Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng, Founder, Ceeds of Peace
Maya Soetoro-Ng MA PhD, has a rich background in global and multicultural education. Maya was born in Jakarta, Indonesia and later moved with her family to Hawai‘i. From 2007 to 2008, Maya was an avid campaigner for her brother, President Barack Obama, where she worked on outreach to teachers, women, and Latino and Asian-Pacific Americans. Part of her campaign work involved visiting schools and discussing Obama’s education platform. Maya has an MA in Secondary Education from New York University and a PhD in International Comparative Education from the University of Hawai‘i. Her doctoral research explored the politics of multicultural education and critical pedagogy through creative writing. From 1996 to 2000, she taught and developed curriculum at a progressive public middle school in New York City. From 2000 to 2007, Maya was a lecturer at the University of Hawai‘i College of Education, where she taught multicultural education and educational theory. She also taught at La Pietra, a school for girls, where she facilitated classes on world cultures, U.S. history and the constitution; and Peacemakers, a course she designed to teach the power of nonviolence. Later, she worked as an Education Specialist at the East West Center, facilitating exchange between teachers in Asia and the United States. More recently, Maya worked as an Assistant Professor and University Coordinator, at the University of Hawai’i’s Institute for Teacher Education, where she taught multicultural education, peace education, and social studies methods.  She has also authored a children’s book, “Ladder to the Moon”, that was inspired by her mother and her two daughters. Maya currently holds the position of Director of Community Outreach and Global Learning at the University of Hawai’i’s College of Social Sciences, which houses the Matsunaga Institute for Peace.


Dr. Kerrie Urosevich, Founder, Ceeds of Peace
Kerrie Urosevich MA PhD, has spent the past 20 years in community mobilization and peacebuilding.  Kerrie is currently the Governor’s Early Childhood Coordinator for the state of Hawaii. Previously, she co-founded Lead4Tomorrow, a violence-prevention leadership organization, and Family Hui, a program committed to ensuring children are safe, healthy and thriving. For ten years, she ran her own mediation and facilitation consultancy, Can U Summit, working with communities and organizations in transition.  She also serves as Affiliate Faculty at the Matsunaga Institute for Peace at the University of Hawai‘i Manoa, teaching an array of undergraduate and graduate peace and conflict resolution courses. Kerrie dedicates her time as a board member to the following organizations: Montessori Community School, serving children age 2 to 6th grade; The Association for Conflict Resolution – Hawai‘i Chapter, providing facilitation, mediation and negotiation workshops; EPIC ‘Ohana, working to strengthen families and enhance the welfare of children and youth; and MPANZI, a Kenya based organization supporting families with children prenatal to age 7.  Kerrie is one of 14 Omidyar Fellows for the 2014-15 year. Kerrie received her Ph.D. in Political Science with a specialization in conflict resolution and public policy, from the University of Hawai‘i Manoa. She received her Master’s Degree in International Policy from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management.  Kerrie has traveled extensively in over 26 countries and lived and worked in Japan for four years. She is a parent of three children, who ground her in all of her work.