Executive Director

Dr. Danielle Gold

Danielle launched Fearless Planet in 2004. She has nearly 30 years of experience directing and coordinating education, health, and business projects in developing countries. She holds a doctorate in Behavioral Health, and two master’s degrees; one in Counseling & Psychology, and another in Poetics.

She began her international career as a literature teacher at ‘Atenisi University in Tonga, in the Pacific Islands, has taught at World College West in California, and lectured at The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. Before starting Fearless Planet, Danielle was the Ghana Country Director for ORT International, and the Executive Director of UK Jewish Aid in Development. She has been a consultant to NGO projects in Zimbabwe, Ghana, Liberia, and Argentina, and served on the executive board of Tzedek for Development. She has implemented a wide range of community development programs through which she has gained expertise in organic agriculture certification, education and health initiatives, and small business development, as well as managing construction of factories, schools, and health facilities in rural West Africa.

In addition to her work at Fearless Planet, Danielle is also a practicing psychotherapist and is on the faculty of the Medical University of the Americas on the island of Nevis, where she directs the counseling program, and Goddard College in Vermont, where she teaches a course on counseling refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants.

Board of Directors

Eric Schnurer

Eric is the founder of Public Works, one of the leading public sector management consulting firms in the United States. He has been advising governors, senators, and other high-level public policy decision-makers since 1993, when he served as chief-of-staff to the acting governor of Pennsylvania. He also has served as a speechwriter, policy advisor, and/or legal counsel to dozens of governors, U.S. senators, and presidential candidates. He has lectured extensively on redesigning government for organizations including the Council of State Governments, and currently teaches a graduate course on The Future of Government at the University of Chicago.

Eric is a regular contributor to U.S. News & World Report, The Washington Monthly, the Aspen Institute, and The Atlantic. His work has also been published by Demos, the Center for National Policy, the Progressive Policy Institute, The American Prospect, The New York Times, and Newsweek, among other publications.

He is a national Woodrow Wilson Fellow and a former adjunct professor at Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, and Temple University. Eric holds a B.A. from Brown University, a Master's in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a J.D. from Columbia University Law School.

Colleen Hicks

Colleen is the former Executive Director of the Museum of the American Indian in Novato, California. Her ancestry is Cherokee and Lakota. She received her Master's in Management from Sonoma State University and has worked with non-profit organizations for over 20 years, serving on the Board of Directors of Commonweal and as a Trustee for the Bolinas-Stinson Beach Unified School District, both based in West-Marin County, California. For the past 25 years Colleen has served as the Choir Director for the St. Mary Magdalene Church in Bolinas, California, where she has lived since 1967. In 2015 Colleen was honored by being selected for induction into the Marin Women's Hall of Fame for her work promoting Native American tribal history and art.

Staff

Fearless Planet hires staff on a per-project basis, enabling us to keep our overhead low so our income goes almost entirely to programs benefiting low-income women and their families. Since our inception we have had many project staff members from around the world. The work they have done has been invaluable to the success of our projects, and we appreciate each and every one of them for their contribution to Fearless Planet.

The Samos Team, Summer 2019

The Samos Team, Summer 2019