The Team
Robert Freling has been Executive Director of SELF since 1997. During his stewardship, SELF has completed solar energy projects in more than 15 countries, making SELF the leader among non-governmental organizations in realizing practical and cost-effective alternative energy solutions for rural villagers.
A native of Dallas,Texas. Mr. Freling collaborated with SELF as a Chinese translator and interpreter to coordinate a 1000-house solar electrification project in rural Gansu, China in 1995. He was soon appointed SELF's Director of International Programs. In that role, he facilitated negotiations between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture to expand the Gansu Province solar electrification project.
Fluent in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese and Indonesian, Mr. Freling holds a B.A. in Russian Studies from Yale University, and an M.A. in Communications Management from the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Southern California.
Jeff Lahl combines a strong and varied management background, expert solar knowledge, and training experience with international development experience to lead unique and challenging solar electrification projects as SELF's Project Director. Prior to leading SELF projects in Nigeria, Bhutan, Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda and Mozambique, Jeff worked for a number of years in the solar industry as a system designer and specifier, as well as a community college instructor in solar energy. He first became involved with solar electrification for development as a Peace Corps volunteer from 1993-1995 when he managed the Kindom of Tonga's solar electrification program. Jeff's solar career started over 20 years ago when he formed a company that designed and built solar homes.
Board of Directors
Dr. Dyson is Professor Emeritus of Physics at the Institute
for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. Born in England, Freeman Dyson
came to Cornell University as a Commonwealth Fellow in 1947 and settled permanently
in the U.S. in 1951. Professor Dyson is not only a theoretical physicist; his
career has spanned a large variety of practical concerns. In World War II,
he worked for the Royal Air Force doing operations research. Since that time
he has been unable to stop thinking about the great human problems of war and
peace. In 1979, he published Disturbing the Universe, a scientific
autobiography interspersed with meditation on the human condition. Weapons
and Hope was another meditation, attempting to understand in greater depth
the cultural role of nuclear weapons and nuclear strategies. Professor Dyson’s
most recent book, The Sun, the Genome, and the Internet, is concerned
with technology’s potentially powerful role as an agent for worldwide
social justice. He has received honorary degrees from 18 universities, and
has won many prestigious awards, including the Templeton Prize for Progress
in Religion, the Max Plank Medal of the German Physical Society, the J. Robert
Oppenheimer Memorial Prize, the Enrico Fermi Award of the U.S. Department of
Energy, and the Lewis Thomas Prize of Rockefeller University. He joined SELF’s
board in January 1998.
An accomplished television, screen, and stage actor, and leading environmentalist, Ed Begley, Jr. is best known for his portrayal of Victor Ehrlich on the television series St. Elsewhere, for which he received an Emmy nomination every season the show aired. Mr. Begley has been acting since age 17 when he appeared in My Three Sons. His most recent projects include the feature films Batman Forever, Renaissance Man, and World War II: When Lions Roared, and the new HBO series Six Feet Under. He is well known and highly respected within the environmental community for practicing what he preaches. He lives in a solar-powered house in downtown Los Angeles, drives an electric car, and regularly commutes by bicycle and public transportation. He serves on the boards of the Walden Woods Project, The Environmental Media Association, the Earth Communications Office, and the Environment Research Foundation. Mr. Begley has been a longtime supporter of SELF, and joined SELF’s board in 1997.
Mr. DeJoria is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Beverly Hills, California-based John Paul Mitchell Systems, which distributes Paul Mitchell®, the leading brand of professional salon hair care products in the United States. John Paul Mitchell Systems has donated millions of dollars to a variety of philanthropic causes. The company sponsored the development of “Mana La,” a solar-powered vehicle, in advance of the first International Solar-Powered Cross-Country Continental Race held in Australia. Mr. DeJoria has received awards from many organizations, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Anti-Vivisection Society (for pioneering the first nationwide brand of salon products not tested on animals). Mr. DeJoria has served as a Special Emissary to the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP). Mr. DeJoria has given presentations about management techniques, motivation, and global thinking, to departments and to agencies of the United States government, including the United States Navy and the Central Intelligence Agency. He is an advisor to universities and colleges, including the University of Southern California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Rice University in Houston, Texas, and Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, where he received an Honorary Doctorate of Law. Mr. DeJoria joined SELF’s board in January 1999.
Larry Hagman is most widely known for his extraordinary Hollywood acting career. His roles have included astronaut Tony Nelson in I Dream of Jeannie and J.R. Ewing in Dallas. His talent extends beyond television to film, motion picture, and stage performances. To those involved in the world of philanthropy, Mr. Hagman is well known not only for his compassion to individuals struggling with disease, but also for his commitment to organizations such as the American Cancer Society, the American Institute for Cancer Research, the Exceptional Children’s Foundation, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Boys and Girls Club, and dozens of others. Mr. Hagman is the spokesperson for The National Kidney Foundation’s U.S. Transplant Games, held annually to raise awareness of organ and tissue donation. His philanthropic interests vary widely, and Mr. Hagman serves as a director for several charitable organizations. He joined SELF’s board in May 2000.
Mrs. Swig is the President and CEO of Mary Green/Mansilk, a firm engaged in the design and manufacture of men’s and women’s silk apparel. She has been the recipient of several industry awards for design excellence. Ms. Swig has traveled extensively, specializing in Asia, and is regarded as an expert in China trade. She co-authored the bestselling book, How to Be An Importer And Pay For Your World Travel. Mrs. Swig serves on the board of the Stephen Stills Foundation, and is a past member of the board of the American Oceans Campaign. She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley. She joined SELF’s board in May 1998.
Previously an attorney with the firm of Howard, Rice, Nemerovski, Canady, Falk and Rabkin, Mr. Swig is now President of Presidio World College in San Francisco. He is also Chairman and CEO of Swig Development Company, a multifaceted real estate firm engaged in the ownership and management of various property interests around the United States. He is engaged in public interest and charity concerns and serves on various boards, including: board chairman of Saint Francis Foundation, and board member of the University of Oregon, the American Conservatory Theater, the American Himalayan Foundation, the Jewish Community Federation, the American Jewish Committee, the Stephen Stills Foundation, the American Associates of Ben Gurion University, and the Tech Museum of Innovation. Mr. Swig joined SELF’s board in May 1998.
Partners
With its partners, SELF oversees technology transfer, establishes "in-country" joint ventures and for-profit partnerships, and provides technical assistance, and youth training.
- Partners In Health
- Village Health Works
- Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
- Elisabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Initiative
- Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund
- Millennium Villages Program
- Make It Right project
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
- Stanford University, Institute for Food Security and the Environment
- World Bank Development Marketplace
- Jane Goodall Institute
- Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative
- Institute for Sustainable Energy and Development
- Amazon Association
- Guadalcanal Rural Electrification Agency (GREA)
- United Nations
- Vietnam Women's Union (VWU)
- Habitat for Humanity International
- Center for Renewable Energy, Kathmandu
- Royal Society for the Preservation of Nature (RSPN)
- U.S. Department of Energy
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Jigawa State government
- Dell Computers South Africa
- eKhaya ICT (South Africa)
- LearnThings
(South Africa)
- Nelson Mandela Institute
- Oprah Winfrey Foundation
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