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Who are the Members of the Weavers Team? The team of people consists of nine individuals who have expertise in one or more of the following areas: conflict resolution, multicultural training, spirituality of non-violence, and international living and working experiences. The team is diverse in age, culture and current geographical locations within the United States. MEET THE TEAM! Patty Gaines, Coordinator, has developed, initiated and facilitated numerous programs and initiatives in religious education, spirituality, leadership, and global outreach. She has been recognized locally and nationally for her excellence in catechetical programming, teamwork with volunteers in pastoral ministry and leadership abilities in the local secular community. Patty continues to serve on a number of local and diocesan strategic planning teams and boards as well as on the National Advisory Council to the Bishops. Having a rich background in catechesis, Patty recently completed her Master's work in Spirituality from the Loyola University LIMEX Program in Pastoral Studies, and is certified to facilitate classes in the Nashville Diocese. Francisco Argüelles Paz y Puente has participated as an activist and professional in projects of popular education, social pastoral work, solidarity with Central America, community organizing, sustainable development, and the struggle against poverty and human rights. As a native to Mexico, Francisco is acutely aware of the conflicts that arise between ethnic groups, and the challenges that must be met as societies move toward reconciliation. As a teacher in Chiapas, Mexico, he has first-hand experience in how culture, socio-economic status and oppression are all significant factors in conflicts between cultures. He now resides in Houston, Texas, from there he works as the South-West Regional Organizer for the National Organizers Alliance (NOA) and continues his work with the immigrants and refugees rights movements at both the local and national level. Alicia Cardel is an award-winning training consultant with international experience in conflict management, dispute resolution and diversity awareness. Born in the Philippines, Alicia is multi-lingual and has lived in over forty countries and was appointed by former President Corazon Aquino as Special Assistant for Asia Pacific Affairs in the Phillipines. Alicia currently lives in New York and has consulted with the District School Leadership Teams of Bronx High Schools, Hope in the Cities, Inc., Renaissance Development Corporations and the NGO Support Center in New York. She is the Program Director of the Conflict Resolution Program of Global Education Associates and holds a Masters of Public Administration from Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs, New York. Rosalyn F. Collier co-founded the San Antonio peaceCENTER in 1996. Her primary focus is to design and facilitate Conflict Engagement and Transformative Mediation Skillshops, as well as other workshops and presentations on how to engage in creative nonviolence. Besides earning a M.A. in French Education/Literature, Rosalyn is a graduate from the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation and is certified from the National Center for Mediation Education in Washington, D.C. Her long history of peace and justice work that includes the following: restorative justice programming within the criminal justice system, mediating dialogue between victims and offenders, ESL instructor, French Immersion Instructor, and mediation services for individuals, families, schools and non-profit organizations. Rosalyn is the recipient of the Peace Educator of the Year 2000, Consortium of Peace Research, Education and Development. Ralph McCloud, a native of Ft. Worth, Texas, is the Director of Peace and Justice Ministry for the Catholic diocese of Ft. Worth. He also serves as the current Director of African American Ministry for the diocese. Ralph has a strong background in peace and justice that stems from his education experience at Paul Quinn College, Notre Dame University, De Sales School of Theology and St. Meinrad Seminary. His contributions towards racial justice and reconciliation have earned Ralph recognition as the recipient of numerous awards at both the local and national levels. Currently, Ralph is in his third term on city council, where he serves as Mayor Pro Tem. In this capacity, Ralph is afforded the opportunity to hold memberships on many committees which influence neighborhood, economic and local housing development. Nick Mele, born in New York City, was a career foreign service officer with the United States Information Agency and Department of State for over twenty-five years. During this time, he served overseas in Africa and Asia, promoting improved communication and understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other nations. Nick is fluent in both Korean and Indonesian/Malaysian. In Washington D.C., Nick served as Japan/Korea Country Affairs Officer, as a Foreign Service Personnel Officer and as a Deputy Director of the Office of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. A long time peace and justice advocate, Nick was active with the Arlington Street People's Assistance Network, a nonprofit which provides emergency and ongoing services for local homeless people in Washington D.C. Currently, Nick lives in the state of Washington, and is part on an international effort to create a global nonviolent "peace force" made up of civilians committed to nonviolent intervention as an alternative to military missions to areas of conflict like the former Yugoslavia, Colombia or Rwanda. Melinda Rodriguez lives in Austin, Texas and is the Business Administrator for St. Mary's Cathedral in Austin. She holds a Master of Arts in Human Services and a Certificate in Conflict Resolution from St. Edward's University, Austin, Texas. Melinda is bilingual in Spanish and English and has also worked extensively in public relations, marketing and in community relations. Her expertise extends to Catholic Social Teaching in relationship to mediation, advocacy and governmental issues for people of minority cultures. Melinda's experiences in the pastoral setting of the Catholic Church are invaluable in working with parishes and dioceses that experience conflict of a multicultural nature. George Smith currently resides in Rochester Minnesota and holds a Master of Science in Education/Guidance and Counseling from North Dakota State University. His twenty-five years of experience in managing convention centers, auditoriums and college campus student unions led him to understand the need for better communication between cultures. George is currently active with Olmsted County as an Alternative Dispute Resolution Mediator and also serves as an advocate in landlord/tenant disputes. As part of his advocacy work, George operates a free-of-charge hotline each week that assists multicultural people with problematic landlord and tenant conflicts. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Gift of Life Transplant House, which is associated with the Mayo Clinic. George was recognized for his tremendous outreach efforts in 1999 as the Gift of Life Volunteer. Sr. Martha Ann Snapka, Incarnate Word Sisters, is an accomplished educator, principal and past president of Incarnate Word Academy. Her awards for academic excellence and leadership within her religious community, diocesan, school and local community are numerous. Sr. Martha Ann served at the Nueces County Conflict Resolution Center as a volunteer mediator for those people in the community who cold not afford the funds to resolve local conflicts. Serving on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee for this program, Sr. Martha Ann also coordinated mediation training in her local community of Corpus Christi, Texas. As an extension of this program, Sr. Martha Ann piloted a project entitled, "Conflict, Resolution, Prejudice Reduction, and Mediation" at Incarnate Word Middle School, which continues today, in which students are trained to become peer mediators within their school.

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