Who We Are

Board of Directors

Brooklyn Peace Center is guided by a diverse Board of Directors whose experience spans community organizing, faith leadership, the arts, finance, and cooperative development. Together, the Board provides strategic leadership, fiduciary oversight, and long-term vision in support of BPC’s mission of peacebuilding, justice, and collective liberation.

Vonetta Storbakken – Cofounder & President
Vonetta Storbakken is a community educator, organizer, and cultural strategist committed to cultivating youth leadership, sustainability, and creative empowerment in Brooklyn. As Executive Director of Radical Living, she has developed programs rooted in environmental justice, leadership formation, and community-based learning. At Brooklyn Peace Center, she provides governance and vision leadership grounded in grassroots practice, intergenerational engagement, and care for place.

Jason Storbakken – Cofounder & Executive Director
Jason Storbakken is a peacebuilder, author, and spiritual leader whose work integrates trauma-informed care, the arts, and social justice. He serves as Senior Chaplain at The Bowery Mission, providing frontline spiritual care with people experiencing homelessness and recovery. As Executive Director of Brooklyn Peace Center, he guides organizational strategy, partnerships, and public voice, shaped by commitments to nonviolence, liberation-centered spirituality, and healing justice.

Juan Carlos Ruiz – Vice President
Juan Carlos Ruiz is a pastor, organizer, and longtime advocate for immigrant justice and human dignity. A cofounder of the New Sanctuary Movement and a leader at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, he brings decades of experience in faith-based organizing, movement-building, and accompaniment of immigrant communities, grounding BPC’s work in moral courage and solidarity.

Rebecca Pear – Treasurer
Rebecca Pear is Chief Experience Officer at Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union, where she advances financial inclusion, cooperative economics, and community-centered development. As Treasurer of Brooklyn Peace Center, she provides fiscal oversight and strategic financial leadership, supporting ethical stewardship and long-term organizational sustainability.

Giancarlo Vulcano – Secretary
Giancarlo Vulcano is a Brooklyn-based composer for film and television whose work bridges music, storytelling, and social imagination. He brings a creative and systems-oriented perspective to board leadership, supporting Brooklyn Peace Center’s arts-driven approach to peacebuilding and cultural expression.

Kate Smucker – Board Member
Kate Smucker is a professional trumpeter, community educator, and founder of the sixteen-piece King Street Big Band. A former member of Calliope Brass, she contributes deep experience in ensemble leadership, arts education, and collaborative practice, strengthening BPC’s cultural programming and community engagement.

Ruth Wenger – Board Member
Ruth Wenger is Pastor at North Bronx Mennonite Church and a seasoned conference leader with decades of experience in peacebuilding, pastoral ministry, and nonprofit governance. She offers steady wisdom rooted in Anabaptist peace theology, organizational leadership, and a lifelong commitment to justice, reconciliation, and community care.

Leonard Dow – Board Member
Leonard Dow serves as Vice President of Community and Church Development at Everence, working at the intersection of faith, finance, and economic justice. He brings broad experience in institutional leadership and ethical finance, strengthening Brooklyn Peace Center’s capacity for partnership, stewardship, and long-term impact.