After a long gestation, Petra's arrival into the world happened with almost no complications, thanks to some really great midwives in the form of Petra's Board of Directors.
Would you like to meet them?
Loretta Butts, Vice President
Loretta is a proud (and very active!) Rotarian and a prominent Past District Governor from District 5240 in California. She met Bianca during at the Rotary Peace Symposium in June 2015.
An instant connection and common passion led to Loretta and Bianca working closely together until Bianca asked Loretta to join the Board in late 2015.
Despite living 9 time zones away from one another, they've had the chance to meet in person twice in the last 18 months. One of her favorite activities is to constantly confound Petra's leadership team with her networking skills, seeing that she shows up to every meeting with more and more connections and possibilities!
Petra progress thus far is due in large part to Loretta's advocacy efforts within Rotary on Petra's behalf. What a rockstar of a Vice President.
LUCAS WOLF, Secretary
Once Lucas heard about Petra Peacebuilders' efforts to boost resilience among the global peacebuilder community, he was all in. As a Rotary Peace Fellow, he has an instant bond with both Rotarian Loretta Butts and co-Rotary Peace Fellow Bianca Neff.
He is based in Managua, Nicaragua and serves as the International Director of Trees, Water and People, a great NGO with a passion to combine both sustainable development and sustainable livelihoods. As a Petra Director in the field, Lucas keeps our feet on the ground by consistently anchoring our programming decisions to the tangible results we seek in the lives of the people we serve.
Always kind, always bright, always upbeat, Lucas is a delight to work with. He serves as Petra's Secretary.
Sam Van Saun, Treasurer
Sam and Bianca have been friends for 5 years, in large part because of their common passion for justice for the oppressed (among other issues!). Her experience, education and view on the world make her a perfect fit for Petra's leadership team.
Having run her own nonprofit, Sam has also provided Petra with immense help in navigating the tricky legal and administrative waters of incorporation and tax-exemption status.
Meanwhile, her excellent perspective puts her in the position of asking key questions at just the right time so that our Board is making the best possible decisions. She is an all-around gem. Sam currently acts as Petra's Treasurer.
(Looks like the single women on Petra's leadership team have a thing for black dogs...?!)