The governance of StartFund’s Netherlands office rests with the Fred Foundation board and its advisors, and its day-to-day direction and management rests with a staff based in Hilversum.
Fred Foundation Board
Fred Matser, Founder and Board of Directors Chair.
Mr. Matser is a prominent Dutch humanitarian philanthropist and former real estate investor. He has made it his life’s work to contribute to creating a more functional global society by means of inspiration and empowerment. He has been a (co- )creator and (co-)financer on a wide range of projects and over 15 foundations in The Netherlands and abroad since 1983, covering the fields of healthcare, environment, conservation, peace and global transformation.
Deepak Chopra, Board of Directors.
Dr. Chopra is the author of more than fifty books translated into over thirty-five languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers in both the fiction and nonfiction categories. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, Adjunct Professor at Kellogg School of Management and Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization. Time magazine heralds Dr. Chopra as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century and “the poet-prophet of alternative medicine.”
Jane Goodall, Board of Directors.
Dr. Goodall, DBE, is one of the world’s foremost scientists, best known for her landmark study of chimpanzees in Gombe National Park, Tanzania. In 1977 she established the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) to support the Gombe research and lead the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. With offices in over a dozen countries, the Institute is widely recognized for innovative, community-centered conservation and development programs. In 2002 Dr. Goodall was invested by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan as a UN Messenger of Peace. In 2004 she was awarded England’s highest honor, Dame of the British Empire, and in 2006 she received France’s highest honor, the Legion of Honor. Dr. Goodall has also received the Gandhi/King Award for Nonviolence, the Franklin Institute’s Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life and Science and Spain’s Prince of Asturias Award.
Pieter Sluis, Board of Directors.
For 25 years Dr. Sluis practiced family medicine in the small town of Nieuwkoop in the Netherlands. After developing a keen interest in issues of love, loss and forgiveness, he went on to found several national organizations, like the Dutch Hospice Movement and CliniClowns. He also worked as a workshop leader with the internationally renowned Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. For some years now, Dr. Sluis has sought to pass on all he has learned, supporting individuals, groups and organizations as a teacher and trainer.
Netherlands Staff
Marije Ebbers, Coordinator.
Marije has long since had an interest in how people in different communities live together. This resulted in a Msc degree having studied in Cultural anthropology and Sociology of non-western societies at the University of Amsterdam and the University of Edinburgh and conducting fieldwork research among the Maori people of New Zealand. First having worked at intercultural management consultancy firm Trompenaars Hampden-Turner, she later moved to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania where she managed an average of 35 volunteers in their development activities with a local NGO. As coordinator of StartFund she currently manages the daily operations and guides the developments that the organisation is going through.
Wyneke van Nouhuys-Schothorst, Project Manager.
Wyneke holds an MA in Law, with a specialization in medical law. She co-authored the Dutch study book: About The Hospital. She worked 2 years in Surinam in South America toward the realization of a national healthcare program. Currently she teaches in the fields of medical law, communication and personal growth. She also studied astrology and offers counseling, workshops and lectures as an astrologer. Wyneke serves on several boards, including the Neurofeedback Center of Hilversum.
Jan Ebeltjes, Program Manager.
Jan is the founder of the CHOE Foundation, an organization which has supported less fortunate children in the Ukraine since 1994. Before choosing to pursue a full-time career in charity, Jan functioned as an interim manager for several telecommunication companies, including KPN Netherlands, gaining experience in IT and business process management. In 2001 Jan accepted a full-time position with the Fred Foundation with the mandate to build a Ukrainian practice. In 2003 he became a program manager for StartFund. Currently, in addition to his work with StartFund, and through the CHOE and the Fred Foundations, Jan leads several projects to improve the lives of orphans, psychiatric patients and students in Ukraine. He produced six albums of Ukrainian folk songs for children and is active as a composer. He also accompanies several choirs on organ and piano.
Team
The governance of StartFund’s Netherlands office rests with the Fred Foundation board and its advisors, and its day-to-day direction and management rests with a staff based in Hilversum.
Fred Foundation Board
Mr. Matser is a prominent Dutch humanitarian philanthropist and former real estate investor. He has made it his life’s work to contribute to creating a more functional global society by means of inspiration and empowerment. He has been a (co- )creator and (co-)financer on a wide range of projects and over 15 foundations in The Netherlands and abroad since 1983, covering the fields of healthcare, environment, conservation, peace and global transformation.
Deepak Chopra, Board of Directors.
Dr. Chopra is the author of more than fifty books translated into over thirty-five languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers in both the fiction and nonfiction categories. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, Adjunct Professor at Kellogg School of Management and Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization. Time magazine heralds Dr. Chopra as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century and “the poet-prophet of alternative medicine.”
Jane Goodall, Board of Directors.
Dr. Goodall, DBE, is one of the world’s foremost scientists, best known for her landmark study of chimpanzees in Gombe National Park, Tanzania. In 1977 she established the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) to support the Gombe research and lead the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. With offices in over a dozen countries, the Institute is widely recognized for innovative, community-centered conservation and development programs. In 2002 Dr. Goodall was invested by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan as a UN Messenger of Peace. In 2004 she was awarded England’s highest honor, Dame of the British Empire, and in 2006 she received France’s highest honor, the Legion of Honor. Dr. Goodall has also received the Gandhi/King Award for Nonviolence, the Franklin Institute’s Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life and Science and Spain’s Prince of Asturias Award.
Pieter Sluis, Board of Directors.
For 25 years Dr. Sluis practiced family medicine in the small town of Nieuwkoop in the Netherlands. After developing a keen interest in issues of love, loss and forgiveness, he went on to found several national organizations, like the Dutch Hospice Movement and CliniClowns. He also worked as a workshop leader with the internationally renowned Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. For some years now, Dr. Sluis has sought to pass on all he has learned, supporting individuals, groups and organizations as a teacher and trainer.
Netherlands Staff
Marije has long since had an interest in how people in different communities live together. This resulted in a Msc degree having studied in Cultural anthropology and Sociology of non-western societies at the University of Amsterdam and the University of Edinburgh and conducting fieldwork research among the Maori people of New Zealand. First having worked at intercultural management consultancy firm Trompenaars Hampden-Turner, she later moved to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania where she managed an average of 35 volunteers in their development activities with a local NGO. As coordinator of StartFund she currently manages the daily operations and guides the developments that the organisation is going through.
Wyneke van Nouhuys-Schothorst, Project Manager.
Wyneke holds an MA in Law, with a specialization in medical law. She co-authored the Dutch study book: About The Hospital. She worked 2 years in Surinam in South America toward the realization of a national healthcare program. Currently she teaches in the fields of medical law, communication and personal growth. She also studied astrology and offers counseling, workshops and lectures as an astrologer. Wyneke serves on several boards, including the Neurofeedback Center of Hilversum.
Jan Ebeltjes, Program Manager.
Jan is the founder of the CHOE Foundation, an organization which has supported less fortunate children in the Ukraine since 1994. Before choosing to pursue a full-time career in charity, Jan functioned as an interim manager for several telecommunication companies, including KPN Netherlands, gaining experience in IT and business process management. In 2001 Jan accepted a full-time position with the Fred Foundation with the mandate to build a Ukrainian practice. In 2003 he became a program manager for StartFund. Currently, in addition to his work with StartFund, and through the CHOE and the Fred Foundations, Jan leads several projects to improve the lives of orphans, psychiatric patients and students in Ukraine. He produced six albums of Ukrainian folk songs for children and is active as a composer. He also accompanies several choirs on organ and piano.