Staff
BELINDA BAUMAN
Executive Director. Educator turned advocate; Belinda Bauman seeks to bring hope to women in crisis. After living internationally for a decade in conflict and post-conflict zones, Belinda experienced what she calls a “beautiful collision” with brave women who survive at the intersections of war and life. Belinda is the founder of One Million Thumbprints, a movement of peacemakers advocating with women in the world’s conflict zones, and co-founder behind #SilenceIsNotSpiritual, a campaign calling churches to break the silence on violence against women. Belinda is a speaker and contributor to Newsweek’s The Daily Beast, Huffington Post and Christianity Today, FOX News, and Psychology Today. Her first book, Brave Souls: Experiencing the Audacious Power of Empathy was nominated as an InterVarsity Press Reader’s Choice Awards finalist. Belinda was served as a Gender and Development Fellow at Wheaton College Humanitarian Disaster Institute and Impacted International, formerly Discovery Learning Alliance . She completed a Masters in Curriculum Development from Covenant College, a Bachelor’s in Education from the University of Wisconsin, and a certificate in Narrative-focused Trauma Care from Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, and is a credentialed Gender and Development Professional with the Gender Pro Alliance, a training arm of the UN and George Washington University. Belinda and her husband, Stephan, and their two sons, Joshua and Caleb, recently traded the hub-bub of greater Washington DC for the space of rural Michigan, where they firmly believe mornings are for coffee and contemplation, and evenings are for wine and wit.
LYRIC FLORIA
Social Media Coordinator. Lyric is a recent graduate of Calvin University with a degree in Linguistics and International Development. During her time at Calvin, she developed a passion for Community Development. This pursuit led her to co-direct the Faith and Development Conference at Calvin, launching her into the world of economic and social development in various capacities. Since then, she has interned with New Horizons Foundation, Compassion Radio, Healdsburg Community Church, and One Million Thumbprints, and worked as a social media content creator for Calvin University. Lyric is also involved in the development of educational content for the Forgive Everyone Collective, which works to restore and transform the lives of formerly and currently incarcerated people in the U.S. prison system. Her specialty is in the development of creative materials for organizational promotion, advocacy, and community education.