Meet the Co-Founders
Christian N. Ciobanu is the Policy and Advocacy Coordinator for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. He is also the TPNW Advisor for the Mission of Kiribati.
He has been an activist in the field of nuclear disarmament since 2010. As an activist, he has organized events for youth and diplomats in Geneva, Vienna, and New York. During the 2015 NPT Review Conference, 2015 First Committee of the UN General Assembly, and 2017 UN Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, Leading Towards their Total Elimination, he served as an advisor for the Mission of the Marshall Islands to the UN.
Since 2012, he has organized youth delegations to NPT related meetings, where youth monitored discussions and shared their views with diplomats. In 2018, Christian N. Ciobanu served as the Co-Chair of the Global Youth Forum on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was held in Auckland, New Zealand.
Christian N. Ciobanu has an MA in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (Monterey, CA). At Middlebury, he completed an honors thesis on alternatives to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and he was the recipient of the 2016 Kathryn B. Davis Projects for Peace Fellowship. He has a second MA in Political Science from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Geneva, Switzerland).
Danielle Samler is an independent consultant. Previously, she served as a fellow for the Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy, a non-profit educational association of lawyers and legal scholars that engages in research and advocacy in support of the global elimination of nuclear weapons and a more just and peaceful world through respect for domestic and international law. She has also been acting as a coordinator for the U.S. Foreign Policy Taskforce of Beyond our Borders in their Washington DC Advocacy on the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017. Danielle is a recent graduate from the University of Toronto where she received an Honors B.A. in Peace, Conflict, and Justice, and History. In 2019, her article on the Humanitarian impact of the Arms Trade Treaty was selected for publication by the Trudeau Centre of Peace, Conflict and Justice at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Prior to University, her background was in theatre and the performing arts. Previously, she has worked as a fellow for Reaching Critical Will, the disarmament program of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), and the Women’s Regional Network. Her areas of interest and research include conventional international arms control, cyber security, international law, criminal justice reform, and applying a gender perspective. Danielle’s goal is to empower, inspire, and educate her fellow peers on the dangers of ever-increasing U.S. militarism, the weaponization of cyberspace, and the importance of humanitarian disarmament.
Lovely Umayam is the founder and chief creative producer for Bombshelltoe, the first-prize winner of the U.S. Department of State’s Innovation in Arms Control Challenge in 2013. Lovely’s work under Bombshelltoe has been featured in PopTech, Einstein Forum, SxSW Interactive, MoMA PS1, the Associated Press, and the U.S. Department of State’s Generation Prague Conference in which she interviewed Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller. From 2013 – 2014, Lovely contributed as a columnist for the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.
Currently, Lovely Is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Stimson Center, a think-tank in Washington, DC conducting research on the potential application of blockchain technology for nuclear security. From 2016 - 2019, Lovely managed the nuclear security portfolio at Stimson, where she led projects on security governance and supply chain security. Prior to joining Stimson, Lovely served as a Program Manager at the Office of Nonproliferation and Arms Control within the U.S. Department of Energy - National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA), where she implemented nuclear safeguards engagement projects in Southeast Asia and Latin America. At DOE/NNSA, she also helped coordinate nonproliferation and nuclear-stability focused Track 1.5 engagements in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Lovely is an alumnus of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and Reed College. She speaks Mandarin and Tagalog. Lovely identifies as Filipina-American, and splits her time between Washington, DC and Los Angeles, CA.
Meet the Team
Christian N. Ciobanu is the Project Coordinator of Reverse The Trend. He is also the Policy and Advocacy Coordinator for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and the TPNW Advisor for the Mission of Kiribati.
He has been an activist in the field of nuclear disarmament since 2010. As an activist, he has organized events for youth and diplomats in Geneva, Vienna, and New York. During the 2015 NPT Review Conference, 2015 First Committee of the UN General Assembly, and 2017 UN Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, Leading Towards their Total Elimination, he served as an advisor for the Mission of the Marshall Islands to the UN.
Since 2012, he has organized youth delegations to NPT related meetings, where youth monitored discussions and shared their views with diplomats. In 2018, Christian N. Ciobanu served as the Co-Chair of the Global Youth Forum on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was held in Auckland, New Zealand.
Christian N. Ciobanu has an MA in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (Monterey, CA). At Middlebury, he completed an honors thesis on alternatives to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and he was the recipient of the 2016 Kathryn B. Davis Projects for Peace Fellowship. He has a second MA in Political Science from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Geneva, Switzerland).
Alei Rizvi is the Deputy Director of Reverse the Trend.
He graduated from New York University in 2021 with a B.A. in International Relations and Economics with a regional specialization in the Middle East and North Africa. He has an extensive history of disarmament and climate justice activism and has attended many international conferences with the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and Reverse the Trend, including the First Meeting of State Parties to the TPNW in Vienna (2022), the ICAN Youth Forum in Paris (2020), and the Global Youth Forum on the TPNW in Auckland (2018).
East Coast Chapter Coordinator
Rooj Ali is currently a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, studying Peace Conflict & Justice as well as History. She is a youth co-chair of the Youth Nuclear Peace Summit and a youth coordinator for Reverse the Trend Canada (RTTC). She has taken part in various events and projects including the launch of Reverse the Trend: Save Our Planet, Save Our People where she is a coordinator. Rooj is a member of the Canadian Council of Young Feminists and previously held an internship as a Manitoba High School Liaison in Senator Marilou McPhedran’s office where both projects overlap. She co-led her citi’s successful Campaign for the ICAN Cities Appeal in 2021 and completed a summer internship with the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War Canada. Rooj attended the Hiroshima G7 Youth Summit as a Canadian delegate and will be continuing her activities on the Cities appeal and youth engagement with RTTC following the youth summit. She seeks to create positive contributions toward the advancement of nuclear disarmament and youth-led initiatives.
RTT Youth Mentor
Aqua Withers Carello is the coordinator of RTT East Coast. She is a junior at Swarthmore College studying peace and conflict studies and political science. After visiting Hiroshima and Nagasaki with American University’s Peace Tour in 2019, she has become a passionate advocate for nuclear abolition, working to mobilize students in her high school around this issue and as a fellow for organization Beyond the Bomb in 2021. Aqua is a community organizer in the Greater Philadelphia Area working on youth and minority voter enfranchisement and intersectionally-related issues. She is largely interested in equitable domestic policy, the protection of civil rights, and a feminist foreign policy free of nuclear weapons.
Social Media Coordinator
Franscine Anmontha Malieitulua is not only a descendant of survivors of the catastrophic Bravo Shot that devastated the Marshall Islands but also a tireless advocate for nuclear justice. With a deep-rooted commitment to her heritage and community, she plays an integral role in the Utah Marshallese Association, where she mentors and empowers youth.
Armed with a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Dixie State University, Franscine brings her expertise to the forefront of her advocacy. Her previous role as a Communications Officer with the Republic of the Marshall Islands National Nuclear Commission saw her spearheading impactful initiatives, including a groundbreaking social media campaign aimed at shedding light on the enduring nuclear legacy in her homeland.
Our New Youth Advisors
In 2024, we have launched a new youth advisory group to help engage with current youth activists, provide guidance, engage in peer-to-peer mentorship and engage in public awareness about youth activism on nuclear disarmament. This cohort includes: Stella Dean Rose, Muhammad Ibraheem Waraich, and Jeremiah Williams. Both Stella Dean Rose and Ibraheem Waraich previously interned for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and served as RTT youth activists in the Fall of 2023. Jeremiah Williams is a youth activist who actively participated in our Shades of Disarmament Film and actively participated in our youth activities.
Stella Dean Rose
Stella Dean Rose is a lifelong Angeleno relocated to New York City given the opportunity to study international relations & theology at Fordham University. Her passion for her local & global community has been ever-present since her time in Model United Nations in middle school & still manifests itself presently through my most recent activism with the Pad Project and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s Youth Initiative Reverse The Trend. As a diplomat hopeful, her unapologetic fervor for meeting basic humanitarian needs drives her to pursue progress—grassroots or internationally.
Muhammad Ibraheem Waraich
Muhammad Ibraheem Waraich is an International Studies Major at Rhodes College, with Minors in Asian Studies and Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies. He has a background in international relations and climate advocacy. In the summer of 2022, he interned at the Pakistani Ministry of Climate Change and worked towards expanding youth involvement in climate issues. Currently, Ibraheem is an executive board member of his college’s chapter of Amnesty International and helps host events around universal human rights issues. As a youth coordinator for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and Reverse the Trend, he is gaining policy-making experience and encouraging youth advocacy on nuclear disarmament.
Jeremiah Williams
Jeremiah Williams delivered the 2021 Joint Civil Society Statement on Youth Engagement and Peace, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Education. He is currently a Strategy and Communications Fellow for The Black, Latino and Asian Caucus of the New York City Council and previously served as a Speechwriter and Advisor to Ambassador Maritza Chan at the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations. He recently obtained a B.A. in Political Science and Digital Journalism and Storytelling with an emphasis on persuasive strategies. He has conducted freelance interviews with various organizations including Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and Reverse The Trend and Is an interviewer of the 'Shades of Disarmament' Shortfilm releasing this year.
Our Advisors
To ensure that we engage with the frontline communities, we are in the process of requesting guidance and assistance from experienced activists who are involved with frontline communities.
The current advisors are: Benetick Kabua Maddison and Dr. April Brown of the Marshallese Educational Initiative, Akmal Ali of the UN Association of Fiji, Runa Ray, a fashion environmentalist and documentary designer, Masako Toki of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Jim Anderson of Peace Action New York State, Dr. Vincent Intondi of the Institute for Race, Justice, and Civic Engagement at Montgomery College, David G. Newman of Pitblado Law, Esther Yazzie-Lewis of the University of New Mexico, Aneet Kumar of the University of the South Pacific’s Students’ Association, and Dr. Katlyn Turner of the MIT Media Lab.
Benetick Kabua Maddison
Before moving to Arkansas’ Ozark Mountains, Benetick Kabua Maddison and his family lived in the low-lying island nation of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. As a result of high unemployment and limited opportunities, Benetick and his family relocated in 2001 to Springdale, Arkansas, where the largest concentration of Marshallese resides outside of the Marshall Islands.
Benetick graduated from Springdale High School and currently attends Northwest Arkansas Community College. He is the Project Specialist for Youth, Climate, and Nuclear Issues at Marshallese Educational Initiative, a nonprofit organization that serves the Marshallese community, raises awareness of Marshallese culture, and facilitates intercultural dialogue to foster positive social change.
For more than a decade, Benetick has worked with his peers and Marshallese students and their families on projects to increase retention rates and to promote Marshallese culture and history, as well as on issues affecting his people and homeland. Benetick was the keynote speaker at the I2SL Annual Conference in October 2019, where he spoke about the impact of climate change in the Marshall Islands, was featured on the Nuclear Voices website connecting advocacy groups to nuclear frontline community members (launched January 2020), served as a panelist on the Norwegian Peace Association’s webinar, “Nuclear Weapons Testing, Consequences and Risks,” in June 2020, and spoke to the impact of forced relocation and the current dangers of Runit Dome and climate change on the Marshallese people during the virtual commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Dr. April Brown
April L. Brown is the cofounder and current President of the Marshallese Educational Initiative, a 501c3 nonprofit organization established in 2013 and based in Springdale, Arkansas. MEI's mission is to raise awareness of Marshallese culture and facilitate intercultural dialogue to promote positive social change. April earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of Arkansas in 2006 with a specialty in U.S. foreign policy during the early Cold War. She is currently working with MEI staff to develop a brief textbook about Marshallese culture and history as a supplement to a class she and MEI staff offer to the public and a corresponding humanities database. She is also writing a book that explores US-RMI relations and the Marshallese in diaspora in Arkansas.
Dr. Brown was recently awarded a sabbatical to work on the larger book and a program to increase Marshallese retention rates in higher education.
Runa Ray
Runa Ray is a fashion environmentalist and documentary designer who uses Fashion as Activism to advocate for Policy change. She has worked extensively with the sustainable development goals on various projects with regards to Climate Action with the United Nations. As an innovator, Runa Ray's designs encompass the reduce, reuse and recycle model.
By keeping the end in mind, she has helped revive ancient and indigenous techniques of garmenting that reduce our impact on the earth. Her expertise lies in the circularity of the Fashion Industry and helping Design schools and Micro Organizations create zero waste initiatives. As a Fashion environmentalist, Ray writes regularly for leading newspapers in India on Fashion and Climate change. She hosts The Dialogue, which is an interactive platform that focuses on open, honest discussions that promote sustainability and reduce Fashion's impact on our environment. Runa Ray works extensively in Peace development and has lectured around the world on Peace Education and Climate Change.
She has also been a featured speaker at the United Nations, Fashion Mingle, The National Institute of Fashion Technology, NGO for the United Nations and Rutgers University. Her designs have been featured in the Times, Huffington Post, Vogue, ID Magazine, WWD, Daily Mail and Harpers Bazaar.
Akmal Ali
Akmal Ali is the founder and the President of the United Nations Association of Fiji (UNAF). He is also the President of the Royal Commonwealth Society Fiji Branch. He is employed full time with the Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (PIANGO).
Akmal has over 20 years of experience in the civil society sector at the local, national, regional, and international levels. A passionate and well-known activist in the Pacific region; not only in the circles of civil society but also amongst decision-makers, who advocates for raising Pacific voices with a strong ‘grassroots’ focus and the motto of ‘leaving no one behind’.
Akmal is a Pacific Islander with Indian heritage (5th generation Fijian of Indian descent). He is a proud alumnus of the University of the South Pacific. He credits his career development to holding several leadership positions, including serving as the Founder and Secretary-General of the USP Students’ Association (USPSA).
Masako Toki
Masako Toki is a Senior Project Manager for the Nonproliferation Education Program, and Research Associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Masako is passionate about nuclear disarmament, and disarmament and nonproliferation education, especially for young generations. Her major projects at CNS include the Critical Issues Forum - a disarmament and nonproliferation education project for high school students in around the world, and the Undergraduate Nonproliferation Fellowship Program. She has experience in promoting such education for over 15 years. Masako has engaged high school students from Japan, Russia and around the United States in the Critical Issues Forum, and she has coordinated many international youth conferences in Monterey, CA, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Her research interests include: Japan's nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation policy, humanitarian initiative in nuclear disarmament, and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Masako is originally from Kobe, Japan. She has received a Master's degree in International Policy studies with a specialization in nonproliferation studies from the Middlebury Institute. She has published many articles related to nuclear disarmament both in English and Japanese.
Jim Anderson
Jim Anderson has been a long time civil rights and peace activist throughout the state of New York pushing for an end to US militarism. During Jim Anderson’s leadership, Peace Action New York State has seen its potential harnessed and oversaw various directional changes and expansion of programs such as youth outreach.
Dr. Vincent Intondi
Vincent Intondi is a Professor of History and Director of the Institute for Race, Justice, and Civic Engagement at Montgomery College in Takoma Park, Maryland. From 2009-2017, Intondi was Director of Research for American University’s Nuclear Studies Institute in Washington, DC. Prior to teaching at Montgomery College, Intondi was an Associate Professor of History at Seminole State College in Sanford, Florida. Intondi regularly works with organizations exploring ways to include more diverse voices in the nuclear disarmament movement. His research focuses on the intersection of race and nuclear weapons. He is the author of the book, African Americans Against the Bomb: Nuclear Weapons, Colonialism, and the Black Freedom Movement with Stanford University Press.
David Newman
Senior counsel to the Pitblado Law and former managing partner and Chair of a predecessor firm, David serves as an advocate, negotiator, and dispute resolver. David serves as a facilitator of restorative justice processes and as an educator in the field of peace, conflict resolution, and human rights.
David has experience representing clients at all court levels including the Supreme Court of Canada as well as before numerous labour and other administrative tribunals. David Served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) (1995-1999) and as a Minister in the Manitoba Government (1997-1999) of Northern and Native Affairs, Energy and Mines, Community Economic Development Fund, and Manitoba Hydro. David has a passion for the integration of peace, justice, and human rights practices within and amongst organizations.
Esther Yazzie-Lewis
Esther Yazzie-Lewis grew up south of Farmington, New Mexico. Navajo is her first language and she acquired English at school. Ms. Yazzie-Lewis received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and a Master of Arts in Public Administration and in American Studies from the University of New Mexico.
Prior to receiving her BA and MA, Ms. Yazzie-Lewis worked for the Navajo Law Enforcement and Navajo Judicial Branch. In service to her people, Ms. Yazzie-Lewis worked with the Navajo People on the Navajo/Hopi land dispute, on issues related to environmental and social justice, and on uranium problems within the Navajo reservation. As a result, she co-authored the book, Navajo People and Uranium Mining.
Ms. Yazzie-Lewis certified the Navajo Language for the United States District Court for the southwest states in 1987. She has trained over 350 Navajo people in judicial interpretation at the University of Arizona since 1992. Ms. Yazzie-Lewis retired from the United State District Court for the District of New Mexico.
Currently, she serves as a board member to the Southwest Research and Information Center. Today she teaches conversational Navajo for UNM continuing education and at the University of New Mexico main campus. Ms. Yazzie-Lewis was inducted into the Navajo Nation Hall of Fame for her work.
Dr. Katlyn Turner
Dr. Katlyn Turner is a Research Scientist within the Space Enabled research group. In that role, her primary research includes work on inclusive innovation practices, and on principles of anti-racist technology design. She additionally mentors students, works on proposal writing efforts, and helps to communicate the team's work. Dr. Turner earned her PhD in Geological Sciences from Stanford University, where she researched novel nuclear waste forms. From 2017-2019, Katlyn was a postdoctoral fellow at the Project on Managing the Atom & the International Security Program at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs, where she researched environmental and socio-political impacts of nuclear energy. Dr. Turner additionally holds an M.S. in Earth & Environmental Sciences from the University of Michigan, and a B.S. in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Turner is passionate about issues of diversity, justice, inclusion, and accessibility within society-- particularly in higher education and within STEM employment sectors.
Aneet Kumar
Aneet is a passionate youth leader from Fiji who currently serves as the Deputy Secretary General of USPSA. In his current role, Aneet is engaged as a strategic planning, policy and programming advisor in the Pacific region, serving as the Research Officer for the Pacific’s largest student body, the USPSA.
For over the last 3 years, Aneet has been involved with stakeholder engagement, networking, and coordination with national, regional and international organizations in delivering programs and projects for Student and youth leaders across the Pacific on various thematic areas.
Aneet also contributes towards work on international law and regional policy issues in addition to serving as a focal point officer for the 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy for Pacific Students and Youth, connecting them with the Pacific Islands Forum and its work. Aneet is a strong advocate of UNSCR2250, Agenda 2030 and Global Youth Development. He is a recipient of two Global Awards (Commonwealth Innovation and Global Youth Leadership) which recognises his work related to global youth development. "