Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury has devoted many years as an inspirational champion for sustainable peace and development and ardently advancing the cause of the global movement for the culture of peace that has energized civil society all over the world.

As a career diplomat, Permanent Representative to United Nations, President of the UN Security Council, President of UNICEF Board, UN Under-Secretary-General, and recipient of the U Thant Peace Award, UNESCO Gandhi Gold Medal for Culture of Peace, Spirit of the UN Award, University of Massachusetts Boston Chancellor’s Medal for Global Leadership for Peace and 2018 Global Women’s Peace Award, Ambassador Chowdhury has a wealth of experience in the critical issues of our time – peace, sustainable development, and human rights.

Ambassador Chowdhury’s legacy and leadership in advancing the best interest of the global community are boldly imprinted in his pioneering initiatives at the United Nations General Assembly in 1999 for adoption of the landmark Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace and in 1998 for the proclamation of the “International Decade for Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World (2001-2010)” as well as at the UN Security Council as its President for the conceptual breakthrough leading to the groundbreaking UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women and peace and security.

He served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York from 1996 to 2001 and as the Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations, responsible for the most vulnerable countries of the world from 2002 to 2007.

He received Honorary Doctorates from Soka University of Japan in 2003 and from Saint Peter’s University, USA,in 2012. He is the Founder of New York-based NGO coalition the Global Movement for The Culture of Peace (GMCoP).   - Toward Building the Culture of Peace: 8 Action Areas 

Jeff began his career in public service as an intern with Oregon’s former Senator Mark Hatfield.

After working in Washington D.C. in both the Pentagon and at the Congressional Budget Office, Jeff came back to Oregon to work with families to build homes as the head of Portland’s Habitat for Humanity. 

He later was the President of the Oregon World Affairs Council and was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1998.  In 2007, he became Speaker of the Oregon House and held that post until his election to the U.S. Senate.  In 2009, he was sworn into the same senate seat once held by Mark Hatfield. 

In the 10 years he’s been in office, Jeff has been relentlessly focused on getting our nation back on track and making our country work for ‘We the People’ once more. Making the ‘American Dream’ a reality for others is what got Jeff involved in public life and is what keeps him fighting for America’s working families.

David W. Yang is the vice president for Applied Conflict Transformation (ACT) at the United States Institute of Peace.  He leads the ACT Center, which houses the Institute’s thematic practices and Academy.  For three decades he has worked to bridge theory and practice at the intersection of peacebuilding, human rights and poverty reduction.

From 2010 to 2017, Dr. Yang served in USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, first as the director of the Center on Democracy, Human Rights and Governance (DRG) and later as the deputy assistant administrator in charge of DRG and peacebuilding.  During that period, he co-chaired the Governance Network of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee, collaborated with the OECD’s International Network on Conflict and Fragility as well as the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding, and mobilized international support for the UN’s historic Sustainable Development Goal 16 on peace, justice and inclusion.

In addition, Dr. Yang has served at UNDP as a senior advisor on peacebuilding and democratic governance; and at the State Department as a presidential management fellow on refugee affairs, a speech writer for the Secretary, and the senior coordinator for democracy promotion.  In the NGO sphere, he has served as the executive director of PartnersGlobal; and as a research fellow at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Center for the Prevention of Genocide, where he analyzed atrocity prevention in fragile states.  In supporting arts for peace, he has co-directed a puppet troupe of refugee children and directed cross-cultural theater productions.

Dr. Yang received a B.A. in Politics from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in International Relations at the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University.  His doctoral research evaluated the contributions of social-contract theory to peacebuilding.

Dr. Saul Arbess is the Director of the Canadian Peace Initiative (CPI) and was the Co-founder and Chairman of the Global Alliance for Ministries and Departments of Peace (2005-2011) representing 55 country representatives with 3 countries and one autonomous region having Ministries of Peace. Working in concert with other countries to form departments of peace in all nations, there are chapters and representatives across Canada. 

The Canadian Peace Initiative was the primary civil society advocate for the newly created position in Canada of the Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security, an important step on the way to a full department of peace. The intention is creating a new architecture of peace in the world and being devoted to building a culture of peace in Canada and abroad in which restorative justice practices are at its heart.

Dr. Arbess is working in his hometown, Victoria, to become a city of peace and non-violence and protecting the wildlands surrounding his city in the Capital Regional District. Saul is also the Co-founder of Restorative Justice Victoria and a Recipient of the Sri Chinmoy Torch Bearer Peace Award.

Mayor Stromberg worked in the private sector for over 20 years as an organization and management consultant. His major emphases were on enabling groups to work together more effectively, facilitating organizational change, and training workers to do highly complex jobs.

He has a PhD in Business Administration and a Masters in Statistics from UC, Berkeley, and has a Bachelors degree in Physics from Caltech. He was recruited by the Economics Dept. of the RAND Corporation, where he did his dissertation on the “Internal Mechanisms of the Defense Budget Process”.

A native Californian, he and his wife, Jane, have lived in Oregon for 30 years. Prior to moving to Ashland in 2000, they spent 14 years in Eugene. While there John received the Heart of the Arts award for his work in creating a public-private partnership to save the City of Eugene's public art gallery. He was subsequently appointed to the City's Commission on the Future of the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, which he co-chaired.

His goals for our City include broadening Ashland's appeal to visitors, to be not only a beautiful and enjoyable place to come for world class theater but also as a renowned center for sustainability and education with its own university.

He’s also focusing on ensuring the long-term security of Ashland's water supply, managing wild fire risks, promoting self-sufficiency and preparedness, developing innovative approaches to housing and shelter, furthering diversity and inclusion, and enabling the entire community to become more resilient in the face of continual and unexpected change..The foundation for all of which is person-to-person relationships of integrity, honesty and trust

Mr. Stromberg was first elected Mayor in November 2008, was re-elected in November 2016.

An internationally known artist, author, and speaker, Irene Kai was born and raised in Hong Kong. At age 15, she came to New York City Chinatown with her American born mother. She received her BFA from the School of Visual Arts in NYC and MFA from the Royal College of Art in London and was an Instructor of Design at Penn State University. She currently teaches Design and Painting at the Rogue Community College in Southern Oregon. Irene posed for George Segal and her images are now in the Whitney Museum and the San Diego Museum of Art. Her work has been shown in galleries in London, New York, Los Angeles and southern Oregon. Irene was also a West Coast Regional Karate Champion at age 50. She traveled extensively to China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Morocco, Yemen, Egypt, Italy, England, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and Mexico.

Irene served as president of the Southern Oregon China Connection and coordinated the Oregon Legislative and Business Delegation for Trade Mission to China. She also is a longtime supporter of peace initiatives. Irene designed the logo for the Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI), a United Nations Peace Messenger Organization, and her inspiring Peace Dove image hangs in the United Nations building in New York City. The logo and CPI website are used around the world and highlighted annually on the International Day of Peace in September. Irene co-founded the leading edge Ashland Culture of Peace Commission and is actively engaged in the commission’s local-global activities. She also leads the initiative to bring the World Peace Flame Monument to Southern Oregon in September 2018.

Irene’s two published books - The Golden Mountain: Beyond the American Dream and What Do You See? have been chosen for course studies in major universities and have won Independent Publisher Awards for Best book of the year, for Multicultural Non-fiction, and Freedom Fighter Award for promoting free speech, racial and religious tolerance.

Former Flame Keeper for Ashland Culture of Peace Commission at Ashland Middle School and current Ashland High School student.

Jeff Golden attended Harvard University as a National Scholar during the height of the Vietnam War and decided to swap the Ivy Halls for 20 acres in the backwoods of Oregon and a used chainsaw. He chronicled that journey in the book Watermelon Summer (Lippincott & Co, 1971). After a decade building homes, guiding whitewater river trips, and working in the forests of the Cascade Mountains, Jeff dropped back in to earn a Masters in Communications degree from Stanford University.

He has spent the last 35 years in politics, broadcasting and editorial journalism and organizational consulting. His political career includes service as a Jackson County Commissioner, Chief of Staff to the Oregon Senate President, and Environmental Policy aide to the City of Portland. During those years he wrote Forest Blood (Wellstone Books, 1998), the pre-eminent novel of the Northwest timber wars. His stand for responsible forest practices made him the target of an unsuccessful recall campaign financed by national timber corporations, and earned him the first nomination ever from the state of Oregon for the JFK Profile in Courage Award, which partly sparked his newest book, UNAFRAID: A Novel of the Possible.   He hosted The Jefferson Exchange, a popular daily NPR talk-show on a network of northwest stations, and created the public television series Immense Possibilities, now airing on some 25 PBS stations around the country. In November 2018, he was elected to the Oregon State Senate.

Representative Pam Marsh (Democrat) was elected to House District 5 in southern Oregon in November 2016 after four years as a member of the Ashland City Council.

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Prior to joining the council, Pam was a member and chair of the city Planning Commission and a member of the Ashland Charter Review Committee. 

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From 2006-2012 Pam worked as Deputy Director of a local nonprofit providing drug and alcohol prevention and treatment.  She served as Executive Director of Ashland Emergency Food Bank from 2012 until December 2016. 

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Pam has lived in Southern Oregon since 1994, when she and her husband, Diarmuid McGuire, moved their four children from Palo Alto, California, to the mountains above Ashland.  In Palo Alto, Pam worked for a state legislator, managed a cities association, and served in a variety of governmental and nonprofit volunteer positions. 

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For a decade Pam was actively involved in management and operation of Green Springs Inn and Cabins. Her family continues to own the business, now managed by her husband and son.

Pam ran for the Legislature because she knows from firsthand experience that government matters.   Thoughtful, targeted and leveraged policies are necessary to protect our most vulnerable residents, lift our families, and assist residents as they create healthy, self-sustaining communities.  

Sheila Clough joined Asante Ashland Community Hospital as CEO on September 4, 2013.

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Ms. Clough previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer for Howard Young Health Care in Woodruff, WI. She held a number of progressive leadership roles after joining Howard Young Health Care in 1998 including Assistant Vice President of Ancillary Services; Director of Laboratory and Pharmaceutical Services' and Director of Laboratory Services. She also held management positions in health organizations in Minnesota prior to joining Howard Young Health Care.

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Ms. Clough earned a Masters of Business Administration for Healthcare Executives from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wi and holds a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology from the University of Minnesota.

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Ms. Clough is Board Certified and holds Fellow status with the American College of Healthcare Executives and is actively involved with various civid and professional organizations. In 2017, she was appointed by Oregon Governor Kate Brown to serve on the Southern Oregon University (SOU) Board of Trustees. Currently, she chairs SOU's Board Finance and Administration Committee.

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She is married with two children and enjoys traveling with her family. Her family lives in Ashland and truly appreciates all Ashland and the surrounding area has to offer.

Steven Saslow is a long time media executive and entrepreneur with deep skills in revenue creation and next generation operational tactics.  His depth of experience includes pioneering efforts for NBC,Westinghouse,  SJS/SFX Entertainment , Verance and RoseBud Media. Mr. Saslow also created the first interactive music service, 1-800-Music Now for MCI telecommunications.

Linda Schott hails from the Hill Country of Texas. She received her bachelor’s degree in history and German from Baylor University, and her master’s degree in history and Ph.D. in history and humanities, both from Stanford University. She taught at three Texas universities and held administrative positions in Michigan and Colorado before taking her first presidential post in 2012 at University of Maine at Presque Isle.

Now completing her third year as president of Southern Oregon University, Dr. Schott has led the university through a comprehensive, year-long strategic planning process that has positioned SOU as “Oregon’s university for the future.” The institution is focused on preparing its students for the opportunities and uncertainties that lie ahead, and providing them the tools they will need to lead successful lives of purpose.

Dee Anne Everson is the CEO/Executive Director of United Way of Jackson County, having been appointed in 1997.  Under her leadership, United Way launched the Day of Caring, WiLL (Women Living Leadership), the Meth Task Force, CAN (Child Abuse Network), the BIG IDEA, a project focused on 100 percent high school completion for the Class of 2020,  Shatter the Silence suicide prevention campaign and now In This Together, Southern Oregon suicide prevention campaign.

She is past president of the Association of United Ways of Oregon and is a graduate of Stanford University’s Nonprofit Leaders Program.  Dee Anne serves on Oregon Community Foundation’s Southern Oregon Leadership Council, Oregon Shakespeare Festival Board of Directors, United Ways of the Pacific Northwest Board of Directors, Jackson County Juvenile Justice Committee, Jackson County Threat Assessment Committee as well as numerous other committees and boards.

Dee Anne spent 13 years in the corporate financial sector.  Making the switch to nonprofits, she became the economist at the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce in 1990.  Since joining United Way, she has been recognized by Oregon Business Magazine as one of Oregon’s 50 great leaders and by the American Red Cross as a Community Hero.  She was awarded the Citizen Peacemaker Imagine Award. In 2016, Everson received the Nonprofit Outstanding Corporate Citizen Award from the Medford/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce.  She regularly lectures on leadership and the nonprofit sector.

A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Dee Anne grew up in Arizona and relocated to the northwest in 1990.  She began volunteering in the 7th grade and it’s been a passion since.  She lives in Ashland, Oregon.

Police Chief Tighe O’Meara grew up in Detroit Michigan where he attended both the Detroit Waldorf School and Detroit Public Schools. Chief O’Meara graduated from Hillsdale College with a BA in Psychology and went on later to obtain a Master’s Degree in Management from Southern Oregon University.

Chief O’Meara worked for several smaller agencies in Hillsdale County before returning to Detroit to join the Wayne State University Police Department.  He worked for the WSU Police for 13 years, serving as a field training officer and instructing in several areas of law enforcement. He was promoted to Sergeant, then Lieutenant, before leaving the WSU police department to join the Ashland Police Department in January of 2010. Since joining the Ashland Police Department, Chief O’Meara has served as a Patrol Sergeant, Detective Sergeant and as the Deputy Chief over both the operations and support divisions of the department. He has attended several advanced police schools including the International Association of Chiefs of Police Leadership in Police Organizations School, the Oregon Executive Development Institute’s leadership school, and most recently the Senior Management Institute for Police held at Boston University.

Chief O’Meara believes strongly in community engagement, and looks forward to continuing to build on the good relationships that the police department has with the community.

What is needed for a culture of peace?

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I think this starts with understanding and open, honest and intelligent communication and self examination. I don’t know that a true and absolute culture of peace is an attainable goal (right now). That is, it might be one representation of perfection, which is great to try to attain, but is ultimately unattainable. But I believe that if we strive for it as though it were, we will create a much better community, a more peaceful and understanding community. This is coming from the perspective of a police officer, from the perspective of a person who is mandated to use reasonable and lawful physical force (which could be interpreted as violence) at times to help facilitate a greater peace.

Rich Rosenthal has served on the Ashland City Council since January 2013 after 10 years on the Parks and Recreation Commission.

Rosenthal served as the chair of the Climate and Energy Action Plan Ad-Hoc Committee that helped develop Ashland's ambitious climate recovery plan.  He is the Council Liaison to the Historic Commission and the Rogue Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Committee. 

As a three-term Ashland Parks and Recreation Commissioner from 2002-12, he spearheaded progressive causes that made Ashland a better and environmentally safer place, including the popular community gardening program and the elimination of pesticide use in select neighborhood parks. He also initiated successful motions to ban smoking in all city parks and to allow leashed dogs in neighborhood parks for the first time in decades.

Rosenthal is employed by the City of Medford Parks, Recreation and Facilities Management Department where he has administered unprecedented expansion of community recreation programs and services. He was named the department's director in September 2016 after 10 years of progressively responsible roles. Rosenthal's management skills have helped produce consecutive years of record-setting recreation participation and revenue totals.  His background includes facility management for U.S. Cellular Community Park (the largest synthetic-grass sports park in the U.S.) and the Santo community Center Complex.

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Prior to his arrival at SOU in 1994, he served as an intern in the U.S. Senate for longtime Wyoming senator Alan K. Simpson.

Sandra has been the Executive Director of the Ashland Chamber of Commerce since 1985 and has created innovative projects that have been used as models for other cities looking to develop tourism programs, business development projects and cooperative community relationships.  She regularly consults with other communities and has been a speaker at state and regional conferences on business development, tourism marketing and research.  She has internationally given presentations in Mexico and Canada.  Sandra began at the Chamber in 1979 having graduated with a Business Administration and Marketing Degree from California State University Long Beach. 

Sandra has been honored as the Oregon Chamber Executive of the Year, and by Soroptimist International of Ashland for their Women of Distinction Award.  She was a founding member of the Southern Oregon Visitors Association and served twice as its President.  She has and continues to serve on numerous local, regional and state boards of directors and associations and is Past President of the Southern Oregon Historical Society, Past President of the SOU Regional Advisory Board and Past President of the SOU President’s Advisory Council and has served on the SOU Foundation.  She is Past President of the Ashland Community Hospital Foundation and received the Outstanding Board Service Award for 2012 and the 2014 Distinguished Service Award for outstanding leadership. She was elected and now serves a second term on the Asante Governing Board of Directors.

The relationships the Chamber has with the City of Ashland, Ashland Fire & Rescue, Southern Oregon University, Asante Ashland Community Hospital, the Ashland School District as well as local, regional, state and federal collaboration that has expanded the reach and success of all the programs of the Chamber and businesses. Sandra states “We are all in this together – tackling our problems to find creative, sustainable solutions that benefit our community and society is what drives us and creates success”.

Superintendent Kelly Raymond began her tenure with the Ashland Public Schools on July 1,

2017. Ms. Raymond’s prior position was as Executive Director of Instructional Leadership for

the Highline Public Schools in Burien, Washington, where she supervised and supported

secondary principals. She assumed that position after successfully closing the achievement

gap as principal of the Highline Technology, Engineering and Communications High School.

During her tenure there, Ms. Raymond raised reading/writing and math scores along with

graduation rates.

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Ms. Raymond’s previous positions in Washington included four years as Director of High

Schools and Professional and Organizational Development in the Tacoma Public Schools. She

served as a teacher, department chair and assistant principal in the Clover Park School District

in Lakewood, WA.

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Raised in Australia, Ms. Raymond began her career as a science teacher and coach in Sydney.

She taught for eleven years in secondary schools in Australia and Japan before moving to

Washington state. She is a graduate of the Australian Catholic University and earned a Master’s

Degree in Curriculum and Administration from Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. She

also holds a Principal Certificate from the University of Puget Sound, as well as a

Superintendent Certificate from Western Washington University.

David Zaslow came to Ashland in 1970 and received his master’s degree in what was then called Southern Oregon College. As a graduate student he helped create an innovative model for learning at the college called Living Learning. Upon graduation he became Jackson County’s first full time poet-in-the-schools, helping to design cutting edge curriculum for all our public schools, grades K-12.

In 1977 he and his friend Steve Sacks opened up a world class jazz club, and produced the first non-classical concerts at with Dave Brubeck and Count Basie at Britt - two events that would soon evolve into the Britt Music Festivals.

After receiving his rabbinical ordination he has been the spiritual leader of the Havurah Synagogue since 1996. His focus has always been on interfaith work and cultivating a culture of peace between the different spiritual paths that southern Oregon is so blessed to host.  With the recent upswing in racism and anti-Semitism in our nation Rabbi David feels this kind of work is vitally important.

He is the author of several books of poetry, and two interfaith books, Reimagining Exodus and Jesus: First-Century Rabbi.

Amrita Ramanan is the Director of Literary Development and Dramaturgy at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where her production dramaturgy credits include Henry IV Parts 1 and 2,Henry V, Oklahoma!, Snow in Midsummer, As You Like It, Cambodian Rock Band, Macbeth, and Alice in Wonderland. She is the Producer of OSF’s Black Swan Lab for New Play Development. Previous to her tenure at OSF, Amrita was the Associate Producer and Resident Dramaturg for Double Edge Theater in Ashfield, MA, and Artistic Associate and Literary Manager for Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.  She has received numerous accolades for her work in “living culture” for community engagement, collaborative exchange and cross-sector partnerships that foster equity, diversity and inclusion. Amrita serves as Board member for the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas and the Network of Ensemble Theaters. She received a B.F.A. in Dramaturgy and Theater History from the University of Arizona. 

Christopher Harding's professional pursuits have spanned forty years and taken him to multiple continents. He has served as a business leader, entrepreneur, and global leadership consultant with a singular focus—to bring the power of love and healing to the world.

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Whether producing films, music, or television, leading an international multi-media company, or consulting with Fortune 100 companies on leadership, Chris’ aim has always been to help those he works with find productive solutions that lead to a thriving environment for all involved.

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Chris has written numerous books, including Thriving in Business and Life, which he co-wrote with his colleague and friend, Will Wilkinson. He is co-founder of the Thriving Leadership Academy and serves there as a Senior Consultant.

Will Wilkinson was born asking questions about our meaning and purpose as human beings. He has authored or contributed to 29 non-fiction books, produced hundreds of television interviews on human potential, developed and delivered inspirational courses in seven countries, and provided professional mentoring for business leaders, teenagers, and non-profit organizations.

Will co-authored Thriving in Business and Life in 2016 and co-founded the Thriving Leadership Academy in 2018 with his business partner Christopher. They recently refined their communication skills, honed over 30 years of leadership training, into a three-part learning system that improves our ability to rapidly integrate new information and act effectively on humanitarian initiatives.

As a life-long optimist/realist, Will remains convinced that we humans are ingenious enough to invent what’s required to survive and thrive together… just in the nick of time. Often that innovative genius emerges spontaneously from participants during the events and panels he moderates, catalyzing vivid, real-time, break-through realizations about the unique ways that every single one of us can effectively contribute to a livable future for our grandchildren.

Will Wilkinson, Senior Consultant

http://www.luminarycommunications.org/

https://www.thrivinginbusinessandlife.com/

David has held the vision and values of personal and societal growth to our highest and best. Wick’s work with young people began in Santa Cruz, CA. In 1974, after counseling troubled youth for three years in the Santa Cruz Juvenile Hall, David was inspired to assist young people, their families and the community to create an alternative path to the Juvenile Justice System. David founded Youth Services in Santa Cruz and Watsonville, with a staff of eight, an eager group of volunteers, and with a budget of only $17,000. It is still going strong today as an essential multi-million dollar organization. Based on the dynamic early years of Youth Services he authored a chapter in the recently published book, “The Origins of Neuro Linguistic Programming.”

In 1983 David helped launch the United Nations NGO, Pathways To Peace (PTP) which had assisted the adoption of the UN’s International Day of Peace in 1981. David has been a leader in organizing the celebration of the International Day of Peace since 1984 and he currently serves as a PTP Director. While working at Stanford University, in 1985 he founded the ten year-long PTP Peace Within Organizations program and in 1995 co-founded the visionary project Peace Building Through Business which led to being a leading member of a five year international think tank on the future role of business in the 21st Century. David is currently the Team Leader of the global Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI), a UN-designated "Peace Messenger Initiative", of which Pathways To Peace serves as the Secretariat. Building upon his knowledge and experience, David currently serves as the Executive Director of the Ashland Culture of Peace Commission (ACPC), engaging the Ashland community in new ways of thinking and behavior, and developing a model other cities may benefit from.

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