Staff

Naila Bolus
Executive Director
Naila leads all grantmaking, fundraising, public outreach and financial management of the Ploughshares Fund. Prior to joining Ploughshares in 1997, Naila was co-director of 20/20 Vision, a national grassroots organization dedicated to revitalizing democracy by encouraging its members to communicate with decisionmakers.  She helped found and served as the Political Director for WiLL, the Women Legislators' Lobby, where she successfully recruited one third of all women state legislators to lobby for human services, environmental protection, and peace.  She also served as the Legislative Director for Women's Action for New Directions (WAND) and lobbied Congress on a range of security and women's issues.  Naila Bolus graduated from Tufts University in 1987 with a degree in International Relations.  She spent her junior year in Paris, France, where she earned a Certificate of Political Studies from the Institute d'Etudes Politiques.
e-mail: nbolus AT ploughshares.org

Deborah Bain
Director of Communications
Deborah works to increase Ploughshares Fund's visibility and engagement among potential supporters, policymakers and the public through online communication, production of print publications and outreach to the media.  She has been a member of Ploughshares Fund’s staff since 1987, and is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz.
e-mail: dbain AT ploughshares.org

Alexandra Bell
Research Associate & Assistant to the President

e-mail: bella AT ploughshares.org

Dick Bunce
Deputy Director
Dick staffs Ploughshares Fund's annual fundraising, planned giving and endowment campaigns, and brings a background in fundraising, marketing, media and research. Before joining the Fund, Dick managed a $35 million capital campaign that transformed a former military airstrip and ordnance dump in San Francisco's Presidio into a popular urban national park site – Crissy Field. Dick's media background includes work at Pacifica Radio and Mother Jones magazine and a book, Television in the Corporate Interest. Dick grew up in New Orleans, did graduate work in sociology at the University of Wisconsin, is married and has two grown sons.
e-mail: dbunce AT ploughshares.org

Lorely Bunoan
Grants and Technology Manager
Since joining Ploughshares Fund in 2001, Lorely has been responsible for the management of grants and proposals including the online grants and experts databases.  Utilizing her experience and knowledge in the technology field, her role was expanded to include the management of the organization's network - from research to implementation to management to troubleshooting.  Prior to Ploughshares Fund, she has worked for Risk Management Technologies in Berkeley, CA.
e-mail: lorely AT ploughshares.org

Paul Carroll
Program Director
Paul is responsible for managing the grantmaking at Ploughshares and ensuring that resources are directed toward the smartest people with the best ideas for reducing the risks from nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons and reducing conflict.  Prior to coming on board in 2000, Paul worked at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Paul has a Bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and a Masters of Public Policy in National Security Studies from the University of Maryland.
e-mail: pcarroll AT ploughshares.org

Samara Dun
Major Gifts Manager
Samara manages the major donor program, ensuring consistent financial support for grantmaking and encouraging individual donor involvement and partnership in Ploughshares Fund's efforts. She is inspired by Ploughshares' supporters’ passion and concern, and seeing the collective impact their contributions can have on international peace and security policy.  Prior to joining Ploughshares in 2006, Samara worked for the Parks Conservancy and Friends of the Earth developing unique donor events. Samara holds a degree in cultural anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
e-mail: sdun AT ploughshares.org

Peter Fedewa
Development Associate
With experience in high-level database design and programming, graphic design and layout, and non-profit fundraising as well as education in international policy, Peter brings a broad scope of skills that, when used in conjunction, are very well suited to Ploughshares Fund. As a development associate, Peter is responsible for the management of Ploughshares Fund’s donor database in addition to implementation of a variety fundraising and communications activities. He is a graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; holding a BA in Political Science: International Affairs.
e-mail: pfedewa AT ploughshares.org

Haleh Hatami
Program Officer
Haleh Hatami evaluates proposals and reports, tracking domestic and international policy as well as events in Iran, the Former Soviet Union and South Asia.  Prior to coming to Ploughshares Fund, she worked for a public policy institute at the University of California at Berkeley. She holds undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies from University of California at Berkeley and graduate degrees in History and in Creative Writing from University of Chicago and San Francisco State University, respectively. She joined Ploughshares Fund in year 2007.
e-mail: hhatami AT ploughshares.org

Catharine Kalin
Director of Operations
Catharine Kalin, the newly appointed Director of Operations, has been with Ploughshares Fund since its offices were in Sally Lilienthal’s home office over 23 years ago.  Until recently, Catharine was the Financial Director at Ploughshares Fund and she continues to be responsible for financial management as well as oversight of daily operations and human resources.  Catharine is past board president of the Community Music Center and continues to serve as a board director.  She is also a docent at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art where she has served as the Docent Council President.
e-mail: ckalin AT ploughshares.org

Alexandra Toma
Director, Peace and Security Initiative
Alex has a diverse professional background in policy and foreign affairs, from defense consulting to working on Capitol Hill to her current role as Director of the Peace and Security Initiative (PSI).  She completed her Master's in Foreign Policy and Security Studies at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and studied conflict resolution for her undergraduate work at the University of Virginia.  She has been involved in peace and security work for over twelve years now.
e-mail: atoma AT ploughshares.org