The Peacekeeper Society is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit located on the Yakama Nation Reservation in Washington State.  We help promote positive social change.  Absolutely everyone is welcomed regardless of age, color, ethnicity, or enrollment status. We also facilitate grief recovery support groups and community building activities for families on the Yakama Nation and in the Yakima Valley.

Our Mission

Meet The Team

Lucy Smartlowit: Interim Executive Director

Lucy is an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation and has worked within many capacities of the Yakama Tribal Community. Lucy is now Interim Executive Director for the Peacekeeper Society. previously a Research Coordinator for the Healing Seasons project through the University of Washington.  Other work includes project evaluation for suicide prevention grants; victim resource advocate; tribal gaming administration and Chemica Dependency Counselor.  She received a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from Boston University (2009) and a Master’s in Social Work (2014) with a concentration in Social Economic Development for American Indians and Alaskan Natives from Washington University in St. Louis Brown School of Social Work. 

Barak Goodman: Communications Director 

Barak is a Jewish Egyptian American mutual aid organizer. Barak is the Program Director for the Peacekeeper Society, the Native led, reservation based non-profit. As an Arab American living on stolen Indigenous land, he has made a commitment to serve the communities whose land he occupies as long as he lives in the "United States". Barak holds a BA in International Development from Portland State University and currently sits as a community voting member on PSU's Cultural Resource Advisory Council. He is also a longtime Don't Shoot Portland volunteer and is a member of their Social Outreach Committee. Barak's background involves many jobs such as wildland firefighter, publicist for artists, farm hand, and more but throughout the years mutual aid and serving his community has been his top priority.

Robyn Pebeahsy - Program Director

Robyn has worked in various capacities for the Yakama Nation. She was PKS Program Director for the Yakama Reservation from 2020 to Jan 2022. Now in a supportive role as Programs Manager, Robyn was born in the Lower Yakima Valley, she grew up in Toppenish, WA on the Yakama Reservation. Attended the University of Washington Seattle and has lived in the Seattle area for 10 years before moving back to her homeland on the Yakama Reservation. She has worked in various capacities for both the Urban Indian and Yakama Reservation Based communities. With a background in both prevention (tobacco and sugary drinks prevention) and research. Robyn also had worked previously in other community based participatory research with both the Seattle Indian Health Board and UW Partnerships for Native Health and still works part time with University of Washington Indigenous Wellness Research Institute as a Research Coordinator. 

Theresa Biss - Operations Manager 

Theresa (Korean American) is Operations Manager for the Peacekeeper Society.  Theresa Lives on Yakama Reservation has worked extensively throughout the Pacific Northwest helping lead supply distributions and providing food and aid to Native Communities across the country. She has coordinated logistics for hundreds of thousands of pounds of food and supplies and will always roll her sleeves up and get the toughest problems solved.  She is excited to continue our work with the community and see the many smiles we bring.