Board Members
David Lansdale, Ph.D.
Stanford University School of Education
Founder & Board Vice President
David Lansdale is cofounder of the Beyond Chacay Foundation. In 2013, David recruited a team of Universidad San Francisco de Quito (the USFQ where he has taught entrepreneurship and administration since 2003) student government leaders to attend a high school training initiative on San Cristobal, capital of the Galapagos Archipelago, and laid the foundation for EcoHelix, a capacity building intervention including private, public, civic sector stakeholders, universities and social and local media.
The EcoHelix is a community based intranet connecting 23 of the 24 schools on the three major populated Islands. BCF’s goal is to extend the signal into the communities, and through capacity building and training, mobilize the Intranet as a vehicle for transformation, creating opportunities for islanders through digital literacy to benefit from digital dividends.
Consistent with capacity building and entrepreneurship, David is a proponent of sustainable community development. It is our goal as a foundation to raise funds to be able to promote both quality experiences and, importantly, quality of life in “smart destinations” in emerging market communities in Ecuador.
Pritpal “Pali” Singh, PhD
Professor of Engineering at Villanova
Board President
Dr. Pritpal Singh is a Professor of Electrical Engineering at Villanova University. He received his BSc in Physics from the University of Birmingham in England in 1978 and his Ph.D. in Applied Science/Electrical Engineering from the University of Delaware in 1984.
Dr. Singh has been working in solar energy research for over 40 years, working right from the cell level to the systems level. He teaches postgraduate courses in power electronics, renewable energy systems, sustainable product development for low resource settings and information, communication, and energy technologies for development (ICET4D). He has worked with UNICEF in Nicaragua, Burundi and Zimbabwe giving workshops on renewable energy and entrepreneurship. He has recently worked on humanitarian projects in Ecuador in renewable energy and connectivity with colleagues from the Escuela Politecnica del Litoral (ESPOL) in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Jane R. Coffin
Ex-Officio Board Member
Jane Coffin is a seasoned executive and Internet community expert who has been working at the center of connectivity & infrastructure development, policy & regulatory strategy, and international development for over 30 years. She has worked in the private sector, for the U.S. Government, in “the field” helping create and develop regulators, and for the non-profit sector. She spent 10 years at the Internet Society leading on infrastructure development, related policy and regulatory issues, Internet shutdown monitoring, and research to prove the importance of diversified and competitive Internet networks. Most recently Jane was with start-up Connect Humanity as its Chief Community Officer and later as a Senior Advisor. Jane worked with communities on broadband strategy, stakeholder strategy, and strategic financing for community, muni, and ISP development. She is a co-chair of the IRTF’s GAIA (Global Access to the Internet for All) Working Group, and serves on several boards to promote Internet development.
Tristam B Johnson Jr
Board Treasurer
Tristam received his MA in International and Intercultural Management from the School for International Training, then spent the next 25 years working in many Latin American countries leading and evaluating community development projects focused on health, governance, economics, and education. He has been a co-founder and key figure in the growth and evolving strength of Beyond Chacay Foundation.