About US
Peace Through Children
Fields of Peace envisions a world in which all conflicts are solved peacefully.
Fields of Peace brings a unique lens to peace-building work, filtering all of our external action through the impact war has on children: Your children. My children. Our children.
Our signature initiative, A Promise to Our Children, is a simple, yet profound invitation to cultivate greater empathy for the “other” through daily repetition of The Promise, alongside transformative action to end the killing of children in wars.
Whatever your level of engagement in the mission for peace, we invite you to stay connected to receive inspiration and ongoing opportunities to participate in programming through Fields of Peace and our Alliance Partners.
Staff, Board, & Advisory
Reem Ghuniam
Executive Director
Fields of Peace’s Board of Directors welcomes Reem Ghunaim as its new executive director. Reem was selected to develop strategies to evolve the organization’s mission into catalyzing a global peace-building movement inspired and driven by children of conflict. See the full announcement here.
Charles Busch
Founder, Writer
Charles is the founder of Peace Village Inc., and Fields of Peace. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and served 20 years as a parish minister. A former U.S. Marine and partner in a New York City engineering firm, he is a graduate of Trinity University and Harvard University. You can reach Charles at buschcharlesp@gmail.com
Lydia Asana
Board Member
Board member has lived, studied, and worked on three continents. She purposefully integrates cultural and research competencies in collaborative efforts, particularly in global health and sustainable development services. She holds several degrees including a PhD in Public Policy & Administration focused on international NGOs. Her most valued roles are wife and mother.
Ryan Gallagher
Board Chair
Ryan manages day-to-day operations for a regenerative cacao farm and chocolate company in Hawaii. He earned a degree in psychology from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada. He served in the US Peace Corps (RPCV ’07-’10) working with subsistence farmers in rural Burkina Faso, West Africa. Most of Ryan’s career has focused on using marketing for good to advance nonprofit missions and social enterprises, from the Pacific Northwest to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ryan is a proud father and uncle—understanding our strong bond with children and wanting to ensure they’re safe and resilient.
Bior Garang
Board Member
Bior is a South Sudanese refugee, community rebuilder, peace advocate, and microbiologist. He is the director of Sixty Four Voices for Peace, a youth refugee organization in Kenya. Bior and his family are among the few direct survivors of the infamous 1991 Bor Massacre in South Sudan. He has since spent the past 30 years living as a refugee in Kenya. Bior was the first ever American Society for Microbiology (A.S.M) youth ambassador to South Sudan. Bior frequently engages in youth & women empowerment activities with a focus on social strengthening and community rebuilding.
Wayne Martin
Board Member
A retired clergyman, hospice chaplain, and committed public advocate, Wayne is a Vietnam veteran and holds a doctorate from Boston University in Religious Literature. He is devoted to the mandate for social justice and equity at the core of Judeo-Christian sacred writing and history. Wayne is involved with his community in Eugene, Oregon.
Michael F. Osterer
Board Member
Michael F. Osterer is Chairman and founder of UE Systems, a leader in plant asset reliability through ultrasound. He also founded and is Chairman of Radon Testing Corporation of America, and Westchester Consultants. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Fordham University and lives in New York.
Martha Payne
Board Treasurer
Martha marched in peace protests in San Francisco in the early ‘60s. Although she is a lifelong peace advocate, two sons, and one grandson served in the military and experienced the effect of war on all involved. Martha holds a BS in Business from PSU and a Juris Doctorate from Lewis & Clark College. She continues to practice international law and provides pro bono support to Fields of Peace. Martha is a mother of 7, grandmother of 18, and great-grandmother to many. When not traveling the world, she lives with her husband on the Oregon Coast.
Annabelle Schwartz
Board Secretary
Annabelle is an activist and political organizer building relationships for a more just world. She graduated magna cum laude from The New School where she studied political theory, especially as it pertained to democracy and radical politics. She currently lives in New York City.
Advisory Board
Suman Aggarwal, Ph.D
Founder & President, Shanti Sahyog Center for Nonviolence (India)
Patrick T. Hiller, Ph.D
Executive Director, War Prevention Initiative
Rod De Luca
Former Board Chair, Fields of Peace
James Samson Owaka
Program Coordinator, Centre for Peacebuilding & Strategic Studies (Kenya)
Kim Stafford
Prof. Emeritus Lewis & Clark College
Founder NW Writing Institute
2018-20 Poet Laureate of Oregon
David Swanson
Founder & Director, World Beyond War
Alex del Vecchio
Peace Village Inc.
Our Reach
The Promise and its complementary resources and initiatives are casting ripples around the world.
