President of the Board and Acting CEO, John Allen

John Allen is President of the Board and acting CEO of SOS Children's Villages-USA.  He is also a member of the New York merchant banking firm, Groton Partners, LLC.  Previously, Mr. Allen was President of i-Nano LLC, which worked with leading research universities in Europe and the United States to develop nanotechnologies into viable commercial entities and arranged the transfer of technologies between the developed and developing world.  He was Executive Vice President of Finance and Operations of Dentinvestments, a firm which acquired and managed middle market companies in North America; Vice President, Investment Banking at Bankers Trust; Regional Director, Investment Banking at Bank of America.; special assistant to the Treasurer and Controller of Shell Brasil, S.A.; and Latin American specialist at the Center for Naval Analyses in Washington, D.C.

John speaks four languages and received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics and Latin American Studies from Princeton University. He studied at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and the Fundação Getulio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He also serves as a trustee and Chairman of the Investment Committee of The John A. Hartford Foundation (www.jhartfound.org) and was a former board member of the Greenwich Science Center.

Vice President, Halvor Stenstadvold 
Former Chairman of the Board, Oslo Stock Exchange
Oslo, Norway

Halvor Stenstadvold has had a distinguished career that spans the private and public sector. Mr. Stenstadvold was Chairman of the Board of the Oslo Stock Exchange and is a consultant and business advisor. For over two decades Mr. Stenstadvold held senior executive positions with the Orkla Group, the leading supplier of branded consumer good to the Nordic grocery market. Previous to this time he was Senior Vice President of the Christiania Bank, Oslo and Mayor of Baerum Municipality. He now serves on a number of Corporate Boards, including Storebrand ASA, Statkraft SF and Statskraft AS, and serves as chairman of the Norwegian Microfinance Initiative, a public/private partnership raising capital for investing in third world microfinance institutions and microfinance investment vehicles. He was also Board Chairman of Borregaard Forest Companies. Since 2001 he has been a Board Director of SOS Children’s Villages, Norway, one of the largest SOS offices of Europe and also serves as a member of SOS Children's Villages - International Senate and Executive Committee. He holds a Masters in Political Science from the University of Oslo and is a Rotary Scholar, Columbia University in New York.

Treasurer, Douglas C. Richardson
Legislative Advisor, Winston & Strawn LLP.
Washington, D.C.

Doug Richardson joined Winston & Strawn as a legislative advisor in 1991. He has over two decades of experience in government relations involving the Congress, administration, and state government.

Before joining Winston & Strawn, Mr. Richardson served as director of the State of Illinois Washington Office (1988-1991) under Governor James R. Thompson and Governor Jim Edgar. In this capacity, he worked closely with the administration and the Illinois congressional delegation on state government issues. He previously served as associate director of the State of Illinois Office with responsibility over transportation, agriculture, and communications issues (1985-1988). In the second half of 1988, Mr. Richardson worked for the 1988 Bush- Quayle campaign as director of Voter Programs in Illinois. In early 1991, he served on the Presidential Transition Team for the U.S. Department of Transportation for Secretary Skinner. Before joining the State of Illinois Office, Mr. Richardson was associate director of the Highway Division of the Associated General Contractors (1983-1985), where he represented the concerns of highway contractors before the Congress and administration. Mr. Richardson also served as a legislative assistant to Congresswoman Lynn Martin (1981-1983), and as staff assistant to Congressman Tom Tauke (1979).

Mr. Richardson received an M.S. in 1981 from the University of Illinois in agriculture economics, with a concentration in government and food policy. He received a B.S. in 1979 from Illinois State University with degrees in political science, agri-business, and economics.

Secretary, Renee Landegger
President, Martian Leasing
New York, NY

Renee Landegger has been a committed supporter of SOS Children’s Villages-USA for over 20 years, particularly the SOS Children’s Village in Coconut Creek, Florida. She joined the Board in 2008.

Renee is the owner of Martian Leasing, a real estate investment company; and a partner in a theatre production company, as well as a former director of Lynn Chase Designs.

Her philanthropic interests are dedicated to education and women’s issues. She is a mentor/sponsor with Student Sponsor Partners, an organization helping at-risk students graduate from high school, and was the recipient of their 2010 Founders Award.  Renee is actively involved with The New York Women’s Foundation, a cross-cultural alliance of women helping low income girls and women; and Abraham House, a residential alternative to prison. For 20 years Renee was on the Board of the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, a community Center on the Upper East Side, where she focused on issues of homelessness.

She and her husband, Carl C. Landegger, an international industrialist, have six children and 14 grandchildren. They live in New York City.

Robert Baird, Jr.
Group President and CEO
Recreation/Leisure Sector,
Dorel Industries, Inc.
Bethel, CT

Mr. Baird joined Dorel Industries in Spring 2008 as Group President and CEO.  Prior to this appointment, Mr. Baird was Chairman of the International Retail Board from 2006 to 2008; and President and CEO, Philips Domestic Appliances and Personal Care from 2002 - 2006.  

Mr. Baird was also a consultant in the New York office of Egon Zehnder International with practice specialties in the consumer products industry and marketing management.

Preceding his tenure as a consultant, Mr. Baird was the Vice President & General Manager at Samsonite, where he was responsible for their largest business and setting their global strategy.  Prior to Samsonite, Mr. Baird worked in various consumer goods companies in positions of increasing responsibility, including General Motors, Scott Paper, Bristol Myers, and Procter & Gamble. His career began at General Electric in Finance and Mr. Baird is a graduate of their Financial Management Program.

Mr. Baird holds an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg School at Northwestern University, with concentrations in Marketing, Management, and Finance. He holds a B.A. in Economics from St. Lawrence University.

Paul Durbin represents Miller Canfield in solving issues related to financing, capital project and new ventures.  He has worked on financial transactions throughout his career and has spent the last decade in public and project finance Paul serves as counsel to underwriters, borrowers, developers and governmental entities in the financing of capital projects and infrastructure improvements.

In recent years, Mr. Durbin has worked with renewable energy companies on expansion projects around the country. He positions companies for new opportunities in green energy and works on the financing and construction of renewable energy projects.

Preceding his service with the SOS Children's Villages - USA Board of Directors, Mr. Durbin served on the SOS Children's Villages - Illinois Board of Trustees.  He is also a Co-Founder and the Treasurer of the Illinois Wind Energy Association as well as a Chicago Committee Member with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

Mr. Durbin holds a J.D. from the University of Illinois Law School with bar admissions in Illinois and New York.  He holds a B.A. from Marquette University.

Harry Epstein
Florida Village Representative
CEO, Greenhouse Strategies, Inc. 

Harry Epstein is the CEO of Greenhouse Strategies, Inc., a newly formed company which is developing LED lighting for certain strategic industries. He is also the CEO of a Department of Defense manufacturer. He is also the North East Director of the Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition. Prior to acquiring several industrial concerns Mr. Epstein purchased, renovated and sold approximately 3500 apartment units from Syracuse, New York to South Florida.

Besides business, Mr. Epstein’s other passion is in the not for profit arena where at 18 he served as a Board member of The Benevolent Society for Retarded Children, Willowbrook State School. He was a founder of the Liberal Jewish Day School in Roslyn, New York. While living in Atlanta he worked for Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital. He is presently Treasurer and Board member of Pave The Way Foundation, an organization working to improve relations between Israel and the Vatican. He is a board member of Hospice By The Sea and a board member of SOS Children’s Villages, both in South Florida.

Mr. Epstein is a graduate of New York University where he earned his BS Degree in Management. He has been a guest lecturer at Columbia University in their MBA program.

David Hoffman
Illinois Village Representative
Chicago, IL

David Hoffman has served on the Board of Directors of SOS Children's Villages Illinois for 19 years. He has served on the Executive Committee as Treasurer and on various subcommittees including, Finance, Facilities and Build Chicago. He continues to assist with planned construction projects.

David is a retired Executive Vice President/Central Region Manager of Morse Diesel International, an international construction management and consulting firm. During his 29 year career, he was involved in many prominent projects, including the Sears Tower, Dean Witter Corporate Center, NBC Tower, Chicago Stadium and the expansion of Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center.

David is a graduate of Bradley University.

Michel Lagarde joined the SOS Children’s Villages - USA Board of Directors in 2011.  He has been a Principal of JLL since 2008, a middle market private equity firm, with $4 billion under management, focused on investments in financial services, health care and basic industries. 

Prior to JLL, Mr. Lagarde served as Controller for Philips Consumer Electronics in Hong Kong from 1999 to 2001, CFO for Philips Group Indonesia from 2001 to 2004, and CFO and, later, CEO of Philips Domestic Appliances North America from 2004 to 2008.

Mr. Lagarde received an Executive Master of Finance and Control in 2002 from a combined program of the University of Maastricht, University of Amsterdam, and the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.  He received a B.B.A. and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1995 from European University, Antwerp, Belgium.

Podie Lynch
President, Market Strategies, LLC
New York, NY

Ms. Lynch is the president of Market Strategies, LLC, a New York-based strategic marketing firm serving small to medium-sized companies. With over 28 years experience managing health, beauty and fashion brands, she has served as President of Danskin, Inc., Chief Operating Officer of LeRoi Princeton and Chief Marketing Officer of Victoria Secret Fragrance.

Ms. Lynch has also served on a number of non-profit and corporate boards.  Her corporate board experience includes The Harmony Group-LeRoi Princeton, Salant Corporation (Perry Ellis Menswear), Fredericks of Hollywood.  Her non-profit board experience includes The Manhattan Theatre Club, The Wildlife Trust, The Bridge Fund of New York and Resurrection Episcopal Day School, where she served as Vice Chair and Treasurer.  Ms. Lynch is also a member of the U.S. Foreign Policy and Women Advisory Council at the Council on Foreign Relations.  Currently, she serves as President of her Princeton Class, is a past Annual Giving Representative for her Class, and has been involved with Princeton in a variety of capacities, including as a former member of the Princeton Alumni Council.

Ms. Lynch graduated from Princeton University and received her MBA from Harvard Business School.

David Mitchell
Southlake, TX

David Mitchell has been a passionate friend and supporter of SOS Children’s Villages since 2005 when he first encountered SOS Emergency Relief teams in Indonesia after the Tsunami.  A United States Air Force Captain, honorably discharged in 1980, he has personally flown to visit SOS Villages, Relief Programs, and Family Strengthening Programs in Bosnia, Nicaragua, and Haiti on multiple occasions.  In January 2010, Mr. Mitchell visited the SOS Village - Santo, outside of Port-Au-Prince, to aid in relief efforts within two days of the earthquake. 

From 1973 to 1980, Mr. Mitchell flew missions with the Air Force in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East, and the Arctic Circle.  He worked with the oil and gas industry from 1980 to 1990, large scale commercial/corporate agriculture from 1989 to 1998, and now runs a general contractor commercial industrial construction business.

In addition to his service to SOS Children’s Villages, Mr. Mitchell also worked to help children at risk as Board Chairman for the Tyler, Texas/Smith County Child Welfare Board and continues to work with youth in his community of Southlake, Texas.

Mr. Mitchell received a BBA with a major in Management and a secondary in marketing from Southern Methodist University.

Peter Völker
Deputy Secretary General, SOS-Kinderdorf International
Innsbruck, Austria

Peter Völker has served as the SOS-Kinderdorf International Deputy Secretary General since February 2001. In this position he is responsible for the coordination of all fundraising activities for the worldwide organization. Previously, he was the Regional Director for Western European countries, where he was based in Austria and responsible for the coordination of SOS Children's Villages Associations in 17 European countries. Before joining SOS in early 1999 he had a background in industry, consulting and international networking on behalf of the Austrian Foreign Trade Organisation.

In his position as Deputy Secretary General he continues being responsible for the coordination of the SOS associations in Western Europe and Northern America (19 countries). Peter has a business management degree from Innsbruck University. In addition, he has passed the management consultant exam. In 1990 he was awarded a doctorate in Social and Business Science. He is married and has three daughters.