Mike Hansen
One of Mike Hansen's career highlights was the opportunity to spend 15 days in Burma, now called the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, at the end of his two-year assignment in the Philippines from 1982 to1984. At the time, Burma had long been a closed country to outside visitors. It was required that Hansen get a special VISA that allowed him to stay the full 15 days and see parts of the country that were normally restricted. He was accompanied by an Asian Development Bank (ADB) economist from Pakistan who was handling the economic aspects of the report.
The project was to prepare a "Post Evaluation" report on a 250-mile transmission line project that had been financed by ADB. The line traversed from the capital city of Rangoon to Mandalay in the central part of the country. Viewing the route, therefore, required extensive travel throughout the country, and seeing parts of the country that few outsiders had the privilege of seeing.
Nearly everything Hansen saw was completely foreign to him, and he tried to soak up every aspect of the experience. "Our route took us across the Irrawaddy River by ferry, through numerous towns and villages, and past Buddhist shrines built in 900 A.D. and any number of 'exotic' eating establishments," Hansen noted. "Oh yeah, I also saw some transmission line."
Hansen said he has "thoroughly enjoyed and feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to work with the great Stanley Consultants members (some for my entire career), and to have traveled the world and met and worked with individuals from all backgrounds and cultures."
