FremantleMedia's Michelle Landy Joins Board of Kilimanjaro Education Foundation

NEW YORK, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Three weeks volunteering in the Rau village near Moshi in the Kilimanjaro region has turned into a lifelong desire to help the children of Africa for Michelle Landy, senior vice president for legal and business affairs for FremantleMedia Enterprises (Americas).  That initial exposure to the children of Tanzania has led Landy to a position on the Board of the Kilimanjaro Education Foundation (KEF).

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In her role at FremantleMedia Enterprises, a division of FremantleMedia North America, Inc., she handles a range of licensing matters including consumer products, interactive (online, mobile etc), sponsorship/promotions, live events, gaming etc. as well as international distribution and home entertainment deals.

Working as an in-house attorney for 10 years in the branding/licensing and media industries, she began her career in Australia in private practice and spent almost nine years in London in-house before moving to New York in late 2008.  Landy earned a Bachelor's Degree in Commerce (Accounting) and Law (Hons) from Monash University, Melbourne Australia.

"Michelle Landy is an excellent addition to the KEF Board," said Todd Grossman, founder of KEF. "Her experience will help KEF take its corporate sponsorship program to the next level."

While in Africa, Landy taught 3-5 yr. old children in a class for kids that couldn't afford to go to mainstream schools, manned purely by volunteers.  

"Picture 45-50 kids and about 8 desks and a blackboard only," she says. "I immediately fell in love with the people, especially the kids, and the environment as the people of the region are such genuinely happy people despite their surroundings with an immense community spirit."

The work with the children in her classroom and in volunteering at orphanages had a life-changing impact on Landy.

"During my time volunteering, I caught the Africa bug, thankfully in the heart and not the stomach, and have since been pursuing various projects in Tanzania," said Landy.  "I just couldn't shut out what I had seen and came back with a huge amount of enthusiasm and I've maintained friendships with various locals I met ever since and continue to discuss ways to further the various projects that I started while there." She plans to return to Tanzania in 2010.

About Kilimanjaro Education Foundation: Kilimanjaro Education Foundation (KEF), founded in 2006, is incorporated in New York State and organized as a 501(c)(3). KEF strives to improve education and to build school facilities for underprivileged children in Tanzania and other countries bordering Kilimanjaro. KEF's volunteers and directors share in and impart not only the Foundation's passion for children and education, but also in KEF's core values of honesty, integrity, creativity and imagination.

SOURCE Kilimanjaro Education Foundation