Meet the Staff

Ann Skoe - SEL Specialist, licensed teacher of German and Spanish
ann@peacemakerresources.org 

Ann has worked for 30 years in schools and in a wide variety of informal learning settings.  For Peacemaker Resources, Ann coordinates the Step-Up Program. She supports new and existing family-licensed child care providers as they develop improved strategies and techniques for addressing social-emotional growth of children aged 0-5. Ann is passionate that people of all ages can enrich their lives through practices that foster compassion for self, others, and nature.

Ashley Charwood - MSW Cultural Responsiveness Assistance Coordinator

Ashley Charwood is the Cultural Responsiveness Assistance Coordinator at Peacemakers Resources. Through this part time position, Ashley works to build a critical social consciousness around equity and culture through education, multi-cultural gatherings, and working alongside equity proponents in schools and communities.
 
Ashley received her BS degree in Social Work from Bemidji State University and has a minor in chemical dependency counseling and psychology. Ashley was a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of North Dakota, where she has a Master’s Degree in Social Work. Ashley also studied abroad at Malmo University in Sweden. Ashley is passionate about the nonprofit sector, and about working across cultural differences, and has held positions in the nonprofit sector in Pennsylvania, and in the Bemidji area. Ashley is employed as an Early childhood Screener with the Bemidji School District, as the NW MN Regional Coordinator for the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, and has been an active Governance Committee Chair and Secretary on the Bi- County Community Action Board of Directors. 

Barb Houg - LSW Executive Director
​barb@peacemakerresources.org

Barb has over three decades of experience in the nonprofit and social service field. She has a B.S. in Community Service and completed graduate coursework in Therapeutic Recreation. For the past twenty years she has been involved in developing educational and prevention-based programming that concentrates on innovative, student-centered practices.
Her experience in grant writing and organizational development has been helpful in her quest to assure people have the opportunity to learn skills to navigate life in healthy and meaningful ways that contribute to more equitable and nurturing communities.

Caige Jambor - B.A. Sociology, SEL Specialist
caige@peacemakerresources.org

Caige studied his B.A. in Sociology at Bemidji State University and participated in a Master's Course in Peace Research at the International Summer School at the University of Oslo, Norway.  He has been a STAR Team participant, a STAR Youth Advocate since high school, and now, after a few years of working as a K-1 Paraprofessional, he is the SEL Specialist and Forest Classroom Coordinator at Schoolcraft Learning Community in Bemidji.  Caige believes that teaching peace and social/emotional skills to youth is one way to have happier people, families, communities, and a more peaceful world.

Candy Roberts-Salter - Founder of Peacemaker Resources and Trainer
candy@peacemakerresources.org

Candy is a STAR (Students Teaching Attitudes of Respect) Team Trainer, and the founder of Peacemaker Resources. With a B.A. in Community Services and an M.S. in Experiential Education, Candy has worked with kids of all different ages and backgrounds, using experiential activities and games to teach cooperative life skills and peace-making skills. She believes that every child has something unique to offer. Given the opportunity to learn these skills, children can live enjoyable and productive lives and be an important part of something bigger than themselves.

Chelsea Ottman Rak -  M.Ed, SEL Specialist
chelsea@peacemakerresources.org 

Chelsea has a Master's degree in education from Portland State University. She has worked in many different areas of education, including as a classroom teacher, paraprofessional, ELL instructor and teaching after school programs. Her teaching experience has spanned locally from Bemidji and Walker School Districts, to Portland, Oregon as well as internationally to Guatemala, Honduras and Argentina. She enjoys working with diverse student populations and sharing her excitement for collaborative learning experiences. She is eager to continue her career with Peacemaker Resources to help with the important work of providing social and emotional learning to our youth to promote peace and kindness in our communities and for our future.

Jennifer Dunham - BA, Admin Assistant
jennifer@peacemakerresources.org 

Jennifer is the Administrative Assistant for Peacemaker Resources. Before joining Peacemaker Resources in 2017, Jennifer worked as an Executive Assistant in the College of Nursing at Michigan State University, where she supported the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Previously, she served in a variety of positions within MSU and in the public sectors of legal, construction, and material logistics. Jennifer holds a B.A. in business from Baker College. Jennifer is passionate about communication and connection leading to heathier communities. ​

Joanna Wallenberg -  MSW, LICSW, SEL Specialist
joanna@peacemakerresources.org 

​Joanna is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) with over eight years of experience providing mental health services in school settings. She has been providing services to kids and families in the Park Rapids area since 2010 and is passionate about using a trauma-focused lens to help clients, families, schools, and communities be the healthiest they can be!  

Linsey McMurrin -  SEL & Prevention Specialist 
linsey@peacemakerresources.org

Linsey McMurrin, an SEL and Prevention Specialist with Peacemaker Resources, is a citizen of the Leech Lake Nation of Ojibwe. A certified ACE Interface Presenter and Trainer, Linsey incorporates trauma-sensitivity into all aspects of her work.  She believes healing comes through truth-telling and offers training around Historical Trauma and Cultural Responsiveness.  Linsey facilitates community work around the Bemidji Area Truth and Reconciliation initiative, a grassroots effort to promote truth-seeking, healing and change through increasing understanding and building relationships among area indigenous and non-indigenous communities.  She is a strong advocate of social justice and community driven work, and believes that the development of cultural, social and emotional competencies is integral to our well-being and ongoing success— as individuals, families and communities.

Sharleen Zeman-Sperle -  M.Ed, SEL Specialist
sharleen@peacemakerresources.org

Sharleen has a Masters of Education degree from the University of North Dakota. She teaches SEL(Social Emotional Learning) skills to students at Schoolcraft Learning Community in Bemidji.  She also leads workshops on compassionate communication, mindfulness in schools, restorative practices and ACEs.  Prior to working for Peacemaker Resources, she taught elementary education in North Dakota, Colorado, and Arizona.  As an SEL teacher, she is dedicated to empowering youth to become more peaceful and compassionate human beings.

Stacy Bender-Fayette -  M.Ed, SEL Specialist
stacy@peacemakerresources.org 

Stacy has an eighteen year history in the field of education.  Most of her teaching experience has been focused on teacher professional development.  For Peacemaker Resources, Stacy helps to facilitate the STAR (Students Teaching Attitudes of Respect) program and provides teacher professional development in the areas of ACEs and Positive Psychology.  She has a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction and has taught in Grand Forks, Cass Lake, and Bemidji.  Stacy believes that the strongest educational models foster both academic success and compassionate character development.

Stacy Ferrin -  M.Ed, SEL Specialist
stacy.ferrin@peacemakerresources.org 

Teaches SEL classes in Bemidji elementary schools. Convinced of the importance and value of relational connectedness and community building in the learning environment, Stacy utilizes her fifteen years of work in the elementary classroom to come alongside teachers and students as they work to strengthen their social-emotional awareness and application. With a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction, Stacy loves to bring the SEL competencies to life through relational investment and activity. She passionately  believes that there has never been a time more important than now to make room for all at the table as we look to better the world around us through acts of understanding, kindness, and compassion.

Wendy Boyer -  M.Ed, SEL Specialist
wendy@peacemakerresources.org 

Wendy has a Master’s degree in education from the college of St. Catherine. She has loved teaching kindergarten, as well as first and second grade in the Bemidji School District for the past 22 years. Currently she is excited to join Peacemaker Resources as she believes in teaching social and emotional learning skills for healthier individuals and healthier classroom environments.