Susan Karlshoej
In her role as Program Officer at The TK Foundation, Susan works closely with non-profit applicants and successful grantees as well as partners in operations, funding, and management. She works mainly with grantees in North and South America and Africa. In wholehearted support of The TK Foundation’s hands-on philosophy, she relishes the face-to-face discussions and program site visits with grantees and grant applicants. Susan is also a Board member of the TK Trust Company Limited, the Trustee of The TK Foundation.
Susan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Ecology with an emphasis in Criminology, Law, and Society from the University California, Irvine.
Esther Blair
As the Administrator in The TK Foundation’s corporate office in Nassau, Bahamas, Esther is responsible for maintaining the grants management software in addition to all duties necessary in running a corporate head office. She is also the corporate secretary of the TK Trust Company Limited, the parent company of The TK Foundation.
Prior to joining The TK Foundation, Esther worked as Corporate Secretary to J. Torben Karlshoej and his group of companies under the umbrella, Teekay Shipping Limited, Bahamas and as a professional Trust Officer to Oceanic Bank and Trust Limited for 16 years.
Esther holds a degree in Business Administration and a degree in Finance and Economics from The College of The Bahamas and La Universidad de Las Americas in Puebla, Mexico.
Arthur F. Coady
In his relationship with The TK Foundation, Arthur is the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the TK Trust Company Limited, the Trustee of The TK Foundation. He was a close friend of J. Torben Karlshoej.
Previously, Arthur was appointed Executive Vice President of Teekay Shipping Corporation, as well as Chairman of Oceanic Bank and Trust Limited. Arthur resigned from his various positions with the Teekay Group in 2000, and now concentrates most of his time to his position of Managing Director of the TK Trust Company Limited.
Prior to accepting such positions in Nassau, Arthur was a Senior Partner in the law firm of Burstall & Company in Calgary, Canada, concentrating on Corporate, Commercial, Banking, Securities and Health Law.
Arthur holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. He was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1961.
Captain Kuba Szymanski
Kuba graduated from the Maritime University of Szczecin, Poland. He served on board tankers climbing the ranks until reaching the position of master. In 2001, Kuba came ashore as a marine superintendent, marine manager, DPA (Designated Person Ashore), CSO (Company Security Officer) and internal auditor. After 17 years in 3rd party ship management, Kuba moved to the Ship Owners office. He has been with InterManager since 2010 and currently serves as Secretary General.
Kuba lectures on Risk Management, Information Management, and Management of Change in the International Business School on the Isle of Man for Superintendency Courses. He is also very active in racing SIGMA 33 – his sailing racer.
Jeff Schaffer
As Vice President and Los Angeles Impact Market Leader at Enterprise Community Partners, Jeff oversees Enterprise’s programs advancing the development of affordable housing in Southern California. In addition to training and capacity building, policy leadership, and delivery of financial products, special initiatives of the Los Angeles office have included launch of Restore Neighborhoods L.A., a new agency partnering with the City of Los Angeles in its foreclosure response efforts, and the New Generation Fund, a $100 million property acquisition and predevelopment lending facility. Jeff serves on the boards of RNLA, the Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing and the L.A. Business Council.
Prior to joining Enterprise, Jeff served as Assistant Vice President for Grant Programs at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, where he managed a $60 million grant portfolio including initiatives for the mentally ill homeless and international potable water development. Jeff also was associate director at both Beyond Shelter and Shelter Partnership in Los Angeles, worked as a public relations account executive, as a congressional field representative, and served as a Peace Corps Village Development Advisor in Micronesia.
Jeff earned his undergraduate degree in political science and Spanish literature from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Southern California, where he is a adjunct associate professor at the School of Public Policy, Planning, and Development.