Jodi Evans
For the last five years, peace activist Jodie Evans has been consumed by her activities and responsibilities as co-founder of CODEPINK Women for Peace (codepinkalert.org), the women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement, boasting a current international membership of 150,000. Dedicated to ending war, CODEPINK is notorious for "pink slipping" war-mongering politicians, occupying their offices when necessary, and utilizing creative non-violent means to keep peace and peacemaking front and center in the public eye. CODEPINK's ultimate goal is to redirect resources away from war and into healthcare, education, environmental preservation, and other life-affirming activities.
As Director of Administration in former California Governor Jerry Brown’s cabinet and staff, Jodie championed environmental causes, resulting in breakthroughs in wind and solar technology and worked to bring historic diversity into the staff and appointments.
As Manager of Governor Brown's ‘92 Presidential Campaign, Jodie instituted a cap on financial contributions of $100, resulting in a stronger push for campaign finance standards. Jodie remains active in these areas, and dozens more, serving on numerous Boards fostering environmental, charitable, educational, socio-political and healthcare causes; including Women’s Media Center, Institute for Policy Studies, Rainforest Action Network, Community Self-Determination Institute, Drug Policy Alliance, Foundation for World Art, Hereditary Disease Foundation, We Got Issues, See Jane, Circle of Life, 826LA, Office of the Americas and many more.
Jodie has traveled extensively on behalf of global peace. Since the start of the Iraq war, Jodie has traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and Jordan on several occasions. On her most recent visit to Jordan, Jodie met with delegates from the Iraqi Parliament to institute an action plan for peace. In January of 2007 Jodie traveled to Cuba to protest the prison facility at Guantanamo, leading a fifteen person delegation which included former Guantanamo detainees and family members of current detainees.
Foremost for Jodie is sharing her passion for world peace and the methods through which to achieve it. In 1999, she co-created the Peace Conference in Dubrovnik, "Imagining Peace in the 21st Century." She continues to produce the 10 day, multi-event World Festival of Sacred Music in Los Angeles, and works diligently to facilitate and provide ongoing spiritual and educational venues to support peacemakers. Jodie is the creator/co-editor of two recent books, "Twilight of Empire: Responses to Occupation" and "Stop the Next War Now: Effective Responses to Violence and Terrorism." She was also an executive producer of the critically acclaimed documentary “The Ground Truth,” hailed by Time Magazine as the finest film to emerge from the Iraq war. She has a daughter and 2 sons; when not working to end war she throws pots on her wheel, gardens, dances and plays her harp.