Meet the Staff

Barb Houg - Retiring 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.

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.

Flann Christenson- BA, SEL Specialist
flann@peacemakerresources.org 

Flann Christenson has worked in Special Education for 12 years, two years as a teacher and 10 years previous as a paraprofessional. As a teacher that utilized multiple SEL curriculum Flann realized that SEL is not just for Elementary and Middle school students, but for everyone. Learning how to self regulate, have conversations, and making a positive impact on others are aspects that make us all better.  At Peacemaker Resources Flann is a SEL Specialist and a member of the STAR team.

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!  

Keila McCracken -  SEL Specialist 
keila@peacemakerresources.org

Keila is a Social Emotional Learning Specialist with Peacemaker Resources. She first learned of Social Emotional Learning in her 7th-grade classroom at Schoolcraft Learning Community where her interest was sparked and skillset expanded to navigate peaceful and fruitful conversations. She is an adjunct professor in the Social Work department at Bemidji State University teaching Intercultural Relations and Cultural Sensitivity. Keila is a cultural and environmental Anthropologist and recently earned a Masters in Human Development from Saint Mary’s University concentrating on sustainable systems that equally weigh impacts on economies, environments, social systems, and cultural values. Keila is an avid fly fisherwoman and loves to weave on her vintage industrial loom. 

Jessica Santala, SEL Specialist
jess@peacemakerresources.org

Information coming soon!

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

Linsey McMurrin, a citizen of the Leech Lake Nation of Ojibwe, is committed to the ongoing process of integrating trauma-sensitive, equity driven, restoratively based and culturally responsive approaches into the organizations, institutions, systems and policies throughout our communities and beyond in order to cultivate environments in which everyone can find pathways to healing and success.  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 — both individually and collectively.  As a mother, community member and future ancestor, she believes a firm understanding of the root causes of the contemporary issues we face as a society today is paramount to making true and lasting change that is necessary for all of us to thrive.
Sarah Wilson -  BS, SEL Specialist
sarah@peacemakerresources.org ​
Sarah Wilson is a Social Emotional Learning specialist with 14 years of teaching experience. She holds a B.S. in elementary education from Bemidji State University. Sarah loves to explore innovative teaching methods and is passionate about creating equitable learning spaces that lift up marginalized voices. She is excited to continue to move Peacemaker Resources' mission forward, developing emotional intelligence and wellness in the outdoors. She lives and plays in the gardens and forests around Bemidji with her family.

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

Stacy, a Social Emotional Learning Specialist with Peacemaker Resources, has been in the field of education for 24 years.  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, teaches social-emotional learning skills to children, and provides teacher professional development in the areas of resiliency, positive psychology, and mindfulness.  Stacy is a certified ACE Interface Trainer, a graduate of the Mindful Schools Teacher Certification Program, a YogaCalm Certified Youth Instructor, and a LINK to Equity Cultural Humility Facilitator. She has a Masters Degree 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.