Who we are?
Richard Harding-Chairman & President
Richard Harding is a Hollywood film producer and President and CEO of Sixth Sense Productions (www.sixthsenseproductions.com) in Beverly Hills, California. Richard Studied Film and Television at UCLA and has worked in the film industry for over 10 years. He has been responsible for financing several projects throughout the years; his most acclaimed accomplishment was playing a key role in financing the highly praised feature film in 2004, Hotel Rwanda. Richard just wrapped production in Kenya on his latest film, The First Grader, with an anticipated release date Fall of 2010.
Born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Richard has seen the country at its best and after returning for a visit, he was exposed to its poor conditions of a once beautiful country resulting from civil war. It spurred and motivated him to evoke change and help rebuild a country suffering in disease and extreme poverty. Malaria was a key topic throughout his trip and as he became further involved, his concerns went beyond Sierra Leone, but to Africa as a whole, a continent that is stricken with malaria, the #1 killer disease of children. Richards primary mission is to help end this killer disease one net at a time.
Denise Ngan Tran-Vice Chairman & CFO
Denise's mission is to inspire and make a positive impact on the lives of others. "The time is now, the place is Africa and the strategy is to give whatever you can to save as many innocent lives as possible. The end to malaria is within sight, but the work that needs to be done is undoubtedly insurmountable; with the power of collaboration, we will get there." Denise's focus is on building a community of supporters that believe in social and economic development for those that do not have the means to do so themselves. Denise's primary goals are to establish strategic priorities, ensure that goals are met, maintain business relationships with partners, as well as to oversea public policy and resource allocation activities for campaign programs.Before joining the foundation, Denise worked as a Business Development Manager in negotiations and corporate marketing strategies for client business development. She received her Bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems from Santa Clara University. Her training and experience in consultative business to business has prepared her for her leadership role with End Malaria Now.
Rev. Olu Harding-Board Member
Rev. Harding is an ordained elder and member of the Wyoming Conference of the United Methodist Church. He is currently serving as pastor of the Elm Park United Church in Oneonta, New York. Rev. Harding earned his Bachelors degree in economics from Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone (affiliate of Durham University, England), his Masters degree in International Relations and Public Administration from the University of Maryland and his Masters degree in Divinity from Boston University. Before he received his call to the ordained ministry, he served as a career diplomat in the Sierra Leone Foreign Services, rising to the rank of Ambassador of Sierra Leone to Nigeria with accreditation to Ghana, Benin Republic, Togo, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Egypt. He was subsequently appointed Ambassador to the Soviet Union (Russia), with accreditation to Poland, Czech and Slovak Republics, East Germany, Hungary and Romania. Rev. Harding got his call to the Ordained Ministry while he was serving as Sierra Leones Ambassador to Russia.His strong Christian background enabled him to make a smooth transition from the secular world to his present religious vocation. In his present role as pastor, he serves on various Boards and organizations of the United Methodist Church, including the Wyoming Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, the General Commission on Christian Unity and Inter-religious Concerns, National Council of Churches, World Assembly and the Oneonta Clergy Group. As board member of End Malaria Now his fight against malaria in Africa has become a personal one. His family in Sierra Leone and throughout Africa have fallen to this awlful disease; his mission is to prevent it from taking more lives.