The Culture of Peace Alliance (COPA) Coordinating Council is currently composed of members who worked together for a year to develop the vision, mission, purpose, and structure of this organization. Throughout this collaboration process, the council members deepened their capacity to synergistically learn from one another, to personally practice peace in their coordinating council endeavors, and to have fun in the process. Brief introductions to members follow.

Hassan Clement

i Hassan Clement am a warrior for, of and about Peace.
i found i could not get Be about Peace because, i had none.
Self-hate, anger and frustration were my food.
Consciously, step-by-step, Peace grows.
The Nonviolence Legacy Project, Food 4 Life and my Faith, in working connections with those of like mind, Spirit and Soul, is how Peace grows.
Moving towards “The Beloved Community” that nourishes All.

Hassan is a poet, a peace and human rights activist, and a nonviolence trainer and community organizer. He obtained his Level I and Level II Kingian Nonviolence certification from Dr. Bernard LaFayette Jr. when NVLP/COPA offered these advanced nonviolence training classes in Tucson in 2010 and 2011. In 2013, Hassan started work as part-time staff with NVLP. At the beginning of 2015, Hassan took over as NVLP Program Manager when Ann Yellott “retired” from that position in order to become Grants & Program Coordinator for COPA. Hassan has a special gift for inspiring youth to want to learn about Kingian Nonviolence and commit themselves to nonviolence as a courageous way of life and powerful strategy for social change. Hassan is dedicated to carrying out Dr. King’s final instructions to NVLP’s mentor, Dr. LaFayette that the next campaign must be to institutionalize and internationalize nonviolence. Hassan wants to see Kingian Nonviolence institutionalized within school systems throughout Tucson.

Judy Francis
In 1992 during her first year as a full-time RVer, Judy read excerpts from Thich Nhat Hanh's Being Peace and realized that, even while she was alone in the desert, she could contribute to world peace by “being peace” where she was. Judy returned to the desert when she moved from Madison, WI, to Tucson in March of 2007. Shortly after moving to Tucson she started working for Habitat for Humanity Tucson, where she worked until she retired in 2010. In 2008, Judy attended her first Peace Circle and shortly thereafter volunteered to serve on COPA's Coordinating Council. In 2011 Judy participated in Our Family Services' Circle Facilitation Level 1 and Level 2 training. She has facilitated several circles since her Level 2 training. Judy is a Reiki Master/Teacher and volunteers with COPA, Peace Circles, and as a circle facilitator.

Phyllis Grimes
Phyllis Grimes recognized in 1985, during her first trip to the Soviet Union for a Peace Conference, that her life purpose was to help bring peace to our world. After five years and eighteen more trips with the Center for Soviet-American Dialogue and MIR Corporation, Phyllis was looking for her next involvement. That came after she and her husband moved to Tucson in 1992. Here she became a Practitioner in the Church of Religious Science after six years of course study. She continues to work with COPA as an outlet for her commitment to Peace.

Dave Horr

Del Jones
Del Jones holds a BS in Education and an MS in Urban Planning and has been in management for more than thirty years. She was the Founding Director of WELCOT, the Wellness Council of Tucson and is now Director Emeritus. Del founded the Partnership Way Center, International Partnership Network and was Executive Director of the Center for Partnership Studies Educational Foundation. She initiated the COPA projects, Peace Circles and Elder Circles. She is on the Advisory Board of the Wellness Council of Arizona (WELCOAZ), Board of Directors of the Pima Council on Aging (PCOA), Ben's Bells and Passages. She is married and has three sons and ten grandchildren.

Nick Katkevich

Sylvia L. McConico

As a young girl, Sylvia knew that standing in front of an audience was her cup of tea. She has performed at various venues in the U.S. and internationally. The performances have ranged from guest speaker, performance artist as Master storyteller and puppeteer, sales presentations, workshop facilitator, and actor in film, television and stage. She realized that another passion was being an advocate for women, and promotion of peaceful living. Time served as the volunteer coordinator for the Foundation for Women in San Diego, CA in service to homeless women satisfied this passion. Then along came the opportunity to travel to fourteen countries to deliver a speech on peace to heads-of-state, community workers, religious leaders, and educators written by a renowned world religion leader. Sitting as a Board of Director, President and Program Director for various organizations has enhanced her experience in management. Sylvia continues to volunteer time to peace-oriented organizations and youth leadership programs. The critical thinking and team building programs and workshops she designed have been presented and facilitated throughout the country. She is especially grateful to be a Coordinating Council Member for the Culture of Peace Alliance (COPA) as they continue their vision of a nonviolent society that has peace as its organizing principle.

Anton Schmalz
Anton Schmalz has helped evolve, implement, and evaluate comprehensive goals and strategies in a variety of subject areas for both private sector and government organizations for five decades. He served as a consultant for four USA presidents and prepared major goals policies and statements dealing with peace conflict resolution , national security energy conservation, and environmental issues. Collaborating with the "Father" of Earth Day, he helped organize the International "Sun Day" to encourage the maximum use of natural resources.
He served as President of the Los Angeles United Nations Association and organized and chaired several international conferences for the "World Future Society" and others.
He offered numerous papers and several books including "Energy: Today's Choices, Tomorrow's Opportunities and Outcomes" and "Insights Into The Changing Government Market Place", which was widely distributed by Presidents Johnson and Nixon as the "Primer As to How Government Works". In order to enhance a spiritual influence in the evolution of peace he has been a life long student of metaphysics and world religions.

Samuel Schoonover MA, CMT.

Samuel received his master’s degree in Counselling and was a practitioner of Postural Integration which is form of Bodywork like “Rolfing” for 38 years. He founded/directed the Natural Health Institute, a California state certified school, for 17 year and certified 245 massage therapist to become Postural Integrators. For five year’s Samuel founded a non-profit offering a weekly two-hour recreation program for children who had Life-limiting/Chronic illnesses. For nine years he founded a non-profit TLC Holistic Health Foundation (TLC HHF) and published our teaching manual “Learn to Exchange Life Changing Massage.”

The TLC HHF taught parents to give and exchange with their children the TLC Back/Hand Massage at camps for children in California with Life-limiting illnesses for over 1,800 people. Samuel brought the program to the Family House like a Ronald McDonald House and gave massage to 80 children at a Children’s Hospice.

Samuel presently with co-director Susan Warren founded the non-profit Holistic Military and Veterans Project, an affiliate project presented by the Culture of Peace Alliance.  Mrs. Warren is an Arizona State and Nationally Licensed/Certified Professional Counselor LPC.

We give FREE ongoing weekly classes in Tucson, AZ and Zoom classes teaching self-help “Resources for Resilience” techniques to relieve stress and to thrive in body, mind and spirit. We serve all Military, Veterans, Family members, Survivors and Caregivers. To see videos on what we teach and references to research proving the effectiveness of the techniques visit website: https://www.r4r.support.  VA approved the “tapping technique” effective for PTSD, insomnia, depression, anger and grief etc. Class times for Tucson and Zoom on Facebook at Holistic Military and Veterans Project.

Natanya Siegel

Natanya grew up in NYC and obtained a BA in Psychology and worked 25 years in social service. She came to Tucson in 2006 and she continued her studies in Nonviolent Communication, a book written by Marshall Rosenberg. Natanya volunteered and was on the board of the Food Conspiracy Co-op for 3½ years. She volunteered with Iskashitaa Refugee Harvesting Program for 3 years. Was a volunteer Chaplain for UMC Hospital (now Banner) with for one year on the pediatric, cardiac care and psychiatric ward.

In May 2012, Natanya took the NVLP (Nonviolence Legacy Project) 2-day training program and loved that youth were learning to facilitate Dr. Martin Luther King’s program of nonviolence. On 10/26/14, she was appointed to the COPA Coordinating Council as a member and was the secretary from 3/08/15 to 1/16/16. Natanya’s main involvement has been with the NVLP and now the Youth and Peace Conference (YPC) that are two of the affiliates of COPA.

Since childhood Natanya has been drawn to figuring out how to connect the world in a more meaningful way. Her father mentioned Nature to her, when she was wondering why one religion would be more right than all the others? For her, human beings are just part of Nature. Her mother said she was radical but went about it conservatively. Natanya is trying to give up the war-like thinking our society tends to follow versus connecting to more life enhancing ways we can live that brings more meaning and balance to the world we live in, Nature.

Rev. Gerry Straatemeier
Gerry Straatemeier, MSW, is a retired clinical social worker and an independent New Thought minister. Having received her Masters in Social Work at UC Berkeley in 1967, it might not be a surprise to find she is a lifelong peace activist. Gerry has been the co-chair of the Gandhi/King Season for NonViolence in Southern Arizona (SNV) since 2000. She is also a hobby political and spiritual writer and a committed progressive movement activist. She believes nonviolent practices taught by Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are more relevant than ever in an age of "terrorism", that stems from a culture of dominance and fear.

Jack Strasburg
Jack Strasburg is currently a Tucson Peace Center Board member. He was a founding member of local, state and national Green Parties, served on the national Green Council for three years, and ran for local office twice. He also worked with Diné (Navajo) and Hopi on the Big Mountain relocation issue for twelve years. Jack also facilitated an indigenous permaculture group on the Navajo reservation for eight years. He has been active in peace, justice, and environmental issues for over twelve years. His primary interest is focus on alternative economics and permaculture/sustainability as a way to build infrastructure for a new peaceful paradigm.

Kathryn Twinfeathers
Kathryn Twinfeathers, newest member of COPA, was introduced to Peace Circles in Nogales, AZ in 2005 as part of a NYU research project using Peace Circles to treat families experiencing early stages of domestic violence. She has been trained by Kay Pranis (co-author of Peacemaking Circles, From Crime to Community) to facilitate circles in a variety of settings, has had training in Compassionate Communication (Non-Violent Communication), is an ordained Interfaith Minister and is an excellent community builder (helped create non-profit for Community Coalition of Santa Cruz County-AZ). Upon moving back to Tucson, she found Peace Circles and helped open the door to what is now called “Circles” through Our Family Services that are used to address conflict in the community. As a peacemaker, Kathryn is devoted to being peace and bringing peace wherever she goes through music (as a Native American Flute teaching artist) and play (playshops, play circles, etc). For more about Kathryn, you may visit her web site by clicking here.