Sembrandopaz staff is made up of a team of hard-working, dedicated and passionate individuals who are committed to the mission and vision of Sembrandopaz, as well as to the region. See below to meet each staff person!
Ricardo Esquivia Ballestas
Founder and Executive Director of Sembrandopaz
Ricardo is an afro-Colombian human rights lawyer, grassroots community organizer, and peace activist. A devout Mennonite committed to non-violence, Ricardo has worked a lifetime to pursue justice and foster peace in Colombia. In the 1980’s, he worked in dangerous conditions, supporting farming communities on the Caribbean coast area; in the 1990’s, he continued to promote human rights work in Bogotá by founding and directing the work of Justapaz, the Christian Center for Peace, Justice and Nonviolent Action; and in the 2000’s he returned to the Coast at the peak of violence to support displaced communities. Ricardo’s work protects conscientious objectors, empowers displaced afro- and mestizo communities, and reaches across religious and social divides in a fractured society. He is a recognized leader for human rights and peacebuilding in Colombia as well as a creative educator and a trusted mediator and negotiator at all levels of society.
Jes Stoltzfus Buller
Operations Director for Sembrandopaz
Jes is a leader and facilitator in areas of peacebuilding, conflict transformation and restorative justice. She has proven skills in facilitation, training, analysis, process design, community organizing, organizational leadership and project management. She brings energy and initiative to her work, embracing innovation, collaboration and creative thinking. Jes enjoys working with diverse groups of people to build capacity and coalition, breaking down barriers that divide and harm people. She believes curiosity, collaboration, creativity and dialogue are fundamental tools for healthy conflict transformation and healthy organizations. Jes has close to two decades of domestic and international experience facilitating dialogue, managing collaborative peacebuilding projects, developing curriculum and teaching skills of conflict transformation, nonviolent communication and trauma healing. Jes has undergraduate degrees in Sociology and Bible, Religion, Philosophy from Goshen College as well as a Master of Arts in Transformational Leadership and a Graduate Certificate in Conflict Transformation through the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University.
