Rebecca Lomax

Marc Dumur, Chairman: Chairman: Born in Switzerland, he holds a degree from the Swiss Hotel Management School at Lucerne.   Mr. Dumur lived in Amsterdam for three years and trained in a five star hotel there. He returned to Switzerland and worked for Hilton International Hotels, concentrating on marketing.  He was  hired in 1988 by Amari Hotels and Resorts in Thailand quickly promoted to General Manager to open the Amari Boulevard Hotel in Bangkok.  In 1994 he moved with the same company to the J. B. Hotel in Hat Yai. After two years in Hat Yai, he accepted the position of General Manager of the Amari Rincome Hotel in Chiang Mai. He left the Amari Hotels in 2003 to build the Frangipani Serviced Residences in Chiang Mai, a luxury Serviced Apartment which his wife, Luxami, manages. Since 2004 he has been the General Manager of The Legend Chiang Rai Boutique River Resort & Spa. Mr. Dumur is Past President of Rotary Club of Chiang Mai West, a member of SKAL International and a member of the Thai Hotel Association. In his spare time he restores vintage cars and mountain bikes.  He has been a member of the Foundation for the Education of Rural Children since its inception.

Frank J. Weicks, Vice Chairman: Mr. Weicks holds degrees in diplomatic history and criminal justice.  He was a police detective in New Orleans, LA, USA , specializing in cases involving children as victims and later in complex drug cases.  He joined USDEA in 1991, and was posted to Thailand in 1998.  In 2003, he was awarded the U.S. Secretary of State’s Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad award by then Secretary Colin Powell at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. He retired in 2004 and is a partner in an international training firm. He is past-president of Rotary Club Chiang Mai West.  A U.S. court certified expert in all areas of child abuse and narcotics investigations, he has extensive experience teaching throughout Asia and the US.  He serves on several international committees on human trafficking. Mr. Weicks is a partner in the training firm, SEALETA.

Carolina San Miguel Thompson, Treasurer: Dr. Thompson holds a BSBA (cum laude) and 2 graduate degrees: an MBA and a Ph.D. with major in commerce.  As a professional, she has distinguished herself not only in the history of her country, the Philippines, but also in Southeast Asia.  In addition to her charity work as the foundation's Treasurer, Dr. Thompson was the Charter President of the Soroptimist International of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Dr. Thompson is a local businesswoman at this time.

Rebecca Lomax, Ph.D.: Dr. Lomax holds a master’s degree in social work and a doctorate in public health.  She has extensive non-profit organization management experience in the United States. Since moving to Thailand, she has worked with universities and other organizations in program development and evaluation, including services to survivors of human trafficking. Writer, lecturer and consultant, she she is a partner in an international training organization and is active on several international fact-finding committees on human trafficking. She provides professional supervision in Thailand to public health and social work interns from USA universities.

Luxami Utaipol Dumur: Born in Chiang Mai, she holds a Bachelor degree in French and English from Chiang Mai University. She worked for six years at the Amari Rincome Hotel as Front Office Manger. In 1990 she moved to Bangkok and worked at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel at the Front Desk for almost five years. She and Marc Dumur were married in 1994, and she moved with him and became his valuable companion to host guests in the hotel industry. She now manages the Frangipani Serviced Residences in Chiang Mai. In her spare time she likes to bird watch.  She is an avid fitness participant.  Mrs. Dumur was a charter member of the Foundation for the Education of Rural Children.

Celeste Tolibas-Holland: started her career in the USA at the Accounting office of a trucking industry.  She later moved to the Sales department and became one of the first female sales representatives in this industry.  She then opened an antique business, which developped into several other enterprises, like reproduction furniture and restaurants.  At the same time she raised 2 sons.  In 1986 she moved to Chiang Mai, where she started to work as a volunteer at the Vieng Ping Childrens Home, where she stayed for over 10 years and received an award from the Thai Government for her work.  She now is envolved in Red Cross, Zonta Women Group and FERC.

Debbie Goss came to Chiang Mai, Thailand, by way of Washington, DC.  She holds an MBA from The American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird). She has long been an advocate for children through a number of volunteer activities including, Foundation for Blind Children, Child Sexual Abuse Awareness (CSAA), Girl Scout leader for various levels and Scottsdale Foundation for the Handicapped, all in Phoenix, Arizona.  Her most challenging and rewarding volunteer efforts to date were in the worldwide photo distribution division of The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, in Washington, D.C.  She presently enjoys her work on the Scholarship Committee with FERC.

H. Stephen Deering, J.D., FERC North America: Steve Deering recently retired after thirty-six years of government service.  He held a variety of top management positions with several agencies, including the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education.   Steve has a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, a Masters degree in Asian Studies from the Dominican University of California, and a baccalaureate degree in Political Science from Seattle University.  He has traveled extensively in Europe and Asia.

Michael Goss: is presently a resident of Chiang Mai,Thailand. He worked for 30 years as a Global Director for a Fortune 500 financial services company. He received his undergraduate degree in Anthropology and his MBA from The American Graduate School of International Management ( Thunderbird). He was a board member for the Girls Hope Boys Hope Organization that assisted "at risk" children and served in that capacity for over ten years. He is a member of the Fund Development Committee. 

Phillip Johnson: is a native of New York in the USA who lived in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and California before making his home in Chiang Mai.  He holds degrees in sociology and education, and served in the U.S. Air Force in Alaska, Japan and Thailand. Phillip spent his career working with and for children, working in California in Juvenile Corrections, in the Orangewood Children’s Home and at the Los Pinos Detention Camp for Incarcerated Juveniles.  Phillip is a strong advocate for education, and says that he has seen firsthand what happens to children who don’t have the opportunity to go to school.

Michael McCune, Consultant: holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics, because in his day there were no Computer Science programs. He has been a programmer, system architect, and system designer for over 40 years, rising in responsibility to become a Vice President of a specialist systems company he co-founded and then the director of computer systems R&D for a member company of a Fortune 500 conglomerate. After moving to Thailand, he founded Infothai CM Co., Ltd., the first web design and hosting companies in north Thailand, where he serves as managing director. Infothai has a policy of "giving back", which led to the donated development of the FERC (and many other) web sites for charitable and community organizations in Chiang Mai.