Advisory Council
Lightshine’s Advisory Council is a resource for insight, information, and inspiration! Council members were selected based on their expertise related to children’s needs (especially orphans) or for their business and organizational acumen. Council members are available on an ‘as needed’ basis, and meet collectively once each year. Each member supplies a unique background related to helping fulfill Lightshine’s mission to provide training, tools and service to the people who care for orphans.
Dr. Niels Rygaard: A child psychologist (from Denmark), Dr. Rygaard specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of emotional disorders of children who have suffered severe neglect or abuse. A researcher, author, clinician (and adoptive parent), Niels has provided consulting services to several governments in Europe, Africa & Asia. His book “Severe Attachment Disorder in Childhood” has been translated into several languages, including Spanish. Niels is a co-founder of the Fairstart Foundation, uniting a network of international child researchers, aid and government organizations in charge of children without parental care, and frontline caregivers in foster and institutional care. The innovative international online instructor educations and caregiver group training programs online are recognized internationally, having trained the caregivers of 30.000 placed children worldwide in 18 language versions, and educated 400 instructors from all continents: https://perspectives.waimh.org/2018/02/23/bringing-bowlby-caregivers-worldwide
Dr. Rygaard keynoted the 2006 Lightshine training conference at Universidad Pontificia Catolica (Lima, Peru) & the 2008 Universidad Gabriela Marquez conference in Santiago de Chile. He recently keynoted at conferences in Spain, including the XIV Jornadas de la International Attachment Network Iberoamericana. One outcome of this is a cooperation between Fairstart and the University of Cantabria, to produce programs and instructor educations in Spanish language versions also. This cooperation is expected to be completed in 2020, and will be available to any Latin American country.
Paul Moulton: Paul is presently EVP/CIO of Costco Wholesale Inc. He was an early board member of LIGHTSHINE, providing guidance for our initial work (and expansion) in Peru. Paul and his wife, Susan, are veterans of several trips to Latin America (building houses; building hope!) Paul is also active in AGROS International, a foundation helping the poor in Central America through… “Land, Hope, and Life”. (See: www.agros.org)
Jack McMillan: Jack models and teaches leadership. For more than 2 decades, Jack served as co-CEO of Nordstroms. He was part of the business team of four (4) that brought the Seahawks to Seattle. Involved in founding “CENTERED”, Jack has a passion for mentoring individuals and a vision of restoring communities through the principles taught by Jesus. (See: www.centered.org/about/ )
Zhuolang Li: Born in China, Zhuolang received her initial legal education in Hong Kong. She was inspired to become a lawyer as a result of awareness of child abuse and trafficking of children. Recently she completed her LLM at the University of Washington, also passing the Washington State Bar examination. Fluent in Chinese and English, Zhuolang has studied Spanish and Arabic. She made an initial ‘Lightshine trip’ to Peru in 2016. Ms. Li is presently interning with Lightshine, assisting us with cross-cultural research related to child abuse, care of orphans and human rights for children.
Hon. Miguel Angel Velasquez: Mr. Velasquez was trained as a lawyer in Lima, Peru (his birthplace). He worked several years in relief efforts for World Vision. Appointed more than 15 years ago as Honorary Counsel General for Peru’s Seattle-based Consulate, Mr. Velasquez has served five presidential administrations. Miguel is an astute diplomat, with sincere love for God and His people. Through his ability to connect people, Mr. Velasquez has opened many doors to help the poor and orphaned in Peru, as well as in Central America and Mexico.