MISSION

The Whatcom Peace & Justice Center promotes lasting peace, social justice, and a culture of nonviolence at home and worldwide. We accomplish this through partnerships, education, and direct action.

VISION

The Whatcom Peace & Justice Center works to create a voice for peace and social justice in Whatcom County through partnerships with local community and religious organizations, direct action, public witness, and education on alternatives to violence and war. We call on our government and society to disavow policies of violence and seek a culture of peace.

HISTORY

The idea for the Whatcom Peace & Justice Center (WPJC) came about in early 2002 among participants of the Bellingham Peace Vigil, the nation’s longest-running weekly peace vigil (1967-present). WPJC began under the sponsorship of the Bellingham Quakers and received its own non-profit status in February 2005.

The center was formed not only to address U.S. aggression against the people of Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq, but to establish an organization fostering nonviolence as a way of life and as a tool of domestic and foreign policy.

STAFF & BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Our Executive Director collaborates closely with our working Board of Directors.

NEAH MONTEIRO

Executive Director

Neah has lived most of her life on Coast Salish territory, where her family moved shortly before she was born. She spent a decade working as a writer/editor in Pennsylvania and Virginia, where she graduated from the College of William & Mary. She served as a Fulbright fellow in Romania in 2007-08. As the sole staff member at WPJC, Neah handles administrative work and oversees programs. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Bellingham Food Bank.

JANET MARINO

President, Board of Directors

Raised in the Pacific Northwest, Janet holds a B.A. in political science from Western Washington University and has over 18 years of experience in nonprofit management and operations. She is currently Program Director at a regional environmental nonprofit. She can be found volunteering for the Whatcom Peace & Justice Center, at the Subdued Stringband Jamboree, and for various campaigns throughout Whatcom County. In her spare time you can find her making music with friends, working in the garden, drawing, or coordinating some sort of delicious gathering.

ASHANTI MONTS-TREVISKA

Vice-President, Board of Directors

MATTEO TAMBURINI

Secretary, Board of Directors

I grew up in Pistoia, Italy. My father and all his family were Italian. My mother’s family was primarily composed of Irish immigrants to the United States. Lucky to have dual citizenship, I moved to the United States in 1999 to go to college. Since 2009, I have been teaching (and learning) mathematics at Northwest Indian College, a college chartered by the Lummi Tribe. I have served on the board of the Whatcom Peace & Justice Center since 2010. My primary cultural commitment is my dedication to study the Afro-Brasilian artform Capoeira Angola, under the guidance of my teacher, Mestre Silvio Aleixo dos Reis, of the International Capoeira Foundation, who I have been learning from since 2008.

ALBORZ MONJEZEB

Treasurer, Board of Directors

EDWARD ALEXANDER

Board of Directors

Having served in the military, in the legislature, and as a lawyer, I have seen what collective complacency does. When we don’t make choices for ourselves, powerful people make them for us. So I work with grassroots organizations that build strong communities, and support leadership by the people most impacted. I support solidarity economies, racial justice, and nonviolence. And I run through the mountains, and swim in the lakes of Whatcom County with my furry family and my Dear One.

VICTORIA MATEY-MENDOZA

Board of Directors

[She/Her/Hers] Victoria is a recent graduate from Western Washington University. She joined the Whatcom Peace & Justice Center in 2015 as the student representative. She has been involved in many efforts specifically around immigration and undocumented folks. Through various forms of organizing--institutional and grassroots she has helped many students get civically engaged. Victoria offers various workshops around challenging narratives of undocumented immigrants. On her spare time she enjoys camping, swimming and spending time with her community.

VICTOR NOLET

Board of Directors

Victor has been an educator and activist for peace and justice for over 40 years. He is a professor in Secondary Education at Western Washington University where he teaches courses that address social justice, sustainability, human rights, and peace education. He has lived and been actively involved in peace, human rights and justice work in Whatcom County since 1997. He is passionate about spending time in the outdoors and believes that the bicycle the single most brilliant accomplishment in human history. Victor has an active practice in engaged Vipassana Buddhism.

JUNGA SUBEDAR

Board of Directors

From a Korean immigrant family, growing up in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, I have been a resident of Bellingham since 2001. Running through the beautiful, loamy trails I live here with my dogs and life partner, Edward, when we are not working for and with our community toward racial justice and equity. Growing, learning and failing on the unfailing path….