2023 International Peace Conference Chair Will Ratliff Shares the Mission of Peace with Fellow Rotarians

RCB Past Presidents Philippe Lathrop and Jon Blankenship with Rotarian Will Ratliff

This week the Rotary Club of Birmingham welcomed Rotarian Will Ratliff, Chair of the 2023 International Peace Conference, as its guest speaker. Ratliff shared details about the conference that will take place in Birmingham May 4th through 6th. The conference is hosted by Rotary International District 6860, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the UAB Institute for Human Rights, and RCB is a sponsor.

Ratliff shared that the two-day immersive experience will bring together Rotarians, non-Rotarians and distinguished leaders in academia, government, public safety, religion, business, and community service to share ideas and propose solutions to some of society’s most complex challenges. An outstanding lineup of speakers includes Rotary International President Jennifer Jones, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, Anglican Church of Rwanda, Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, and King Center CEO Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King. Rotary Peace Fellows and youth peacebuilders will take part, with special programming commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Birmingham Children’s March.

“When I talk about educating and inspiring…anybody who attends this conference will learn about things in Birmingham and in Alabama that they didn’t know about and they will be proud of and inspired by to keep making progress,” Ratliff said.

Ratliff explained the conference will feature five general sessions, with breakout sessions aligned with each of eight tracks: Individual Peace, Peace at Home and in Families, Peace and Peace Education in Schools, Promoting Peaceful Communities and Reducing Violence, Preventing and Addressing Human Trafficking, the Continuing Quest for Racial Equity and Justice, Empowerment of Women and Girls, and International Peace. The conference will culminate with a peace concert benefitting Ukranian refugees.

Ratliff shared that promoting peace is one of Rotary International’s seven areas of focus, with major international achievements including helping to found the United Nations and drafting the UN Declaration of Human Rights. He discussed the NewGen Peacebuilders program that has been introduced in communities like Birmingham and his excitement to bring peace-focused leaders together in Birmingham, where nonviolent protesters for equality and racial justice changed history.

“What gives me hope is children and educating children. Seeing the kind of response we’ve gotten in the Birmingham City Schools when we offer them a program where we invite young people to try to make a difference for good in their own communities and in their own schools. That is a hope-inspiring thing for me.”

For 2023 International Peace Conference registration and information, please visit peaceconference2023bham.com.

About Will Ratliff
Will Ratliff recently stepped down after serving 34 years as CEO of Collateral Holdings, a company founded by his grandfather. He passed the CEO role to his nephew, Jonathan Ratliff. Collateral’s businesses are in employee benefits, insurance services, and commercial real estate.

Will attended Amherst College, earned a doctorate in Applied Behavioral Science at UMass Amherst, and worked as a teacher, counselor, and school director before joining Collateral. He has been active in many community organizations, including YouthServe, which he helped found; Rotary Club of Birmingham; the National Conference for Community and Justice; St. Mary’s Sewanee; Good News Children Education Mission in Kolkata, India; the Society of International Business Fellows; and A+ Education Partnership. Civic activities take up an ever-increasing share of his time. He is chair of an International Peace Conference taking place in Birmingham in 2023 initiated by Rotary. 

Will and his wife, Carolyn, are members of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and have three grown children. His son Tom is married to the former Melody Gillezeau of Trinidad, whom he met while they were both working in Costa Rica. Tom also works at Collateral. His daughter Cassie lives and works in Atlanta. His daughter Lillie lives and works in New York and recently married Sam Breslow.