 1-3 years of GPA each! Suzuki san joined as a staff member 3 years ago as Safety Director.

Suzuki san makes sure that all our Team Leaders and drivers of GPA vans are trained for the responsibility for those vehicles. He manages any maintenance repairs, deals with insurance companies, and is available for any on-the-road assistance the GPA team leaders may need 24/7. He ensures that team leaders/ drivers are constantly making safety checks, aware of their driving habits and patterns, and are making the proper spiritual conditions to ensure the safety of everyone in the vans.

Elissa Allen International Service Coordinator

Elissa Allen has been working with GPA as the International Service Coordinator for 4 years now. She has been involved in establishing 23 international service projects throughout that time, and has personally staffed 7 of those projects with the participants.

She is an STF alumnus, having completed 1 year of full time fundraising and 2 years of full time CARP witnessing in Berkley, CA. After completing her bachelors and masters, she decided to come back to GPA to impart her wisdom to all the younger brothers and sisters on the program! We are lucky to have her!

She currently resides lives in Binghamton, NY, while also attending graduate school to specialize in social work.

Jeanina Hardman International Service Coordinator

Working closely alongside Elissa Allen as International Service Coordinator for the first time this year is Jeanina Hardman. After graduating in International Relations and Spanish, she worked in a variety of healthcare, legal, hospitality, and private sector settings.

She was actively involved for many years as a One Heart Camp staff member and with the youth ministry team in the Bay Area home church community. She has taught, studied, volunteered, and traveled in 21 countries, and recently returned from a self-planned trip-around-the-world with her husband Roderick Miller.

Jeanina and her husband are currently living in Newark, NJ while looking for housing options closer to Roderick’s new position in NYC.

Christopher Stair Media Director

Christopher Stair is an alumnus of the STF program. He started working as the GPA Media Director 4 years ago. He manages our websites, Facebook profile, the Flickr account, documents the year, creates videos, and generally does everything he can to maintain our Internet presence and make us look good to the public eye!

He also helps the GPA Team Leaders make their introductory videos, which he posts, on Facebook and on our Vimeo account. To see some of his work, go to Vimeo.com/genpeaceacademy

He is 24, is starting his own photography business, and currently lives in Los Angeles, CA.