About the American Women's Network

Connecting Cultures Through Friendship

The American Women’s Network (AWN) is an informal group comprised of international women living in Abu Dhabi. AWN facilitates contact, support, and information exchange for both new arrivals and long-time residents. Through social events and special programs, AWN provides a platform for integrating into the community. Formed in 1994 by a group of expatriates from North America, AWN welcomes all women of all nationalities.

What We Do

Welcome newcomers of all nationalities
Facilitate friendships among members
Provide information about the region

Offer activities that inform and entertain
Interact with the local community
Support volunteer activities

Board Members

Co-President

Kimberly Goad

Kimberly is from the US and has lived in Abu Dhabi since 2014. She was born in Italy but spent most of her life in the US with a short stint in Germany. She is married with 3 grown children - a son and daughter residing in the US with a daughter and son-in-law in Qatar.

She is an avid reader, emerging padel player, and continual bridge participant. AWN has provided her with opportunities to learn new skills, gain cultural knowledge,and develop lifelong relationships. She has been involved with AWN since 2016 and loves all the activities, experiences and friendships it provides. She is currently on the executive team of the AWN Board.

Vice-President Jazz St. Louis

Jazz St. Louis

Jazz St. Louis is a recently retired executive from Change Health Care in the United States. During her tenure at the company, she served in various leadership roles, including as Vice President of the National Health Information Network. Change Health Care, and its prior company, PDX Inc. is a USA Nationally known heath information network, focused largely on Pharmacy Software and Database Services. Jazz and her husband currently reside in Abu Dhabi. They have two children, a son and a daughter, with both, like their mother, embarking on medical careers as a physician and behavioral therapists, respectively.

Her hobbies include reading, cooking, entertaining, and together with her husband, traveling.

Jazz joined AWN in 2022 as a member and a volunteer and in 2023, she was appointed Membership Chair on the AWN Board. One of the most significant advantages of living abroad is the exposure and learnings to different cultures and ways of life, AWN is a wonderful facilitator of such opportunities.

A Welcome Message From Our Co-Presidents

Welcome to the American Women's Association website. We are an international group of women who come together informally to facilitate friendships, cultural exploration and dialogue for women new and established in Abu Dhabi. We have interesting speakers on diverse subjects of interest along with social coffee mornings to meet up with friends and meet new ladies. We also organize activities and events so that we can socialize and explore.

Please have a look through our website and learn more about us.

We hope to see you soon at one of our events.

Kimberly Goad

Co-President AWN

Treasurer

Anna Dolganow

Originally from Canada, Anna moved to Abu Dhabi from Singapore where she and her family lived as expatriates. As a trailing spouse for the past few years, she knows what it takes to make a family life abroad a success: taking each move as an opportunity to explore new cultures, finding ways to use experiences in meaningful ways, staying engaged and being active. Anna is an accountant and before starting her expat journey, she worked in Canada for different non-profit organizations. In Singapore, she was actively involved with the American Women’s Association of Singapore, she served on the AWA Board as the Director of Activities and Events, chaired and organized expat events and worked on the Treasurer’s team. Anna joined AWN Abu Dhabi in July 2019. She believes that becoming a member of the AWN community provides a wonderful jump-start to life in Abu Dhabi.

Secretary

Shivani Wanchoo

Shivani grew up in India. She has lived in Dubai and Hong Kong before arriving in Abu Dhabi in 2001. With a Masters in History from the University of Delhi, she has worked in marketing research and taught in elementary schools. As a long time expat, she appreciates the support that AWN provides to newcomers in Abu Dhabi. She is an active member of AWN and also coordinates the Bridge Club. She enjoys serving the AWN community as a Board Member.

Member At Large

TBD

Honorary Chair

Mary C. Corrado

Mary is the Head of the Advisory Committee for Make-A-Wish Foundation UAE, a non-profit organization that grants wishes to children with life-threatening conditions. She is also an advisor to the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, Mary first arrived in Abu Dhabi in 1977 with a background in nursing and education. She was the founding Country Director of AMIDEAST UAE, a non-profit American education and training organization that brings educational opportunities to the Middle East and North Africa.

Activities Chair

Nicola Jeffreys

Nicola is British and has lived in several countries, both as a child and a supporting spouse, including long stints in Malaysia and the US. She was on the Board of International Connections in Houston and a member of International Women’s Association in Chicago. Her career started in finance in the City of London, and more recently she worked for several years as a Relocation Consultant in the UK drawing on her experiences as an Expat.

Coffee & Speaker Series Chair

Marta Rodriguez

Spanish by birth, German by education, Dutch by upbringing, English by marriage. As a multi-lingual P.A., Marta has been able to use her skills and experiences in a wide range of jobs globally as she moved countries with her husband’s job. After starting a family, she focused on using her experiences to help others adjust to an international lifestyle.

Explorers Chair

Vanessa Pino-Brown

Vanessa was born in Cuba and lived most of her life in the United States. She holds a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and works in pharmaceutical development. Vanessa is passionate about traveling the world and exploring new cultures. After moving to Abu Dhabi with her husband in 2019, she joined the AWN and became actively involved with the Explorers group. This gave her the opportunity to learn more about the local culture, discover new and interesting places in the UAE, and meet new friends from all over the world.

Marketing and Communications Chair

Lara Adekoya

Lara moved to the Abu Dhabi Emirate in 2015. She was a Network Support Engineer and later transitioned into Project Management and Cybersecurity.

In 2017, Lara joined AWN as a member and a volunteer and in 2020, she was appointed Marketing and Communications Chair on the AWN Board.

Membership Services Chair

Cleo Paleologos

Cleo is honored to join this fabulous group of women, responsible for everything within AWN. Having experienced the difficulties adapting to a new country, they deserve every bit of respect for their time and dedication. Cleo was born in Greece. She moved to the States in her twenties where she spent the next 25 years. Since joining AWN in 2013, she served as Mahjong Coordinator and Activities Chair and was left with warm memories and lifelong friendships. Although she has some big shoes to fill, she is delighted to become the new Membership Chair and she is looking forward contributing to AWN, once again.

Events Chair

Michelle Charnley

Bio coming soon!