Community Friends is a cross-cultural collaboration of like-minded people from Sri Lanka and the USA working together. We are fortunate to have gathered together a wonderful group of highly skilled volunteers and advisors.
Carsten Henningsen is a founding director of Community Friends, Upstream 21 and Portfolio 21 Investments, all based in the USA. Carsten serves as our board president. He has more than 25 years of experience in community investing.
Deva Ratnakara is a founder and director of Community Friends and president of SMS, a Sri Lankan community service non-profit. Deva serves as our executive director, Asia operations. He has more than 25 years of experience in community service projects.
Seevali Ratnakara is a founder and director of Community Friends. Seevali serves as our director of programs, Asia operations.
Mark Friedman is a founding director and officer of Community Friends and associate general counsel of Intel Corporation, based in the USA. He has 20 years of experience in the legal field representing a wide range of international clients.
Jay Goodfriend is a founding director and officer of Community Friends and the president of Syntonic Microwave, an electronics design company based in the USA. He is also a CPA, a photographer, and has lived and worked in Indonesia.
Dr. Ajith Ariyasena is the founding doctor of the Community Friends Waitalawa Health Clinic. He is a doctor at Kandy General Hospital and has worked at the Community Mental Health Resource Center. Ajith graduated from the University of Colombo.
Dr. Gamini Hittinayake is a senior lecturer of agriculture at the University of Peradeniya. He is a consultant for the Community Friends land restoration project in Waitalawa. Gamini received a PhD in agro forestry from the University of Wales, masters in forestry from Oxford University and a bachlor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Peradeniya.
Dr. Thilina Karunathilake was a member of the founding Community Friends relief group that treated tsunami survivors in 2005. He has worked at Jayawardanapura Teaching Hospital and is currently working at Kandy Gampola Hospital. Thilina graduated from University of Peradiniya.
Dr. Shalika Kurukulaarachchi has worked at various hospitals treating highland tea plantation workers, including Peradeniya Teaching Hospital. She graduated from Kalaniya University, specializing in pathology, and she is currently finishing her masters in food & nutrition at Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya.
Jeewaka Maddumage serves as a naturalist for Community Friends. He was a member of the founding Community Friends relief group that helped tsunami survivors in 2005. He is a wildlife officer, working for the Wildlife Department of Sri Lanka. Jeewaka has worked in many national parks including: Maduruoya, Kumana-Yala North, Belnavila Bird Sanctuary and Giritale National Wildlife Training Center. His specialty is in mammals, reptiles, birds and butterflies. He graduated from the University of Colombo in Travel and Tourism.
Krishani Siriwardane is a registered nurse and a founding member of the Community Friends Waitalawa Health Clinic. She is currently working at Colombo General Hospital. Krishani graduated from the National Nursing Training School.
Our work has been recognized in two recent books: The Gort Cloud, by Richard Seireeni (2008); and Living Forward Giving Back, by Isabelle St-Jean (2008).
