Our Team
Natalia Garvey
ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR
+ Read her bio here
Natalia Garvey was born and raised in Surabaya, Indonesia. Following high school, Natalia moved to the United States to pursue education in Accounting and Management Information Systems at San Francisco State University. After college, Natalia worked at KPMG LLP where she had interned as a student in the Information Risk Management group. Natalia enjoyed the fast-paced environment and working with multiple clients at a time, performing IT advisory and IT audit support.
In 2010 Natalia and her husband left San Francisco for Redding and joined her husband’s family business, where she currently works part time managing the books and doing marketing, advertising and graphic design. She spends most of the rest of her time with her two children, but makes time to volunteer locally for CASA and The Women’s Fund.
Growing up in Indonesia, Natalia was exposed to people of many different faiths. Being raised as a Christian in a mostly Muslim country helped her understand some of the challenges faced by minorities. While there is undeniable tension in the country at times, she is proud of Indonesia’s official recognition of five different major religions and the solidarity of the Indonesian people. It is this concept of co-existence that drew her to the Euphrates Institute, where she enjoys supporting the work and goals envisioned by the Institute’s founder.
Issah Shamsoo
Communications Coordinator
+ Read his bio here
Born and raised in Ghana, Issah is a young peacebuilder and a community activist. In the aftermath of of the horrific terrorist attacks in New Zealand and Sri Lanka in 2019, he founded African Students For Interfaith Tolerance (ASFIT) as a youth-led peacebuilding NGO. ASFIT focuses on mobilising youth and working with local authorities, political, religious, and traditional leaders to create grassroots and policy change in communities around Ghana.
Issah hold a Bachelor of Degree in Information Technology and has many years of experience in networks and NGO communications.
As a PPA alumni, Issah applies concepts and practices from the program into his advocacy and peacebuilding work with young people as well as religious and traditional leaders in Ghana. From organizing youth peace education camps, to organizing peacebuilding football tournaments, to influencing policy at the district and regional levels, Issah is a passionate changemaker who brings his whole heart, soul, and mind to everything pursues.
KATY LUNARDELLI
Executive director
+ read her bio here
Kathryn (Katy) Lunardelli is a global leader and listener, having worked in multicultural settings for the last two decades. Katy comes to Euphrates after eighteen years in the field of corporate social responsibility and ethical sourcing where she worked for Reebok International, Hasbro, and most recently the Fair Factories Clearinghouse (FFC). At the FFC, she led initiatives for companies and multi-stakeholder groups to collaborate on improving the human rights conditions in supply chains.
Katy holds an MSc in Human Rights from the London School of Economics, a B.A. in Sociology and World Perspectives from Principia College, and a certificate from the graduate level “Leadership for Change” program at Boston College, Carroll School of Management. She has served on the Board of Directors for Global Grassroots, a nonprofit organization with a mission to catalyze women and girls as leaders of conscious social change. Katy currently serves on the Board of the FFC, a nonprofit dedicated to ethical sourcing and fostering collaboration to improve supply chains.
Katy’s professional, educational, and volunteer experiences have led to her current role as Executive Director of Euphrates. She joins the leadership team with a purpose of seeing and experiencing unity between other people and our environment. She has a deep interest in the connection between personal and societal transformation and the power of grassroots peacebuilding initiatives. Katy resides in Barrington, Rhode Island with her husband and three children.
SYLVIA MURRAY
head of PROGRAMS & Strategy
+ Read her bio here
sylvia is a facilitator of, advocate for, and believer in peace leadership.
For fifteen years, sylvia has participated in and facilitated talking circles in various communities across the United States, Latin America, and Asia. From these talking circles emerged sylvia’s commitment to and practices of nonviolent communication, community building, and conflict transformation. This commitment brought sylvia to obtain a BA in Peace Studies from Goucher College, and continue to Southeast Asia working with nonprofits across the region focused on youth-led peacebuilding. She is a Co-Founder and Board Member of Sarus, a peacebuilding nonprofit that inspires and empowers the next generation of leaders to build a peaceful and prosperous Asia. sylvia then deepened her studies by obtaining an MA in Coexistence and Conflict and MBA in Social Impact at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, where she focused on peace leadership and organizational capacity building. Afterwards, she expanded to philanthropy as a Program Officer at the Island Foundation funding organizations supporting womxn and girls, youth, immigrants, and domestic and international communities.
sylvia holds a deep passion for building and nurturing communities that collectively transform systems and conflict with curiosity, connection, and courage.
hollister thomas
head of community engagement
+ Read her bio here
Hollister’s primary focus for the last 17 years has been facilitating the growth and development of her three ‘unschooled’ children in an environment designed to nurture their purpose and authenticity as global citizens. During this time she has worked as a customer advocate for an international newspaper as well as maintained a career in photography. She is also a certified yogi who volunteers her teaching skills with a homeless women’s transition home.
Graduating from college with a B.A. in International Relations and Photojournalism, Hollister has served in numerous capacities with organizations focused on local and global inclusion and holistic development. Hollister and her husband have started two grassroots campaigns – RAK Friday encourages “random/radical acts of kindness” and Holiday Hope for the Homeless provides gift bags to local homeless individuals.
Hollister is an idealist and a pragmatist and sees the value of both outlooks in the work of peacebuilding. She enjoys finding opportunities to positively impact her local community and amplify the possibility of peace and transformation in the world at large. Becoming a part of the Euphrates team supports Hollister’s desire to work with an organization that believes in global change through individual transformation….and it finally validates her college major! Hollister can be found on the beach in Jupiter, Florida with her husband, three children and one adorable dog.
Lisa Hilt Monitoring & Evaluation
+ Read her bio here
Lisa leads monitoring, evaluation and learning for the Euphrates Institute. She is an independent evaluation and research consultant with 15 years of experience, who works primarily with organizations focused on peacebuilding and social justice. Lisa is also a co-founder of the Peace Leadership Collaborative (with Euphrates and others). Before pursuing work as an independent consultant, Lisa worked as a Senior Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Advisor at Oxfam for over a decade, providing support to multiple U.S. and multi-country programs and advocacy efforts.
Lisa holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration, and Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Sociology. In addition to being an experienced researcher with expertise in qualitative methods, she also brings knowledge and skills from multiple disciplines, including Buddhist and Western psychology, sociology, public policy, and contemplative practice.
Lisa seeks through her work to help organizations, groups, and individuals to reflect, learn, and continuously improve. Her approach is very collaborative, driven by her belief that while teams and individuals may at times need additional information or support in creating space for learning and reflection, ultimately, they hold the wisdom needed to make their own professional (and personal) decisions.
She also aspires through her professional and personal endeavors to deepen our understanding of effective practices and approaches to promote peace and compassion within ourselves, with others, and among groups. Lisa enjoys opportunities to hear and share the stories of individuals and groups working to promote peace, and in her free time she also enjoys reading, being in nature and spending time with her dog.
Krista acosta-edzie
Programs & Development director
+ Read her bio here
Krista comes to the Euphrates Institute after working for the past 15 years supporting mission-driven organizations focused on youth development and gender equity, including the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, City Year, the Mariposa DR Foundation, and the Boys and Girls Club. Most recently, Krista worked at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation where she helped develop a bi-national inter-faith network supporting and accompanying women, children, and youth on the move along the US/MX border. After her time at the Foundation, Krista worked and continues to work part-time as a fundraising and strategy consultant, supporting, advising, and motivating small and grassroots initiatives to help them grow and deepen their impact.
Krista’s approach to work is empathy-driven and shaped by her experiences as a program manager and volunteer working with youth both domestically and internationally, including two years serving with the Peace Corps where she cultivated the growth of local youth groups, with a focus on leadership development.
Krista holds an MBA and MA in Sustainable International Development from the Heller School for Social Policy at Brandeis University and a B.A. in Spanish from Cal Poly Humboldt.
Krista is an enthusiastic and supportive community builder who cares deeply about people and the causes that matter most to them. She is thrilled to join the Euphrates team and is appreciative of the opportunity to continue to develop her own peace practice while learning with and supporting the practice of others.
Krista is originally from California and enjoys traveling, spending time in the outdoors, painting, and listening to music. She currently is in transition to making her next home in El Salvador with her partner and their new beautiful baby boy.
Janessa Gans Wilder
FOUNDER
+ Read her bio here
Janessa Gans Wilder is a former CIA officer turned peacebuilder, social entrepreneur, and nonprofit executive. She founded Euphrates after five years at the CIA focused on the Middle East, including serving 21 months in Iraq from 2003-2005. Janessa is a frequent speaker in interfaith, community, government, international, and educational settings. She has written dozens of articles and been interviewed by major news outlets, including CBS, CNN, Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, Democracy Now, and many more.
For over a decade, Janessa provided the vision and leadership to grow Euphrates Institute into a global network of peacebuilders and changemakers, now comprising over 30 Chapters in 15 countries. She created and leads transformative Travel Study programs to Israel, Palestinian Territories, and Jordan, focused on listening to the ‘Other’. She conceived of the Visionary of the Year program to honor, support, and increase the visibility of groundbreaking changemakers. Janessa is continuing to serve Euphrates in a volunteer capacity and remains an advocate for global peacebuilding work.
Previously, Janessa taught political science at her undergraduate alma mater, Principia College, and was a consultant to the State Department. She has a Master’s degree in International Policy Studies from Stanford University and a bachelor’s in International Relations from Principia College. Janessa lives in Redding, CA with her husband and three young children. She enjoys spending time in nature, running, and yoga.
craig hunter
attorney
+ Read his bio here
Craig Hunter has been a Los Angeles trial lawyer for about 30 years who likes to think he breaks the traditional mold. He received a B.A. in mathematics from Principia College and a law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, serving as an editor of the law review. As his daughters steered clear of the law, Craig branched out from his litigation practice to help commercial wind developers and assist a few Indian tribes in developing their economies through gaming and renewable energy projects. He is also a commercial pilot who enjoys flying as a hobby and is a weekend sailor and surfer.
“I am excited about the work of the Euphrates Institute because I believe that now is the time for a paradigm shift in thinking about Middle East, and ways to get Americans truly excited and engaged about understanding the cultures in the Middle East and taking their own steps to help bring peace. There is no one better to start such a movement than Janessa, and her terrific Board.”