Management Team

Franz Gastler,
Executive Director and Founder

Franz_Gastler@Yuwa-India.org

Franz grew up in Edina, Minnesota (USA). He completed his B.A. and Masters in International Political Economy from Boston University and is a graduate of the Program on Negotiation (PON) at Harvard Law School. Through Harvard, he worked at the Ministry of Finance in Colombia. As a consultant to CII, India's biggest industry body, he worked with company executives on social strategies. At KGVK-India, an NGO, he launched a $10 million, 10-year partnership for food security with Ashoka featured as a model at Clinton Global Initiative 2008. He lived 6 months in a tribal village in Jharkhand before co-founding Yuwa.

Greg Deming,
Director of Operations and Fundraising

Greg_Deming@Yuwa-India.org

Greg facilitates Yuwa's day to day operations and heads all fundraising initiatives. Outside of Yuwa, he is a senior trader and strategist for Simplex Investments in Chicago, a proprietary electronic trading company specializing in equities and derivatives. Greg graduated from Indiana University with a BS in Economics and Finance.

Stephen Peterson, CFA
Director of Finance and Legal

Stephen manages Yuwa's finances and legal affairs. Outside of Yuwa, he is an Equity Analyst with Palo Alto Investors, a Silicon Valley hedge fund. Stephen graduated with a BSBA in Finance and Accounting from the University of Denver and is a CFA Charterholder.

Erik Odland,
Director of Technology and Marketing

Erik manages Yuwa's web presence and marketing. Outside of Yuwa, he is a web communications manager with Cargill, Incorporated. Erik holds a BBA from Texas Christian University and an MBA from the University of Denver.

Alex Rice,
Director of Brand, Creative and External Communications

Alex manages Yuwa's brand, creative development and external communications. Outside of Yuwa, Alex is an Art Director for Butler Shine Stern and Partners, located in San Francisco, California (USA).