Hannah Hochkeppel
Director, United States Programs
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Hannah joined Seeds of Peace in 2020 as the Co-Program Director for the United States. Prior to joining the Seeds of Peace staff, she served as the Program Director for Kids4Peace International. She lives in Seattle.
With more than 10 years of experience in a variety of education and program development spaces, Hannah is deeply invested in the work of youth empowerment, advocacy, and peace-building. Most important to her is centering youth voices and youth leadership as an integral piece of this work. As a non-profit and education professional, she has a passion for interfaith partnership, supporting social justice movements, and developing strategy for conflict resolution and peace-building around the world.
In addition to her non-profit work, she has also previously worked in the fields of mental health counseling and religious education. She holds a B.S in Psychology from Virginia Tech, a M.A in Religion and Theology from Seattle University, and is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Education at Seattle Pacific University.
After growing up in a small town in Virginia, she moved to Seattle in 2011 and has a great love for the many unique cultures and traditions of these two very different places. Whether it is through theater, arts, food, language, or conversation, Hannah loves to deeply know her communities near and far, and works hard to stay connected and build relationships across the miles, whether 10 or 10,000.
“I implicitly trust the power that youth hold to change the world. Collectively we are creating a community where we are continually learning from one another, no matter age, religion, gender, sexuality, or any other aspect of our identities. This work is often messy but also incredibly beautiful. I hope that my work can help to cultivate growth amidst the messiness, and uphold the gifts and wisdom that youth bring to this work of building peace.”