Artisans of Peace

Peace Doesn’t End Conflict. It Makes Things New.

The peacebuilders of unRival Network see beyond the familiar logic of winners and losers—us and them. Instead, they ply the ground for change with music and dance, ritual and drama, movies and laughter, hospitality and shared meals. Their resolve and artistic care leads them into endless and beautiful creativity.

Our partners are artisans of peace, and their approaches work. They are transforming violent conflict into new forms of living. They are seeing through the storm to the rivalry, scapegoating, and self-justification that lies within—and to the human need for healing underneath it all. We invite you to join us in the un-rivalrous spaces we’re creating for the peace they are building.

Our Values

Nonrivalry

We embrace our interdependence, celebrate each other’s successes, and grieve each other’s setbacks.

Humility

To be instruments of peace, we must sometimes admit when we have been obstacles to peace.

Curiosity

We offer each other the attention and life-giving listening that can transform rivalry into friendship.

Dignity

No one is expendable. Every story deserves to be told and generously heard.

Creativity

Each of us imagines a more just and peaceful future. Each of us contributes something unique to that coming reality.

Nonviolence

We raise issues, address conflicts, take risks, and approach the future with open hands that don’t create victims.

Justice

A nonviolent way of life pursues economic, political, and social justice, practicing equity and restoring relationships.

Our Approach

Accompany

We Accompany our network by documenting their successes and extending their capacities. We engage in practical research that sheds light on the intersections of peacebuilding and rivalry, and how this work contributes to durable change. We focus on better understanding those embodied practices that are succeeding on the ground, developing resources and best practices from these insights.

Connect

We Connect artisans of justpeace who feel alone in advocating for dignity and refusing to join in rivalry. We meet their longing for connection to others of like mind, and their desire to find rest with those who understand the power and difficulty of nonviolent action. We create safe, unrivalrous spaces for growth, nourishment, learning, and ideation.

Amplify

Our central work is to tell and Amplify our network’s stories: narratives that erode belief in violence leading to peace. We bear witness to the powers of nonviolence being discovered by unheralded peacebuilders who are crafting sustainable peace in their communities. Such stories are often told from the margins, and they are rarely neat and tidy. We believe these “stories from below, told in beautiful ways” can inspire hope and undergird meaningful change.

 

Our Team

Co-founder & CEO

Suzanne Ross

Suzanne serves as Co-Founder and CEO and guides the vision of unRival. She brings to her work her background as a Montessori educator.
Suzanne has launched programs and taught in Montessori classrooms, Sunday schools and in corporate settings. As a member of the Colloquium on Violence & Religion, she has attended and presented at the annual conferences and has served on its Board of Directors. Suzanne is the author of The Wicked Truth: When Good People Do Bad Things and her articles have appeared in the scholarly journal Contagion and online at Sojourners and Patheos. She has led post show discussions at Chicago theaters and is currently writing a play based on the life of Maria Montessori called The Miracle of San Lorenzo. She is also co-founder of the Raven Foundation, an online community for those seeking to connect to a nonviolent Christian theology.
Chief Operations Officer

Jason Ferenczi

Jason Ferenczi serves as Chief Operating Officer He brings to unRival his background in history, education, and philanthropy.

Jason Ferenczi brings academic preparation in history and education into dialogue with organizational development, cross-cultural communication, and leadership studies. Jason previously served as a Program Director at Cornerstone Trust (2011-2020), a private, family foundation. He oversaw granting in leadership development around the globe, with a special focus in Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. Jason holds a master’s in history and a Ph.D. in education, although his greatest formation has come in the school of life, particularly travel in 130+ countries. He is the father of four middle- and high-school girls and lives in Grand Rapids.

Chief Story Officer

Lyle Enright

Lyle Enright serves as Chief Story Officer. He brings to unRival his background in literature, communications, and corporate consulting.

Lyle writes widely on topics at the intersections of religion, literature, and popular culture. His essays, poems and stories have appeared in dozens of publications. He brings his love of learning, research, and storytelling to the unRival team, interviewing artistans of peace and amplifying their narratives while working to identify the analogies between their singular struggles and contexts. A member of the Colloquium on Violence & Religion, Lyle was also the 2017 winner of the Raymund Schwager Memorial Essay Prize, for his work comparing the philosophies of Rene Girard and Giorgio Agamben. He holds a PhD in English from Loyola University Chicago.

Chief Creative Officer

Billy Price

Billy Price serves as Chief Creative Officer. He brings to unRival his background in filmmaking, acting, and design.

William Price, III tells stories through motion pictures and digital media. He is an award-winning writer-director-producer, actor, cancer survivor, and father of two. William has collaborated professionally with Grammy-winning bands, non-profits, startups, and healthcare companies as well as aid and justice organizations. His personal work reflects a darkly tinged spirituality that aches for transcendence and embraces the brutal tension between beauty and suffering; this spirit informs his efforts as a screenwriter, director, actor and creative director—forming pieces that often orbit around questions of identity, relationship, terror, and hope for mercy.

Office Manager

Jillian Newell

Jillian Newell serves as Office Manager. She brings to unRival her background in accounting, administration, and process management.

A native of Wisconsin, Jillian now lives in Durham, North Carolina. She worked for eight years in corporate finance. She enjoys music, art, baking, and spending time with her family.

Our Board of Directors

Martin Girard (Chairperson)
Business Development and Investing (Phoenix, Arizona, USA)
Joel Aguilar
Leadership Development Specialist & Professor of Theology and Mission, Comunidad de Estudios Teológicos Interdisciplinarios (Guatemala City, GT)
Mark Bell, Ph.D.
Head of Private Capital and Family Office, Balentine (Atlanta, Georgia, USA)
Greg DePetris
Managing Member and Chief Strategic Officer, CODA Markets, Inc. (Guilford, Connecticut, USA)
Julia Robinson Moore, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina - Charlotte (Charlotte, North Carolina, USA)
Wolfgang Palaver, Ph.D.
Professor of Catholic Social Teaching, University of Innsbruck (Innsbruck, Austria)
Martha Reineke, Ph.D.
Professor, University of Northern Iowa (Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA)
Keith Ross
Executive Chariman, PDQ Enterprises (Glenview, Illinois, USA)
Cathy Skala
Retired Healthcare Leader (Birmingham, Alabama, USA)