11th Edition February 2024
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Sarah Gough
Play for Peace
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Sarah Gough is a deeply committed nonprofit leader, facilitator, and mentor with a background in Social Work from the University of Michigan, specializing in Interpersonal Relationships. Her multifaceted career has spanned a multitude of leadership roles across many countries.

Sarah’s work as Executive Director with Play for Peace stands as a cornerstone of her career, showcasing her dedication to fostering young leaders and community unity on a global scale. Through her engagement with Play for Peace, Sarah has created environments where children and adults from different backgrounds come together to play, learn, and grow, transcending barriers of conflict and misunderstanding. This initiative, emblematic of Sarah’s approach to peace education and experiential learning, emphasizes her commitment to harnessing the transformative power of play to build bridges and nurture a culture of peace.

In Guatemala, Sarah led Fotokids, breaking cycles of poverty through arts and technology, and spearheaded initiatives for sustainable development with CECI, demonstrating a unique blend of compassion and strategic vision. As the founder of Seeds of Hope, she developed a patient support services program, showcasing her dedication to healthcare and community service in a remote tuberculosis hospital. Sarah’s work has been recognized with prestigious awards like the Michael Stratton Practitioner Award and featured in academic papers and global conferences, highlighting her expertise in peace education and experiential learning. Her involvement in diverse international projects and her leadership in developing partnerships and programs underscore her dedication to combating poverty, exclusion, and inequality.

Jill Gonzalez
Women’s Storybook Project of Texas
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Jill Gonzalez, M.Ed. is not a native Texan, but she got here as soon as she could. She lives in Round Rock with her husband and when not working, they enjoy singing in the Round Rock Community Choir and with their church choir. She has been a leader in the nonprofit field since 2008 after a successful career as a classroom teacher and reading specialist. Her passion is connecting families through books and literacy experiences. After serving as Assistant Director at BookSpring in Austin, she was pleased to join Women’s Storybook Project of Texas (WSP) as the Executive Director in 2018. WSP connects children to their incarcerated mothers through the joy of literature. 

Nonprofit Leadership Graduate 2012, Austin Community College
Storybook Legend Award, 2016 BookSpring
Teacher of the Year nominee 2006, Hutto ISD
Master Reading Teacher 1998, U.T. Austin
Reading Recovery Certification    1997, Tx. State University
M.Ed. 1996 U.T. Austin, Curriculum and Instruction/Language and Literacy
B.S. 1988 St. Norbert College, Elementary Education/Theology