Board of Trustees

Board of Directors

The IWTT Board of Directors comprises a diverse range of seasoned thought leaders with broad experience in key areas of focus for the International Women’s Think Tank.

Founder

Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award

Georgia State Senate Resolution 5

Chairperson - TBA

Dr. Brenda Morant - Acting Chairwoman, Honoree Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award

The Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Dr. Brenda Morant, Founder/CEO of the International Women’s Think Tank, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving women and girls, at a ceremony honoring Veterans and Business Owners. The event was sponsored by Women of Wealth Magazine in Atlanta, Georgia on Veteran's Day Friday, November 11, 2022.

The Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest honor in the country issued by the President of the United States, recognizing people who have made remarkable volunteer contributions to their communities, our nation, and the world.

IWTT is an innovative think tank devoted to issues related to women and girls, thus making it a pioneer and forerunner for the empowerment of women and girls. Our mission is to promote research, critical thinking and innovative solutions on issues related to women and girls.

As a thought leader, she has always been committed to conscious conversations that foster women’s sense of empowerment and unveil their impact on the world stage. Founding the International Women’s Think Tank (IWTT) was a natural in that it supports her social entrepreneurial intentions and champions her quest for innovative strategies and solutions to empower people's lives.

IWTT is one of a very few think tanks devoted to issues related to women and girls, thus making it a pioneer and forerunner for the empowerment of women and girls. IWTT is a women and girls’ centric think tank that provides a platform to address the critical issues and challenges faced by women and girls. We encourage and facilitate the discussion of ideas in support of improving the status of women and girls. And we encourage the discovery of solutions to women centric issues and problems.

The global outbreak of COVID-19 has created strategic opportunities for women and girls to be empowered with resilient mind-sets. We are positioned to write our future and shape it in a reflective way that mirrors us post COVID-19. And we must take opportunities such as this to determine our response and strategies moving forward. I believe it is time for bold prioritization, we must move to put women at the forefront of recovery.

Moving forward post COVID-19, we will continue our focus on strengthening multi-sector partnerships, professional and leadership development training, supporting caregivers through our Child Well-Being initiatives, planning the Women’s Empowerment Roundtable Summit 2022, optimize, support and increase the global mandate of promoting gender equality and empower women leaders by connecting communities from across the globe with clearly defined goals centered on critical issues as addressed in the Sustainable Development Goals.

Mr. K.V. Kumar – Vice Chairman, Strategic Planning; Business Turnaround;

Connectivity; Government Relations; Alliance Building and Crisis Management

Mr. KV Kumar is the President & CEO of the International Development Foundation, headquartered in Washington,

DC. An ardent supporter of small businesses and entrepreneurs, he is the founder of Indo-American Chamber of

Commerce of Greater Washington, DC as well as the Founding Chairman Emeritus of the Indian American

International Chamber of Commerce (IAICC) which has been in existence for more than 30 years.

Formerly Mr. Kumar was the President & CEO of American Systems International where he negotiated and signed

the Strategic Alliance Partnership Agreement with NELCO (Tata Group) and led the company’s business

development efforts.

He served for more than18 years at the World Bank Group in Washington, DC where he worked in various

capacities: Developed the “Bank Group-Guidelines for Project Completion Reports” used in post-project evaluation

of the World Bank Group financed and or implemented projects. Prepared over 200 multi-million-dollar project

reports on Project Completion/Evaluation; Sector Specific Studies; Special Studies; and Management Policy Review

Studies.

The Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippine (ADB)s: From 1979-82, ADB borrowed KV on loan from the World

Bank to assist with setting up of the Monitoring and Evaluation Systems. Reviewed proposed recommendations on

ADB’s Policies and Procedures in the Budget, Personnel, Training, & Management Systems Departments.

KV Kumar is the epitome of volunteerism and community service. For more than 50 years KV is known and

respected for his 155,000+ hours (Over 17 years) of volunteer work; where he continues to mentor entrepreneurs,

serve small businesses, people with brain injuries, youth and community organizations and individuals in need of

help.

Dr. Girish Kumar Panicker – FMAS - Certified Professional Agronomists -

Certified Crop Advisor – Authority C-factor research

Dr. Girish Kumar Panicker, tenured Professor of Plant and Soil Sciences and Director of Conservation Research at

Alcorn State University, Mississippi. He is an authority on cover and management (C-factor) research and is an

internationally renowned agricultural scientist.

His research center has the world’s largest C - factor (cover and management) databank on horticultural crops with

work done on 45 crops with over 140,000 readings at an investment of $6.5 million. The information generated is

used around the globe for erosion prediction, nutrient management, conservation planning and to prevent soil

erosion and climate change. His groundbreaking research on C-factor technology, including his 42-page technology

transfer bulletin is available on the websites of prominent land grant universities and the Library of Congress in

Washington, D.C.

Dr. Panicker has been a Certified Professional Agronomists (CPAg) and Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) for several

years. He has worked in the conservation field in Asia, Africa, and North America. He has succeeded in increasing

Vitamin C and anthocyanin levels in organic blueberries and melons and producing organic fertilizer with animal

waste in collaboration with the U.S. Army that traps ammonia and prevents groundwater pollution. His 25+ years of

research work with animal waste on soil health studies has been rated by the National Soil Health Lab, Cornell

University, as ‘Excellent’.

He holds B.S. (Ag. Science), M.S. (Agronomy), and Ph.D. (Horticulture). He the recipient of the Pride of India Award,

2020 Lifetime Organic Achievement Award, and 2023 International Conservation Research Award.

Manori de Silva, Esq.

Manori de Silva is an Attorney at Carreras & Lemoine, LLP, Atlanta, Georgia. She assists small to medium-sized businesses to do business in the U.S. and advises on various aspects of employment law. Manori regularly represents businesses in lawsuits in state and federal courts. Manori is familiar with many aspects of European culture having lived in Europe for many years. She speaks fluent Dutch and is proficient in French. Manori is also President of the Netherlands-American Chamber of Commerce for the Southeast U.S.

Dr. Mary Lou Bryant-Frank - Licensed Psychologist - Educational Consultant -

Mediator

Dr. Mary Lou Bryant Frank, Ph.D., M.S., M.Ed., is a psychologist, court approved mediator, mediation trainer, and

consultant. She has completed conflict resolution training programs from Harvard University, Georgia State

University, and the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution. She is co-founder of the consulting group Transforming

Mediation, LLC and has served as president of the International Academy of Dispute Resolution as well as

serving as a university vice president, dean, professor, fellow, and adjunct professor. She currently teaches at

Brenau University, Mercer Law School, Middle Georgia State University, and Mykolas Romeris University. Her text,

“The mind of a peacemaker: The psychology of mediation” in its 3rd edition. Her publications also include national

and international journals and textbooks on peacemaking, psychology, negotiation, and mediation. She

continues to serve on the board of directors for the International Academy for Dispute Resolution, the International

Women’s Think Tank, as well as other international boards and research councils. Her work has resulted in

numerous awards as well as an international honorary doctorate from the University of Georgia in Tbilisi for her

work in conflict resolution. She has provided conflict resolution training in over twenty countries and continues

to speak at events ranging from conferences, international programs on peace and negotiation, and specialized

advanced degree programs.

Dr. Linda Gray - DCL Community Advocate - Federal Grant Specialist

Dr. Linda Gray is a nonprofit and small business consultant with more than 25 years of experience with expertise in

small business mentoring, nonprofit start-ups, nonprofit management, grant research and development for

community-based nonprofits and faith-based organizations. She brings a legacy of community outreach and

engagement experience in multiple jurisdictions. Dr. Gray has an extensive background in training and hands-on

experiences from a legacy of volunteerism and community service in both the faith based and nonprofit

community. She has been a Collin Community College Instructor for 7 years during which she developed the

syllabus and curriculum for the Nonprofit Management Certificate Series. She has assisted with the development of

more than 150 start-up nonprofit organizations, guiding them through their initial set-up and launch. Dr. Gray

brings extensive community mobilization skills, grant writing and administration experience. She has over 25 years

in nonprofit management and assisted hundreds of nonprofit organizations and Churches with technical assistance

to earn their IRS 501(c)(3) certification.