BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Virtues: Loyalty, Responsibility & Trustworthiness
Shawn Watson has been a facilitator and involved with The Virtues Project for over 30 years and was designated a Master Facilitator by Linda Kavelin Popov in the early days of The Virtues Project.
Shawn is an Architect/Engineer from the Illinois Institute of Technology with a Masters Degree from the University Of Stuttgart. She has teaching credentials in the state of California and Texas, and for 25 years was the owner of the International Early Education Center located in Finland and China. Shawn is also a Toastmaster.
She is married and has six lovely children.
Virtues: Empathy, Justice & Diligence
Passion: Helping people, especially through non-profits, to create positive social change.
Marilyn is a professional generalist and change enabler. Her professional experience over 46 years ranges from mathematics educator, benefits coordinator, process reengineering professional, and airline pricing expert to managing complex technology systems.
Marilyn developed technology and data solutions for United Airlines and HSBC. As an HR business specialist, she developed a technology plan for HR that was still guiding development 10 years later. As technology manager for a $20 million data warehousing implementation in the 1980’s, she gathered a cross-functional team with diverse expertise, knowledge, and objectives to develop plans and make unified decisions regarding this shared platform.
During the 1970’s, Marilyn was a co-founder and leader of Flexible Careers, a non-profit that enhanced career opportunities for women. In the 1990’s, she led the growth of Habitat for Humanity in Uptown Chicago, increasing its capability to deliver affordable housing for low-income families.
In 2015, after retiring from HSBC, Marilyn joined The Virtues Project™ because she saw that The Five Strategies offer simple, effective tools for living, while also enabling constructive relationships among families, schools, workplaces, communities and beyond.
Marilyn earned a B.A. in Mathematics from DePauw University and an M.A.T. in Mathematics from the University of Chicago.
Marilyn is also a wife, mother, grandmother and international traveler.
Virtues: Cheerfulness, Decisiveness and Optimism
Parul has been associated with The Virtues ProjectTM since September, 2024. Currently she is the Board Secretary and is leading the Governance function in VPIA. Parul was born in India and has recently moved to Canada.
Parul has over 6 years of global experience in corporate secretarial, governance, compliance, auditing and legal functions. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce (B.Com.) and Law (LL.B.) from the University of Pune, India. Parul also holds professional designation as Associate Company Secretary (ACS) from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI).
Parul always approaches life with a positive attitude and an infectious enthusiasm that brightens the day of everyone around her. She is both growth-oriented and independent, always seeking new challenges while confidently charting her own path. Her hobbies of dance and travel allow her to express her creativity and explore new cultures, making every experience a joyful adventure.
Virtues: Idealism, Compassion & Service
Passion: Making a positive difference in the world by serving The Virtues Project.
Valerie is Virtues Project Master Facilitator and co-owner of Virtues Village, a virtues product and service company. Valerie’s passions include sharing The Virtues Project with others through workshops, training new facilitators and developing virtues products.
Valerie discovered the power of The Virtues Project during her 15 year career serving troubled youth, first as a foster parent where her passion for youth was ignited, followed by establishing four foster/group homes and Brilliant Stars Inc, a non profit to serve the needs of troubled youth. The Virtues Project would now become her mission, as she saw a more powerful way to foster youth by promoting safe and caring families, schools and communities around the world!
Valerie is a mother, grandmother, and caregiver, who is now enjoying family time, friends, travel, gardening and nature walks.
Virtues: Compassion, Accountability, Awe, Assertiveness
Passion: Empowering initiatives that are geared towards creating sustainable positive social change that make the world safer and happier.
Caroline is a business and fund development specialist who is passionate about empowering people-centered change in society. She holds a Diploma in Public Relations and Personnel Administration and has experience working with non-profit and for profit organizations in strategic planning, organizational development, partnership building, operations and imports/export marketing in healthcare supplies.
In 2021, she found the Virtues Project’s The Five Strategies when researching gentle parenting strategies. She immediately was sold on the idea of parenting with virtues and decided to do more research into it. It was an easy decision to volunteer with VPIA when the position was advertised in 2022. She has held the position of Fund Development Chair since April 2022.
Caroline is passionate about empowering and enhancing people-led change agents in society as a solution to societal vices, especially those that impart change without discrimination. She helps community-based organizations plan and implement fund development and sustainability strategies, income generating initiatives and outline participatory social change techniques.
Caroline is a Mom and business owner based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Virtues: Creativity, Awe & Wonder
Passion: Comedy Ventriloquist, Virtues Project Master Facilitator & Heart of Service
Val Hilliker brings a joyful spirit and a wealth of experience to everything she does. A mother of three and grandmother of five, Val has been a comedy ventriloquist since 1976, using laughter, puppetry, and storytelling to connect with audiences of all ages and stand up to bullying behavior. Her work empowers children and adults alike to express themselves with confidence, courage and compassion.
Val’s life changed when she discovered The Virtues Project, a global initiative that aligned deeply with her values. She became a Master Facilitator, weaving the Five Strategies of the Virtues Project into her work to help others build meaningful relationships and cultivate inner strength. For over 20 years, she traveled the world teaching “Chill Skills”—creative tools to build resilience, courage, and connection. Her book is her life's work utilizing The Five Strategies of the Virtues ProjectTM and the Chill skills, "Lilli's story of Assertiveness".
Now enjoying life by a beautiful lake in British Columbia, Canada, Val continues to serve in new ways. Since 2013, she has faithfully handled accounting and finance duties for the Virtues Project International Association (VPIA). If you've paid royalties or received an invoice from VPIA, chances are you've already connected with her work behind the scenes.
Beyond her professional roles, Val has a heart for service. Her efforts have supported causes such as Habitat for Humanity and local food security initiatives like the Harvest Sharing Hut and Coldest night of the year. She thrives on creativity—whether it's teaching art, running a preschool, building a house, or even chainsaw carving.
Val believes in the healing power of virtues: “When you heal the mind, the body heals itself.” Her life is a testament to playfulness in moderation, and her ability to relate, uplift, and serve makes her a beloved member of the Virtues Project family.