Staff & Consultants
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Linda LowExecutive Director
lindalow [at] wilpfus [dot] orgLinda is the proud daughter of immigrants committed to advancing immigrant rights, women’s rights and human rights. She was a Peace Fellow at the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center where she founded an initiative called Leadership Dialogues that facilitates dialogue across difference to foster civil discourse and reduce polarization, serving thousands of people. She is also the founder of the Global Partners in Peace Rotary club which convenes peacebuilding and conflict resolution practitioners across 10 countries. Linda is the 2025 recipient of the Rotary International Champion of Peace award. Previously, she led communications and advocacy for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent in response to global health emergencies, natural and human-made disasters, and migration crises. Linda holds a Master of International Development Policy from Duke University and is a keynote speaker on peacebuilding through dialogue and belonging.
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Wendy McDowellEditor, Peace & Freedom
Wendy McDowell has more than 25 years of experience as a communications professional in higher education and nonprofit settings. She has served as editor in chief for Harvard Divinity Bulletin since 2008, and under her leadership the Bulletin has twice won “Magazine of the Year” honors from the Religion Newswriters Association. She was the staff writer and media relations officer for Harvard Divinity School from 2000-2008. Before 2000, she worked for five years as a media relations assistant with the National Council of Churches in New York City. She holds two graduate degrees, a Master of Divinity degree (MDiv) from Union Theological Seminary and a master’s degree in English from Harvard Extension School, where she won the Dean’s Prize for Outstanding ALM Thesis. Working for WILPF allows Wendy to return to her activist roots. She was the coordinator of her undergraduate college’s student peace organization (Hamilton Organization for Peace on Earth), and was also active in student movements to end apartheid in South Africa. She lives with her family in Cambridge, MA.617-416-1222.
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Glenn RugaSenior Digital Communications Consultant
Glenn Ruga is an award-winning graphic designer and communications professional with more than 30 years of experience working with nonprofit, education, and corporate clients including International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Physicians for Human Rights, Institute for Health Policy, and dozens of others. Glenn is founder and director of the Social Documentary Network, which has featured 1800 online exhibitions by 1300 photographers from all corners of the globe. He was a founding member and president of the Massachusetts-based international development and advocacy organization, the Center for Balkan Development (1994-2008). He has an MA from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst (1981) in social thought and political economy and an MFA from Syracuse University (1990) in graphic and advertising design.
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Emily FrankoeNews Editor
Emily’s past work in nonprofits and philanthropy deepened her commitment to dismantling systems of domination, within herself and in collective, and creating conditions where people can get what they need. She aims to cultivate cultures of belonging wherever she is and is excited to be using her writing skills in service of WILPF's work. Emily came to WILPF after working as CODEPINK's Local Peace Economy Coordinator, where she deepened her connection to the peace movement. She has a freelance writing and editing business and is working towards becoming a doula. Emily holds a Master’s in Leadership for Sustainability from the University of Vermont and a Bachelor’s in Sociology from Boston College.
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Shelby YoungField Organizer
Shelby is a passionate organizer with six years of experience dedicated to building community, strengthening democracy, and empowering the next generation of leaders to continue this work. Throughout Arizona, she has worked to expand civic engagement, increase voter participation, and ensure all communities have a voice in our political process. Her efforts have focused on boosting the AZ Black voter turnout, advocating for equitable representation across legislative districts, and rallying against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation at the Capitol. She has also led multiple pipeline programs, equipping new activists with the skills to organize effectively. A lifelong learner, Shelby has sharpened her expertise through the Monzón, Adelante, and Western Democracy fellowships, deepening her knowledge of campaign strategies, the power of storytelling, and relational organizing.
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Marin BurkeYoung WILPF US & Crafting Justice Coordinator
Marin is a recent graduate of Loyola University Chicago’s Master’s in Public History program. A historian by training, Marin has conducted several research projects on how ordinary people, communities, and organizers have resisted oppression. Past projects have studied Guatemalan refugees during and after the Mayan Genocide; the Indigenous land rights movement in Chiapas, Mexico; American social movements; and the history of craftivism. She hopes to draw upon the successes and shortcomings of the past to help shape the fight for justice in the present.
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Chris WilbeckAdministrator
Chris Wilbeck is an experienced consultant with more than 30 years of professional management experience spanning consumer, business and non-profit sectors. Her corporate background includes leadership positions in retail, telecommunications and insurance. Non-profit clients include organizations promoting sustainable agriculture, conservation and social advocacy. Her client work has focused on program development, project coordination, data compilation/analysis/reporting, member database management and research. Chris holds an MSBAS and BBA from Iowa State University with a focus on marketing research.
