Steve Fainaru
Steve Fainaru, a part of Redwood’s graduating class of 1980, is an investigative journalist and senior writer for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN). Fainaru’s talents have also been used at The Washington Post, where he covered a war-torn Iraq, risking his life while living in the war zone. This work has won him the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. In addition, Fainaru spent time at The Boston Globe and was named the Globe’s New York Bureau Chief. Fainaru has also written three books, one of which, alongside his brother Mark Fainaru-Wada, exposed the concussion crisis within the National Football League (NFL). This work of investigative nonfiction is a New York Times bestseller and has received praise from other well-renowned publications, such as Time and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Prior to his fascinating work worldwide, Fainaru was a member of the Bark and the running back for the varsity boys’ football team. While on the Bark staff, he wrote sports articles and news stories focusing on the district. However, Fainaru found his love for investigative journalism while attending the University of Missouri School of Journalism. He realized then that he had a passion for uncovering more significant stories.
“I love helping people tell their stories. It’s my passion,” Fainaru said. “I am so grateful that I get to travel the world while doing what I love.”
Reporting has placed Fainaru in dangerous situations as part of his job. Even going as far as being targeted by the Cuban government during Castro’s reign, exposing the corrupt story of Cuban baseball players being recruited by the United States.
In all his stories, Fainaru attempts to incorporate a sports angle with topics he strives to uncover. Currently, he is working on a project in Argentina and hopes to continue making a global difference with his work.
Fainaru constantly returns to Redwood to mentor and guide students who may see a future in journalism and hopes to inspire them to change the world.
Gerry Warburg
Gerry Warburg, a member of the 1972 graduating class, is a professor of public policy at the University of Virginia, Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Before becoming a professor, Warburg spent his career as a senate aide, helping to dictate significant legislation regarding national policy and the environment.
“Four years [after graduating from Redwood], I’m standing behind the President of the United States and he’s signing a bill I wrote. It’s really cool to go from Redwood to the White House,” Warburg said.
Warburg’s legislative accomplishments include the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act, the Anti-Apartheid Sanctions Act and nuclear policy reform efforts such as the abolition of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. Additionally, Warburg has written multiple books, the most recent being, “Saving Point Reyes: How an Epic Conservation Victory Became a Tipping Point for Environmental Policy Action.”
Warburg’s book covers how conservation efforts shaped Point Reyes into the pristinely preserved park of 71,000 acres. Congressman Clem Miller from Corte Madera was a large advocate for the early push for conservation; however, he died quickly after his bill was passed. It would fall to his widow, Katherine Miller and other Marin women to protect the park rather than the congressmen who most often receive credit for their accomplishments.
“The work of local women like Katie Miller-Johnson and Amy Meyer helped chart a path for generations of environmental activists in the United States,” Warburg said.
Through his presentation, Warburg emphasized that anyone can make a difference in their community if they are dedicated to it.
Gary Kuhn
After being on a tech corporate track for over ten years, Gary Kuhn, a part of the graduating class of 1975, exchanged his office slacks for outdoor khakis.
Working with his wife, Heidi Kuhn, Gary created a nonprofit called Roots of Peace in 1997, devoting 20 years to striving for global peace. The nonprofit’s website states, “Roots of Peace supports the world’s most vulnerable farmers and traders, removing the remnants of war and restoring agricultural productivity and prosperity.” Their main goal is to make land safer for those who use it by collaborating with government officials on new approaches for community stability.
In Afghanistan, Guatemala and Vietnam, the organization helped the communities receive a second crop during their off-season to boost income. The nonprofit is not looking to help the vulnerable with short-term solutions, but to instead teach skills that will have lasting impacts. In doing this, Kuhn has received praise for his organizations work. Roots of Peace won The World Food Prize in agriculture, which Kuhn regards as the Nobel Peace Prize for agriculture.
Even though strict gender roles in foreign countries prohibit the involvement of women in the organization, Kuhn would still hire women to work through their husbands. This solution allowed women to work and support themselves in society.
Recently, Kuhn has shifted towards the spice trade business, as his organization saw evident problems with the past system, such as the way the spices were handled. When spices are traded, they are washed and dried on the floor, allowing harmful bacteria and dirt to seep into the harvest. Kuhn’s simple, cost-friendly solution to this problem was to put the harvests in baskets instead. With six or seven international trips a year, Kuhn looks forward to staying local once he retires.
Kuhn’s story exemplifies how going against the grain and switching passions throughout life is possible. To learn more about Kuhn and Roots of Peace, visit the link below.
