Born in Thailand and the eldest son of 12 children, he left home at the tender age of 11 to help support his family. After a succession of odd jobs, some of which were a floor fan cleaner, wheelbarrow maker, tennis teacher, drummer, to helping his father in his restaurant in the Grand Central, eventually he ended up working the switchboards in major hotels in Bangkok during the Vietnam War. It was there he decided to move to the US and seek his fortune. With Thai food almost virtually unknown to Americans, thru a mutual friend, Tommy was brought in to help save a Thai restaurant in Hollywood, California. The entertainment community embraced his extraordinary culinary capabilities, and the rest is history.
Whether touring the globe sharing his culinary wizardry with his "Modern Thai Cuisine" or promoting his cookbooks, products, restaurants or six seasons of his travel & cooking series for the PBS Network, he continues to make the world aware of his heritage. He has also given much of his time and resources to charity issues, the homeless in particular, especially thru Comic Relief. The Tsunami 2004 hit home for him with the devastation in the south of Thailand and thus, the Tsunami Children Foundation was born

Dr. Sunya Ratjatawan
Vice President
sunya@tsunamichildrenfund.com

With a specialization in Special Education and Psychological therapy, he is a Thai-American citizen, who was born in Bangkok, Thailand but raised, educated and employed in the US since 1972. He has earned a BA in Psychology from Loma Linda University, an MA in Psychology from Loyola Marymount University and a PHD in Psychology from the University of Southern California. A therapist by training, his specialization has been in dealing with children with special needs, adolescents with special needs, dual diagnosed patients and substance abuse issues. At the time of the disaster, he was working with children with special needs in the Los Angeles district. Due to his extensive work history, he has a myriad of experiences using various counseling methodologies. His knowledge of American therapeutic techniques developed and used in the USA is extensive. He will be returning to Thailand to personally manage the programs.

Dr Rosalyn Patamakanrhin
Juris Doctorate
Southwestern University School of Law
rosalyn@tsuanmichildrenfund.com

She was born in Vancouver, Canada but raised in Southern California. She is an attorney and owns her own practice in Los Angeles. Since high school, Rosalyn has been passionate about and dedicated to the Thai community. She was an honors student involved in the Rotary Club and academic decathlon and held leadership positions in student government. In high school, Rosalyn spent a year abroad in Thailand, attending Thewpaignarm School in Bangkok, where she studied Thai culture, dance and literary arts. In her youth, she was a regular volunteer at Wat Thai in Chino Hills and was named Miss Congeniality for Wat Chino Hills in 1999 and later Miss Congeniality for the Thai Association of Southern California. Recently, Rosalyn completed serving her two-year term as the President of the Thai Association of Southern California. Rosalyn is noted for being the youngest elected President in the associations 42 year history. She continues to remain very active in the Thai community and is currently serving her term as the President of the Thai Alliance of America.

Rosalyn studied business at the University of Southern California for two years and received her Bachelor of Science degree from California State University at Long Beach in 1998. She was secretary of USC's Thai Student Association and worked in USC's Special Events Department as a student ambassador and hostess. After college, she pursued law, receiving a scholarship from the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association, and later earning her juris doctorate degree from Southwestern University in 2001. While in law school, she was a member of Moot Court and the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, in which she served as public relations officer. She spent another year abroad in Bangkok at Chulalongkorn University, where she studied International Law and History of Thai Law.

After admission to the American Bar Association in 2001, Rosalyn served as a board member of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association and a member of the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association. She joined the law offices of Bonne Bridges Mueller O'Keefe & Nichols, where she worked as an associate in medical malpractice and healthcare law. In 2002, she began her current career at Keith A. Fink & Associates, where she developed her practice specialty in employment law and corporate litigation. In 2004, Rosalyn decided to open her own law practice so she could have more time to dedicate to her community projects.

It is Rosalyn's family roots to Thailand that have driven her to share her legal expertise in setting up this foundation.

Professor David Hideo Maruyama,
MA, MFA
Treasurer

David is a Sansei (Third Generation Japanese American) born and raised in the city of Los Angeles. He went to UCLA and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. While there, he helped to start a student run Asian American literary journal called Burning Cane. After his graduation, he went to Long Beach State and earned a Master of Arts in English Literature and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Concurrently, he became involved with Aisarema, an Asian American Arts Organization, and he edited several editions of their arts journal, dISorient. He has taught classes at UCLA, Long Beach City College, East Los Angeles College, West Los Angeles College and others. Currently, he is teaching English composition and literature at Compton College. His latest arts related project was an artist/writer collaboration exhibition at Barnsdall Art Park in Los Angeles called City Dialogues during Spring 2004. He will help work on the educational projects of the Foundation and help manage the grants.

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Advisory Board

The following are people who bring their unique talents as well as extraordinary dedication to actually build and maintain this foundation. Without their support it could not exist.

Apinun Pom Limkul
pomkwan@tsunamichildrenfund.com

He is the president of Best Thai, a successful businessman who is traveling the US to visit over 3,500 Thai restaurants. His work is truly inspiring and illustrates all lovers of Thai food. In 1987 he established an import luxury car business in Thailand. He then came to the US to get into the car business. He spent his spare time traveling from coast to coast in the US. After, he visited and revisited over 3,500 Thai restaurants. He is working on his first Magazine in the US, "Focus on Thai Cuisine" the first English monthly magazine about food, people and Thailand. Pom is an entrepreneurial individual and will probably have many ventures in the US relating to the Thai/US Market.

Dan C. Luengthada
dan@tsunamichildrenfund.com

He was born in Bangkok, Thailand and grew up in Los Angeles. In 1988 while attending classes for Business Management at Los Angeles City College, he also started a part time job with Tommy Tang's restaurant. He worked his way up the ranks to the top position of General Manager in 2001. In his spare time he does volunteer work through different AIDS foundations and agencies. He works diligently on the advisory board and is the glue that keeps all the correspondence going and brings the group together in order to accomplish its goal for these children.

Carl Terzian
Chairman of the Board
Carl Terzian Associates

Born and educated in Hollywood, Carl graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, senator-at-large and student body president from the University of Southern California in 1957. He was called one of the ten “Most Outstanding” student leaders in America and one of our nation’s “Most Inspirational and Powerful” public speakers. He was selected the “Most Outstanding” member of Theta Chi Fraternity’s 150 national chapters with the comment: “It is doubtful any undergraduate on any campus has ever surpassed Carl’s record of achievements.” His graduate work in international relations and political science was equally impressive.

In the years following his USC education, Carl Terzian served as an international goodwill ambassador for President Eisenhower and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles; director of public and church relations for the Lutheran Hospital Society of Southern California; civic affairs consultant to the California savings and loan industry; and dean and professor of government and speech at Woodbury University.

In 1965 he joined Charles Luckman Associates for four years to handle public relations throughout the United States and Worldwide for the famed architect. It was Luckman who encouraged Carl to leave the company in 1969 to start his own successful firm at Wilshire and Western of consultants in corporate, crisis, executive, institutional and product marketing. Thus, Carl put aside potential careers in higher education, the Lutheran ministry, and public service to create a unique agency that has assisted more than 4,500 causes, companies, individuals and organizations. On May 1, 2002 of this year, the firm began its 34th year. In addition, each year Carl delivers at least 200 marketing and motivational speeches throughout the world.
Carl Terzian Associates derives virtually all of its clients by referral; doubled its business in 2001; is one of the largest PR firms in America in the number of non-profits served; orchestrates more than 800 networking events yearly; places and mentors nearly 500 corporate and philanthropic board members annually; and heavily tithes its talent and profits for community interests.

Carl has served Hollywood’s Hope Lutheran Church as sunday school superintendent, elder, deacon, trustee, chairman of the congregation, and layman-at-large. In November 2002, he will M.C. the church’s 60th anniversary banquet at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; he has been a member the full six decades. Carl has also been a national officer of the American Lutheran Church and a founder of California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks.

Carl serves on more than three dozen corporate and non-profit boards, commissions, advisory groups, and task forces. A president of the Los Angeles Fire Commission under the late Mayor Tom Bradley, over the years Carl has generously helped countless philanthropies by recommending board members and volunteers, influencing contributions, and generating public awareness.
Carl has been recognized for civic, philanthropic and professional leadership by Congress, Her Majesty the Queen of England, California Assembly and Senate, City and County of Los Angeles, USC, Boy Scouts, California Junior Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles Business Council, Arthritis Foundation, United Way, California Lutheran University, Theta Chi Fraternity, Woodbury University, Eisner Pediatric & Family Medical Center, Break the Cycle, Center for Healthy Aging, Dubnoff Center, and the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.
Carl receives enthusiastic support for his philanthropic and professional endeavors from his wife Joan and children Jim and Charlotte.

Coldwell Banker

Gerry Furth
Media 8 Media 8 Public Relations
mediaate@aol.com

First generation Gerry Furth retains a European sense of family; her mother was the baby of 15. Her first interest in children began doing birthday parties for her younger cousins, several of them born in war torn Europe. As a publicist with 20years of experience, Gerry introduced international cultural events to Los Angeles. She is a seasoned food writer and journalist ranging from Newsweek editorial and television broadcasting to food columnist/photographer for ethnic magazines and guidebooks. Gerry holds a dual Master's Degree in Education and American History from Antioch College in Ohio, and another graduate degree in Teaching English as a Second Language as a foreign Language from UCLA. As a member of the National Teacher Corps, she was Editor-in-Chief of the NTC national newspaper and began a field trip program for the discipline-problem children in NE Washington, D.C. which is still in operation today. Gerry currently is a research writer with LAUSD on the Culturally Relevant and Responsive Education project.

It is thru Gerry's highly successful Public Relations firm, Media 8 in West Los Angeles that we will be guided on how to make the world aware of our ongoing fund raising efforts.

Lynda Boyer
(Bio pending)

Mingkwan Chotikulthanachai

She has a Bachelors Degree in Communications from Bangkok University. She came the US to get a masters degree in Art Management from the University of Washington. She works with Best Thai and travels through the US testing over 100,000 fabulous recipes from classical Thai food to unique recipes of Thai chefs in the US. She explores the taste of Thai food, impressive in her work in its scope and depth. She explores the ambition and drive of Thai restaurants in preparing delicious Thai food, while succeeding in the restaurant business. She gives an essential guide to all lovers of Thai food, suitable to visit the best Thai restaurants. She will keep us reaching out to the Thai communities nationally in order to help those in need back in Thailand.

Naiyanaporn Poungmanee

She was born in Bangkok, Thailand. She attended the University Rajabhat Suan Dusit and is currently working as a lead coordinator and translator for a major international interpretation company. . She has good relationship with the local government in which TCF will be operating in. Her organizational, communication management skill will be an asset for TCF. We are very happy for her working as Assistant to the Director position where she will be responsible for day to day operations.

Napalai Choto

She is currently working as a Mental Health Care Coordinator at Asian Pacific Health Care Venture, Inc. in Los Angeles. She was born and raise in Thailand and moved to Southern California in 1992. Napalai is an active member of the Thai community, serving as volunteer at various Temples and providing outreach and education regarding health issues to the Thai community. Recently, she has completed serving her two-year term as the Secretary/Vice-President of the Thai Association of Southern California. Napalai received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Cal State University Northridge and worked in the medical field since 1994. She dreams of one day opening her own Community Center to provide direct assistance to Asians who are homeless in the Los Angeles area. She will bring a wealth of knowledge to the needs of the children through the Tsunami Children Foundation.

Robert Venezia
Robert Venezia Investment Group
info@rvinvestmentgroup.com

Since 1983, Robert has been providing active discretionary portfolio management for select individuals and corporations, and offers prospective clients investment solutions tailored to their specific requirements.

After developing a comprehensive investment plan, where objectives, risk tolerances and investment time frames are identified with the client, individual portfolios are constructed using mutual funds or individual securities -or some combination of the two - and then actively managed to try to achieve the stated objectives.

Robert Venezia Investment Group is an independent, fee-only registered investment advisor catering to the unique needs of the discerning investor. It is one of a select number of investment advisory firms authorized to use Frank Russell Company's unique asset allocation programs, giving the firm's clients access to some of the world's top institutional money managers.

Robert's company will help this foundation in its guidance for how, when and where donations should be spent in an appropriate manner.

Robert Venezia Investment Group
16830 Ventura Blvd., Suite 224
Encino, CA 91436-1723
818/ 205 1013 or 800/ 774 1444

Thanaporn Aphaiwong

She was born in Thailand into a family with deep political roots. Her grandfather-Khuang Aphaiwong was the former Prime Minister and the first leader of the Democrat Party. Her life goal is to continue her grandfather's work. Ambitious and eager to help and lead Thailand to a better future, she came to Los Angeles in 1998 to further her education. She has received an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Los Angeles City College and a Bachelor's degree in Communication from California State University, Northridge. She is currently working on her Master's degree in Public Administration (MPA) at CSUN, and is also working as a Marketing officer at the Thai Trade Center in Los Angeles. She is responsible for Market Research, Inter Trader Projects and works closely with the Director of the Thai Trade Center on various assignments. Her previous experience was at the Royal Thai Consulate and Project Staff Director, Thai Community Research. She has also worked as a journalist and writer for Khao Sod USA Newspaper. Her background and intensive knowledge of Thailand's infrastructure will be useful for the foundation's continual development. Her communication skills, research experience and English/Thai translation ability make her a perfect candidate to assist with setting up the Tsunami Children Foundation. Upon her completion of her MPA degree, she will return home to help direct the future of Thailand and to continue to help with the foundation for many years to come.

Steve Wysong
Net CBC, Inc.
www.netcbc.com