Future Global Leaders Award Recipients Announced; To Be Honored at San Francisco Event

Jan. 11, 2011 - PRLog -- The Global Leaders is proud to honor three remarkable individuals who have persevered to overcome challenges and fulfill their dreams of education and giving back; making the world a better place and making a difference in the lives of many.

"It has been a rewarding experience reading about all of the applicants; all of them had such incredible stories" commented Jim Gitney, CEO & Co-founder of the Global Leaders.  "However," added Jim, "the three that we will be honoring this Thursday, January 13th were exceptional.  By following their dreams, they not only changed their lives, they changed the lives of many.  Please join us as we welcome the latest inductees into The Future Global Leaders".


David Boyer

“While successful in the business world, I always knew I wanted to build a program to engage teens in finding and addressing issues that matter to them.  Through an innovative partnership approach I was able to fulfill that dream with the launch of www.waystohelp.org and Network for Social Responsibility”.  

David has definitely taken the talents learned in the business world to make the successful transition to being a “social change agent”.  Over the course of the last few years, David has.....

•  Leveraged his business skills and experience to realize his dream; bringing together the right partners at the right time
•  Organized and created The Network for Social Responsibility recruiting national partners and 100+ volunteers.
•  Traveled to India and Africa and met with government/foundation/non-profit officials and people in need in order to understand international issues and how US teens can address those issues.
•  Created partnership infrastructure to support an extended national teen service competition for schools utilizing media, celebrities and significant prizes.  Media will reach over 7M students; schools representing over 1M student are expected to participate.


Edna Casteel

“I embrace life and to be the best I can be, I ask myself three simple questions:  1)  What have I done at work,  2)  What have I done for my community and, most importantly,  3)  What have I done for my family.”

Edna is a role model for many; she was dealt a heavy blow at age 11 with the death of both her parents which resulted in a need for her to delay her education in order to support her family.  However, Edna made a promise to herself, that no matter how long it took or how hard she had to work, she would go back and complete her education.  Edna lived up to that promise and more….

•   Excelling at her jobs in Philippines and her employer offered her a job in U.S. managing one of their stores; Edna accepted on one condition, that she would also be allowed to go back to school While working fulltime, she also went to school completing H.S. then going to college and ultimately receiving both Bachelors in Accounting at Golden Gate University and  Masters in Non-Profit Administration at University of San Francisco and have held Managements Positions in United States Companies
•  Named as 1 of 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the United States and Recipient of Arts and Culture Award
•  Compassionate about education and working to insure that impoverished children go to school
•  Supports and Mentors over 20  students both Philippines and USA
•  President, LENC Leaders & Scholars
•  Served in leadership roles with several Non-profit organizations both in higher education and several NGOs
•  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGNMqNYWNDs



Darian Rodriguez Heyman

“I decided to dedicate my life to social change and educating young social entrepreneurs.”

Darian describes himself as a “serial social entrepreneur”; however, when you look at the impact he has had in the nonprofit sector, one could easily dub him as “serial do-gooder”.  Darian has used his areas of expertise, social & digital media, combined with his business savvy to make a difference in the lives of many.  Darian is a…..

•  Dynamic young visionary committed to supporting and connecting tomorrow’s community and business leaders.
•  Recognized as being the lead influencer in advancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the nonprofit sector in the Greater Bay Area
•  Grew the Craigslist Foundation from zero budget and no staff or programs with offices in his bedroom, to a seven figure operation with a robust staff and a board of nationally recognized leaders.
•  At the same time he created and grew Nonprofit Boot Camp into the largest nonprofit gathering in San Francisco history; launching a website that connected millions of leaders to resources, and to each other.
•  Profiled by Independent Sector as a “Vital Voice” in their 2007 Annual Report for his work in connecting inspiration to action.
•  Currently is the Managing Partner of Code Green Agency, a startup consultancy focused on strategy, messaging, and fundraising for the green economy.
•  Author of Nonprofit Management 101:  A Complete and Practical Guide for Leaders and Professionals
•  Served as a Commissioner for the Environment for the city & county of San Francisco, where he helped pass the largest solar rebate program in the country

During the awards ceremony the award recipients will be introduced to over 200 Global Leaders who during their career have led over 300 companies, headquartered in 26 countries, supporting 57 industries, with revenues exceeding $480B, assets of $3.1T and employing 1M.  "This is really a "Who's Who of Business and Infulence", commented George Bickerstaff, Chairman and Co-Founder of The Global Leaders.  "This is a great opportunity to not only recognize these young leaders, but to also introduce them to seasoned executives who could help them continue to build their future."

Tickets are still available for the Thursday event which will feature two prominent speakers:  Renowned HealthCare Executive and Innovator, Myrtle Potter, and Olympic Gold Medalist and Inspirational Speaker, Dana Hee.  To register for the event go to http://the-global-leader.eventbrite.com/ ,

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Founded in 2009, The Global Leaders is a unique networking platform that enables individuals to fnd and network with global peers to facilitate business and philanthropic relationships through shared information, knowledge and insights. TGL members have led over 10,000 companies in over 150 industries. Visit www.tgleaders.com for more information.