Jen Carr has worked with environmental
and social justice organizations for more than fifteen years
as a fundraiser and grassroots organizer, holding positions
with Greenpeace, Peace Action, the 50 Years Is Enough Network,
the Institute for Policy Studies, CodePink, and the Washington
Peace Center. Jen served as Development Director for the Capitol
Hill Arts Workshop, a local arts organization in Washington
DC, where she managed all aspects of their development program.
Most recently Jen held the position of Development Director
with the Healthy Building Network (HBN), a non-profit organization
dedicated to promoting the use of green building materials,
where she oversaw the doubling of budget and staff, and helped
the organization to expand their program work dramatically.
She is currently continuing her involvement with HBN as a part
time consultant. Additionally Jen is active in her local Marlboro,
Vermont community, holding a position on the Marlboro School
Association Board and working with the Hogback Mountain Conservation
Association, a local effort to protect a large region of undeveloped
land in southern Vermont that is facing tremendous development
pressure.
Monica Green, Past Chair, began her work
with the peace movement as a volunteer for the Freeze Campaign
in Cleveland, Ohio, where she lived after graduating from Oberlin
College in 1981. Monica served as executive director of the
Greater Cleveland Freeze from 1985-1989, co-chaired the SANE/FREEZE
merger transition team, moved to Washington D.C. in 1989 to
be national field director, then served as national executive
director of Peace Action from 1991 to 1995. Since moving her
family to western Massachusetts in 1996, grassroots fundraising
has been her professional focus and she has helped raise funds
for fair housing, public schools, and a statue of abolitionist
Sojourner Truth which was unveiled in Florence, MA in October
2003.
David Hart is a mediator, conflict resolution
specialist, and peace activist. In January 2008, he joined the
staff of the Network
of Spiritual Progressives. David received a BA in Peace
and Conflict Studies from Oberlin College & holds a master's
in political science from Syracuse University's Maxwell School,
where he earned Certificates of Achievement from the Program
on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflict (PARC) and the Institute
on Creative Conflict Management. He has served as executive
director of local, state, and national nonprofit organizations
including Peace Action Maine and Veterans for Peace. He was
the CEO of the Association for Conflict Resolution from 2001
- 2006.
Michael Keller, Chair, is director of policy
analysis and research for the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
He served in a number of capacities while a member of the board
of directors of Peace Action from 1989 to 2007, including as
secretary, chair of the Membership and Affiliation Committee,
and a member of the Operations Committee and the PAC. He also
served as coordinator of Anne Arundel (MD) Peace Action from
1985 to 2007. He has been chair of the Annapolis Human Relations
Commission since 2000. He also served on the board of directors
of the Anne Arundel Conflict Resolution Center. He holds degrees
in journalism from Ohio University and in political science
from Miami University.
Nina Patel is a Development Manager at the Jane Addams Hull
House Association in Chicago, IL, where she focuses on direct mail, web site
development and event planning. Previously, Nina worked in development at the
Peace Action national office. She lived in Costa Rica for a year where she
volunteered at PRETOMA (Programa Restauracion de Tortugas Marinas), a
marine conservation organization, assisting with the launch of an online giving
program. She currently lives with her husband in Chicago, where she grew up.
Nina received a BA in English with a topical study in Women's Studies from the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Nicole Penick, currently enrolled in the Earth Literacy masters
program at St. Mary of the Woods College in Indiana, works with the White Violet
Center for Eco Justice as the bio dynamic garden intern. Nicole graduated from the
AmeriCorps Public Allies program in Milwaukee WI in 2001. She was a founding board
member of the Peace Learning Center in Milwaukee WI, which teaches conflict
resolution skills to fourth, fifth and sixth graders. A graduate of Alverno College
in Milwaukee with a BA in Community Leadership and Development and a minor in
the Humanities, Nicole received the Outstanding Citizenship Award for her anti-war
efforts including the "Rice for Peace" campaign and get out the vote efforts in
2003 and 2004. Nicole's diverse organizing experience includes an internship with
Peace Action WI in 2003, student organizing on several campuses, election
protection work and voter education. She is also a board member for Pompanuck
Farm Institute in Cambridge NY which serves youth, families and individuals
interested in learning life ways for a sustainable and healthy world.
Amy Quinn joined the Peace Action Education Fund as the first SPAN
organizer in 1996-1997. She went on to work with the Institute for Policy
Studies from 1999-2005 in Washington, DC where she conducted research and
organizing on U.S. national security policy and the human rights impacts of the
U.S. "War on Terror." Amy co-authored reports assessing the Iraq War's effects on
civilians, human rights and economic development and was a founding steering
committee member for United for Peace and Justice. She also worked as a
community organizing trainer with the Alliance for Justice and as an organizer
with the Kenya Human Rights Commission in Nairobi. Amy completed a masters degree
in International Affairs at Columbia University in 2007. After graduating Amy
decided to focus on her other passion -yoga - and founded Bend & Bloom Yoga studio
in Brooklyn, NY.
Mazin Qumsiyeh, Ph.D., was born to
a Palestinian Christian family in the Shepherds' Field and splits
his time between the USA and Palestine. He served on the faculty
of both Duke and Yale Universities (six and five years respectively).
He served on the Board/Steering/Executive Committees of a number
of groups including the US Campaign to End the Occupation, the
Palestinian American Congress, Association for One Democratic
State in Israel/Palestine, AcademicsForJustice.org, and BoycottIsraeliGoods.org
He advised many other groups includingSommerville Divestment
Project, Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project,Palestine Freedom
Project, Sabeel North America, and National Council of Churches
of Christ USA. He is a member of a number of human rights groups
(Amnesty, Peace action, Human Rights Watch, ACLU etc.). His
third and latest book is titled 'Sharing the Land of Canaan:
human rights and the Israeli/Palestinian Struggle'. He also
has an activism book published electronically on his web site,
http://qumsiyeh.org.
His main interest is media activism and public education. He
published over 200 letters to the editor and 100 op-ed pieces
and interviewed in TV and radio extensively (local, national
and international). He won the Jallow activism award from the
Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee in 1998. Appearances
in national media included the Washington Post, New York Times,
Boston Globe, CNBC,C-Span, and ABC, among others. He also regularly
lectures on issues of human rights and international law.
Carlottia Scott, Secretary, has long been
a drum major for justice and peace. She has over thirty-five
years of electoral and political experience and is a recognized
strategist, as well as international affairs and public policy
advocate. Carlottia served for many years as chief of staff
to Congressman Ronald V. Dellums and then to Congresswoman Barbara
Lee. After retiring from Capitol Hill, Carlottia served as Chief
of Politics for the Democratic National Committee (DNC). She
also served as an adjunct to the Department of Political Science
and practicum advisor to the School of Social Work at Howard
University. Currently Carlottia is a member of several boards
including the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
and The Twenty-First Century Foundation. Carlottia has been
an advisor to The Global Fund for Women, the Smithsonian Institution,
the Mandela Freedom Fund, U.S. Cuba Medical Project, and Medical
Aid for El Salvador. Currently she advises the Women’s
Information Network (WIN), the Women’s Campaign Research
Fund, the U. S. Nicaragua Friendship Society, the National Democratic
Institute (NDI), and the International Foundation on Election
Systems (IFES). Carlottia co-founded the African American Women’s
Fund, a philanthropic endeavor to support women’s educational
and capacity development. She is the mother of three adults
and “Mima” to four grandsons and one granddaughter.
Greg Speeter, founder and former
executive director of the
National Priorities Project (NPP)
has just created a major new education and networking component
at NPP to help grassroots groups and national organizations
use NPP information to strengthen social justice work. Speeter
began NPP in 1982 as a way for community groups and ordinary
people to understand and change federal policies to better
address community needs. He has written and spoken about many
critical federal budget policies: education, housing, tax
policies, national security and poverty. He is best known
for developing easy-to-understand reports that graphically
illustrate the local impacts of federal tax and spending policies,
including how much the war costs US cities. Speeter has been
a commentator on CNN, PBS and other national and regional
media and blogs. He began his work in the anti-poverty movement
of the 1960s as a community organizer. He has also written
training books on how to organize and how to change government
policies from the ground up.
Glen Stassen is Lewis B. Smedes Professor
of Christian Ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena,
California. His areas of expertise include social justice and
Christian ethics; he has published extensively in his field
and is the author of Just Peacemaking. During his many years
on the national board of Peace Action, first as a state representative
from Kentucky and now as an at-large member, Glen has chaired
the Strategy Committee and held other leadership positions.
During the past year, he co-edited Peace Action: Past, Present,
Future with Larry Wittner. He holds degrees from the University
of Virginia, Union Theological Seminary, and Duke University.
Fran Teplitz, PAEF Vice Chair, Director of
the Socially Responsible Investing Division of Co-op America,
a nonprofit membership organization that involves consumers,
businesses and investors in economic strategies to advance positive
social and environmental change. Fran’s work includes
program development in such areas as community investment, shareholder
action, and special projects for a more sustainable economy.
Before joining Co-op America, Fran served on the staff of Peace
Action and the Peace Action Education Fund from 1993-2000. During
the 1980s, Fran worked on U.S. policy toward Central America.
Fran holds a Master’s Degree from the Institute for International
Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame and earned her
undergraduate degree in political science from Washington University
in St. Louis.
Bill Towe, PAEF Treasurer, has been involved
in the peace and justice movement for nearly forty years. He
helped organize the Virginia Students Civil Rights Committee
(VSCRC) which worked in Southside, Virginia in 1965-66. A few
years later he started working with the N.C. Voter Education
Project (VEP), affiliated with the Southern Regional Council.
Bill served as Research Director and traveled throughout the
south developing citizenship educational materials. While at
the VEP, he wrote The Power of the Ballot, a handbook for the
National Urban League, and Barriers to Black Political Participation
In North Carolina. The N.C. CLU used this report as the basis
for successful litigation which resulted in several state election
laws being declared unconstitutional. From 1973-76, Bill served
as Senior Planner for the Soul City Foundation. He then worked
with the UDI Community Development Corporation before joining
the Office of Economic Opportunity, a state government anti-poverty
agency. While there he wrote The Changing Face of Poverty, a
report which highlighted the feminization of poverty. From 1985
- 1996, Bill worked a non-profit housing development corporation
established by the Durham Public Housing Authority. Throughout
his career Bill has been involved in the peace movement, primarily
with Peace Action. For a number of years he served as Chair
of NC Peace Action and on the National Board of Directors of
Peace Action. In 1999 Bill was elected Co-Chair of Peace Action,
completing his term in 2002. Bill "retired" in 1998
which has allowed him to work full-time with peace and justice
organizations. Bill now serves as the Coordinator for NC Peace
Action.
Barbara Wien is a sought-after speaker and
peace educator serving on the Boards of several non-profits.
The author of
Peace and World Order Studies, a pioneering
curriculum guide for university-level peace studies, she has completed
graduate work in Comparative World History and Economics at CUNY,
holds a degree in International Relations
from American University and a teaching certificate in peace
education from Teachers College Columbia, has taught at Georgetown,
Columbia, and Catholic University, and has helped create over
200 university-level Peace Studies programs. She has served as
chief fundraiser for the National Whistleblower Center,
Director of the Real Security Education Project of
the Institute for Policy Studies, conflict resolution
trainer for the U.S. Institute for Peace (where she
was famously forced out for daring to question the wisdom of
U.S. military retaliation after 9/11) and, most recently,
Director of the U.S Office of Peace Brigades International.
She has also worked with award-winning playwright Eve Ensler
to award royalties from The Vagina Monologues to grassroots
women’s coalitions in 15 countries, and has organized
celebrity delegations to Third World countries to draw attention
to honor killings, bride burnings, and other extreme women’s
issues.
David Hart is a mediator, conflict resolution
specialist, and peace activist. In January 2008, he joined the
staff of the 
Michael Keller, Chair, is director of policy
analysis and research for the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
He served in a number of capacities while a member of the board
of directors of Peace Action from 1989 to 2007, including as
secretary, chair of the Membership and Affiliation Committee,
and a member of the Operations Committee and the PAC. He also
served as coordinator of Anne Arundel (MD) Peace Action from
1985 to 2007. He has been chair of the Annapolis Human Relations
Commission since 2000. He also served on the board of directors
of the Anne Arundel Conflict Resolution Center. He holds degrees
in journalism from Ohio University and in political science
from Miami University.
Nicole Penick, currently enrolled in the Earth Literacy masters
program at St. Mary of the Woods College in Indiana, works with the White Violet
Center for Eco Justice as the bio dynamic garden intern. Nicole graduated from the
AmeriCorps Public Allies program in Milwaukee WI in 2001. She was a founding board
member of the Peace Learning Center in Milwaukee WI, which teaches conflict
resolution skills to fourth, fifth and sixth graders. A graduate of Alverno College
in Milwaukee with a BA in Community Leadership and Development and a minor in
the Humanities, Nicole received the Outstanding Citizenship Award for her anti-war
efforts including the "Rice for Peace" campaign and get out the vote efforts in
2003 and 2004. Nicole's diverse organizing experience includes an internship with
Peace Action WI in 2003, student organizing on several campuses, election
protection work and voter education. She is also a board member for Pompanuck
Farm Institute in Cambridge NY which serves youth, families and individuals
interested in learning life ways for a sustainable and healthy world.
Amy Quinn joined the Peace Action Education Fund as the first SPAN
organizer in 1996-1997. She went on to work with the Institute for Policy
Studies from 1999-2005 in Washington, DC where she conducted research and
organizing on U.S. national security policy and the human rights impacts of the
U.S. "War on Terror." Amy co-authored reports assessing the Iraq War's effects on
civilians, human rights and economic development and was a founding steering
committee member for United for Peace and Justice. She also worked as a
community organizing trainer with the Alliance for Justice and as an organizer
with the Kenya Human Rights Commission in Nairobi. Amy completed a masters degree
in International Affairs at Columbia University in 2007. After graduating Amy
decided to focus on her other passion -yoga - and founded Bend & Bloom Yoga studio
in Brooklyn, NY.
Mazin Qumsiyeh, Ph.D., was born to
a Palestinian Christian family in the Shepherds' Field and splits
his time between the USA and Palestine. He served on the faculty
of both Duke and Yale Universities (six and five years respectively).
He served on the Board/Steering/Executive Committees of a number
of groups including the US Campaign to End the Occupation, the
Palestinian American Congress, Association for One Democratic
State in Israel/Palestine, AcademicsForJustice.org, and BoycottIsraeliGoods.org
He advised many other groups includingSommerville Divestment
Project, Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project,Palestine Freedom
Project, Sabeel North America, and National Council of Churches
of Christ USA. He is a member of a number of human rights groups
(Amnesty, Peace action, Human Rights Watch, ACLU etc.). His
third and latest book is titled 'Sharing the Land of Canaan:
human rights and the Israeli/Palestinian Struggle'. He also
has an activism book published electronically on his web site,
Carlottia Scott, Secretary, has long been
a drum major for justice and peace. She has over thirty-five
years of electoral and political experience and is a recognized
strategist, as well as international affairs and public policy
advocate. Carlottia served for many years as chief of staff
to Congressman Ronald V. Dellums and then to Congresswoman Barbara
Lee. After retiring from Capitol Hill, Carlottia served as Chief
of Politics for the Democratic National Committee (DNC). She
also served as an adjunct to the Department of Political Science
and practicum advisor to the School of Social Work at Howard
University. Currently Carlottia is a member of several boards
including the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
and The Twenty-First Century Foundation. Carlottia has been
an advisor to The Global Fund for Women, the Smithsonian Institution,
the Mandela Freedom Fund, U.S. Cuba Medical Project, and Medical
Aid for El Salvador. Currently she advises the Women’s
Information Network (WIN), the Women’s Campaign Research
Fund, the U. S. Nicaragua Friendship Society, the National Democratic
Institute (NDI), and the International Foundation on Election
Systems (IFES). Carlottia co-founded the African American Women’s
Fund, a philanthropic endeavor to support women’s educational
and capacity development. She is the mother of three adults
and “Mima” to four grandsons and one granddaughter.
Greg Speeter, founder and former
executive director of the 
Glen Stassen is Lewis B. Smedes Professor
of Christian Ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena,
California. His areas of expertise include social justice and
Christian ethics; he has published extensively in his field
and is the author of Just Peacemaking. During his many years
on the national board of Peace Action, first as a state representative
from Kentucky and now as an at-large member, Glen has chaired
the Strategy Committee and held other leadership positions.
During the past year, he co-edited Peace Action: Past, Present,
Future with Larry Wittner. He holds degrees from the University
of Virginia, Union Theological Seminary, and Duke University.
Fran Teplitz, PAEF Vice Chair, Director of
the Socially Responsible Investing Division of Co-op America,
a nonprofit membership organization that involves consumers,
businesses and investors in economic strategies to advance positive
social and environmental change. Fran’s work includes
program development in such areas as community investment, shareholder
action, and special projects for a more sustainable economy.
Before joining Co-op America, Fran served on the staff of Peace
Action and the Peace Action Education Fund from 1993-2000. During
the 1980s, Fran worked on U.S. policy toward Central America.
Fran holds a Master’s Degree from the Institute for International
Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame and earned her
undergraduate degree in political science from Washington University
in St. Louis.
Barbara Wien is a sought-after speaker and
peace educator serving on the Boards of several non-profits.
The author of
