Staff
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Vilma Balmaceda, PhD
Dr. Vilma “Nina” Balmaceda is the associate director of the Duke Center for Reconciliation and an administrative faculty at Duke Divinity School, where she teaches Theology and Practice of Conflict Transformation and directs the Certificate in Conflict Transformation and Reconciliation, the Americas Initiative for Transformation and Reconciliation, and the Certificate on Faith-based Advocacy, Organizing, and Social Transformation. Nina also serves as president/CEO of Peace and Hope International (PHI), a faith-based peacebuilding nonprofit dedicated to preventing violence and other forms of injustice through local teams serving in marginalized communities in Latin America. As a Latinx scholar-practitioner, Nina’s work and research focus on interdisciplinary leadership formation for civic leadership development for just peace and reconciliation in the Americas. A former Fulbright scholar, Nina holds a PhD in Political Science, MA in International Peace Studies, MA in Government and International Studies, all from the University of Notre Dame; and a Licentiate in Law from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru’s School of Law, where she previously taught courses on International Human Rights.
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Ryan Smedes
Ryan Smedes is an international development program design and evaluation specialist with extensive experience in Latin America and beyond. Currently serving as PHI’s Deputy Director, Ryan supports the organization’s mission of promoting justice, peace, and human dignity across Latin America. He previously held senior roles in program design, learning and evaluation, resource development, and food security, including serving as a national director in Peru. Ryan lived and worked in Latin America for over a decade and continues to champion global initiatives from his home near Seattle, Washington. He holds bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Studies and Religion from Pacific Lutheran University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Washington. Ryan lives with his wife and three young adult children.
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Roberto W. Chia, MA, LPC
Roberto is a certified mental health counselor by the National Board of Clinical Counselors, and the State of New York. Born and raised in Lima, Peru, Roberto now lives in Durham, NC where through his professional practice he serves families and individuals of all ages as they struggle with mental, emotional and relational issues. He holds a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from the School of Human Services at Nyack College, and a Master of Divinity from the Alliance Theological Seminary, New York. Roberto is also a faculty member of CETI Continental in the area of mental health and family resilience.
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Ann Jennings-Grisham
Ann and her family live in Medellín, Colombia and have worked with Paz y Esperanza since 2011. Prior to her current role, Ann served as Office Administrator of the Santa Cruz, Bolivia office. Aside from coordinating international volunteers and interns with Paz y Esperanza offices in Latin America, Ann is busy raising two young daughters. Ann holds a degree in Elementary Education, and has found her passion in providing opportunities for bridge-making and mutual learning between cultures and people.
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Jonathan Raber
Jon works to support local leaders in Latin America and the international growth of Peace and Hope. With a degree in Intercultural Studies and International Relief & Development, Jon gained experience as a practitioner in his hometown, Chambersburg, PA. For 12 years he ran a community initiative, bringing people together across socio-economic barriers, walking alongside people in poverty working to build long term stability. This led to opportunities to provide leadership for local coalitions and in healthcare, as well as advocacy work on a state and federal level, including an appointment in 2019 to the National Advisory Council on Migrant Health by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Jon brings to the PHI team his experience in community organizing, public speaking and organizational development. He is passionate about the power of relationship, being present in the margins of society, peace and grace. Jon lives with his wife and five daughters in Huánuco, Peru.
Board of Directors
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Loramy Gerstbauer, PhD
Loramy “Mimi” Gerstbauer is Professor of Political Science and the Raymond and Florence Sponberg Endowed Professor of Ethics at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. She grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and attended Wheaton College and the University of Notre Dame du Lac. She teaches courses in International Relations, Latin American Politics, and Peace Studies and researches peacebuilding NGOs and post-war reconciliation and forgiveness in politics. In 2017 she published US Foreign Policy and the Politics of Apology (Routledge). In Spring 2020 she was a visiting faculty member at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan and in 2014-2015 she taught at Collegium Civitas in Warsaw, Poland as a U.S. Fulbright scholar. Mimi serves as an AWANA Ministries Director at her church and lives in St. Peter, MN with her husband, Fabian, and their three sons.
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Ryan Juskus, PhD
Ryan Juskus is an assistant professor at the Center for Social Concerns at the University of Notre Dame, where he teaches about ethics and the common good and conducts research on the faith dimensions of the environmental and climate justice movements. He has worked in the areas of urban affordable housing, international experiential education for justice and flourishing, environmental justice, and cultivating ethical leadership. While interning with Paz y Esperanza in Peru in 2004, Ryan began to discover his life’s calling. Since then, he has recruited and sent many volunteers to the Andemos program. Ryan is married to Kendra and lives with their two growing boys in South Bend, Indiana.
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Andrew Jennings-Grisham
Based in Medellín, Colombia, Drew Jennings-Grisham is the founder and assistant director of Memoria Indígena, engaging indigenous leaders and churches throughout Latin America. He graduated from Wheaton College with a BA in Spanish and Anthropology, and has graduate degrees in Agroecology from the Universidad Mayor de San Simon and Global Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary. He and his wife grew up in Chattanooga, TN, and prior to moving to Colombia they worked with Paz y Esperanza in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
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Gregory Sabarese, J.D.
Gregory Sabarese is a compliance/audit professional within the financial services industry. Throughout his career he has served the public by conducting regulatory and assurance audits of financial institutions with the purpose of preventing fraud and ensuring safety and soundness within the marketplace. Currently, Gregory is a Senior Project Manager within Fifth Third Bank’s Internal Audit Department with a focus on Capital Markets. Gregory received a J.D. from UIC Chicago, a BA in Psychology & Theology from Wheaton College and an Accounting & Finance Certificate from the University of Chicago. He also has an MA from the University of Pennsylvania where he researched inequality in the United States. Gregory and his wife Rachel have two children (Elijah & Rosemary) and live in Chicago, Illinois.
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Melissa Cross
Melissa is a small business owner in Durham, North Carolina. After graduating from Campbell University, she officially became a Northern transplant living in the South. Melissa has served in church ministry leadership since 2007. She helped establish a non-profit, No Longer Orphans, after spending time in India in 2008. In 2014, she and her husband Shaun planted a church in Washington, DC and returned to North Carolina in 2020. They have 3 children.
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Joy Nissen Beitzel, J.D.
Joy Beitzel is an attorney at the Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault in Duluth, Minnesota. Her practice emphasizes serving victim-survivors of sexual and domestic violence in civil court actions. Joy graduated from Wheaton College in 2010 with a BA in International Relations and Spanish, and she received her J.D. from the University of St. Thomas School of Law in 2014. Joy enjoys spending time on the North Shore of Lake Superior with her husband and three young children.
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Lisa Rodriguez-Watson
Lisa Rodriguez-Watson is committed to reconciling people to God and each other. With over two decades of experience, she has engaged in urban church planting, international missions, community development, immigration advocacy, collegiate ministry, and seminary teaching. Currently, Lisa serves as the national director of Missio Alliance, a diverse network of Christian leaders dedicated to cultivating holistic practical theology and addressing the church’s most pressing issues. Lisa also serves as associate pastor at Christ City Church. A proud Cuban-American, she writes, speaks, and leads at the intersection of formation, justice, and mission. She has contributed to Voices of Lament, Red Skies, and The Least of These. Lisa lives in Washington, DC with her husband and three children.
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Courtney Turner
Courtney lives in North Carolina with her husband and two children, where she has been an active member of Journey Church in Huntersville for 20 years. Courtney is a certified ophthalmic clinical trainer working for Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates in North Carolina. She has been in working ophthalmology for 18 years. More than this, she has a strong faith in Christ and a passion for leading her brothers and sisters in worship on Sunday mornings. She enjoys her role as a small group co-leader and also as a women’s ministry leader. Courtney also has a huge heart for missions. She helps lead her church trips every year to foster relationship and go and make disciples, sharing Gods love with all people.
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Alfonso Wieland
Alfonso Wieland is a human rights lawyer and author in Lima, Peru. He is one of the co-founders of Paz y Esperanza and currently serves as the National Director for International Justice Mission in Peru, with a focus in combating violence against women and children. With decades of experience working in the area of human rights, Alfonso brings strong leadership and vision to PHI. In addition to his law degree, he has graduate degrees in management, sociology and theology. Alfonso has published several books including In Love with His Justice (2003), Seeking Justice for All (2006), “Advocacy Manual for Justice Practitioners” (2010) among others.
