Board of Directors

Peacemaker Ministries is organized as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of Montana and has been granted §501(c)(3) tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The ministry is governed by a Board of Directors, which does not include any members of the ministry's staff.

Staff

About 25 full and part time staff ably support the work of Peacemaker Ministries at its headquarters in Billings, Montana.

Executive Staff:
Ken Sande / President
Gary Friesen / Executive Vice President
Kris Hart / Assistant to the President and Executive Vice President

Development:
Greg Oliphant / Vice President of Development
Lauren Carr / Development Assistant
Rick Friesen / Director of Ministry Relations
Fred Barthel / Director of Marketing & Communications

Ministry Operations:
Jonathan Boll / Director of Operations
Gary Brook / Controller
Sharon Thornburg / Accounting Assistant
Gene Walth / Bookstore Manager
Nancy Brook / Customer Service Representative
Matthew Henderson / IT Specialist
Cindy Magnuson / Customer-Staff Coordinator & Bookstore Assistant

Global Ministries:
Chip Zimmer / Vice President of Global Ministries
Lauren Carr / Coordinator of Global Outreach
Karl Dortzbach / Sr. International Representative

Institute for Christian Conciliation:
Gary Friesen / Executive Vice President
Brit Gross / Case Administrator
Annette Friesen / Conciliation and Training Consultant
Paul Cornwell / Sr. Ministry & Church Consultant

Training and Peacemaker Support:
Dwight Schettler / Director of Training
Bethany Amman / Training Coordinator
Kerri Goss / Conference and Events Manager
Melodie McDermott / Peacemaker Support Coordinator
 

Ken Sande is president of Peacemaker Ministries and is author of The Peacemaker, which has been translated into 13 languages. He is passionate about bringing the life-changing power of God's peacemaking principles into the lives of Christians and their churches. Ken has used biblical peacemaking principles to minister to parties in hundreds of conflicts ranging from simple personal disputes to complex church, corporate, and legal conflicts. He has written books, articles, and other resources on biblical conflict resolution and is in frequent demand as a conference speaker. He also is an Editorial Advisor for Christianity Today International’s Church Management Team. He and his wife, Corlette, love to hike with their two grown children in the mountains near their home in Billings, Montana.

 
Gary Friesen is an attorney who serves as the Executive Vice President of Peacemaker Ministries and oversees the Institute for Christian Conciliation. He has a background in the private practice of law and has represented a variety of for-profit and nonprofit corporations. Gary is a Certified Christian Conciliator™ and has advised numerous churches, schools and foundations on how to respond to legal conflicts and develop conflict resolution systems that incorporate both biblical and legal safeguards.

Chip Zimmer serves as our Vice President of Global Ministries. In this role, he oversees and coordinates the work of Peacemaker Ministries in countries outside the United States. Chip is the former Executive Director of the Christian Conciliation Service of Puget Sound in Seattle, a position he held for 6 years, and has broad experience as a mediator and a trainer. Most recently, he served with the U.S. State Department as a diplomat in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Madagascar and Ethiopia, as well as in Washington, D.C. Chip is a lawyer by training and began his international work as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal during the 1970s.

Rick Friesen serves Peacemaker Ministries as Director of Ministry Relations. In this capacity he works with denominational leaders around the country assisting them in developing a Culture of Peace within their respective areas along with consulting and assisting individuals and churches in conflict. He is passionate about helping people live out the Gospel in their everyday lives and learn to treat others as God treats them. Rick is a Certified Christian Conciliator™ and lives with his wife, Annette, in Billings with the youngest of their four children, Christina. Rick enjoys traveling and sharing the grace of the gospel wherever he goes. He is currently is pursuing his M.A. in Biblical Conflict Resolution at Birmingham Theological Seminary. 

Paul Cornwell serves the ICC as Sr. Ministry and Church Consultant. Paul works with local churches to assist them through mediation and intervention services to resolve conflict based on biblical principles. As a pastor himself Paul is intimately familiar with how destructive unresolved conflict can be to the local church. Paul has a Master of Divinity from Mid-America Seminary in Memphis, TN and a Doctor of Ministry from Reformed Theological Seminary. Paul and his family live in Orlando, FL.