Board of Directors
Max Morel
President
Max Morel was Director of Operations/COO of Fondation Hirondelle from February 2018 to October 2022. During his tenure, Fondation Hirondelle doubled its yearly budget by diversifying activities to include critical support for other media organizations and humanitarian responses to the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Previously, Max held several positions for Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the World), evaluating programs in West Africa, supervising activities in Eastern Europe, creating of Doctors of the World - USA, and leading Médecins du Monde – Switzerland as Executive Director. Before that, Max worked for Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) in Asia and Africa. Max holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the IEP in Paris, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and Religious Studies from the University of Colorado.
Anne Bennett
Secretary
Anne Bennett is an international development expert with extensive experience in creating and managing complex radio and journalism projects and communications strategies in challenging post-war and development contexts: Sierra Leone, Sudan, South Sudan, Algeria, and North East India. Prior to founding HUSA, Bennett managed operations for Fondation Hirondelle is Sierra Leone, Sudan, and South Sudan. She is recognized for successfully engaging effective multi-year support from international donors as well as partner organizations. She has a BA from University of California at Berkeley and an MA from the Graduate Institute of International Studies, University of Geneva.
Mulan Ashwin
Tresurer
Mulan Ashwin is an Australian and US trained lawyer. She has worked in a Washington DC law firm, a NY corporate law firm and then as a lawyer in the Legal Department of the United Nations. She has also worked with several not for profit organizations and has served as an electoral observer for the UN in Mozambique. She currently devotes time to the International Rescue Committee in New York, assisting resettled refugees integration into US society. Ashwin graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Laws, Cornell University Law School with a Master of Laws and Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs with a Master in International Affairs.
Caroline Vuillemin
co-opted non voting member
Caroline Vuillemin is the CEO of Fondation Hirondelle since January 1st, 2017. Her career reflects a commitment to international development, particularly in Africa. She joined Fondation Hirondelle in December 2003. She was in charge of the Radio Okapi project (the United Nations radio in the DRC created in partnership with Fondation Hirondelle), and then became Head of Operations in 2008. Before Fondation Hirondelle, she worked for the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) where she participated in numerous election observation missions in the DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, South Africa, Nigeria and Congo-Brazzaville. Caroline Vuillemin holds a BA from the Institute of Political Studies in Lyon, completed by a degree in International Relations from the Georgetown University in Washington, DC.