Barry Truchil

Barry Truchil received his Ph.D. in Sociology from Binghamton University, and is currently Professor Emeritus at Rider University. His most recent book is The Politics of Local Government (Lexington, 2018) and he is now working on a book about the importance of acting locally in one’s community. He was elected Mayor of Langhorne in November, 2025 and previously served as President of the Peace Center’s Board of Directors from 2011-2016.  He served as Langhorne Borough Council President, from 1994 to 2004 and more recently has been involved with various local grassroots organizations. He enjoys playing with his four grandchildren and teaching them to play baseball.

Mark E. Lomax, MBA, M.S.

With more than 40 years of experience in law enforcement, leadership, and education, Mark is the CEO of Lancer Cobbs, a consulting firm he founded that provides strategic guidance to governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. His work spans leadership, organizational systems review, business management, police training and education, and critical incident response. He currently serves as a subject matter expert for the U.S. Department of Justice and the New York State Attorney General’s Office, advising on use of force, crisis response, and community-police relations.

Mark has led and advised multiple nonprofit organizations. He is the Founder and President of Bridge to Unity, Inc. and has served on boards and committees dedicated to public safety, violence prevention, energy psychology, and law enforcement reform. He previously served as Executive Director/CEO of the National Tactical Officers Association, representing more than 40,000 members of the international law enforcement special operations community.

Internationally, Mark worked as a United Nations Program Manager in Liberia, overseeing training and operational readiness of the Liberian National Police’s Emergency Response Unit (SWAT) and Police Support Unit (crowd control) in preparation for national elections. He also managed global training programs for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).

Mark retired as a Major from the Pennsylvania State Police after 27 years of service, culminating as Director of the Bureau of Training and Education, where he oversaw training and professional development for more than 6,000 personnel. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy (200th Session) and holds a B.A. in Psychology from LaSalle University, an MBA in Management from Eastern University, and an M.S. in Higher Education from Drexel University.

Catherine Anne Porter

Anne is a practicing attorney in Bucks County and former solicitor of Langhorne Borough.

Rabbi Anna Boswell-Levy

Rabbi Anna Boswell-Levy is the spiritual leader of Congregation Kol Emet, an inclusive, diverse, and vibrant Reconstructionist Jewish community in Yardley, PA. She is a creative educator, service leader, and ritual maker, infusing song and spirit into her services and teachings. Rabbi Anna places a high emphasis on relationships based on trust and mutual respect.

Rabbi Anna has lived in Bucks County since 2008. In that time, Rabbi Anna built important ties to larger Bucks County Jewish, multifaith, and community organizations. In the wider region, she serves on the regional advisory council for Keystone Planned Parenthood, and is a proud member of the Pennsbury school system’s District Equity Leadership Team (DELT). She currently serves as Vice President of the Philadelphia Board of Rabbis.

Nationally, Rabbi Anna served as the Board Co-Chair of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Voice for Human Rights from 2013-15, and served on its board since 2005. She was a board member of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association from 2015-21 and served on its Executive Committee from 2018-21.

Rabbi Anna graduated from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2006 and is also a proud alumna of Smith College.  She resides in Yardley with her family.

Honorable Gary B. Gilman

After having initially been elected as Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County in 2009, Judge Gilman has now served on the Bench for more than 16 years.  He has extensive experience in jury and non-jury trials along with pretrial and posttrial matters in criminal, civil, family law, and orphans court cases, and has authored more than 100 opinions which have been affirmed by Pennsylvania appellate courts.  He is a frequent lecturer and panel participant for attorney continuing education courses and seminars, and has served as Administrative Judge and participating judge for all Bucks County Treatment Courts, including Veterans Court, Drug Court, and Mental Health Court.  As a practicing trial attorney for more than 30 years, he was frequently retained as a private mediator and arbitrator for a wide variety of litigation matters prior to serving as a judge.

He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and he had previously earned a Master’s Degree in Education and his undergraduate degree from Penn as well.  Gary served a 6- year term on the Board of Directors of Network of Victim Assistance of Bucks County (NOVA), and he has been active in various community and charitable projects over the years.

 He is the proud father of two, served as a youth sports coach for 12 years, and is a passionate Philadelphia sports fan.

Petra Jiraskova

Petra Jiraskova is a certified mediator and conflict resolution specialist dedicated to transforming workplace tension into trust and fostering a positive work environment. As the owner of Olive Branch Services, LLC, her consulting company, she helps organizations eliminate costly communication breakdowns that drive employee turnover, while coaching individual professionals to navigate difficult conversations with confidence.

Petra holds a Master’s degree in International Peace & Conflict Resolution from Arcadia University (Magna Cum Laude) and has trained over 2,000 professionals across multiple industries and sectors. Her expertise spans mediation, facilitation, and communication training, with a particular focus on practical tools that work in both professional and personal settings.

With certifications in mediation and Psychological First Aid from Johns Hopkins University, Petra brings both academic rigor and real-world experience to her work. She has conducted numerous facilitations with The Peace Center since 2019 and is passionate about the work the organization brings to communities. She previously held leadership roles in developing training programs and managing teams.

Petra is dedicated to empowering individuals and organizations through strategic communication, collaborative problem-solving, and sustainable conflict resolution. Based in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, she brings a global perspective informed by her international education and multilingual background.

Laura E. Lomax

Laura Lomax brings over 35 years of leadership experience in organizational development, instructional design, and intercultural practice. For 18 years, she served as CEO of a healthcare management firm, leading assessment, analysis, and program implementation initiatives that strengthened organizational and systemic health outcomes for underserved communities. Her work has supported governmental agencies—including police and sheriff departments, jails, and prison systems—across ten states.

Since 2015, Laura has focused on designing customized workplace learning solutions that foster intercultural awareness, accountability, and belonging. As President of Intercultural Works and a Strategic Learning Architect, she creates courses, workshops, and professional development programs that advance emotional intelligence, inclusive leadership, and sustainable organizational culture. Her clients span government, education (K–20), healthcare, law enforcement, social services, hospitality, finance, and nonprofit sectors.

Laura holds a B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology and an M.S. in Instructional Design and Technology. She is a certified Coach, Intercultural Practitioner, and Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). In addition, she is a certified facilitator for Cultural Detective, Emotional Intelligence in Diversity, and Pathways to Racial Reconciliation programs, and is an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

In recognition of her commitment to building inclusive communities through leadership, Laura received the NAACP Pioneer Award in 2018. A lifelong learner and global traveler, she has studied and worked in Jamaica, India, Ireland, West Africa, and North Africa (where she lived from 2009–2010), experiences that continue to shape her intercultural and leaning-centered approach to leadership.

Tarik Moore

Tarik lives and works in Bucks County, working in the field of finance, and his passion is leading outdoors activities! He served as a Peace Center Board member ten years ago and is back to help the organization become financially sustainable. Along with serving on the Board, he serves on the Finance Committee. 

Debbie Wachspress

Debbie has 25+ years of professional experience working in grassroots organizing, issue advocacy, and resource development in the non-profit community. She served as The Peace Center’s first development director from 2017-2019. She currently serves as development director with Students for Voting Justice, an initiative that trains students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities on how to get-out-the-vote in underserved communities in the South. In 2017, she co-founded Lower Bucks Indivisible to engage citizens in the democratic process. Debbie also served in elective office as a director on the Pennsbury School Board from 2013-2021 where she chaired the policy and education committees and was also a candidate for U.S. Congress in PA-01 in 2020. She currently serves on the steering committee for the Bucks County Interfaith Coalition for Refugee Resettlement, an all-volunteer initiative that has settled Syrian and Afghan families in the local community. Debbie is a graduate of Rutgers University/Douglass College with a BA degree in political science and of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers with an MA degree in public policy. She and her husband, Dan, have three grown children and a sassy cockapoo named Rosie.