staff

Ed Heisler (he/him) is a storyteller, healer, and Ordained Rinzai Zen Priest raised, shaped and nurtured by rural communities on the shores of Lake Superior. Ed’s practice and teaching is rooted in curiosity, love, joyful learning with others, and his own journey with healing and spirit reconnection. With 20 years experience in violence prevention and peacemaking, he focuses on nourishing individual and community connection to spirit, healing, and wholeness as a pathway to interdependent thriving for future generations–and ourselves.

 Formerly Co-Executive Director of Men As Peacemakers, Ed is now CEO and Founder of Essential Elements of Peace LLC, and the Story and Strategy Partner for Resonance Network.   He holds practices at Svaljia Whole-Being in Duluth, MN where he lives, plays, and weaves community. Ed loves learning and sharing spirit and wholeness practices, and everyday storytelling that connects the depths of our wisdom, ancestors, and spirit.

A Storyteller, an Arc Mender, a Facilitator, Leadership Development Coach, an Artist and a Philanthropic Consultant

Chingwell Mutombu is an innovative and motivated leader who is passionate about community building, leadership development, visual arts (photography) and storytelling as tools to shift narratives and build the thriving world we dream of for ourselves today and for the descendants to come.  Chingwell believes in the power of collective imaginations and the power of committed groups of people working together to change the circumstances of their lives. Throughout her professional career, she has spearheaded initiatives focused on economic development, land stewardship, sustainable agriculture and community engagement, with simultaneous experience leading resource gathering efforts.  She co-founded Women Rising Legacy Project, an agricultural initiative working with women farmers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and founded First Step Initiative, a microfinance organization supporting small business enterprises.   As a Coach, Chingwell works with mission-based businesses and supports community leaders with core alignment (helping leaders align their work with their life’s purposes, core strengths and their value system).  As a consultant, Chingwell facilitates meetings, provides capacity building/bridging trainings and leads resource gathering efforts.  She also serves as a thought leader for various leaders of color.  Chingwell holds a B.A. in Political Science and French from Luther College and masters degrees in Public Administration and in International Relations from Seton Hall University.

Beckie Uta Masaki (she/her/hers) is a founding member and Artist in Residence at Resonance Network. She has lent her leadership, grace, and vision to the core team; co-facilitates our Mending the Arc practice spaces; and holds our weekly Tai Ji practice.

Beckie lives/works by and for race + gender justice for 40 years, through an intersectional approach that builds the power of the margins and is marked by collective power, collaboration, creativity, and love.  She is part of an interconnected network of intergenerational, diverse leaders in a new era of shared leadership, shared power, and co-creation. In 1980’s, she was founding Executive Director and co-lead in one of the first programs in the nation that could meet the language and cultural needs of Asian survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking, Asian Women’s Shelter (AWS) in San Francisco.  

Beckie has been a co-founder and staff of a national cultural resource center, Asian Pacific Institute on Gender Based Violence. Emanating from her role as a cohort 1 movement-maker in the Move to End Violence (MEV), Beckie currently co-leads the Communities/ Building the Power of the Margins and Mending the Arc practice groups as part of Resonance Network.  She also currently continues her work as a founding elder in Gathering Strength, immigrant + refugee anti-violence advocate network, and she comes full circle to provide Tuesday weekly support group for residents at Asian Women’s Shelter. Beckie has extensive experience in providing multilingual, multicultural services to domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking survivors and their children, innovative program development, prevention, community building, policy and institutional advocacy, training, technical assistance, and cultural change work.

LaToya (she/her) is a social science researcher and an advocate for fair and just policymaking that truly values the voices of those who are the most often marginalized. She has nearly 20 years of experience evaluating, developing, and resourcing justice programs and initiatives to support justice-involved youth and adults in connecting to opportunities to that support their journey toward thriving. LaToya believes that by centering and uplifting the voices and perspectives of those who are most often “othered” by society, together we can develop strategies that ensure that all people are able to blossom into their best selves. She looks forward to a future where all people have an opportunity meet their basic needs without feeling forced to make unimaginable choices based on disparities in the resources available to them.

LaToya currently lives in the District of Columbia metro area. When she’s not busy keeping up with her family, she is making candles and creating ceramic art as a meditative practice.

Yesenia Veamatahau (they/them) lives and learns in Huichin Ohlone land AKA East Oakland, where their maternal lineage has been rooted since the 70’s. The Pacific Ocean connects their kin across the lands and coasts of California, México, and Tonga.

 Early life experiences forged their personal commitment to organizing against social harms ranging from domestic/sexual violence and housing insecurity to borders, policing, and prisons. With time and space to unlearn patterns of self-sacrifice, Yesenia has come to embrace their creative side as a powerful, regenerative source to energize their work. They believe it is never too early to practice living out the future, even as we navigate the present. Yesenia recognizes that in our bodies and communities we already hold the answers we seek, and they help create environments where that wisdom can come forward.

With a knack for systems-thinking and dedication to relationships, they operate as Resonance Network’s Director of Integration. In this role, Yesenia practices creating and tending to the infrastructure that is needed to sustain an interconnected, living network.

Megan is a dynamic project manager with a strong background in strategic planning, project design, implementation, and tracking results. She thrives on leading cross-functional projects to create meaningful impact, applying skills honed from her diverse engagements. Megan is deeply committed to collective governance and mutual care, bringing those values into her work with Resonance Network, where she fosters community support and collaboration.

Megan is also involved with She’s Mercedes Kenya, an initiative that helps support cancer patients, further showcasing her dedication to community well-being and social impact.
With a keen eye for detail, Megan is dedicated to optimizing processes, ensuring that objectives are met with efficiency and precision. A proud Luo tribe descendant from the lakeside, she values her roots and brings a unique perspective to everything she does. When she’s not managing projects, Megan enjoys immersing herself in IT, dancing to loud music, and connecting with others through her community work.