Ronald Hatfield, M.B.A
Chairman/Founder
Ronald is a successful entrepreneur, business leader, and philanthropist. He has started and grown multiple successful businesses and charitable organizations, including founding In Our Own Quiet Way in 2002 and the Princess Festival in 2008 with his wife, Maurine. He was co-owner of Teel Construction, an industrial contracting company. Since 1989, he has been president of Altavest Investments, a real estate development company. Applying his business skills to philanthropy, Ronald has driven the evolution and network of Quiet Way, also serving as an ambassador for water issues to leaders from Kenya, Senegal, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania. Among various projects in Kenya, Ronald led Quiet Way in mobilizing resources to provide food to 10,000 Kenyans during the drought season. He has been recognized for this and other philanthropic work in Kenya, particularly developing relationships with key government leaders and NGOs, including two Kenyan Ambassadors to the U.S., H.E. Elkanah Odembo and H.E. Peter Ogego, the Vice President of Kenya, H.E. Kalonzo Musyoka, various ministers (both national and county-based), and numerous bi-lateral, multi-lateral, and local aid organizations. Since 2009, he has been a member of the East African Chamber of Commerce.
For over 20 years, Ronald served with the Boy Scouts of America—including district executive, assistant direct commissioner, council chairman. He and his wife also produced an art exhibit in Germany, entitled “The Living Christ,” donating over $80,000 of limited edition, inspiring art to local families and individuals. A Utah native, Ron holds B.S. degrees from Brigham Young University in Youth Leadership and Business Management. He also earned an MBA degree from Utah State University and served as an officer in the U.S. Army.
Jason Draper, P.E.
Vice-Chair
Jason serves as Quiet Way’s technical adviser having previously led the engineering and construction of two 723,000 gallon combined-capacity dams. He has 10 years professional experience as a Civil Engineer and earned his B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Utah. Jason has worked as project engineer and project manager in the development of commercial development, golf course communities, residential communities, storm water management plans, and flood control structures and storm water analysis. He currently works as a civil engineer with Salt Lake City in Utah.
For more than 15 years Jason has given his time and talents volunteering with scouting, youth, and church groups in his local community. He also served on the local board for the American Public Works Association (APWA). In 2009, after visiting Kenya and realizing there were simple solutions to Kenya’s water crisis, Jason found a new passion to resolve the water issues across the country. With Quiet Way, he has worked closely with community members, district officials, and the Constituency Development Fund to implement the design, building, and review of dams in southern Kenya, in addition to learning about water resource management challenges and solutions in Kenya.
Elizabeth Goryunova, M.B.A.
Elizabeth provides key experience in international strategy, collaboration, and diplomacy, increasing the long-term impact of Quiet Way’s work. She serves as Executive VP & COO of the World Trade Center Utah (WTCU) as well as Director of International Relations for the Salt Lake City Chamber. She is responsible for the WTCU’s operations and strategic development, collaborative agreements with international business entities, client consultations and educational programs and events. She is the Chamber liaison with chambers of commerce and business associations outside of the United States and Chamber International Committee.
Her prior experience includes service as the director of international relations for the IMP, Russian Academy of Sciences, and graduation from Business Management School in Russia. She has an MBA and Financial Management Certification from Westminster College and Executive Certificate of Global Business Management from Salt Lake Community College. Elizabeth is appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to serve on District Export Council, where she is currently a Treasurer. She also serves on the University of Utah International Advisory Board, Women Business Institute Advisory Board and on the Trade Fairs, Trade Marts & High Tech Parks Committee of the World Trade Centers Association.
Dr. Norman Wright, M.P.A., M.A., Ph.D.
Norman merges both academic theory and research with real-world application as a business, entrepreneurship, and strategic adviser to Quiet Way. He has been both a student and teacher of leadership and management over the past 20 years. His experience has taken him from the ivy-covered halls of academia in the United States to the desert cities of the Arabian Peninsula to the remote reaches of southern Africa and the Pacific islands in pursuit of better ways of doing business. Norman holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Management from Wharton (University of Pennsylvania). He earned a B.S. in Economics and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Brigham Young University.
Currently he serves as the Dean of the Woodbury School of Business at Utah Valley University. In the past he has held critical academic positions leading programs at various universities. Norman served as acting dean at the College of Business at Asfaisal University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He worked for American University as a consulting Dean for the School of Business and Entrepreneurship at its affiliate University in Nigeria and served as the Assistant Dean of the College of Business Sciences at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates. He also chaired the Department of Management, Marketing, and Public Administration at the American University of Sharjah, and served as a department chair and faculty member at Brigham Young University Hawaii. In these programs he has worked with multicultural groups of students and practitioners from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific islands, the Indian subcontinent, and North America.
Norman has also consulted diverse organizations such as Dubai Municipality, HSBC (SAAB), World Wildlife Fund, China Youth Travel Services, Valmont International, the State of Hawaii’s Polynesian Cultural Center, Hawaii Pacific Health, and the North Shore Community Chamber of Commerce. He served as the editor of the Journal of Microfinance for several years and has published many articles in significant management journals. While he is best recognized for his work in cross-cultural management, his recent research activities have also focused on the nexus of business and the natural environment.
Nickson Kasue, R.N.
A native of Kenya, Nickson is an entrepreneur in the truest sense. Nickson is a registered nurse, and has owned and operated his own hospice organization, and currently operates a distribution channel of beauty salon products and a chain of hair schools with his wife, Judy. Nickson’s insight into the cultural and historical background of Kenya has proven invaluable to the Board of Directors. Nickson continues to be actively involved in civics and business in Kenya, as well as other countries in Eastern and Central Africa.
Brad Hales, M.P.A.
Brad works at Brigham Young University in the Ballard Center for Economic Self-Reliance which focuses on promoting social entrepreneurship and innovation across all sectors. Brad received his Masters in Public Administration and has experience with nonprofits, and social businesses all around the world. During his graduate work, he consulted with Freedom from Hunger in Ghana, setting up a health microfranchise and was one of the authors of the publication The Microfranchise Toolkit . Also he has consulted with organizations in Haiti and Mexico to improve their organizational structures. Brad is also an online adjunct faculty teaching International Entrepreneurship at Brigham Young University-Idaho. Brad enjoys working to make ideas feasible and sustainable.
In addition to his international work Brad enjoys working with local communities promoting recycling and community gardens. Currently Brad owns a social business called Involved Recycling which helps local residents understand and begin recycling. Brad also runs his own family produce business in which he is hoping to convert empty lots into community gardens. Brad believes in the sustainability of businesses and organizations that promote good in the world.
Ray Kearney, M.B.A.
Ray provides strategy and international development management experience having consulted nonprofits, social businesses, and governments in Paraguay, Ghana, Kenya, and China. Ray will complete his MBA at Brigham Young University in April, after which he will begin consulting for the PricewaterhouseCoopers Management Consulting Firm in D.C. Ray provides keen insight in terms of internal and external strategy for Quiet Way.
