About Our Founder
“I’d rather plant seeds of peace!”
About Our Founder
Our founder and executive director Mainlehwon Ebenezer Vonhm, Ph.D., is a researcher, trainer, and educator in peace education, peacebuilding, and conflict resolution studies.
He is also an inspirational speaker dedicated to motivating young people and adults to meet the challenges of life as they grow in awareness and use their gifts and talents for the greater good of all people everywhere.
Dr. Vonhm has worked with the World Bank; Catholic Charities Refugee Services; American University; and George Mason University.
In 2008, Dr. Vonhm established the Center for Peace Education (CPE), a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to fostering peace and reconciliation in post-conflict societies. Dr. Vonhm says, “The suffering and struggling endured during the Liberian civil war were the result of a generation of children having never been taught the value of basic human rights.” As such, he went on to disclose that “Peace education is a vital tool for teaching tolerance, ethics, moral conduct, and respect for human dignity. Only when children grow up learning and believing in these principles can we eradicate the horrors of state-sanctioned violence and terrorism from the face of the earth.”
More About Our Founder
Our founder and executive director Mainlehwon Ebenezer Vonhm, PhD, was born and grew up in Liberia during the early years (1989 to 1997) of the Liberian Civil War. He is a survivor of torture and false imprisonment. With scars intact, he fled his home at the height of the Liberian civil war and sought safety in several West African countries. In 1997, he managed to leave the refugee camps and relocate to the United States to pursue higher education.
He earned his Associate of Arts degree in Political Science from Edison Junior College in Punta Gorda, Florida; a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs from Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee; a Master of Arts degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University in Washington; a Master of Philosophy in Education Research from University of Cambridge, England, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Education from George Mason University, Virginia, USA.
Dr. Vonhm was an undergraduate student at FSU when the 9/11 attacks occurred. Like the rest of the U.S., FSU was reeling from the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil, but alongside the shock came resentment as Muslim students, mostly international students, began to be ostracized by fellow schoolmates. They could not attend classes, go grocery shopping, or attend prayers at the mosque. They were stuck in their apartments.
To foster peaceful coexistence on campus, our executive director organized a seminar to alleviate tensions amongst Christians and Muslims. He wanted to use his story to reveal how identity-based conflict could be a grave threat on campus if the FSU community didn’t find amicable solutions to the problems. In recognition of his efforts, he received FSU’s Ethical Courage Award and the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Rosa Parks Tolerance Award. He donated all the monetary value of his recognition to the homeless shelter in Tallahassee, Fl.
In 2005, he received a Peacemaker Award from American University’s Peacebuilding and Development Institute for his dedication to helping children and youth affected by war, born in conflict-affected societies, and growing up in post-conflict settings, acquire the knowledge and tools to coexist peacefully.
Our founder and executive director have written several articles on education and post-conflict peacebuilding, and peaceful coexistence (i.e., social cohesion) after violent conflict. He has also presented at several peer-reviewed conferences.
He has served as an inspirational speaker in several states across the U.S., including Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Rhode Island, Maryland, Wisconsin, Michigan, Virginia, and Washington, DC, and also in England.
Dr. Vonhm’s vision is guided by his commitment to enduring peace and sustainable development for humanity.
Upcoming Engagements
July 11 to 14, 2023
Trainer, presenter, and facilitator at the “Peace Education in an Era of Crisis: Academic conference on peace education”; in Kigali, Rwanda.Current Research
Deeper understanding of the cultural practices that victims and victimizers relied upon to restore a sense of living together (i.e., social cohesion) and (re)connect with one another following deadly conflict.
Recent Past Engagements
February 14-22, 2023:
Presenter at the Comparative and International Education Society, a peer-reviewed conference in Washington, D.C., USA.
Connect With Dr. Vonhm
- Inspirational speaker
- Academic lecturer, trainer, presenter, and facilitator on conflict resolution and peacebuilding in post-conflict societies
- Academic lecturer, trainer, presenter, and facilitator in qualitative research methodology, with specializations in coding, data analysis, and utilization of qualitative data analysis software/tool (i.e., NVivo)
More About Our Founder
Our founder and executive director Mainlehwon Ebenezer Vonhm, PhD, was born and grew up in Liberia during the early years (1989 to 1997) of the Liberian Civil War. He is a survivor of torture and false imprisonment. With scars intact, he fled his home at the height of the Liberian civil war and sought safety in several West African countries. In 1997, he managed to leave the refugee camps and relocate to the United States to pursue higher education.
He earned his Associate of Arts degree in Political Science from Edison Junior College in Punta Gorda, Florida; a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs from Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee; a Master of Arts degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University in Washington; a Master of Philosophy in Education Research from University of Cambridge, England, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Education from George Mason University, Virginia, USA.
Dr. Vonhm was an undergraduate student at FSU when the 9/11 attacks occurred. Like the rest of the U.S., FSU was reeling from the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil, but alongside the shock came resentment as Muslim students, mostly international students, began to be ostracized by fellow schoolmates. They could not attend classes, go grocery shopping, or attend prayers at the mosque. They were stuck in their apartments.
To foster peaceful coexistence on campus, our executive director organized a seminar to alleviate tensions amongst Christians and Muslims. He wanted to use his story to reveal how identity-based conflict could be a grave threat on campus if the FSU community didn’t find amicable solutions to the problems. In recognition of his efforts, he received FSU’s Ethical Courage Award and the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Rosa Parks Tolerance Award. He donated all the monetary value of his recognition to the homeless shelter in Tallahassee, Fl.
In 2005, he received a Peacemaker Award from American University’s Peacebuilding and Development Institute for his dedication to helping children and youth affected by war, born in conflict-affected societies, and growing up in post-conflict settings, acquire the knowledge and tools to coexist peacefully.
Our founder and executive director have written several articles on education and post-conflict peacebuilding, and peaceful coexistence (i.e., social cohesion) after violent conflict. He has also presented at several peer-reviewed conferences.
He has served as an inspirational speaker in several states across the U.S., including Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Rhode Island, Maryland, Wisconsin, Michigan, Virginia, and Washington, DC, and also in England.
Dr. Vonhm’s vision is guided by his commitment to enduring peace and sustainable development for humanity.
Upcoming Engagements
July 11 to 14, 2023
Trainer, presenter, and facilitator at the “Peace Education in an Era of Crisis: Academic conference on peace education”; in Kigali, Rwanda.
Current Research
Deeper understanding of the cultural practices that victims and victimizers relied upon to restore a sense of living together (i.e., social cohesion) and (re)connect with one another following deadly conflict.
Recent Past Engagement
February 14-22, 2023:
Presenter at the Comparative and International Education Society, a peer-reviewed conference in Washington, D.C., USA.
Connect With Dr. Vonhm
- Inspirational speaker
- Academic lecturer, trainer, presenter, and facilitator on conflict resolution and peacebuilding in post-conflict societies
- Academic lecturer, trainer, presenter, and facilitator in qualitative research methodology, with specializations in coding, data analysis, and utilization of qualitative data analysis software/tool (i.e., NVivo)
Connect with Dr. Vonhm
Connect with Dr. Vonhm