Claude Freeman Email and Phone Number

Editor of AustinAfrica.com an Africa and African oriented magazine for Austin, Dallas, Houston and other communities in the Southwest where Africans have migrated over the last two decades. Texas is one of the top three destinations and continues to grow in importance for African immigrants. AustinAfrica has five blogs. They are as follows: 1. Austin Africa –information on the ‘Africa’ in Austin and other Texas metropoles, providing a ‘village square’ for Africans living in the region. 2 AustinAfricaAcademy- a regular post that presents and analyzes materials available on the history, philosophy, and literature of Africa, as available on the internet and Amazon, 3. AustinAfricaReview-a magazine on the African arts, visual and musical in Austin and Texas, performances and showings at important museums that are nearby such as the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, the Dallas African American Art museum, the Houston Museum of Fine Arts as well as musical performances by African artist in Texas at such festivals as South by Southwest or the many African events held throughout the state. 4. Deep Africa-research on Africa and Africans that underpins those Africans that have immigrated to the US. 5. Villages in the Metropoles- a blog on Igbo culture and society (my wife’s tribe) which seeks to go deeply into one ethnic group so that the complexity of African life can be brought out and avoiding just skimming across the surface of Africa’s myriad cultures and societies. AustinAfrica.com also offers various services through Princes of Africa and Ifeoma’s Circle. AustinAfrica is an activity of GoldMedalConsultancy™ which provides analysis across the spectrum from education to economic development.

Kirghizstan 2014 IFDC/USAID Genetic Market Specialist: Dairy and Beef Industries 2014Assess the readiness and capability of Kirghizstan for a national program of artificial insemination. Developed an approach to catalyzing a market for Bovine Genetics for the Kirghizstan Dairy and Beef Herds based on both public and private breeding centers. Compared economics of Domestically Produced versus Imported Semen. Determined the genetic multiplier for Dairy and beef Value Chains for the initial year and five years out. Established guidelines for a Public Private National Genetic Strategy. Planned subsidy scheme for the initial year of the domestic market to introduce/accelerate artificial insemination. Did a critical path analysis focusing primarily on availability of Liquid Nitrogen and AI Equipment.

Ideas, Imagination, Empathy, SuccessGold Medal Consultancy was trademarked in 2011. It is based on the Award for Civil Services to Albanian Society given to the owner by the President of Albania.Gold Medal Consultancy focuses primarily on agricultural development although it does pro bono work for Central Texas African organizations

Continued 2013 evaluation of the sustainability of associations under the five year AAATA/USAID project ending January 2004Evaluation of Keshilli Agrobiznesit Shqiptar-KASH (2001) the National Policy Apex whose purpose was planned to as advocacy for private agriculture and trade development It was found to be active and was managed by the President of Horticultural Association. It has 23 constituent national associations with 12 regional councils. In Advocacy for the entire agricultural sector it recently presented its policy requests to the new Albanian government (2013) as it formulated its Fiscal Package. KASH belongs to several national level policy commissions including: The Business Advocacy Council, The National Labor Committee, and the National Authority of Food. KASH held the 12th National Agricultural Fair in September 2014. It has established and sustained trade relations with Turkey, Kosovo, Macedonia and other Balkan Countries and has worked closely with Israel, which provided Albania high tech greenhouses in 2002-2004. The National Farmers Union, BKFSH, is the only national level farmers association and it works primarily through regional councils at the prefecture levels. It functions primarily at the local level The AFADA credit union is active still providing loans primarily to its members KASH is sustainable and active. It is the advocate for all of private agriculture as its constituent associations cut across all industries. It has been successful in promoting trade. It is financially self sufficient based on revenue from annual national agricultural fair. It also receives grants and support from government agencies. Its staff is larger than originally projected. Similar to the ABMC it owns a fully furnished office in Central TiranaRecently (2015) its leadership has shifted back to that which initially established it, led by the former President of the Agricultural Machinery Association, AFALB.

Evaluation of sustainability of associations established in 2003 under the five year AAATA/USAID project ending January 2004. Five different organizations were evaluated; the two national apex organizations; the Association and Management Center-ABMC (2001) and the Keshilli Agrobiznesit Shqiptar-KASH (2001), the national farmers union: the BKSH (1994), and inputs association, the Ag Inputs Association-AFADA (1993), and its credit union, the AFADA Credit Union (2000) and an outputs association, the Horticultural Businesspersons ‘Association, HABA. Both Apexes are functioning ten years after USAID project shut down and active in the areas planned for them. The ABMC manages the administration of the ten member associations which includes the most important industries such as poultry horticulture, meat processing, agricultural inputs, and agricultural machinery, edible oils (olive), salt water fishing. It advertises several types of technical assistance including, inter alia, Association Development, Marketing and Business Skills, Funds Facilitation, Procurement, and Legal Counseling. It has managed project activity for various donor organizations including IFDC, Chemonics, Mercy Corps, GTZ and SIDA. It has recently published a manual on food safety and standards Major trade successes of KASH have supported the horticulture industry. Among recent achievements have are registration of Albanian vegetables on the Turkish Stock Exchange and a MOU with the Izmir Commodity Exchange. Many of its members are horticulture and other agricultural companies (app. 25%) reflecting the deep cooperation between the two countries in agriculture notably in High Tech GreenhousesABMC continues to support important trade associations. It is managing the Regional Meetings of AFADA (input dealers association) which recently had its 20th anniversary. The ABMC is the managerial technical secretariat for agricultural trade associations. It owns a fully furnished office in the center of Tirana

Agricultural Input Marketing Adviser (AIMA) for US AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT-MARKETS PROJECT, February 2006-September 2007.Ag-Input Adviser to the largest USAID agricultural development project in Nigeria. Five major achievements:1. Co-authored joint MARKETS--UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) publication, a seminal work on environmental issues connected to chemicals used in food production in Nigerian agriculture. This document; Nutrient Rationalization in Nigerian Compound Fertilizers (NPK) with Special Focus on Phosphorous and Potassium Utilization is presently widely distributed throughout Africa accessible on internet. For those in the African fertilizer market, it provided a model to assess effectiveness of nutrient application as an approach to increasing agricultural production without environmental degradation from nutrient overload.2. Managed supply of agricultural inputs to several areas in Nigeria where the project had activities. 3. Surveyed fertilizer importers and dealers nationwide to provide a baseline on Nigerian fertilizer use. Managed this effort via a contract with FEPSAN (Fertilizer Suppliers Association of Nigeria) which contacted all statewide projects and companies as to source, quantity, and fertilizer type. The final results still provides a primary basis for understanding the Nigerian fertilizer market. Note FEPSAN 2012 study. http://www.fepsannigeria.com/ .4. Facilitated in the context of the MARKETS/USAID project, the introduction of a new rice variety (package of practices) into Niger state. The success of this introduction, which went statewide in one season, was reliance on private sector input dealers (CPC companies) to 'sell' the package and provide the inputs to Niger state’s rice smallholders.5. Support to private sector seed companies and their association.

Chief of Party (COP), Assistance to Albanian Agricultural Associations (AAATA) (1999 – 2004)Directed cross-organizational team of sub-contractors – Mississippi State University, Peter Furth & Associates, Agridev (Israel), and TEI (Greece) – in providing assistance to agribusinesses by: a) creating trade associations, b) diversifying Albanian agriculture, and c) implementing new technology. Managed 100+ staff and $13.7 million in USAID funds over 5-year period. Managed projects’ programs and all aspects of their administration. 1. Association Development – Directed development and launch of eleven Ag-industry based trade associations (eight trade associations, one policy foundation and one Apex advocacy association) that furthered efforts toward agricultural diversification/expansion; 2. Technical Support – Integrated technical solutions across multiple agricultural industries, including high-tech food processing and greenhouse development that allowed Albania an opportunity to compete regionally for quality horticultural products. Provided technical assistance to 1,000+ agribusinesses. Among businesses supported were herbs and spices, meat processing, olive oil production and processing, and both fresh and salt water fisheries.3. Financial Solutions – Arranged private bank financing of $10 million and secured over $20 million in client self-investment to fuel business development. These, conservatively, leveraged project funds by a factor of three.4. Program /Project Liaison-Liaised with non-USAID and non-USDA donors including JAICO, GTZ, IBRD, AND EU-Phare.5. Proposal Development- Which HQ support and advice, successfully developed funded proposals resulting in IFDC’s presence in Albania for 12 and ½ years.6. Institutionalization of two National Trade Association Federations: ABMC http://abmc.org.al/blog/and KASH (http://www.kash.org.al/ere/). Both of these organizations continue to function nearly a decade after project closure.

Chief of Party (COP), Albania (1997 – 1998) Marketing and Training Specialist (1992-1997) Sustaining the Restructured Fertilizer Sub-Sector in Albania (SRFSA). In years as COP managed about $2.5 million annually with staff at times exceeding 120. Privatization -Privatized markets for fertilizer/crop protection chemicals and improved seed. Entrepreneurial Development - Developed business capability in former members of state and cooperative farms, as well as the agricultural ministry and its departments. Developed entirely new middle class based on agricultural initiatives. Research Institute Upgrades - Supervised installation of world class laboratories in the national soil and seed laboratories and supported new applied research. Additionally continued reforming the Statistics Directorate within Ministry of Agriculture, including the shift in approach from census to scientific sampling based on GPS determined sampling frame. Agriculturally Aware Mass Media - Developed agricultural news for the rural population (representing 60% of population news) by establishing partnerships with TV, Radio, and print media. Created various agriculture business magazines focusing on market for inputs and outputs; presented concepts via hundreds of interviews on TV and Radio.