Mariano AvilA
Executive Director of Programming
Mariano Avila is a journalist whose work elevating voices from marginalized communities has earned him Emmy nominations, Associated Press recognitions and a national Public Media Award. For nearly eight years Mariano produced shows and documentaries on PBS and NPR stations in the Midwest and previously worked in daily newspapers like the Miami Herald.
Over the course of his career, Mariano has also produced a program to train community leaders of color in media production centering their own narratives, programs and curriculum for nonviolent peace organizing, and more recently helped develop The Peace Studio’s Skills for Creative Peacebuilding curriculum as the board chair of the program committee.
Mariano was born in Mexico City, Mexico, where he learned the value of civic engagement, public discourse as well as his love for literature and music. His life and work have taken him from singing for presidents in the Philippines and Taiwan to photographing inmates in Guatemalan prisons, and from connecting American peace activists in Palestinian refugee camps to documenting Native water protectors at Standing Rock, ND.
Mariano’s three passions, journalism, and art come together at The Peace Studio in the mission of fostering a culture of peace through storytellers in America.