Our Team

 

Claude G.B. Fontheim - CEO

Claude Fontheim is the CEO of advisory firm Fontheim International, LLC, and Chair of civil society organization GlobalWorks Foundation.

Mr. Fontheim was among the first practitioners in the fields of corporate social responsibility and related governance issues. He has also long advised global businesses, civil society organizations, government officials, and Presidential and congressional campaigns regarding international trade, global development and foreign policy matters. Mr. Fontheim’s extensive nonprofit activities include service on the following boards of directors:

  • Non-Executive Chair & Co-Founder: GlobalWorks Foundation provides capacity building, training and analysis regarding labor and human rights, and sustainable development. It is best known for developing and supporting Co-Governance programs that protect human rights in global supply chains.

  • Chair, Strategic Partnerships Committee of the board, and member of the Executive Committee: Center for International Private Enterprise is a core institution of the National Endowment for Democracy.

  • Member, Board of Directors: NewDEAL Forum supports outstanding pro-growth progressive state and local elected officials in the United States through education and professional development programs; Mr. Fontheim was a founding board member of NewDEAL (a c4 organization) and now serves on the board of directors of its counterpart 501c3 organization.

Mr. Fontheim is a Co-Founder and Senior Advisor to the American Leadership Initiative, which is co-creating a 21st Century agenda for American global leadership with thought leaders from civil society, politics, government (including numerous elected officials), academia and business.

He also serves on the Advisory Board of the University of Michigan – Michigan in Washington Program where he and his family have funded an annual scholarship for students unable to afford participation.

During his career, Mr. Fontheim has led many global ESG and public policy initiatives. A few examples include:

  • Developed and advised global businesses on sustainable and responsible supply chain programs over the past 30 years.

  • Worked with members of Congress, businesses and civil society organizations to develop and successfully advocate for the Africa Growth & Opportunity Act, and then worked with global businesses investing in sub-Saharan Africa.

  • Developed and participated in implementing many corporate labor and human rights codes of conduct and programs to protect these rights over the past 30 years.

  • Created and managed high level track II dialogue programs between the United States and China concerning a wide range of policy issues.

  • Developed and continue to participate in all aspects of a business – labor partnership in Honduras that has protected the welfare of workers and enabled the ongoing success of this global business.

  • Mediated the resolution of a crisis involving ongoing gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) against women in a major manufacturing complex to create a first of its kind program to eliminate GBVH program involving several global businesses, a manufacturer / supplier to these businesses, local worker representatives and women’s NGOs.

  • Developed and participated in implementing corporate risk management programs for supply chains and other ESG challenges

Mr. Fontheim served previously on the President’s Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations, as well as the advisory committees on Africa for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and on international economic policy for the State Department. He was also a partner in a global law firm. Mr. Fontheim also served previously as Chair of GoodWeave International one of the world’s leading civil society organizations working to eliminate child, forced and bonded labor from global supply chains, and was founded by Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi.

Mr. Fontheim received his J.D., M.P.P., and B.A. from the University of Michigan where he graduated with High Honors, High Distinction, Phi Beta Kappa, and was Managing Editor of Michigan’s international law publication.

Jon Alexander - Senior Advisor

Jon Alexander is a Senior Advisor to BCGD and is President/CEO of Monument Strategies, LLC.

Mr. Alexander founded Monument Strategies in 2005 after serving for five years in a senior-level position at a large public affairs and lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. Mr. Alexander has a high level of expertise in the area of appropriations, higher education, health care, and transportation.

Mr. Alexander has worked in senior-level positions with several Democratic Members of Congress, including serving as Legislative Director for Representative Joe Kennedy (D-MA) and Representative Elijah Cummings (D-MD).  He also worked for two years for former Representative Cal Dooley (D-CA) prior to entering law school.

He served in the Congressional Affairs office of the U.S. Customs Service during the Clinton Administration – at which time he worked on the Presidential Interagency Commission on Seaport Security.

Mr. Alexander continues to develop relationships with influential officials involved in appropriations, education, health care, and transportation issues, including forming close relationships with many members of the appropriate Committees and their staffs.

Mr. Alexander is a graduate of Guilford College in Greensboro, NC and holds a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, MN. He is a member of the Maryland State Bar.

Tess Bone - Director

Tess Bone is a Director with Business Council for Global Development. Prior to joining the Business Council for Global Development, Tess held a dual role at Tiffany & Co. and The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, where she advanced the company’s responsible sourcing initiatives and responsible mining standards development internally and externally, in addition to philanthropic strategy.

Tess was Manager of Accreditation Projects and Planning at Social Accountability Accreditation Services, a nonprofit—now part of Social Accountability International (SAI)—which oversees implementation of human rights standards in global supply chains. Tess performed field research for SAI in the Dominican Republic cacao industry, which included fact-finding at cacao farms and cooperatives, and interviewing members of the business community, government, civil society, and farmers. She recently served as a consultant to SAI on their SA8000 Standard system.

Before joining SAI, Tess was selected for a research team tasked by the United Nations Peacekeeping mission in Kosovo to study the challenges of illegal logging and local violence there. Through desk research and interviews with local and international officials, subject matter experts, civil society and affected communities, her team developed an analytical report with recommendations for various stakeholders. She co-presented their findings to members of the UN, EU and NATO in Kosovo, which was also published on Columbia University’s Center for International Conflict Resolution website.

Previously, Tess was Regional Coordinator and Field Consultant in Nicaragua for Community Empowerment Solutions, a nonprofit that develops local social enterprises to bring needed services to rural villages. She performed needs assessments across rural villages, gained the support of local officials, forged partnerships with various stakeholders and expanded the organization’s presence in new regions of the country.

Tess holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where she focused on international human rights and corporate social responsibility, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame. During her graduate studies, Tess conducted research for United Nations University in New York City.

Tess has traveled extensively for study or work on human rights and economic development issues, including in Chile, China, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Kosovo, Nicaragua, South Africa, and Uganda. She speaks fluent Spanish and conversational French.

Madeleine Boyd - Senior Manager

Madeleine is a Senior Manager at Business Council for Global Development. Prior to joining, Madeleine was a Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships at Vital Voices Global Partnership, one of the world’s most prominent women’s NGOs. From creating and expanding regional communities of brand ambassadors in key markets across the United States to building strategic partnerships with corporate brands to designing and implementing data-driven digital marketing strategies, Madeleine has managed a diverse portfolios of stakeholders to expand reach and impact.

Madeleine was also recently the Content Director at Be the Brand., where she crafted and executed personalized, authentic digital brand strategies for individual and nonprofit clients to elevate their online presence.

Madeleine graduated cum laude from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations and a minor in Corporate Strategy.