Board of Directors

Valerie Muroki, Chair: val.muroki@gmail.com (click here for bio)

Edeltraud Muroki, Vice Chair: evonrymonlipinski@gmail.com (click here for bio)

Regina Ayars, Secretary: reginariley@jeffnet.org (click here for bio)

Mora Rogers, Treasurer: beyondwar@beyondwar.org (click here for bio)

Pam Vavra (on leave): pam@nv.net (click here for bio)

Valerie MurokiValerie Muroki – Board Chair

My career life has zigzagged through teaching science as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa, researching insects of medical importance at Harvard University, through training Peer Mediators in the Hawaii school system, writing for newspapers in Maui, radio announcing, and finally settling into the non-profit world. I ran the educational programs at the Homeless Resource Center, taught basic skills, GED preparation and a decision making class to violent offenders in the prison, tutored and ran a youth service center in an alternative educational agency, and facilitated family conferencing with social service personnel, Child Protective Service staff and the families they worked with. My volunteer work has included teaching English as a Second Language in Boston, presiding over the board of directors of the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center on Maui and of the Central Maui Youth Center; I was a member of the Tri-Isle Mental Health and Substance Abuse Committee for the State of Hawaii and a Guardian ad Litem (aka C.A.S.A.). Here in Ashland, I’m a trained volunteer member of CERT.

Edeltraud MurokiEdeltraud Muroki, Vice Chair

I was born and raised in Germany, my career years spent as a nurse, particularly focused on the emergency room, intensive care, and a methadone clinic for the drug addicted. I was an activist with Germany’s Peace Movement during the 1970’s. In 1999 I moved to Maui, Hawaii, and began the journey towards citizenship, first gaining the “Green Card” and now awaiting my opportunity to become an American citizen. On Maui I was trained as a Mediator and was a healing arts practitioner, which I am continuing here in Ashland. Here I’m a member of CERT (Citizens Emergency Response Team), part of the grassroots movement supporting marriage equality, a member of the Women’s International League of Peace & Freedom, and an avid participant in local Sustainability projects.

Regina AyarsRegina Ayars, Secretary

Regina has lived in Ashland since 2003. She moved here from the Bay Area after retiring from working in the computer industry for twenty years. She became involved with the Peace House right away due to the start of the Iraq War. She marched with others in the anti-war and pro-peace rally on March 19th 2003. Over the next 6 years she attended various events sponsored by the Peace House until 2009 when she was invited to participate in a Peace House focus group. After listening to the new direction that Peace House was taking in the community, she decided to join the board. She has been involved in fundraising and helping to manage the office. Regina is also involved in other community activities including: President of the League of Women Voters of Ashland, Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) supporting children in foster care, commissioner on the Ashland Housing Commission and chair of the land use sub-committee, sponsor for Alateen, and member of the Kirby Shaw Choral.

Mora RogersMora Rogers, Treasurer

Mora is currently Director of Administration for Beyond War, a nonprofit organization working to promote and cultivate the cultural change which will eliminate the use of warfare in this century. She is a lifelong believer in the power of nonviolent action as a force for social change, and has been a peace activist since the late 60s protesting the Vietnam War. She was actively involved in the anti-nuclear movement and in protesting US government covert activities in Latin America. Attending the marches and grassroots organized educational activities surrounding the WTO conference in Seattle in 1999 opened her eyes to both the mechanics of globalized economic oppression and to the extent and power of worldwide popular resistance to it. In 2000-2001 she spent eighteen months in Central America as a volunteer international observer for human rights. She brings extensive training and experience as an entrepreneur and in business administration in a variety of public and private settings to her work on the Board of Directors of Peace House.

Pam VavraPam Vavra (on leave)

At age 16, out of concern for my friends, and with my father's help, I started a day center for troubled teenagers, who were experimenting with drugs, running away from home, in trouble with the law, and/or just wanting a safe place to chill out and talk.

I graduated high school early, with honors; and, following in my father's footsteps, I began a career in aerospace research, after earning degrees in mathematics and psychology which I applied in combination, to artificial intelligence research in support of projects at NASA, Dept. of Defense, and Dept. of Energy.

I worked as an engineer for 20 years, striving to make the world a better and safer place through the advancement of technology, while sadly realizing that the results of my efforts were largely being used to wage war, rather than peace.
In 1991, recurrent episodes of major depression rendered me unable to work, and exposed me to inequities of social justice that motivated me toward a new career of volunteerism focused on community service and political advocacy.

I have served as President of the Manic-Depressive and Depressive Association of Los Angeles, a Founder of Self-Help And Recover Exchange (SHARE!) where I led/organized workshops on depression and suicide prevention, co-founder of a Legal Aid Center for non-residents who federally- funded legal aid foundations could not support, a Founder of the Santa Monica Conservancy, and as Co-Chair of the Jackson County Pacific Green Party. I have led political campaigns in support of renters' rights, living wage, and historic preservation, among other issues.

In 2007, I led the campaign to re-open the Ashland Public Library and currently serve as Chair of the Ashland Citizens' Library Advisory Committee.