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
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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
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Kathryn (Katy) Lunardelli is a global leader with over two decades of experience in multicultural settings, specializing in corporate social responsibility and ethical sourcing. She has worked with Reebok International, Hasbro, and the Fair Factories Clearinghouse (FFC), where she led collaborative initiatives to improve human rights 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 leadership certificate from Boston College. She has served on the board of Global Grassroots. As the Executive Director of Euphrates, she is dedicated to fostering unity, grassroots peacebuilding, and societal transformation. Katy lives in Barrington, Rhode Island, with her husband and three children.
Krista Acosta-Edzie
Programs Director
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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 El Salvador with her partner and their beautiful baby boy.
hollister thomas
head of community engagement
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Hollister Thomas has spent the past 6 years nurturing Euphrates' global family. Graduating 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. As a member of Euphrates leadership team, Hollister's primary focus is to listen to and help cultivate a community of global peace leaders and then uplift their work to inspire others to practice peace. This role fulfills her lifetime desire to work with an international organization that supports global change through individual transformation…. and it finally validates her college major! Hollister is a global citizen and shares this journey with her husband and three children in Florida and Michigan, USA.
Lisa Hilt
Program and evaluation manager
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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.
Janessa Gans Wilder
FOUNDER, CEO Emerita
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Janessa Gans Wilder is a former CIA officer turned peacebuilder and visionary leader dedicated to transforming conflict into connection. As the founder and CEO emerita of The Euphrates Institute, a global peacebuilding organization spanning 60+ countries, she has spent nearly two decades fostering understanding across deep divides.
Her journey began in the warzones of Iraq, where she spent 21 months on the ground from 2003-2005 as a CIA intelligence analyst at the height of the war. Witnessing firsthand both the brutality of conflict and the resilience of the human spirit, she was compelled to shift from intelligence to peacebuilding, seeking deeper solutions to global conflict. That experience ignited a lifelong mission: to bridge cultures, challenge entrenched narratives, and uncover the threads of peace hidden within even the most fractured societies.
Through initiatives like the Visionary of the Year program and transformative Travel Study programs to Israel, the Palestinian Territories, and Jordan, Janessa has empowered individuals to listen to the "Other" and become agents of change.
Now, as the host of the soon-to-be-released One Peace podcast, Janessa brings her signature blend of warmth, insight, and depth to intimate conversations that explore oneness, justice, and the power of love to transform our world. She engages with thought leaders, spiritual guides, and peacebuilders to reveal the interconnectedness at the heart of humanity, inspiring listeners to turn division into dialogue and fear into possibility.
A frequent speaker in interfaith, community, government, international, and educational settings, Janessa has delivered a TEDx Talk, advised policymakers, and been interviewed by major media outlets including CBS, CNN, the Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, and Democracy Now. She believes that peace is not just an ideal—it is a practice, a perspective, and a profound force waiting to be awakened in each of us.
She previously taught political science at Principia College and worked as a consultant to the U.S. State Department. She holds a Master’s degree in International Policy Studies from Stanford University and a bachelor’s in International Relations from Principia College.
When she’s not working to inspire positive change, Janessa enjoys spending time in nature with her husband and three growing children in Redding, California. Her mission in life is to see the "Other" as a brother and to better understand our Oneness with all life.
Join her in the movement to build a world where love leads and unity prevails.
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.”