Our Team

This team has extensive experience in conflict, including:

stepping in it
apologizing
sticking our feet in our mouths
working hard to do better in conflict, and even sometimes succeeding!

We are people who like to get messy in what it means to be human. We enjoy experimenting with new approaches to improve the way we connect with others through conflict, and we are motivated to find out what it takes to "do conflict" in a way that benefits us all.

Sam Fuqua

He/Him

Producer, Co-Host

Sam Fuqua is an award-winning radio journalist who has worked in public media since 1990, including over 20 years on the staff of KGNU, the community public radio station serving Boulder/Denver. He co-hosts KGNU's quarterly call-in program focused on conflict resolution. Sam is also an advocate for equitable public education and served on the Boulder Valley Board of Education 2011-2019. He also worked for six years as Executive Director of the children's arts & literacy nonprofit Pop Culture Classroom.

Norma Johnson

She/Her

Producer, Storyteller, Disrupter, Cultural Bridge

Norma Johnson is a spiritual healer, speaker, writer-poet-playwright, performance artist and facilitator that brings a creative background into her distinctive presentation form of social justice education and activism. Norma collaborates with a dynamic range of organizations, institutions, faith communities, civic groups, and educational forums such as the highly regarded Annual White Privilege Conference. Her deeply moving poems are featured in racial justice courses taught by educators across the country. Her storytelling inspires awareness and insight and the power we have to bring paths of healing to our future. www.allinspirit.com

Alexis Miles

She/Her

Producer, Co-Host

Alexis Miles is passionate about communication that transforms hearts and minds and is a founding board member of the award-winning Motus Theater, which uses original theater to facilitate dialogue on critical issues of our time and build alliances across diverse segments of the community. Alexis has a long history of volunteerism and social activism in the service of equity, justice, and community development. She is a Senior Professional in Human Resources, the senior-most HR certification, and specializes in the creation of high performance work environments. A graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, Alexis is a member of the Michigan State Bar.

Jes Rau

They/Them

Producer, Infrastructure Builder

Jes Rau is a facilitator, trainer, and organizational leader. For over 20 years, Jes has been dedicated to the advancement of equity both as an activist and working within the nonprofit sector. They have coordinated national and international youth conferences across the globe and have facilitated hundreds of trainings in topics of anti-oppression, positive youth development, trauma informed practices, emotional regulation, communication, and community visioning for action. Currently, Jes is the Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness Manager of Training and Education at WellPower.

Alia Thobani

She/Her

Producer, Transcriber, Admin Support

Alia is a global citizen with a passion for social justice and sustainability. She has managed over 40 projects in the areas of climate change, water resources management, livelihoods, and technology in Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Alia’s focus is on improving the lives of under-resourced populations, particularly in underdeveloped and developing nations. She holds a master’s degree in project management from the University of Sunderland, and she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in sustainability at Harvard University with the goals of developing innovative solutions to address the threats caused by anthropogenic activities to our environment, to contribute to rebuilding communities destroyed by natural disasters, to solve for poverty and injustice, and to protect our planet and its biodiversity.

Mary Zinn

She/Her

Producer, Instigator

Mary Zinn has more than 30 years of experience in Conflict Management as a practitioner, trainer, administrator, and curriculum designer. For 15 years, she was president of Zinn Mediation Associates, a leader of the Conflict Resolution Month in Colorado campaign (every October), and co-producer of a radio program on Conflict Resolution at KGNU, Boulder. Mary envisioned and funded Talking It Out: Getting to Agreement, a unique photo exhibit that highlights stories of Coloradans working together to solve challenging problems. Mary been an educator with and a supporter of The Conflict Center, Denver. She taught communications skill-building for Palestinian, Israeli and American teens with Seeking Common Ground (now Building Bridges). She was a founder of the Colorado Foothills World Affairs Council. In 2019, Mary moved to the beautiful Pacific Northwest and now she creates learning opportunities, hikes and prioritizes time to play with her grandchildren in Sammamish, WA. She grew up in many places, including Santa Barbara, CA and honors the Indigenous peoples of the Chumash and the Shmuwich (Barbareno).