WAFUNIF Officers
Mrs. Liliana Bucur Cress has a M.Sc. in International Affairs & Planning (2008) from HUNTER College of the City University of New York (CUNY) and a B.Sc. in Sciences and Letters (2004) from the University of Petru Maior (UPM) Romania. She has also studied International Finance and Banking at the Investment Banking Institute of NYC (2012).
Mrs. Cress has worked as a Research Specialist in projects for the City Government of New York City in the Office of the Mayor's Commission for the United Nations Consular Corps and Protocol. She worked as well as a Research Specialist in Community Development for PPAF (Public Private Alliance Foundation) at the United Nations.
At the United Nations Headquarters under WAFUNIF (The World Association of Former United Nations Internes and Fellows) she was an Intern, a Research Fellow and a Director at Large on International Affairs and Planning since 2008. In 2018 she became the President of WAFUNIF.
Her work at the United Nations is related with integrating development and financing of projects where the stakeholders are NGOs, Public and Private organizations in the fields of education, peace and disarmament, environmental protection and financing for development of communities in need through technology and financing.
She has worked on different projects in Japan, China, South Korea, as well as in Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia in South East Asia; Mexico, Central America and in South America in Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil.
Furthermore, she has also represented WAFUNIF in ongoing events at the UN and in larger events such as the "Rio+20" in Brazil, "The Peace, Disarmament and Development Conference" in Mexico and organized events at the UNHQ such as "Science, Technology, Music and Health", "Telematics International Concert for Peace", "International Conference on Eco-Drive - Global Environment, Carbon Reduction and Eco-Drive", "Celebrate Earth: Sustainable Development, Yoga and Meditation", "Women's Leadership Advancing the Culture of Peace" and many more.
Board of Directors
Valdemar Prado was born in Mexico and has a BSc degree in Physics and Mathematics from Mexico, a MSc in Biophysics and Medical Physic and a Doctorate in High Energy Physics and Medicine from the National University in Mexico and UC Berkeley in USA. He worked for the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, a nuclear research facility operated by Stanford University for projects of the US Department of Energy and held teaching and Research positions for over 30 years at several higher education and research institutions.
Dr. Prado actively works in technology transfer from Developed to Developing countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and South East Asia. Currently he is a Senior Research Fellow in science and technology for sustainable development for WAFUNIF, and for NGO’s associated with The Economic and Social Council of the UN. He actively participates in forums of ECOSOC, DPI and WSIS in topics related with the impact of ICTs and technology in development for emerging economies.
Dr. Prado's work requires that he travel extensively in Latin America, South East Asia and Europe as a Scientific, Technology consultant analyzing, implementing and deploying solutions for developing communities, for financial, technical public and private institutions and for educational and research institutions. He has been a consultant and advisor for Science and Technology for the governments of Chile, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos, Spain, Brazil and Mexico. He is actively involved in multicultural, secular and spiritual activities to build bridges between individuals and communities to promote peace and understanding.
Dr. Martin Bohner, Ph.D.
Martin Bohner is the Curators' Distinguished Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri, USA. He received the BS (1989) and MS (1993) in Econo-mathematics and PhD (1995) from University Ulm, Germany, and MS (1992) in Applied Mathematics from San Diego State University. He was a Postdoc, sponsored by the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation, at National University of Singapore (1997) and at San Diego State University (1998). Martin Bohner is a Past President of ISDE, the International Society of Difference Equations. His research interests center around differential, difference, and dynamic equations as well as their applications to economics, finance, biology, physics, and engineering. He is the author of seven textbooks and more than 350 publications, Editor-in-Chief of three international journals, and Associate Editor for almost 100 international journals. His work has been cited almost 20000 times in the literature, including more than 5000 citations of his book "Dynamic Equations on Time Scales: An Introduction with Applications", co-authored with Professor Allan Peterson. His h-index is 64, and his i10-index is 240. Professor Bohner is the recipient of the 2021 Obada Prize. His honors at Missouri S&T include five Faculty Excellence Awards, one Faculty Research Award, and nine Teaching Awards.
Ms. Brittany Smiley
Ms. Brittany Smiley is a flight-certified critical care paramedic with the Saint Charles County Ambulance District. She earned her paramedic and critical care certifications through the same district and is currently furthering her education to advance into leadership and peer support roles. Over the past several years, she has mentored and trained paramedics and paramedic interns. Brittany graduated with honors from Paine College in Augusta, GA, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and was a member of the Alpha Kappa Delta International Sociology Honor Society. She is a strong advocate for volunteering, having participated as a Big Sister in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Additionally, she has organized and assisted with various fundraisers for multiple communities and organizations, including Life Saver CPR and Breast Cancer Awareness initiatives. A lifelong athlete, Brittany attended college on a basketball scholarship and has continued her passion by volunteering as a youth basketball coach for several years. She is a dedicated supporter of mental health safety and community support, always striving to give back whenever and wherever possible. She also leads by example through her commitment to exercise and a healthy lifestyle.