Board of Directors and staff

Urai Samakarn – Vice-President

Originally from Krabi, Thailand, Urai holds a master’s degree in Nursing from the Prince of Songkla University in Hat Yai. She is the Director of the Rawai Health Promoting Hospital where she has worked as a General Nurse since she came to Phuket 21 years ago, providing knowledge and health care expertise to the women and children of the foundation.

Ms Urai has been involved in the Life Home Project Foundation since the beginning. 

Kathy Manthei Coulson – Secretary

With 15 years of experience living in Phuket, US born Kathy brings her knowledge as an artist, teaching professional and background in community development and arts programs to her volunteer work at the Life Home Project Foundation.

While in California, she volunteered at an arts program for homeless women, she received a grant from the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission to teach youth and has taught street children in Cambodia as part of a self-portrait workshop in collaboration with an exhibition of her paintings there in 2001.

Since 2002, she has been involved in many aspects of the LHPF, most notably with the arts and handicrafts program, awareness campaigns, and helping with fundraising events. In 2005 together with the women of the Life Home Project, she set up Project Neptune, an expressive arts therapy program for survivors of the Tsunami throughout Thailand’s affected provinces. She currently coordinates the partnership with British International School, Phuket CAS students to create cards to raise awareness and funds for the project. Kathy currently teaches Art at the British International School, Phuket where she is also the CAS Coordinator.

Colin Gallagher – Committee Member

British born and now a resident in Phuket for more than 12 years, having previously lived and worked in the private sector in London for most of his live.

Currently a lecturer at the Prince of Songkla International University on island of Phuket. His current role as Assistant Dean for International Affairs and Student Development enables him to focus on his passion as an educator and as a true advocator of Corporate Social Responsibilities activities and student involvement in helping the local community both inside and outside the university.

Over the years, Colin has continued to contribute to the LGBTI community in Phuket with a focus on raising awareness on HIV issues. Recently appointed as a board member to the Life Home Project Foundation, he hopes to be a real contributor to the children’s causes allowing each child to have the same educational, work and family opportunities as all other children.

He believes his current position as an educator at university gives him a platform to instill the same values into students’ lives, so they can become better citizens in the future.

Hélène Fallon Wood – Advisor

Irish Born Hélène, who has lived in Phuket for over 25 years, began as a volunteer English teacher at the Life Home Project Foundation in its early days. She soon realized that finance was a huge issue and was very much needed for the project to move forward and survive. Since then, Helene has been the driving force of the LHPF’s many successful fundraising events and activities aimed at raising awareness within the local and international community.

As an Irish citizen, with connections in the diplomatic circle of Ireland, she received a grant from ‘Irish Aid’ to develop and build the Life Home Project Foundation’s facility in Koh Siray. This connection has been of great benefit to LHPF and will continue to be over the years.

Through Hélène’s efforts, the LHPF has had visits from the President of Ireland President Mary McAleese and her husband Martin, along with HE Ambassador Mulhall and his wife Greta, HE Ambassador Eugene Hutchinson and his wife Adele, HE Ambassador Declan Kelly and his wife Anne. Helene is currently the Irish Honorary Consul to Phuket and the southern provinces. As she transitions to her new life in France, her role will be more as an advisor.