Alan Capper, President
United Kingdom, LBC/ITN Radio/TV
FPA Member since 2002
Alan Capper began his career as a journalist in London working on the daily Express, the Evening standard and the Sunday Times. He worked on features for Thomson regional Newspapers, the sister company of the Sunday Times. In 2001 he became the New York correspondent for LBC 97.3, London's commercial talk and news station and ITN. He also appears on UN Television's "World Chronicle."

David Michaels, Vice President
Uruguay, Mercopress
David is the Bureau Chief for MercoPress, the South American news agency focused on the Mercosur region, which includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela. David was born and educated in England. He contributes to the policy and strategic planning debates through commentaries and publications on strategic business/economic planning and restructuring; international debt, trade, investment, and economic restructuring and development.

Yolanda Gerritsen, General Secretary
Netherlands, OPZIJ
FPA member since 1982
During her first year in the US Yolanda taught Composition and Literature to 11th and 12th grade students in Washington, DC. (She has a Ph.D. minus dissertation in English Language and Literature from the U. of Amsterdam). Then she translated a book, taught English to recent immigrants and helped found a small press. After moving to New York she became a producer for AVRO Broadcasting and has since worked as a correspondent for KRO Broadcasting, VARA Broadcasting and the newspaper HET PAROOL. Currently she works freelance.

Agnes Niemetz, Assistant General Secretary
Hungary, GEO Media
FPA Member since 1995
She began her career as a journalist in 1981 in Hungary as an editor of the countrywide publication Information Technology. After completing post-graduate training at the School of Journalism, she moved to the United States and began reporting for several Hungarian publications. She has been working for GeoMedia's professional papers for several years as the New York correspondent. Agnes has also served as the editor of the FPA Newsletter.

Jan Latus, Treasurer
Poland, Polish Daily
Jan Latus was born in Warsaw, Poland. Since 1991, he lives in New York, where he is employed as an editor of the Polish-language newspaper Nowy Dziennik. Currently, he is also a New York correspondent for the Polish Radio. He has published two books in Poland. Jan Latus holds a MA degree in Theater Theory from The National Drama School in Warsaw and a MS degree from The Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University.

Roberto Socas, Assistant Treasurer
Paraguay, La Nacion
FPA Member since 1990
Roberto Socas has served as the US Representative of the Argentine daily, La Nacion, and more recently, of La Nacion of Paraguay, in addition to freelancing for Latin American media. He is currently embarked on general media coverage and focusing on several projects including analysis of the relation of the Christian Right and American local politics; technological aids in speech pathology; and the challenge of ethnomathematics, among others.