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Alan Flum, Executive Director and Founder
Tom Lewandowski, Board Member
Bela Canhoto, Board Secretary and Co-Founder
Susan Iwamoto, Board Treasurer
This article will give you brief biographies of Fair Workplace Council board members.
Alan Flum
Alan Flum is founder and Executive Director of Fair Workplace Council. Alan has worked in the electronics industry for over nineteen years, spending the last four years of his career at an executive level as a Vice President of Engineering for a leading manufacturer of DJ equipment, Stanton, where he managed the research and development for a $20 million product line. Alan has worked in various capacities from engineer, project leader, and executive over his career. He has worked for both small and large Fortune 500 electronics manufacturers. He worked as an engineering project leader at Sony for almost seven years and spent seven months in Japan managing an international project team. Alan is a business development consultant and has expertise in business plan development, intellectual property management, contract negotiations, budget management, project/program management, and development of financial models.
Alan left the electronics industry to start Fair Workplace Council because has was deeply affected by the deplorible health and safety practices, pitiful wages and sweatshop practices he witnessed in many of the factories he visited in Asia over the past five years.
Alan grew up in South Florida. At a young age, he was deeply moved by the injusitice of racism prevalent in the South in the 1960s and the unfairness of migrant farming practices that still exists to this day. Alan now lives in Oakland California with his fiance, Sally.
Tom Lewandowski
Tom brings wisdom, experience and expertise from the labor movement to Fair Workplace Council. In the mid 1990’s, has was organized labor's US representative to Solidarnosc (Solidarity) in Poland and KOZ in Slovakia. He lived in Eastern Europe and worked to develop democratic systems of worker representation in the emerging labor markets.
Tom is the President of AFL-CIO North East Indiana Central Labor Council. Tom is also the President of The Worker's Project. The Worker's Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering workers through education and research, and to organize in their workplaces and communities. and is on the board of directors to United Professionals, an organization founded by his friend, noted Author Barbara Ehrenreich. United Professionals is an inovative nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization for white collar workers. United Professionals offers community, networking, and on-line support for disenfranchised professionals. Tom is also on the board of directors the United Way in Allen County Indiana. Tom had been a four term city councilman in New Haven Indiana.
Bela Canhoto
Bela Canhoto is co-founder of the Fair Workplace Council. Bela adds much needed media expertise that will help get Fair Workplace Council's message to the public. Bela Canhoto is the Founder of Liga Inc.,a consulting firm focused on business development, entertainment marketing, and television production, which specializes inforging creative and valuable relationships between its clients, marketing alliances, and desired partner corporations. Ligas clients & affiliates include: Synthesis Magazine, Keyboard Magazine, Huge Universe Publications, Robotic Arts & Casino Arts, IMSTA - Anti Piracy, DTS Entertainment, DaveTV,Entertainment Tonight Canada,and StarTV in Hong Kong. Liga's celebrity interviews include:Jada Pinkett Smith, Robin Williams, Gerard Butler, Zach Snyder, Rodrigo Santoro, Elijah Wood, Terrence Howard, Bernie Mac, Tom Arnold, Elisha Cuthbert, Brendan Fehr, Rob Lowe, Tori Spelling, Lauren Holly, Ray Liotta, John Travolta, Tim Allen, and William H. Macy.
Prior to launching Liga, Bela developed and directed the U.S. Media & Artist Relations department for the world renowned German music software company, Native Instruments. Ms. Canhotogenerated brand awareness for the companywithin the music & technology industry through numerous promotional events, festivals & conferences, and by largely expanding Natives celebrity artist relations which includes: The Neptunes, Snoop Dogg, Wu Tang Clan, Public Enemy,Alicia Keys, Herbie Hancock, George Duke,Carlos Santana Band, Alan Parsons/Pink Floyd,Crystal Method,DJ Sasha, Junkie XL, BT, DJ Shadow,No Doubt, Queens of the Stone Age, Tool,System of a Down,Korn,Nine Inch Nails, John Mayer,and Coldplay.
Bela was also involved with the nonprofit organization, Hollywood Arts which uses art and media training to help at risk youth in Los Angeles.
Previously, Bela worked eight years as a staff and freelance Producer for CHUM Television/CityTV/MuchMusicon a number of shows including: N3TV, NextTV, MediaTV, FashionTV, and BookTV. In 2001, she created and Executive Produced the television series Career Moves which profiled youngCanadian Entrepreneurs (distributed by CLT - Canadian Learning Television), and has directed on-set productions in Toronto,Montreal, Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Berlin, and throughout Mexico and Colombia.
Bela studied Radio & Television Broadcast and Film Production in Toronto, and was awarded the CityTV/CHUM Limited scholarship, presented to one outstanding graduate per year in Canadian Television Broadcast.
Susan Iwamoto
Susan Iwamoto is CEO of the Global Innovation Alliance,
a strategic development company, providing services to businesses, higher education and nonprofit organizations.
Before starting the Alliance, Susan was part of the management team for NAMM, the International Music Products Association, a 106 yr-old nonprofit trade organization located in Carlsbad, which hosts the largest trade show in the state of California, and has a $70 million dollar economic impact on the city of Anaheim.
While at NAMM, Susan organized education sessions for international business members in the music products industry, and developed programs in higher education to prepare students for careers in the music products industry. She also planned large events for trade shows in the U.S. and China, and an annual event as an award winning float sponsor, in partnership with Sesame Street Workshop, in the Pasadena Rose Parade which has a media reach to 28 countries and 35 million television viewers.
Susan currently serves on two statewide committees for the California Community College Chancellor’s Office focused on workbased learning programs and the multimedia and entertainment initiative. Locally, Susan also serves on the Mira Costa Community College Campaign for the Arts Committee. Her public service and volunteer work include internships with Senator Boxer in Los Angeles, The Points of Light Foundation in Washington D.C., and the Orange County Volunteer Center. Susan was also elected Trustee to the State Board for the California Community College system, and to the Orange Coast College Board of Trustees, where she earned the two highest awards in recognition of her service to students.
Susan is originally from the Branson Missouri area, where she served in management for Silver Dollar City Theme Park, and as a County Economic Development Director.
Then fifteen years ago Susan relocated to Southern California, attended college at California State University, Fullerton where she studied Public Administration. She also holds certifications in Nonprofit Administration, Grant Writing, and is nearing completion of her Economic Development Finance Certification from the National Development Council.
Susan has a 23 yr-old son, Aaron, who is a project manager for a custom homebuilder in Irvine, and her husband Wayne is a custom boat builder in Costa Mesa. |
