Martha has served AFPF as Board Member, Board Chair and Executive Director (1997 – 2014). For these opportunities she is grateful to Silvana Veltkamp, co-founder of AFPF and URDT. In 1981 Silvana introduced Martha to the work of Robert Fritz. It was Silvana’s plan to have Fritz’s teaching about the creative process become fundamental to the work of African professionals in rural development. 

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Robert Fritz is an accomplished, writer, director, composer, consultant, and teacher who has
been developing the field of structural dynamics for over thirty years. His work in the areas of
creative process and organizational, business, and management issues has garnered
worldwide acclaim. Fritz has authored 8 books which have been translated into 15 languages,
among these are Your Life As Art and Identity.

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It could be said that without Silvana AFPF, URDT and ARU may not have ever been created. Silvana was a co-founder of AFPF in 1981, and served as the organization's first Executive Director from 1981-1997. She was the first Secretary of the Board of URDT and authored the organizations working documents. She is credited as a co-founder of URDT and ARU. Silvana previously had worked at the Food and Agriculture Organization at the UN. She officially retired from her work in  2007 to return to Italy.

Patty Seybold is a world-renowned consultant in customer-led innovation and technologystrategy. She works with diverse companies and their customers (Microsoft, Fidelity, LL Bean,and Pfizer, to name a few) to help them co-design services and products. She’s led her Massachusetts-based consulting firm, The Patricia Seybold Group, Inc. for 32 Years. Read more.....