AWC Going Dutch April 2019

Slate of Officers 2019-2020
We are pleased to introduce the candidates for the 2019-2020 AWC The Hague Board.
The election of Officers will take place during the General Meeting on April 11. If you
are unable to attend the meeting, please submit a proxy ballot.
President – Suzanne MacNeil: I am honored to be nominated
for a second term as President of our Club, which
will be my seventh year as a Member. Where has the time
gone?!?! My first term on the Board has been filled with
serious discussions, teamwork, fun, and desserts. Lots of
desserts! I told the 2018-2019 Board at our first meeting
in June of last year that I’m not a micromanager, and
that each Member is empowered to oversee her position
and the volunteers with whom she works. I also told the
women who served with me that while we are charged
with overseeing the Club on many levels, we are volunteers,
and the Club is first and foremost a social organization
so our goal is to enjoy our time together. I hope our
Members sensed the camaraderie within the Board this
Club year, and I see no reason to change our way of working.
Looking ahead, I want to help our AWC continue to
grow, make substantive decisions that will serve the Club for years to come, and help
to foster the friendships that make our AWC one of the most interesting and inspiring
organizations you’ll ever join!
Vice President – Shanon Gonzales: I was born in the
Texas panhandle and lived in the Houston area from the
age of five. My husband and I always dreamed of living in
Europe. When he was offered a transfer to his company’s
corporate office in Amsterdam, we knew we couldn’t pass
up the opportunity, and we moved our family to Leiden in
August 2019. My husband, Christopher, and I have been
married for 23 years this summer, and we have two children.
My daughter, Emily, is a sophomore at the University
of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Texas and is pursuing her nursing
degree. My son, Seth, just started high school and attends
Rijnlands Lyceum in Oegstgeest. I graduated with a
degree in Education from Houston Baptist University, and
I have taught for 22 years. I have been fortunate to teach
3rd grade, 4th grade, reading academic support, and (my
favorite level) kindergarten. I love helping people, and
teaching has brought me so much joy! I spent 17 years at Memorial Parkway Elementary
(MPE) in Katy, where I was very active in leadership roles. I served as a team leader for
most of my years at MPE. I was also the chair of the Sunshine Committee, as well as
the campus representative for the Association of Texas Professional Educators. In addition,
I served as the webmaster for my campus. My family enjoys traveling together,
and we are excited about the opportunities we now have to explore the Netherlands and
surrounding countries. I am so glad that I found the AWC so quickly after my arrive to
the Netherlands, and I am excited to serve on the Board.
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Treasurer – Sheyla Karman: I was born in Panama, lived
and studied in New York for 17 years where I obtained my
BS in accounting from Long Island University, and later my
CPA licensure in New York State. I began my public accounting
career in 1987 with PricewaterhouseCoopers in
New York City, which took me on to Curaçao, and Jersey
in The Channel Islands. In 1998 I returned to the US and
changed career paths to the private sector as a financial reporting
manager for Ocwen Financial Corporation, a publicly
traded entity. In 2001, I switched career paths again,
this time to fulfill the desire to start a family and become a
full-time mother. Over the course of the past 17 years, along
with motherhood, I have applied my professional skills and
experiences to diverse volunteer leadership work opportunities:
as Treasurer for the AWC of Brussels, Fellowship
Committee Chair at the American Protestant Church of The Hague, account reviewer for
the AWC of The Hague, alongside pursuing my passion for hospitality as an events planner
and caterer. I have lived in The Hague since 2005, and am married to a Dutchman, and we
have two teenage kids.
Over the past year I have served the AWC The Hague as Club Treasurer and continued to
meet and forge friendships with the diverse group of ladies who make up the AWC of The
Hague. Our Finance Team has been working this past year on updating our accounting program,
methods of payment and continuing to provide the Board and various Committees
with finance related support. In the coming year, our goal is to continue to support the
Board and its various Committees and to look for ways to improve and simplify the finance
function, while looking ahead at the short- and long-term life of the AWC The Hague.
Secretary – Heather DeWitt: I was born in Louisiana and
became a Third Culture Kid when, at the age of seven, my
family moved to Saudi Arabia. Living there and traveling the
world was a wonderful way to grow up. After moving back to
Northern California for high school and Southern California
for university, I met my husband, Mike, at a drive-in movie.
With Mike’s evolving career we have lived across the US:
California, Wyoming, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
With each move I have reinvented myself, as a graphic artist,
teacher, interior decorator, and marketing production
assistant. However, my favorite job has been as a mom. I
have volunteered for many school, sport, church committees
and groups over the years supporting our children Skyler
and Logan. One very fond volunteer memory was as a key
member of the St. Richard Appalachian Mission trip. This
trip is an annual event where 40 adults and 80 high school
youth travel to West Virginia and perform “Habitat for Humanity” like work on people’s
homes. It was always an amazing week to work with the youth. I was able to improve
my DIY skills tenfold; a few things I enjoyed learning were HVAC, drywall framing and
how to plumb a shower! I have also had the opportunity to volunteer here in The Hauge
with Present Stichting International, by helping underserved people improve their lives
by improving their living environments. Having the wish to travel has always been in my
blood and living in such a central location, I’m always looking for the next adventure. My
travel highlight of last year was being able to walk on the Camino de Santiago with my
daughter, mother and father. This year I’m looking forward to being able to meet more
AWC Members and enjoying the wonderful city we call home.
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