FOSI’s Board of Directors manage and oversee the efforts of the organization, bringing their unique perspectives to the table.
Larry Grob
Board President and Chair
Larry is a dual Swiss-American with a passion for the mountains and Swiss art and culture. He is a co-founder of the Lowe Healthcare Worldwide agency and enjoyed a productive career in medical communications. Currently in his 'second act', Larry is a fine artist, and brings his perspective as a geographer and artist together with commitment to environmental sustainability in his landscape paintings.
John A. Shane
Board Vice President
John is a long-time FOSI Board member and contributor...and was the first Treasurer of the organization. He is Founder and President of Palmer Service Corporation, a venture capital management firm. Previously Chairman of Abt Associates, Inc., a leading social science consulting company, John has served as Director on more than 35 companies and is an active Trustee on a variety of educational, cultural, and artistic organizations. A resident of both Boston and the North Shore, John is a connoisseur of our area's culture and natural surroundings.
Roger Binggeli
Board Member and Treasurer
A life-long Swiss German speaker, but born in the French- speaking canton of Vaud, Roger has a strong appreciation for the nexus of cultures which Switzerland offers. Roger holds an MBA degree, and has spent his career in the investment management space. An International Studies major as an undergrad, Roger takes great pride in helping to move forward FOSI’s mission of promoting the exchange of ideas between his county of birth, and his adopted home country of the USA. In his spare time, Roger enjoys being in the mountains- on both sides of the Atlantic- whether it be for skiing or hiking, and is also known to prepare a Swiss culinary dish or two.
John Willis
Board Member and Secretary
John is a dual Swiss-American and the the former President of the Swiss Society of Boston. He has close relatives in Geneva and has been there many times. He is a litigation attorney at Fidelity National Law Group in Boston and graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Political Science and an M.S. in Industrial Engineering, as well as from Tulane Law School. John was Managing Editor for the Tulane Law Review, and clerked for the Louisiana Supreme Court. An avid outdoorsman, he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2017. When he finishes the 48 New Hampshire 4000 foot mountains, he looks forward to possibly taking on the 48 Swiss 4000 meter mountains. He skis in New Hampshire...but would rather be in Zermatt.
Roman Kern
Board Member
Roman hails from the beautiful city of Zurich. He holds a Master of Arts in Political Science, Journalism and Sociology, and enjoyed an exciting seven-month internship in the Swiss intelligence community. He has worked as an online campaigner, and as an entrepreneur he successfully launched a startup in the IT consulting industry. Roman is currently Senior Director of Global Operations and Technology at MassChallenge, involved among other things in the implementation of the organization's entrepreneur/mentor program model in Switzerland.
Jean-Pierre Mittaz
Board Member
Jean-Pierre, born in 1965, grew up in the cantons of Valais and Zurich. He graduated from the University of Zurich with a PhD in Business Administration. After working at the Swiss Banking Institute, Jean-Pierre joined an American bank in Switzerland, and a couple of years later emigrated to the United States. He has held various roles in the financial industry, working in Zurich, London, New York, and since 2010 in Boston.
Jean-Pierre was elected to the Council of the Swiss Abroad in 2017 and has since been responsible for the following areas: MA ME, NH, RI, VT.
He lives in Needham, MA with his wife MaryBeth and their three daughters. Jean-Pierre and his family love the outdoors and sports. Currently, he has taken on the multi-year challenge of hiking the full length of the Appalachian Trail. Go Jean-Pierre!