Secretariat
Brian Mathusek is an undergraduate student at SBCC majoring in Global Studies with a focus on South America and Spanish language. In 1999, Brian traveled to Guatemala to work with Habitat for Humanity in the city of Salamá. Shortly after, he moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand to work as an English teacher. After several years in the work force, Brian has returned to school to investigate the trends and effects of globalization. He participated in WestMUN for two years as a delegate before being chosen as this year’s Secretary General. “In a world of nearly 7 billion people, all competing for dwindling resources, cooperation is imperative,” says Brian. “We have three major goals at WestMUN: to think creatively about solutions to world problems, learn to work with opposing interests, and become ambassadors for the concept of international cooperation.”
Brian Baker holds a B.A. in History from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and is currently working on his second B.A. in Arabic at Cal State, San Bernardino. He hopes to attend graduate school and study Middle Eastern History once he has completed his Arabic degree. In studying history, Brian has observed the unparalleled role that the UN has played in facilitating peace and positive change throughout the world. He has participated in two Model United Nations conferences, the most recent being the 2009 National Model United Nations Conference in New York. The agenda of the Security Council remains open to the delegates. However, as chair of the Security Council, Brian will focus on finding ways to quell violence in Africa, fully end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and deal with the threat of North Korea. “The continuing instability in Iraq must not be forgotten,” says Brian. “The new offensive that the U.S. is waging against Afghanistan might be an option for discussion as well.”
Gabriel Fanelli is a Middle East Studies and Political Science major currently studying at Santa Barbara City College. He tutors two levels of Arabic as well as a Political Thinking class. He works with the fundraising departments at three different environmental groups—Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council and Environmental Defense Fund. This has led him to WestMUN as the chair of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). “This is a critical year for climate change legislation across the globe as we look forward to the Copenhagen Conference, the expiration of the Kyoto protocol and a post 2012 agreement,” says Gabe. “I am hoping that the Copenhagen conference will generate new and unprecedented ideas in each one of your minds as we move forward with WestMUN in the spring.”
Beverly Burgess is chairing the Food and Agricultural Organization. A native of Los Angeles, California, Beverly first became involved in WestMUN as a student delegate in 2008. During that year’s conference, she represented the nation of Libya in the Environmental Program. Beverly Burgess has earned Bachelor’s degrees in both Film Studies and History at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA. She is currently attending CSU Dominguez Hills as a graduate student pursuing a Masters in Humanities. Since 2008 she has participated in WestMun as a delegate in the Environmental Program and as the Chair of the General Assembly. This year as the chair of the Food and Agricultural Organization she will focus on bioenergy, sustainable solutions to increase food security, and preventing the transboundary spread of invasive plant and animal species.
Godard van Beekhoff is an international student from The Netherlands, who has studied all over Europe and is now a Global Studies major at Santa Barbara City College. He has always been involved in organizations that bring international students together to exchange culture, and ideas on education and promotion of international communication. As a delegate of WestMUN in 2008, he saw the benefits of young minds getting together and exchanging ideas on global issues that concern our generation. He now looks forward, as Chair and Director of the World Health Organization, to solving the issues at hand with an inspired group of people who are willing to solve the problems that face the entire global community.
Hannah Stromgren is a Political Science major currently studying at Santa Barbara City College. Her interest in international relations and politics started in an early age. She was born and raised in Sweden, but she also lived six years in Saudi Arabia between 1995 and 2001. In 2008, she became a student at Santa Barbara City College. Hannah is the Vice President of Phi Theta Kappa, the Honor Society at SBCC, and their main goal in Spring 2010 is to raise money for the current crisis in Haiti. She was introduced to WestMUN through a class in global conflict management, which she is currently enrolled in. At the conference, she will chair the 3rd Committee of the General Assembly. This year, the committee will focus on the relief effort in Haiti, the plight of women in conflict zones, and the effects of globalization on indigenous people.
Lisa Runyen, Attorney at Law initiated the first ICC mock trial at WestMUN in 2004, with a strong interest in raising awareness of human rights violations around the globe. Currently, she is working as a volunteer prosecutor with the Santa Barbara County office of the District Attorney. Lisa earned her Juris Doctorate at Santa Barbara College of Law in 2007, and received her AA degree in Communication from SBCC with Honors in 2003. Lisa also completed the degree requirements for Global & International Studies, and Political Science. At the age of 18, she relocated to Europe in 1987 to work in the fashion industry for two years in Paris, London, and Hamburg. After traveling to Southeast Asia between 2002-2005, she witnessed firsthand the plight of women forced into the sex industry. Life outside the comfortable borders of the U.S. has imbued her with a broader perspective of the global community at large. Lisa acknowledges the responsibility we all have to ensure the freedom and safety of oppressed people in abusive situations, and the need for an international system of justice to punish perpetrators and deter future crimes against humanity.
Nicholas Stewart is a recent graduate of San Francisco State University where he studied History and International Relations. He views Model UN as a valuable learning tool and looks forward to using it in the future when he is a teacher. A veteran of Model UN, Nicholas has been involved with WestMUN since WestMUN X, where he served on the Security Council representing the United Kingdom. Since then, he has served as the representative of the Russian Federation to the Security, chaired UN Environmental Programme and General Assembly 4th Committee, served as President of the Security Council, and twice served as Secretary-General. Serving this year as Chef de Cabinet (Chief of Staff), Nicholas is responsible for the training of the Secretariat and assisting them in making the conference an educational and enjoyable experience.
