Patricia Smith Melton
Peace X Peace Founder
Ms. Smith Melton is a poet, playwright, and photographer with more than 30 years of experience in the arts. Her book Sixty Years, Sixty Voices, celebrating the diversity and power of the women of Israel/Palestine, was published in November 2008. Earlier, she produced and co-directed the award-winning 2003 documentary PEACE BY PEACE: Women on the Frontlines, which highlights the often invisible work of women around the world in building the components of sustainable peace. She is co-founder of the Melton International Education Foundation, the recipient of the The Rumi Foundation’s 2008 Peace Award, and one of OneWorld’s 2008 People of the Year. In 2009 she was honored by Civic Ventures as a Purpose Prize Fellow. Her newest project, the film series Catalyst, is an outgrowth of Sixty Years, Sixty Voices.

Louise Diamond
For 40 years Louise Diamond has worked extensively on issues relating to development, conflict prevention and transformation, diversity, leadership, education, youth, business, non-profits, media, health, and more.In 1992, Ms. Diamond co-founded (with Ambassador John McDonald) The Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy (IMTD) in Washington, D.C.  There she worked as a peacebuilder in places of violent conflict around the world, helping adversaries bridge political, historical, cultural, and psychological divides to find common ground and creative solutions. In 2004, Ms. Diamond founded The Peace Company, seeking to show that peace is good business and to bridge the gap between the non-profit and for-profit worlds.  During this time, she continued to provided training and consulting nationally and globally, and wrote The Peace Book: 108 Simple Ways to Make a More Peaceful World, which has sold close to 100,000 copies. In 2008, Ms. Diamond founded Global Systems Initiatives, where she brings a transformative whole systems perspective on complex global issues to the policy community.

Angela Calos
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, NOAA
For more than 30 years, Angela has worked for the federal government in public relations and natural resources management, including being a park ranger in Tennessee for 10 years managing the public lands and parks bordering 3 Corps of Engineers lakes; working in outreach and media relations in Washington, D.C. for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Public Affairs; and is currently managing the fast-acting operations for the director of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the trustee for the nation’s 14 marine protected areas.  Angela brings to the board a keen imagination and sense of creativity, a knack for attention to detail in event-planning, and a love for serving humanity.  She is pleased to serve on the Peace X Peace Board of Directors.

Robert Levin
CEO, Founder, Transclick

Robert E. Levin is an entrepreneur, best-selling and renowned author of the first biography of President Bill Clinton, Professor of Finance at Columbia University, advisor to the National Geographic Society and contributing member of the World Economic Forum.

Levin serves as Chief Executive Officer of Transclick–the leading mobile messaging company offering real-time language translation of instant messaging, email, SMS and text to/from 20 languages.  He led the company through multiple rounds of seed and early stage financing, sold to early critical reference accounts including the US Army, IBM-NATO, the USDA and the US House of Representatives. He also negotiated alliances with Research In Motion & Nokia.

Levin received an MBA in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a Masters in International Affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley, and studied art history and political science at the University of Bordeaux. He also received a Master of Arts in International Affairs from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He is fluent in French.

Gail Montplaisir
Board Chair, Peace X Peace
President, Taurus Enterprise Group, Inc.
Ms. Montplaisir is an experienced developer and contractor responsible for developing over 2,000 condominium units in Chicago, Florida, and Washington, DC, where she has revitalized neighborhoods once in decline. She is a published author and speaker on environmental issues related to construction and a member of the Building Code Advisory Committee, a mayoral appointment. Taurus Renovation is a member of the Green Building Council.

Rajiv Salimath
Rajiv Salimath is an entrepreneur focused on solving significant challenges in energy, life sciences, and the social web through disruptive thinking. He has worked on the core teams of innovative technology companies Musambi Corp., and Proactivenet Inc. Then, as the CEO of Amperion Inc. , Rajiv built a pioneering company that brought broadband solutions to twelve countries, and built energy efficient networks across eight states in the US. Currently, Rajiv is building a web company – Beagles – which connects the moving parts, events and thoughts in people’s lives to make the web as dynamic as real life. Along with this Rajiv also heads Knewco Inc., the leading knowledge discovery company in the Life Sciences field, connecting online knowledge discovery with bioinformatics. In addition to being an entrepreneur, Rajiv is also a Partner in GIV Ventures – a Venture Capital company that invests in Early Stage High-Tech companies. He is on the Board of the Melton Foundation, a non-profit that links smart, young leaders across five countries and empowers them with the tools of intercultural experiences and cross-domain leadership. He is an Indian National Scholar and an AMTI Math Scholar.

Michael Schaeffer
Real Estate Entrepreneur and Realtor, Coldwell Banker, Washington, DC

Michael has been a real estate entrepreneur on the Eastern Seabord for over30 years.   Asa broker, he and his business partner Claudine Chetrit are among the DC area’s most successful home and commercial property realtors. They have even been ranked in the top 1% of all realtors internationally. Michaelhas decades of brokerage experience and an insider’s knowledge of DC’s most dynamic neighborhoods. Individually,and as a team, Michael and Claudine set aside 10% of their business profits for charity, half close to home and half ranging widely.  Since 2005 Michael has made significant personal and financial contributions to Peace X Peace. Mike says, “Giving has always been a natural part of life for me. As a Board member, it’s wonderful to be in a position where I am able to give back.”

Alicia Simoni
Alicia Simoni has a decade of experience in the international nonprofit sector, specifically focusing on gender issues and peacebuilding efforts. She previously served on the staff of Peace X Peace as the Editor and Community Manager. Prior to Peace X Peace, Ms. Simoni held positions at International Medical Corp and Women for Women International where she designed and monitored programs for women survivors of conflict. She has extensive international experience, including time in Afghanistan, Uganda, and Northern Ireland. She has also served as a writer for the Women PeaceMaker Program at the University of San Diego.

Russell B. Stevenson, Jr.
Mr. Stevenson has been engaged for over 40 years in a variety of legal occupations including, law professor, regulator, private practitioner, and in-house counsel. He is now a Visiting Associate Professor at Georgetown Law School, where he teaches Corporation Law and Securities Regulation. Prior to coming to Georgetown, he was Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of CIENA Corporation, a leading provider of communications networking solutions. Before joining CIENA, Mr. Stevenson served as General Counsel of ARBROS Communications, an early stage communications service provider. From 1996 to 2000, he was General Counsel of CyberCash, Inc., a provider of software and services for electronic commerce. Prior to that, he practiced law in Washington, D.C., with a practice that concentrated on securities and corporate law. From 1971 to 1981 Mr. Stevenson was a member of the full-time law faculty at George Washington University, where he taught corporations, securities regulation, international business transactions, international economic development and civil procedure. During that time he also was a visiting professor at Cornell Law School and, in 1977-78, a Fulbright Professor at the University of Paris II (Sorbonne). In 1981 Mr. Stevenson joined the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission, where he served as Deputy General Counsel. In 1984 he returned to the private practice of law.

Mr. Stevenson holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University and received his J.D. from Harvard Law School, cum laude. He is a member of the bars of the District of Columbia and the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Stevenson is the author of two books on corporate law and has published numerous articles on securities regulation, corporate law, and the law of electronic commerce. He has spoken often at conferences on securities regulation, corporate governance and related topics. He has been active in the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar, the International Law Association, and various community organizations. He is also the founder and Chairman of the Chesapeake Legal Alliance, a non-profit organization that provides pro bono legal assistance in service of improving the quality of the Chesapeake Bay.