Who We Are
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With 28 years experience working in war-torn countries, the Novi team has time-tested capacity to help children living in war and conflict. The role of our staff members is to administrate resources and processes to support and strengthen local leaders and their communities. Novi also has a diverse network of relationships, organizations, and professionals who we collaborate with to achieve our goal of strengthening children traumatized by war.
Oddny Gumaer
Team Member, Operations
Oddny spent most of her adult life in Asia. In 1994 she co-founded Partners Relief & Development, an international humanitarian aid organization. Her 25 years of work resulted in millions of people receiving emergency aid, health care and education. She holds a master’s degree in Transformational development, has written four books (two children’s books), and is a regular contributor to several newspapers. She has traveled all over the world speaking on behalf of the poor and the oppressed.
When not traveling and working, she enjoys running in the forest, kayaking, and hiking with her Goldendoodle, Floyd. She frequently fills her house with friends, enjoying shared meals and community around her family’s famous dining table. She is the proud mom of three daughters whom are all pursuing their own adventures.
Steve Gumaer
Team Member, Organizational Development
Steve co-founded Partners Relief & Development in 1994. While establishing sustainable means of program delivery and aid for families displaced by war, Steve developed a team to manage the growing reach, resources, and opportunities to help war-torn communities. Steve holds a masters degree in Transformational Development.
Of all the work Steve has done over the past 28 years, projects aimed at helping children who survive war and oppression have access to healthcare and education have been the most meaningful activities of all. Experience and focusing on helping children who survive the violence of war is what led to starting Novi. In addition to his passion for this work, Steve is an avid skier, climber, and mountain man.
Luke Epperson
Team Member, Finance and Operations
Luke lives with his wife and kids in Alaska where they enjoy hiking and adventuring in their retro airstream trailer. Holding an MBA, he enjoys coaching people in leadership, management, and finance. He has also served as the CFO for a consumer products company and a fintech startup.
Prior to his work in finance, he spent over ten years on teams leading nonprofit organizations. This included a role as director of a program helping people experience personal freedom from the effects of hurt, loss, and shame. Having seen first-hand the transformation people experience when their trauma is replaced with hope, he is delighted to use his skills to help children facing the devastation of war grow in strength and resilience.
Trygve Bøerve
Team Member, Training
Trygve is an experienced clinical psychologist, program developer and lecturer. In his career he has worked as a clinician, both with adults and children. He has worked as a researcher at the National Institute of Public health and as the assistant director at the Directorate for Health and Social welfare, dpt of alcohol and drugs. He teaches at several Universities and Colleges in Norway, his specialties are neurobiology, trauma and depression. His daily work is focused on children with a history of trauma, abuse, and neglect as well as life skills programs aiming at the development of life skills among adolescents. Trygve has co -developed CBT based programs for depression and stress for adults and he has developed CBT based programs for adolescents (Depression and life skills). He trains therapist to run these program as they are used throughout Norway. Trygve also works with the foster care system, on program development, supervising supervisors and institutions. He has been working with displaced and traumatized children, staff and teachers in both Asia and Europe.