Our board members provide sharp and perceptive guidance and are involved in daily aspects of our operations, both in the States and in Myanmar.
Mark Harmon - Board Chairman
Mark joined the Shanta Board in 2021 and is a graduate of the University of Alabama, earning a BA in Small Business Administration and Finance. Mark also is a graduate of the School of Mortgage Banking and earned his Certified Mortgage Banker (CMB) designation from the National Mortgage Bankers Association in 2015. Currently, Mark is the President of Mortgage Banking at Renasant, a $25B Regional Bank in the Southeast and a Top 20 Mortgage Platform in the Country. Mark has been to Shanta’s villages in Zambia twice and hopes to go to Myanmar soon! He was a part of a team who traveled in May 2022 to vet and ultimately recommend People Action Forum (PAF) as Shanta’s implementing partner in Zambia. Mark believes Shanta offers a proven sustainable model for permanently eliminating poverty and is grateful to serve on the Board to further Shanta’s Global Impact!
Zachary Ray - Co-chairman
Zach is a graduate of Fort Lewis College in Sociology and Human Services. He served four years working for Oxfam America as a CHANGE leader developing college-age students to be leaders. In 2016/2017, Zach spent 19 months living in Myanmar working for Shanta Foundation as a Technical Advisor. Now, he is the owner of Durango's beloved Desert Sun, a fair-trade coffee roaster. Zach enjoys mountain biking, traveling, and learning other languages.
David Peters - Treasurer
David is very active with Shanta’s economic development programs, financial oversight, and investments. Dave retired to Durango after his career as a manager for an international energy firm. He has extensive international experience with specific work in Southeast Asia, having lived with his family in Thailand for nine years. In his work, Dave helped develop, support, and oversee several humanitarian and social programs in Myanmar that included health education, socio-economic development, microfinance, vocational training and TB/HIV detection and treatment. Dave has a strong interest in promoting sustainable humanitarian programs in Myanmar. He’s an avid golfer and skier.
Arlen Weiner
Arlen is a public health professional, with a passion for promoting women’s health and gender equity. She currently works for a global philanthropic organization dedicated to improving women's access to reproductive health globally. Arlen was previously a consultant for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, supporting the foundation's COVID-19 response, and a manager at Global Health Strategies, designing and implementing policy, communications, and advocacy programs to improve access to reproductive health in lower-income countries. Arlen has also designed and implemented gender-based violence prevention programming in the U.S. and supported clients to improve access to primary care in Bangladesh. Prior to her consulting experience, Arlen worked for the federal government, developing and analyzing health policy. Arlen is a Commissioner for the Somerville Commission for Women in Massachusetts. She has a Master of Public Health from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a BA in International Relations and Peace and Justice Studies from Tufts University. Arlen lives with her husband and dog in Burlington, VT. In her free time, she enjoys mountain biking, climbing, and yoga and is a musical theater enthusiast.
Jim Hoffmann
JIm studied at Arizona State University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in Architecture and a master’s degree in Environmental Planning. Early in his career his focus was on energy conscious and passive solar design but he eventually transitioned into large scale commercial projects, working for architectural firms in Phoenix, London and San Francisco. He moved to Durango in 1999 with the aspiration to design, develop, and build his own projects. That dream has been realized over the last 20 years with the completion of several mixed-use projects downtown. While in London Jim traveled extensively which gave him a more global perspective and opened his eyes to the suffering of so many people around the world. He hopes that his efforts with Shanta will help to alleviate some of that suffering and dramatically improve lives in the remote villages of Myanmar.
Tapati Dutta
Dr. Dutta is a social scientist and inclusion strategist in public health with experience in research, teaching, and service, including her widely viewed TEDx talk. Currently, Dr. Dutta is an Assistant Professor at Fort Lewis College. Her taught courses cover intersecting areas of global health disparities, health systems and policies, community health, social epidemiology, community-based participatory research, program planning, monitoring, evaluation, and mixed-methods and implementation research in public health. She also mentors students for their internships/Senior Project. A self-described “pracademic”, Dr. Dutta has public health practice and research experience, typified by program management, scaling-up, grant writing, policy research and advocacy roles for large-scale, multi-country programs to make efficacious biomedical prevention tools effective among populations who need them the most. Her prolific international portfolio is exemplified by serving on Boards of several humanitarian organizations in the US, India, Uganda, and Myanmar, plus initiating academia-practice-research partnerships between African, Asian and US-based institutions.
Tami Duke
Tami Duke joined the Shanta Board in 2023 after returning from an Insight Trip to Zambia where she witnessed firsthand the impactful work the organization is spearheading there. A dedicated member of Rotary since 2001, Tami has served in various roles including Past President and as Youth Exchange Officer for over a decade. Together with her husband, Jim, they have hosted 13 Rotary Exchange Students over the years, embracing the enriching cultural diversity these students brought to their blended family of four children. Tami has also worked on past boards and committees of Habitat for Humanity of La Plata County, United Way of Southwest Colorado, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of La Plata County. In her professional life, Tami began her career in banking while in high school at her hometown bank in Jackson, Wyoming. After graduating from the University of Wyoming in 1998, she moved to Durango and went on to eventually work as Vice President and Senior Credit Officer for a local bank. Currently, she serves as a director on the bank’s Board as well as a member of the Loan Committee. In her free time, Tami teaches Classical Pilates. She enjoys traveling, dancing, and immersing herself in the outdoors with her husband and two labradors.
Meg Foley
Meg is a Jersey Shore native and a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. She moved to Colorado after college graduation to complete an AmeriCorps program, and after figuring out how to ski powder, decided Colorado was a good fit. Twenty plus years later, she can’t believe she gets to call Durango home. Meg is a past president of Durango High Noon Rotary and current chair of the club’s international committee. Through Rotary, Meg has facilitated funding for community development projects in Nepal, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Kenya, and Uganda, and she is thrilled to partner with the Shanta Foundation. Meg and her husband, Joe, spend most of their time trying to keep up with their son, Jimmy, and as a family they spend as much time outside as possible.