Democratic World Parliament through a global referendum
Who We Are
THE BOARD The directors of Vote World Parliament are presented here in the order in which they became involved.
THE ADVISORY BOARD
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Jim Stark was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1943. He graduated from Laurentian University in 1967. In 1977, he founded Operation Dismantle, a national nuclear disarmament organization, where he served as president and CEO until 1985 (see Cold War Blues or The Canadian Encyclopedia). With his wife, Earleen Devine, he owns a small business 
Earleen Devine was born in Shawville, Quebec, Canada in 1953. She received her Honours BA in Art History and Criticism from the University of Western Ontario in 1981. In addition to working in Life Profiles, Earleen has completed two of her own books (one fiction, one non-fiction), and is currently working on a new novel. Her primary responsibility in Vote World Parliament is that of researcher. Earleen is the mother of a daughter, Thea, and a son, Martin, and lives in a small Quebec town with her husband Jim. 
Raj Shekhar Chandola graduated from Delhi University (Honours History with Philosophy as a Subsidiary Subject), and did his post-grad work at Lucknow University (Journalism and Mass Communication). He worked in an advertising agency, a detective agency, a market survey agency, a film magazine and a city magazine before joining the City Montessori School (CMS), Lucknow as a peace educator. He served in CMS for 14 years, heading the peace Education Department. During his tenure, CMS received the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education in 2002 (being world’s first and only school to receive this coveted distinction since the award’s inception in 1981). CMS also received the Nuclear-Free Future Special Achievement Award in 2004 and is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as world’s largest school, with over 37,000 students. Raj also started the Indo-Pak Children’s Penfriends’ Club “Aao Dosti Karein” (Come Let’s be Friends) and facilitated exchanges of more than 20,000 letters between Indian and Pakistani children). He was also the Assistant Convener of the annual International Conference of Chief Justices of the World and the Global Symposium on New World Order. Presently, Raj works as the Manager, Creative Services at United Media Services (Oman), a large advertising and communications company.
Unity Elias Yang was born in 1974 in Oku, North West Province of Cameroon. He studied physics and computer sciences at the University of Buea, and later studied law in the University of Yaounde for two years. In 2002, he was accepted into the National School of Administration and Magistracy in Yaounde, where he obtained a diploma in financial and material management. He currently works as a stores accountant in the Ministry of Public Health, and Chief of Service for Studies, in the sub-department for the follow-up of land revenue in the Ministry of State Property in Yaounde. He is currently writing a book on a global state and a second book on the Third World, and he is continuing with his law studies at the university.
Ted Stalets was born in Pana, Illinois in 1952. He has a post-graduate degree in mass communications from the University of Illinois. From the time of his first Radio Shack TRS80 computer in the late 1970s, he has developed a deep respect for the evolving computer revolution, and more recently, the Internet revolution. An avid futurist, he was featured in a Nashville newspaper in 2005, in an interview focusing on his extensive collection of emerging technology domains and websites. Ted has built several hundred Internet websites dealing with emerging technologies (robotics, biotechnology, nanotechnology, virtual reality, etc.) geared for the non-technical person. He is serving as Vice-President of Vote World Parliament and as our president’s agent through the Stalets Literary Agency. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife Vanessa and their weiner dog, Rosie.
David Christensen was born in Ashland, Wisconsin in 1921 and grew up in Illinois and South Dakota. He attended college in Mankato, Minnesota, and after World War II received Masters and PhD degrees from the University of Chicago where, in 1946, he and his wife, Carol, were active in World Republic, an organization seeking world government. After thirteen years at Florida State University, Dave joined the Geography Department of Southern Illinois University, Carbondale in 1961. He served as Chair of the department and also as Assistant Dean and Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. He also served on Carbondale’s Planning Commission for eighteen years, four years as chair. Dave is an ardent internationalist and through the years he and his wife (now deceased) researched, taught or traveled in sixteen countries. Dave’s avocations include woodcarving, writing poetry and writing “letters to the editor.”
Jerry Tetalman is the co-author of One World Democracy: A Progressive Vision for Enforceable Global Law. He is the current California President of Citizens for Global Solutions, an organization dedicated to building peace, justice and freedom in a democratically governed world. He is also a co-founder of the World Democracy Movement, an organization dedicated to the formation of a global democracy. He first became politically active in high school, where he protested against the Vietnam War and registered for the draft as a conscientious objector. Jerry has a MA in Psychology and has been a successful businessman dedicated to the pursuit of social justice and the abolition of war.
Brian Coughlan was born in Ireland in 1965, moving to Apartheid South Africa in 1977, where he matriculated in 1983. After serving as a conscript in the South African Defence Force from 1984 to 1986, Brian returned to the European Union in 1987. As an Irishman and a White South African, Brian brings a unique 360 perspective to the thorny issue of democratising a balkanised, and fundamentally unjust world. After touring with a Christian Theatre group in Germany for four years, he got his BSc in Information Technology from Trinity College Ireland in 1998. From 1996, he worked in management at a number of multi-nationals including AOL. In 2002, Brian and his family moved to Northern Europe, where he now works from home consulting for ISP’s and Telecom companies. The Iraq war, and a personal crisis of faith, precipitated a furious interest in global politics, and Brian has been producing videos on YouTube (under the moniker “themodestagnostic”) on this theme, since April 2007. Brian serves as Liaison Officer for Vote World Parliament.
Bob French was born in North Bay, Ontario, Canada in 1940. Bob received his BSc. in Forestry degree from the University of Toronto (1963) and completed an MEd degree in Education Leadership from Lakehead Univ. (1979). His career activities included research forester, teacher and leadership positions in public and private education. In 2001 Bob was nominated by Rotary District 7040 of Rotary International to serve as District Governor 2003-04. He has promoted world understanding and peace by passionately pursuing youth exchanges, humanitarian service and sustainable communities (locally and internationally). As a Rotary Past District Governor and long time member of the World Future Society, Bob continues to network globally supporting sustainable programs that address poverty, literacy, health, and clean water. Bob lives with his wife Charlene on the banks of the Ottawa River in Laurentian Hills. Bob and Charlene enjoy living close to nature, curling, reading and travelling to visit friends amongst Rotary’s global network of community volunteers. Bob serves as Ambassador at Large for Vote World Parliament.
Torbjörn Tännsjö is Kristian Claëson Professor of Practical Philosophy at Stockholm University. He has published extensively in moral philosophy, political philosophy, and bioethics, with books defending utilitarianism (Hedonistic Utilitarianism), populist democracy (Populist Democracy: A Defence) and respect for autonomy in the health care system (Coercive Care: The Ethics of Choice in Health and Medicine). His most recent books are Understanding Ethics: 2nd revised edition (Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP/Columbia UP, 2008) and Global Democracy: The Case for a World Government (Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP/Columbia UP, 2008). A link to his last book can be found at 
Bhawani Shanker Kusum, born in 1947, completed a Masters in social sciences from the University of Gujarat in 1968. Inspired by the Gandhian philosophy of “sarvodaya” (“universal uplift” or “progress of all”), he quit his government job and worked for “partyless” democracy under the leadership of Jay Prakash Narayan (J.P.), the eminent socialist thinker and Gandhian. He was nominated by J.P. as one of the six members of the National Committee of the Non-party Students and Youth Army in 1977 and mobilized the youth of India for the “Transformation of the Society” (a nonviolent campaign against the corrupt political system). He coordinated the Knit India March with 200 youth on bicycles to establish ahimsa (a Buddhist, Hindu and Gandhian doctrine expressing belief in the sacredness of all living creatures and urging the avoidance of harm and violence) and other Gandhian values under the leadership of reverend Humanist Baba Amte in 1984 (south to north) and 1987 (east to west). He engaged in the rehabilitation of 1,000 leprosy-affected people by making them self reliant. He served as NGO delegate for Asia Pacific in the UNAIDS Program Coordinating Board. He is presently working as Secretary and Executive Director of Gram Bharati Samiti (or “Society for Rural Development”), a national NGO, and National Coordinator of Intersect Worldwide (an international network of NGOs). He was recently elected as NGO Observer for Asia Pacific in the Clean Technology Fund Committee of the World Bank.
- Abogado de la UNAM (México 1964 – 1969).
Dr. Weiss is currently the Associate Director of the Global Negotiation Project at Harvard University. He received his PhD from the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) at George Mason University in 2002. Dr. Weiss has spoken and published on negotiation, mediation, and systemic approaches to dealing with conflict. In his current capacity he conducts research, consults with many different types of organizations, teaches courses on Negotiation, Mediation, and Conflict Management and Resolution, and practices the art and science of negotiation at the interstate, intrastate, and organizational levels. 
Chris Hamer was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1944. He obtained his BSc and MSc from the University of Melbourne, and his PhD from Caltech in 1972. He is now an Associate Professor in theoretical physics at the University of New South Wales. In the 1980s he was involved with Scientists Against Nuclear Arms (SANA), and was National Secretary 1989-92. He teaches a general studies course on Nuclear Arms and the New World Order at UNSW, and has written a book on world federalism entitled A Global Parliament: Principles of World Federation. He is currently President of the World Citizens Association (Australia), dedicated to promoting the ideals of democratic world government and world federalism. 
Hugh Steadman was born in London in 1942. He entered the RMA Sandhurst in 1960 and joined a British infantry regiment in 1962. His service included time in Germany, peacekeeping in Cyprus and an attachment to the Sultan of Muscat’s armed forces (Oman), where he served as a Desert Intelligence Officer. In 1970, he resigned his commission and took a degree in politics and international relations at Southampton University. Hugh and his wife, Chris, took postgraduate degrees and then established a language training institute. In 1985, they emigrated with their three young children to New Zealand, where they established The Prenzel Distilling Company. Having retained his interest in Middle Eastern affairs, Hugh is now the NZ representative on the International Forum for Justice and Peace at The Hague. In 2005, he withdrew from Prenzel to devote his time to the establishment of the Sapiens Movement Inc., an NGO dedicated to achieving democratic world government.
After high school in the beautiful community of Shawville, Québec, Canada, Albert Armstrong attended Kemptville Agriculture College, beginning in 1961. In 1965, he was employed by Hydro Québec as an electrical mechanic, and remained with Hydro until retiring in 1998. During those years, he was president of Minor Hockey, president of the Shawville Junior B Hockey Club, president of the Shawville Curling Club, played Senior Hockey and coached all levels of hockey. He and his wife attend the Shawville United Church, where he is a Trustee and a member of the Board of Stewards. Albert was a town councilor in Shawville for ten years and mayor for 16 years, a position he still holds. He was also a director of the Shawville Recreation Association for 25 years. His family includes his wife of 43 years, Gwen, their three daughters, three son-in-laws and five grandchildren. “Life is good,” he says.
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