Sandy received her BA degree from Bard College and a BSBA in Finance from the University of Denver. She served for over ten years as Director of Major Gifts and Annual Programs at the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches which had a membership of over 3,000 individuals, 700 churches and 70 foundations. Sandy has been actively involved in community affairs in the Twin Cities, having previously served as President of the Minneapolis Jaycees, as a Board Member of the Minneapolis Downtown Council, and many other civic organizations. Sandy formerly was President of Sandy Hull & Associates, a full-service marketing and executive search firm, and the Minneapolis Chapter of the League of Women Voters. Sandy is an active member of Global Minnesota, and the Council of Foreign Relations.  Sandy and her family reside in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Thomas S. Walsh, PhD, Director and Secretary

Tom Walsh received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Boston College and a Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He began his business career with Solvay Chemicals. During his twenty-seven-year career in the plastics industry Dr. Walsh has worked in research & development, product and technical service management, application, sales, marketing, market and business development, and trade association management.

Gerrit Wind, Director

Mr. Wind is a native of The Netherlands. He immigrated to Canada where he received his B.Sc. in geology from the University of Alberta and his M.Sc. in geology from the University of Calgary. Following graduation, he began his career with Pan American Oil Co., a subsidiary of AMOCO, Inc. During the next 31 years with the company, he was based in Chicago, London, Teheran and Houston and worked on oil and gas exploration projects in Canada, Europe, the Middle East, West Africa and Southeast Asia. Mr. Wind now lives in Houston and provides consulting services to clients for energy projects throughout the world.

John F. Cates, CAPT USN (SS) Ret.

John received his BS from the United States Naval Academy, graduating with honors. Graduating from Admiral Rickover’s Nuclear Power Training and Submarine School; he served onboard The USS Skate SSN578 deploying to the North Pole, North Atlantic & Mediterranean during the Cold War. After leaving active duty he served as Commanding Officer of four Naval Reserve Units and retired from the Navy after duty at the Pentagon. He worked for over 30 years in the design and manufacturing of piping components for critical and severe services.  Recognized as an authority in his field; he worked and traveled widely throughout North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Retiring in 2017, John now lives in Houston where he consults for his company and is active in church, civic and navy organizations.

Robert “Michael” Hick

Michael was born and educated in England. A “Yorkshireman”. He graduated at a master’s level in English Literature, English History and Political Geography. He served in the Royal Navy in the Home Fleet on the staff of Admiral of The Fleet Sir Michael Denny. Operations in the Mediterranean and the Western Approaches in that capacity and later serving on Aircraft Carrier HMS Ocean during the Suez crises. After his service, Michael studied European History at Balliol College Oxford and then joined the staff of a Lloyd’s of London Broker. For 25 years he traveled the world doing business for Lloyd’s, often in countries no one else would visit.

Michael moved to the United States to assist in the development and placing of oil drilling units and platforms insurance portfolios on behalf of Lloyd’s of London and the European Reinsurance Market. This worldwide risk and capacity prompted him to study Geopolitics at Rice University in Houston.

Michael then formed his own company specializing in Professional Liability which he  built to a national size operating coast to coast. He and his partner sold this business to a global company, and he retired from the insurance business.

He became a Professional Speaker on international business winning national awards as a keynote speaker at Conventions and Management Retreats. He wrote and  published four books and over 300 articles. He is regularly quoted in The Financial Times, New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

Michael is currently a Resident Historian for Viking Curise Line and runs Forum Groups promoted by Viking to study international issues.

Michael writes articles for FoIF based on his expertise in global culture issues and geopolitics.

Directors Emeritus

George T. Scott, Director

George received his BS in Chemical Engineering and BBA in Production Management from the University of Minnesota in and an MBA in Economics from the University of Houston. Following graduation, George served two years as an officer in the US Army Ordnance Corps. During his 39-year career he worked with Union Carbide, Gulf Oil and Chevron in Finance, Manufacturing and General Management. In his final eleven years he was Vice President and General Manager for Chevron’s Petrochemicals and Plastics Division. He resides in Houston and Colorado Springs.

Gordon B. Robinson, PhD, Director

Dr. Robinson received his BASc degree in Engineering from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and his PhD in the field of Chemistry and Molecular Biochemistry from Cornell University. After graduation he served as an officer in the Canadian Navy and was involved in the Canadian nuclear program. Upon leaving the service he joined Mobil Oil Corporation. He studied law & finance at the Baruch School in New York and Rice University in Houston Texas. After relocating to Houston, Dr. Robinson became involved in international ventures in project finance and related activities. Gordon now lives in Toronto, Canada where he is involved in civic activities in the medical field.