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Global Heritage Fund Adds Two Distinguised Leaders to its Board of Directors

August 01, 2007

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GLOBAL HERITAGE FUND ADDS TWO DISTINGUISHED LEADERS TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Josh Bernstein of Discovery Networks and David Ford of DBF Associates and formerly of Goldman Sachs, Bring Strong Global Awareness and Extensive International Development and Conservation Experience to the GHF Board

PALO ALTO, CALIF. (August 1, 2007) - Two distinguished leaders in international exploration and conservation have joined the Board of Directors of Global Heritage Fund (GHF), a leading international conservancy dedicated to the preservation and responsible development of endangered world heritage sites in developing countries.

“We are honored to have Josh Bernstein and David Ford join the GHF board to help lead our growing efforts to fund, plan and monitor critical preservation and restoration projects around the world,” said Jeff Morgan, GHF’s executive director. “Both Josh and David are powerful forces in the worlds of film, broadcasting and finance, with excellent experience and knowledge that will serve to aid GHF and its endeavors.”

Josh Bernstein is Executive Producer and Host for Discovery Channel. In the past three years, explorer, author, and television presenter Josh Bernstein has traveled over 500,000 miles by camel, car, train and plane to over 30 countries, exploring the world’s greatest mysteries. In 2007, Bernstein joined Discovery Channel to host and executive produce specials and a new series focusing on anthropology, archaeology and environmental issues. Discovery Communications, Inc. is the number-one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion people in over 170 countries.

Born and raised in New York City, Bernstein has degrees in anthropology and psychology from Cornell University. Since 1997, he has also served as president & CEO of BOSS, the Boulder Outdoor Survival School, the oldest and largest survival school in the world. In addition to his work for GHF and several environmental organizations, Bernstein is an active member of The Explorers Club, The Royal Geographical Society, and The American Museum of Natural History. When not exploring the tombs of Egypt, the ice floes of the arctic, or the jungles of the Amazon, he splits his time between a yurt in Southern Utah and an apartment in New York City.

“I have had the great privilege of exploring some of the world’s most precious archaeological and cultural treasures and seen how time, neglect, disinterest, and ignorance have cast many of these sites into disrepair. Our collective heritage is important, our successes and failures in the past must influence our actions in the future, and I’m excited to support Global Heritage Fund in its mission to help save some of the most important and earliest examples of humankind’s achievements in architecture, planning, social development and monumental cities,” said Josh Bernstein on the nomination to the GHF Board of Directors. “I look forward to making cultural heritage and the historical preservation of major archaeological sites a high priority for governments and the larger public.”

David B. Ford is a retired partner of Goldman Sachs. He serves on the board of overseers of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and is a board member of the National Audubon Society, the Academy of Natural Sciences, New School University’s Parsons School of Design and Florida State University. David has an extensive array of entrepreneurial activities including investments in a film production company, restaurants & night clubs, an art trading business, and is the largest private investor in the country of Gambia with holdings in a significant cattle ranch and a water business. He recently purchased Miramar, a historic oceanfront mansion in Newport, RI and is undertaking a complete historically accurate restoration of the property. He is an avid bridge player and international traveler.

“History, the environment and conservation have interested me since I was a child, said David Ford.  “My Father was in the Navy and consequently our family moved often and I had a chance to see a lot of the United States.  More recently, my travels overseas have increased and I have seen many unique sites.  Global Heritage Fund provides an opportunity for me to help other countries preserve their cultural heritage.”

“The advice and counsel from these accomplished individuals will add significant expertise and business savvy as GHF pursues its mission of long-term preservation of mankind’s most important world heritage cultural sites in developing countries. They will help us with successful community development, sustainable tourism, education and jobs,” explained Morgan.

About Global Heritage Fund
Global Heritage Fund is the leading international conservancy preserving endangered world heritage sites in developing countries. Our mission is to enable successful, long-term preservation of humankind’s most important archaeological sites and ancient townscapes, creating new opportunities for economic growth. Global Heritage Fund uses its Preservation by Design methodology to develop comprehensive Master Conservation Plans, provide early matching grants and training, build local institutions and promote sustainable tourism development to further permanent protection for global cultural treasures. Global Heritage Fund is a registered non-profit international conservancy based in Palo Alto, California.

At the very heart of GHF’s conservation efforts is the Global Heritage Network (GHN) of experts and conservation technology backed by GHF’s Leaders in Conservation, Senior Advisory Board,  and Trustees for Global Heritage, a distinguished network of philanthropists and foundations committed to preserving and protecting these endangered one-of-a-kind archaeological and world heritage sites.