Staff
Zion Stokes, Youth Peacemaker & Office Aide (he/him)
Please note: We are onboarding new employees. New staff members or new bios will be added over the coming months. Some staff who are community members wish not to include biographies, and we honor their request.
Cleis Abeni (tree turtle), Executive Director (she/her)
Sharon Williams, Senior Program Specialist & Parent Peacemaker (she/her)
Margaret Galloway, Program Specialist & Elder Peacemaker (she/her)
Ronald Stringer, Program Specialist & Parent Peacemaker (he/him)
Magic Eddie (Edward Kurland), Magician in Residence (he/him)
Julius Thomas, Office Aide & Parent Peacemaker (he/him)
Jorge Santos, Visual Arts for Healing Educator (he/him)
Torrie Scurry, Safety Specialist for Transportation/Security (she/her)
Empress Lolita Thomas, Safety Specialist for Transportation/Security (she/her)
Elder Peacemakers
The Parent Peacemakers are a group of leading, grassroots mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and grandfathers who work in East Baltimore as trained Community Health Workers (CHWs) that we call neighborhood peacemakers. They receive monthly stipends for creating and implementing policies and practices for peacemaking and wellness in their community. Their grassroots abolitionist community-organizing and leadership is responsible for many milestones that have reduced violence, provided alternatives to mass incarceration, and uplifted wellness in East Baltimore. Some of these peacemakers appear in videos on the impact page of our website. Given the extremely sensitive nature of anti-violence programming (and to protect people who have been impacted by the criminal justice system), we protect their identities according to HIPAA, FERPA, and MPIPA law. Individuals depicted here agreed to the release of this image.
Youth Peacemakers
The Youth Peacemakers are a group of grassroots youth leaders between the ages of 14 and 24 who work to uplift nonviolence and peacemaking, receiving stipends for their works trained junior Community Health Workers (CHWs) that we call neighborhood peacemakers. Some of these youth appear in videos on the impact page of our website. Because many have juvenile records or have been impacted by the criminal justice system, their identities are protected under HIPAA, FERPA, and MPIPA law. The youth featured here gave us permission to share themselves on our website. Youth Peacemakers receive pre-career/pre-college mentoring as well as ongoing training in conflict resolution, restorative justice practices, de-escalation, Social and Emotional Learning, and peer/community counseling. They spread the good news of peacemaking within their homes, schools, and neighborhoods within targeted campaigns in safe, collegial, and impactful ways.