Announcing Our Next Program
Coming on Oct. 3

CIA Officer's Journey

From War to Peace Building

With Janessa Gans Wilder, 
ex-CIA officer and Peacebuilder

  

  Janessa's sponsors are Anne and Russ Peterson, WACSC members 

About Our Program         

Peace seems elusive in our war-torn world and many wonder what anyone can do about it. Enter Janessa Gans Wilder with A CIA Officer’s Journey from War to Peacebuilding. A California native, Wilder joined the CIA before 9/11, and in 2003 volunteered to serve in Iraq, where a 90-day tour turned into 21 months as a counterinsurgency analyst and political liaison. After a major battle between US Marines and insurgents in western Iraq, she had a personal awakening along the Euphrates River, which ultimately led to her forging a very different path as peacebuilder.

Wilder will take us through her extraordinary journey culminating in her founding of the Euphrates Institute -- a non-profit peace-building organization currently active in over 40 countries.  Along the way she’ll share some lessons learned, including how each of us can play a role in bridging divides in our communities.

About Our Speaker

 Janessa Gans Wilder grew up in Redding, CA. and earned degrees from Principia College and Stanford University, from which she was recruited to the CIA as an analyst. In Iraq she logged time in far-flung military outposts, interviewing insurgents in Abu Ghraib and High-Value Target prisons.

After Iraq, Jessica founded the Euphrates Institute in 2006 and served as its CEO for 14 years. She is a frequent speaker in interfaith, community, government, international, and educational settings, and has written dozens of articles and been interviewed by major news outlets, including CBS, CNN, Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, and Democracy Now.

         Janessa lives in Redding with her husband and three children where they enjoy spending time in nature (when they’re not evading wildfires).

 Register HERE