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Roots Of Peace Board Members
Heidi Kuhn, Founder and CEO, Roots of Peace, was deeply inspired in September 1997 to create an organization dedicated to the eradication of landmines worldwide. With a simple toast in the living room of her home that the world may go from “Mines to Vines”, a global initiative was launched from the heart of a mother of four children following the death of the late Princess Diana who catapulted the issue of landmines to the forefront of the international agenda.
Turning “ideas into reality”, Kuhn sought the support of the Napa Valley vintners to replace the scourge of landmines with the nectar of grapes in war-torn countries. Seeking to transform “seeds of terror” into “seeds of hope”, Kuhn attracted the support of legendary vintners such as Robert Mondavi, Mike Grgich, Diane Disney Miller, and over 400 California vintners—replacing the scourge of landmines with the nectar of fresh grapes, raisins or a fine bottle of wine. She envisions the “grapevine” as a symbol of hope—reminding global citizens of the seeds we have in common rather than those which separate us. The planting of a grapevine is a time-honored symbol of hope as generational wisdom reminds us that regardless of the political ideologies of our mind, the color of our hand or the faith in our hearts---a seed will grow when nurtured and cultivated. The planting of a landmine only yields a lethal harvest for generations to come. Her vision to transform “swords into plowshares” is grounded by transforming toxic minefields into bountiful fields creating sustainable economic programs for future generations. Kuhn’s grounded vision has been recognized by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Secretary of State Madeline Albright and Colin Powell, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, President Stepan Mesic of Croatia, The First Lady of Angola Ana Paula dos Santos, The First Lady of the United States Laura Bush, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, former Vice President Al Gore, Robert Redford, Sir Ben Kingsley, and many other global dignitaries in support of her quest to “plant the roots of peace on earth.” Heidi is a fifth generation descendent of a Marin County family, and remains true to her roots by respecting the value of the land. Her pioneer spirit inspires her to heal the wounds of war from the ground up. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley in Political Economic of Industrial Societies, Heidi received the prestigious Cal Berkeley Alumni Award for Excellence and Achievement in 2002. Awards she has received include the Skoll Social Social Entrepreneur Award 2006, WANGO World Association of Non-Governmental Award for Peace & Security, The Rotary International “Service Above Self” Award, The“Walk the Talk” Award from UN World Environment Day, The Marin Women’s Hall of Fame Award, The Marin Interfaith Award, American Women in Radio and Television Award, and many others. Prior to her work on the landmine issue, Heidi owned her own television news organization, NewsLink International, reporting for CNN and other news organizations on the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill and the Melting of the Ice Curtain between US/Soviet relations. Raising her children in Juneau, Alaska, she earned a reputation for bridging borders for peace—reporting for ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Nippon Television and other major media organizations. As a cancer survivor, she envisions the issue of landmines as a curable disease—removal.
Diane Baker studied acting in New York and Los Angeles with Charles Conrad, ballet with Nina Fonaroff, Estelle Harman and years later with Stella Adler. While under contract with Twentieth Century Fox, she was introduced to director George Stevens Sr., who cast her in The Diary of Anne Frank. Diane performed in films such as Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Best of Everything, 300 Spartans, The Wizard of Baghdad, Nine Hours to Rama, directed by Mark Robson, and on loan-out starred with Susan Hayward in Stolen Hours in England. At Universal, she starred in Mirage with Gregory Peck and Marnie for director Alfred Hitchcock. Diane has worked with Anthony Hopkins and director Jonathan Demme in Silence of the Lambs, and her television credits include The Blue and the Gray, Inherit the Wind, and most recently About Sarah, ER and CBS's Jackie, playing the role of Rose Kennedy. Diane's first effort as a producer came in the self-financed documentary, Ashiana, which dealt with the end of feudalism in India. Several other award-wining documentaries followed. With no office other than her briefcase, she procduced the film Never Never Land in London, starring Petula Clark. This success opened the door for a future prodect, a mini-series based on Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Woman of Substance, which received and Emmy nomination for Best Miniseries. In addition to sercing as Director of Acting at San Francisco Academy of Art, Diane personally instructs several acting courses and serves on various boards around the City.
Chris was still in high school when the family moved from White Plains to Glen Ellen, Chris finished his senior year in wine country and went on to earn a marketing degree from the University of San Francisco, spending summers, weekends and every spare minute working at the winery. After two years as a management consultant for the international accounting firm of Arthur Andersen & Co., he officially joined the Benziger Family Winery in 1988 as brand manager. Chris is now the national sales manager for the winery.
Dr. Noel Brown is the former Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, North American Regional office. Dr. Brown holds a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Seattle University, an M.A. in International Law and Organization from Georgetown University and Ph. D. in International Relations from Yale University. He also holds a diploma in International Law from The Hague Academy of International Law. He is a founding member of the Aspen Global Change Institute, the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, and Indigenous Development International. Dr. Brown currently serves as President of the Friends of the United Nations. He is a fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, Chairman of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism and Chairman of the Rene Dubos Center for Human Environments. Dr. Brown has been a Visiting Professor at both U.S. and foreign universities, teaching on the subject of International Law and Organization, Government and Politics, and Environmental Management. He was a distinguished lecturer at the University of Victoria, British Columbia and an associate of the Queen Elizabeth Trust for Young Australians. Dr. Brown was the 1996 Leo Bloc Professor at the University of Denver and is currently the Director of training at the International Oceans Institute, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Dr. Brown serves on the Board of Directors of the Climate Institute, the Earth Communications Office, the Rainforest Alliance, MUSE, Film & Television, the Center for Resource Management, Global Education Associates, Trust for the Americas, the International Leadership Development Institute, Roots of Peace, International Sea-keepers Society, the Timbuktu Heritage Institute and Jamaica National Parks Trust Fund. Dr. Brown has numerous awards acknowledging his service to the environment, including: the Lions Club Award, the Friends of the United Nations Award, the Gaia Award, and the Global Education Associates Award for Distinguished Service in Care of the Earth. Dr. Brown is a recipient of the 1998 World Academy of Arts and Science Award for Distinguished Public Service.
Jan A. Hartke is the Executive Director of EarthVoice, an affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. EarthVoice is active in over 100 countries, empowering local partners and implementing model projects to promote humane, sustainable development. Mr. Hartke has recently added to his responsibilities by directing the international anti-factory farms campaign. He has received numerous awards for his international work, including awards from the United Nations Environment Programme. He was appointed by President Clinton to the Board of Directors of the Enterprise for the Americas – the most significant international environmental Board consisting of Cabinet Members and leading NGOs. Mr. Hartke serves as a Director on numerous Boards of Directors dealing with the global environment and sustainable development.
Tor Kenward joined Wine World Inc.’s marketing department in 1977. Over the following two decades he remained a core member of the company’s management team as Beringer Blass Wine Estates evolved into one of the world’s premier wine companies. Since joining Beringer, Tor has also been the guiding force for Beringer’s educational wine and food programs. In 1981, he initiated the first winery scholarship programs for national Culinary Schools. He also worked with culinary teacher and writer Madeline Kamman to create the School for American Chefs. Tor continues to serve on many boards with affiliations to wine and food. He has served on the National Board of the American Institute of Wine and Food, and chaired their National Annual Wine Auction for two years. He has served as a Trustee for Copia. For two years he co-chaired New York’s California Wine Perspective, one of the early showcases for California wines on the East coast. Tor has also written and contributed to wine and food periodicals and books over the years. He lives with his wife, Susan Costner Kenward, and two children in St. Helena, Napa Valley.
Gary Kühn has worked in business development in the high technology sector for 23 years before joining Roots of Peace full-time in 2001. Gary started his career at IBM in San Francisco after graduating from University of California, Berkeley. Gary furthered his education in an executive program sponsored by IBM at Harvard University. After leaving IBM, Gary joined Adobe Systems in 1990 to help develop business opportunities for PostScript and Acrobat. Gary then moved on to Autodesk where he managed the development team for AutoCAD LT, one of the companies main products. Gary then pursued consulting for a number of international technology companies working to establish a market in the US. Gary has worked to support Roots of Peace since its' inception in 1997. He serves on the Board and manages the international demining and development programs. Gary continues to serve on a number of non-profit boards. He lives with his wife, Heidi, and their four children, Brooks, Tucker, Kyleigh and Christian.
Ann Larkins Laurence was born in Marin County, California. Raised in Kentfield and San Rafael and attended Marin Catholic High School and College of Marin. In 1972 she began working at the Bank of Marin and from 1973 to 1983 she served as the personal secretary to William P Murray, Jr. Founder and Chairman of the bank. In 1983, she went to First National Bank of Marin as the Adminstrative Officer. In 1985, she begain her own management consulting firm offering office and administrative systems to small companies. In 1991, Ann expanded her services as a financial advisor by becoming a registered representative and worked in that capacity for ten years. Ann married Richard M. Laurence in 1989 and they reside in San Rafael, CA. Ann has two children, two stepchildren, and six grandchildren. Ann has volunteered actively for over thirty years and has served on numerous committees in various capacities. She has held long-term board and officer positions in several organizations, including: Marin Concert Association, San Rafael High School Scholarship Foundation, Gerstle Park Neighborhood Association, Marin Coalition, American Red Cross Bay Area, Rotary Club of San Rafael, Marin History Museum, and Roots of Peace.
Tom Tully was born in Woburn, Massachusetts and graduated from Boston College School of Management in 1981 with a degree in Business and Computer Science. After working for several years in various software development companies, Tom joined EF Education, a Swedish company working in the fields of cultural exchange and language training. For 10 years, Tom travelled and worked for various EF subsidiaries as MIS Manager, traveling much of the world prior to, during, and after the dramatic changes in Europe during the late 80's and early 90's. Tom worked in setting up communication and application networks across various countries. Tom expanded his career by developing some of the first dynamic web applications in market for EF. (www.ef.com, www.eftours.com) In 1997 Tom joined Digitas Inc., a leading cross channel marketing agency in Boston as VP, Technology Director, moving to San Francisco in 1999 to open the Digitas technology capability. Tom worked with clients such as General Motors, Microsoft, Charles Schwab, William Sonoma, Kraft Foods, and Sony. In 2000, Tom and his Digitas colleagues created the first version of Roots of Peace's web site as a pro bono Digitas sponsored client. In 2006 Tom left Digitas, traveled Italy, and returned to head up the San Francisco technology department for Organic, Inc., working with clients such as Mitsubishi, FOX, Sprint, and Bank of America. In 2007, Organic sponsored the second iteration of Roots of Peace's web site in December of 2007. Tom currently lives in Larkspur, California and owns, with his business partners, The Marin Fencing Academy, advocating the sport of competitive fencing in North America. (www.marinfencing.com) while competing himself within USFA sponsored tournament across the US.
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