Suzanne Carlson has been committed to nonviolent activism since 1983, including various acts of "divine resistance" to weapons of mass destruction, militarism, racism, and materialism. Following participation in the Walk for the Earth 1984 (CA to Washington DC), she joined Jonah House and the Atlantic Life Community and served a year in prison for a Plowshares action against the Trident first-strike nuclear system. Besides living simply and in community, she has participated in several acts of resistance as well as community-building and local food production. She serves on the Board to promote Traprock's mission toward peace and social and economic justice.
Bill Carrithers is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker who recently moved to the Pioneer Valley from the Pacific NW where he worked as a therapist at a neighborhood nonprofit mental health clinic. Bill’s political activism got its start in protests against the Vietnam war. More recently he was an active member of the Yakima Valley Peace Advocates. Over the years Bill has been involved in several organizations promoting social justice and basic human rights. Bill looks forward to serving on Traprock’s board and supporting Traprock’s ideals of peace and social justice for all.
Pat Hynes, a retired Professor of Urban Environmental Health, has worked for decades as an educator, researcher, writer and activist on issues of environmental justice, feminism, and the health effects of war. Her book, A Patch of Eden: America's Inner-City Gardeners, documented the social and environmental justice capacity of the community gardening movement in inner cities of the United States. She is committed to building with others the Traprock Center as an informational and educational resource for activists, educators, and students. Pat has had several of her articles on war, militarism, peace, and related concerns published online:
Abbie Jenks, MSW, teaches Peace and Social Justice Studies at Greenfield Community College, and is Program Coordinator of the Human Services Program. First hired in 1998, she created the PSJ curriculum in response to the events of 9/11 and the start of the Iraq War and continues to create ways to teach about peace, justice and nonviolence. She is active in the wider peace community and serves on the Pioneer Valley Cuba Solidarity Committee, SAGE, and the Western Mass. Coalition of Immigrant and Workers Rights. She is the co-president of the New England Peace Studies Association and an active member of the national Peace and Justice Studies Association.
Jordan Russ first became involved with Traprock through a semester-long film series sponsored by Greenfield Community College's Peace and Social Justice Club and shown at Traprock. He is excited to be serving on the Board of Directors and looks forward to helping Traprock sustain its image as a community space and resource for Greenfield and the greater Franklin County area.
Linda Sarage is the Project Director for the RECOVER Project in Greenfield, MA. She is a retired teacher committed to educating young students about environmental responsibility and building just communities. She deeply supports Traprock's mission and serves on the board to assist with Traprock's growth and development.
Fric Spruyt says: I was born into a family that looked to make a difference in this world. I grew up in Ethiopia where I went to a French school, then moved to Chapel Hill, NC, attended Carolina Friends School and helped campaign for the first black mayor in North Carolina. I took a weekend seminar in consensus group process at the Movement For A New Society in Philadelphia, while attending Putney School. I joined the Clamshell Alliance right out of high school. I have been a founding member of several peace and justice groups, as well as a few community organizations, and am past president of the Brattleboro Dawn Dance Committee. I studied Negotiation/ Mediation at UVM, then Communication with Sandra Boston. Recently I have been training to design and build solar thermal systems, and have been working with Putney, VT's 'Transition Town' group, organizing 'reskilling' workshops. I feel strongly that we need to combine activism, community building, personal growth, and fun, if we are going to sustain our effort over the long term, and have good lasting effects on the world.
Darcy Sweeney teaches English as a Second Language at Holyoke Community College. Before moving to the Pioneer Valley in 2003, she was a founding member of the North Shore Coalition for Peace and Justice in eastern Massachusetts. She has been active in the peace community of the Pioneer Valley as well as Progressive Democrats of America and feels privileged to have the opportunity to serve on Traprock's board.
Michael Wilmeth is a former market gardener, occasional journalist, and graduate student training to be a psychotherapist, with a particular interest in those affected by violence, as perpetrators or victims.