Chris Elwell is our web coder extraordinaire. He’s taken our web-presence to all new levels with his amazing skills. A native Philly-man Chris has supported the work of Women in War Zones since 2008 and continues to serve us well.

Lillian Chan is graphic designer, animator, and the lone Canadian on our team. She met Brad and Scott in 2006 at a student conference in St. Louis, where a small group of filmmakers sat around a tiny table sharing about their current projects... she has been working with Women in War Zones ever since.

Maryam Rokhideh's heart resides in Africa permanently. From East African politics, and West African music to South African Ubuntu, Maryam is happiest eating plantains, researching indigenous African conflict resolution practices, and making everlasting friendships along the way. She is extremely passionate about peacebuilding and war trauma healing with a Masters degree background in Conflict Resolution and Bachelors degree in International Studies. Maryam loves being immersed in different cultures and learning traditional dance styles. She believes in cultivating peace within and fostering peace in the world.

Alex Upton is a recent graduate of the University of Connecticut where he majored in International Relations and Economics. His hobbies during college included dominating on the basketball court and participating in the Model United Nations. He studied abroad in China while at UConn and continues to pursue his passion and a career in international issues.

Carolyn Marcelo graduated from Liberty University in May 2011 with her degree in Fashion Merchandising. Her family is originally from Peru and she herself hails from the great state of New Jersey. A passionate activist and leader among her peers, Carolyn brings both her flair and skills to our team. If she could have any meal, it would be an entire pizza pie and a bowl of vanilla ice-cream. We’re all about healthy eating here at Women in War Zones.

Dele Rockson is a senior at Liberty University in Virginia. He tore his ACL jumping down his staircase thinking he was Spiderman. The outcome was very un-Spiderman-like. He ended up not playing soccer for three years. Despite his lack of coordination he is a rock-and-roll video-maker and he hopes to be able to do it as a career after he graduates. He coordinates our media-savvy campaigns and works hard to help us produce good quality video projects.

Kirthi Jayakumar is located in Chennai, India. She’s an extremely accomplished young lady with a strong drive to advocate for the less-fortunate and work for peace in the world. She is also a lawyer who volunteers with the UN through their UNV program. A lover of writing and walking in the rain, Kirthi reads like there’s no tomorrow. Right now, she has about fifty books sitting on her shelf waiting to be read, but she still itches to buy more every time she walks past a bookstore. Kirthi is the founder of an awareness initiative called the Orange Wall Peace Project and amid all of these activities; she still finds time for her hobby of cleaning her combs.

Tyshi Maith recently graduated from the University of Delaware with her degrees in Political Science and Women’s Studies. She is a soft-spoken Philadelphian with a passion for advocating for women’s rights. A strong believer in justice for all, Tyshi loves chicken, her mom, and karaoke. She travels with our documentary, advocating for Congolese women and engaging college activists to join the cause.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of in the world. Nobody leaves it alive!” Wenjin Luo’s sense of humor puts a spin on the typical image of the finance team. She is a joy to work with, loves cooking and hiking and wants to travel around the world and taste all types of cuisines. Her favorite TV show is Bizarre Foods – so naturally she fits in well with our bizarre little family.

Valentina Mirza is a self-proclaimed incurable idealist. Her degrees in Business and Intercultural Studies have somewhat tempered this idealism of hers though. Valentina fell in love with the International Development field, when she saw how it allowed her to see the world for what it was and what it could be. Her passion for this field has also given her the chance to walk alongside people in need and to use her God-given gifts and skills to bridge that gap between the have and have-nots. She loves traveling, meeting new people and relishing in the gloriousness of different cultures and lifestyles. A native of Transylvania, Romania, she’s always dreamed of flying, but unfortunately lacks the vampire genes to make this a reality – so she’s settled for flying like the rest of us humans: on airplanes.

Charli Strassman is a senior International Relations student at Seton Hall University. She’s done a study-abroad program which has taken her all around the world, including three countries in Africa. She’s extremely passionate about human rights and international development and this has motivated her to work in this field. She has a beautiful pet Siberian husky and brought an extra spark of fun to our organization during her summer with us.

Ashley Pfeiffer is a senior English major and History minor at La Salle University in Philadelphia. Through books and history classes, she first learned about the crisis in the Congo. It was not until her involvement with Women in War Zones that Ashley realized the crisis is not confined to the pages of history books, but continues today. Upon learning this, Ashley committed herself to helping real life women in war zones. When she is not working at WWZ, Ashley enjoys reading classy books, watching trashy movies, and getting lost while finding new places.