2025 Peace Hero
Pez Davila
Pez has been and continues to guide and support the youth of Duluth by dedicating the majority of his time selflessly and consistently. Pez is a role model for countless kids and adults in our community.
2025 peace hero finalists
2025 peace hero nominees
Mary Carlson
Thomas Morgan
Miles Pham
Aaron Gelinaeu
Corbin Newman
Tone Lanzillo
Joanna Green
Aaron O'Leary
Brittany Hamm
CJ Osuchukwu
Ed Lewis
Jenna Griffith
Susan Bridges
Jill Lofald
Carl Soderbergh
Therese Gruba
Jim Gruba
Tori Thrash
Tiffany Fenner
Phillip Homere
Ivy Vainio
Tie Hennessey
Airlea Defoe
Rev Charlotte Frantz
Pez Davila
Natylee Anderson
Tim Grover
Rajon Gamble
Zelalem Oestreich
Illeni Hirt
Eva Kerns-Baladad
Bridger Oestreich
Wylan Ausing
Aspen Herbert
Jaxton Krohn
Samantha Kapaun
Ashlie Castaldo
Emeri Degenstein
Kitty Hoden
Aparna Katre
Jake Oestreich
Jes-wa’ Harris
Marlon Grant
Kim Randolph
Meghan Sperl
Marit Knutson
Ali Randall
Asher Carlson
Jebeh Edmunds
Kim Curtis-Monson
Ray Gamble
Zeppelyn Warren
Ross Tollgard
Jess Morgan
Ryan Clark
Deyona Kirk
Mike Waldron
Lara Montgomery
Jesse Switters
Dane Jensen
Sally Rollins
Jean Brandt
Azrin Awal
Carla Hamilton
Michelle Defoe
Lisa Nicholson
Jenny Everett
Anne Parish
Diana Oestreich
Clint Considine
Lawson Alexander
2025 Youth nominees
Tie Hennesy
Natylee Anderson
Tim Grover
Rajon Gamble
Zelalem Oestreich
Illeni Hirt
Eva Kerns-Baladad
Bridger Oestreich
Wylan Ausing
Aspen Herbert
Miles Pham
Jaxton Krohn
2025 Youth Peace Heroes
Congdon Elementary School Peace Hero
Leona Haasken, 4th Grade
Lincoln Park Middle School Peace Hero
Miles Pham
Denfeld High School Peace Hero
Tim Grover
Honorable Mentions
Natylee Anderson, Tie Hennessy, & Uriah Bell
Special thanks to:
The Duluth Peace Hero $1,000 cash prize is funded by the Freda and Leo Pfeffer Peace Award through the Fellowship of Reconciliation, an organization created on the eve of WWI, dedicated to nonviolent social change. One of the few organizations that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. joined in his lifetime. FIND OUT MORE AT FORUSA.ORG
THANK YOU TO THESE FRIENDS WHO FUNDED PEACE.
WE COULDN’T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU!
Ivy Vaino
Neighborhood Church
Bing Huo
Duluth Cider
Mark Stradly
Joan Bellin
Melissa Parks
Deitrich Winter
Jean Brandt
Nyasha Spears
Aparna Katre
Sarah Seidleman
Kim Hibbard
Judith Thimke
Andrea Patrie
Melissa Parks
Leisa Macdonald
Rosemary Powell
Jessica, Andy, Ella, Josie,
and Anna Taylor
Courtney Christenson
Marshall Hardware
Mivikin Design
Duluth Coffee Company
The Atrium
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
MidCoast Catering
Sandra Nordea
Rachel Thapa
A huge thank you to Story North Productions for capturing the story of our 2024 Peace Hero in a video. Their labor of love is a credit to them and a credit to the generous spirit of our Duluth community. You make our community great!
AND TO OUR PEACE HERO COMMITTEE
FOR YOUR TIRELESS WORK AND DONATED TIME—THANK YOU!
Diana Oestreich
Lyndsey Johnson
Lauri Johnson
Kris Sauter
Bree Thompson
Join us for the 3rd annual Peace Hero AwarD!
Monday, November 2, 2026 @ 6 pm
Lincoln Park Middle School
3215 W 3rd St, Duluth
You make it all happen!
There is no corporate backing or big organization behind the Peace Hero Awards.
It’s a labor of love. We are volunteering our nights, weekends and Kids. Everything you see here is made possible by donated time and money.
Peace is our Purpose, not in our job descriptions.