Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts among 3 who receive Peacemaker award Sunday

Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts was among three winners of the Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership award Sunday, all of whom were recognized for exuding leadership in the community.

The other winners were Olympia High School Principal Matt Grant and the cultivating and leaders manager of GRuB, Kerensa Mabwa. GRuB stands for garden raised bounty, an Olympia nonprofit that works with at-risk youth on an urban farm.

“They each provide leadership that guides, drives and motivates institutional change — working within their sphere of influence — to inspire positive change from within,” said Terry Teale, board president of the Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County, in her introductory remarks about the three winners.

The DRC is in its 25th year and the award is named after Evan Ferber, the founding director of the organization. Ferber is retiring from the private nonprofit at the end of the year, he said. The DRC works with private and public groups, such as Thuston County, to resolve disputes before they become litigious, Ferber said.

The organization helps 3,000-4,000 clients a year and teaches conflict resolution skills to another 700-800, he said.

The awards, which have been presented every year since 2011, were held Sunday at the Red Lion Hotel Olympia as part of “The Toast,” the group’s key fundraiser of the year. About 500 people attended the gathering, eating chocolate and sipping wine before settling in for the program.

The DRC’s 10-person board selects each winner. Asked whether Roberts was viewed as a controversial choice for the award — given that he oversees a department involved in the recent shooting of two black men — Teale said no.

“He is attending to real issues in the community and that’s what we celebrate,” she said.

Teale quoted Dr. Karen Johnson in her remarks, with Johnson saying Roberts, after the shooting, “demonstrated courageous servant leadership by listening to and partnering with black leaders in Thurston County to take several key steps toward building peace in the community.”

Roberts, in accepting his award, thanked the DRC as well as the community.

“I just want you to know as a leader, and on behalf of the great men and women of the Olympia Police Department, that we hear you,” he said. “We want to honor you and we want to work beside you. And we want to do this in partnership with you because we cannot do it alone. We really need all of your help and trust and support. And for that, I thank you very much.”

Also Sunday:

Olympia High School Principal Grant was recognized for working with students to respond to local conflicts — such as responding to a gathering of neo-Nazis in 2006 or representatives of the Westboro Baptist Church in 2012.

“When we take this risk to confront unhealthy parts of our climate, we have the potential to transform our environment,” he told the audience.

GRuB’s Mabwa leads the nonprofit’s community-based fundraising, special events and volunteer coordination programs. Mabwa was cited for “helping people to live successful and sustainable lives through empowerment and inclusivity,” according to a program for the awards gathering.

“I ask each and every one of you that healing conflicts and making peace is a priority that really starts with ourselves,” she said.

This story was originally published April 24, 2016 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts among 3 who receive Peacemaker award Sunday."