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Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center
This summer, Rotary International renewed the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center agreement for the seventh time, securing continued partnership through June 2028.
In August 2024, the Center welcomed 11 members of the Class 23 cohort — 4 Duke MIDP, 3 UNC Global Studies, 2 UNC Social Work and 2 UNC Global Health. The Fellows hail from Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Palestine, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Uganda, United Kingdom, and Yemen.
Seven Class 22 Fellows - 4 Duke MIDP, 2 UNC Global Studies and 1 UNC Global Health — graduated in May 2025.
Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center staff, faculty members receive honors from Rotary Foundation
In recognition of their significant contributions to advancing Rotary International’s humanitarian and educational efforts, Thomas Lasater, program coordinator at the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center; Sharon Thomas, assistant dean for recruitment, admissions and financial aid in the Office of Academic & Student Affairs at the UNC School of Social Work and a Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center advisory board member; and Suzanne Maman, UNC faculty director of the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center and associate dean for global health at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health; were named Rotary International Paul Harris Fellows. Susan Carroll, managing director of the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center, received the "Paul Harris Fellow Plus One" distinction in honor of her 20 years of service to the Center.
Annual Conference
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With the theme “Stories of Peace: Centering Community for Collective Transformation,” the 2025 Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Conference created space for a day of heartfelt reflections and inspiring ideas presented by the seven graduating Class 22 Rotary Peace Fellows. More than 200 people attended the conference, travelling from more than nine states across the U.S. and as far as Canada and France. Held at the UNC Global Education Center, the event also included a poster session featuring Class 23 Peace Fellows' "Peace Lab" projects.
Cheers to 20 Years: Susan Carroll retires after two decades of service
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This summer, Susan Carroll concluded her tenure with the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center. She joined the center in 2005 as a coordinator and, since 2015, has served as managing director, overseeing daily operations at both Duke and UNC.
Jon Abels, executive director of DCID, succeeds Carroll as managing director. Reflecting on her legacy, Abels shared: "Susan has made so many contributions to the center’s development and growth over the years. She has been the face of the center for the Rotary Peace Fellows and for partnering institutions and centers inside and outside our universities. Everyone enjoyed working with Susan. They appreciated her dedication to the center’s mission and support of its students, and her institutional knowledge and ability to deal with change. In addition, people will miss her warmth and caring spirit that people felt when they engaged her."
Read more about Carroll's time with the Rotary Peace Center.
Linda Low named 2025 Rotary Champion of Peace
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Linda Low, Class 15 Rotary Peace Fellow and Duke MIDP alumna, was recognized by Rotary as one of six People of Action: Champions of Peace. Low is the founder and charter president of the Rotary Club of Global Partners in Peace. During her Rotary Peace Fellowship, she developed a process to facilitate dialogue among diverse groups to reduce divisiveness and polarization. The program, called Leadership Dialogues, is now used in communities across the U.S. and around the world.
Since 2016, Low has personally facilitated dialogues with at least 2,000 people and helped many Rotarians in the U.S. learn to facilitate dialogues, with some Rotary districts integrating Leadership Dialogues into their awareness campaigns and community engagement initiatives.