Jeehan Abdul Ghaffar is a Yemeni national with sixteen years of professional experience in the development field. She iscurrently a Senior Advisor to the Executive Director of the World Bank Group. She works on global and regional issues related to fragile and conflict situations, gender, governance, human development, environment and poverty reduction. Prior to her work at the WBG, she was the Deputy Head of the United Kingdom Department of International Development (DFID) in Yemen.
As a Fulbright scholar, Jeehan graduated in 2004 with a Masters Degree in International Development from the University of Denver. Her Master’s thesis was on Water Privatization: a comparative study between the UK and Bolivia. Her thesis made her realize the crucial role that institutions and legal frameworks could play in contributing to peace/conflict in countries.
After finishing her MA, Jeehan was awarded the UN/Fulbright Fellowship to work as a Research Analyst at the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in NY. She also worked as a Programme Associate in the Governance Team at United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) in Yemen during the period 1998-2002.
Jeehan is interested in exploring ways to link the theories of conflict analysis and resolution to the design and implementation of development programs. She is also interested in looking deeply at the contribution of development projects in addressing the roots of conflicts, as well as, promoting peace and stability in countries.
Jerome Armstrong graduated with MA degrees from Portland State University in 2003, in the fields of Conflict Resolution and Linguistics. Jerome's professional occupation involved internet based politics and digital media. Much of his political work revolved around ending wars and stopping new ones from beginning. He worked with Democratic candidate Howard Dean’s 2004 Presidential campaign, and Senator John Kerry’s ‘Set a Deadline’ campaign to exit the war in Iraq. In 2012, Jerome worked with the antiwar candidate Gary Johnson’s libertarian presidential campaign. He cofounded Vox Media.
In the 1990’s, while in the Peace Corps, Jerome worked with UNICEF in Sierra Leone, helping villages to work together toward building a common school or health center. In Costa Rica, again as a Peace Corps volunteer, he worked with farming coops along the Caribbean slope. He worked as a mentor to youth for the Americorp I Have A Dream foundation, at Harriet Tubman middle school in Portland, OR. In the late ‘80’s, he worked for environmental groups Greenpeace and Earthfirst, protesting nuclear testing in Nevada, and the cutting down of old growth trees in Oregon.
Jerome has practiced yoga, movement, and meditation for a couple of decades. As a practitioner, he has learned how conflict manifests personally, how our reactions influence our thoughts and how to change the process of internal dialogue and our interactions with the world. This has given him a method of analyzing and diffusing conflicts’ manifestation in the mental and physical framework.
Laura Collins was born and raised in Scotland and attended Aberdeen University, graduating with a Joint BA (Honours) in French and International Relations in 2008. Laura is also a graduate of the Joint European MA in Human Rights and Genocide Studies from Kingston University, London. Her MA thesis explored the nexus between religion and genocide and mass atrocities, and examined the potential for religion both in its institutional and theological frameworks to play a role in the prevention and mitigation of atrocity crimes.
Laura joins the S-CAR communinty as the Dean's Fellow working for the Program on History, Memory, and Conflict.
Laura's previous experience includes being involved in developing national and regional policies and tactics for the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities at the Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation, a US based nonprofit organisations that works with governments to increase their domestic and international capacity to prevent genocide and mass atrocities. More recently, Laura assisted in the development of a global parliamentary network for the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities at Aegis Trust and acted as the Secretariat to British All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities (APPG). During her time at Aegis Trust, Laura encouraged parliamentarians in the UK and elsewhere to identify policy and legislative gaps that they may seek to fill in regard to the prevention of atrocity crimes, supported parliamentarians to increase the effectivenss of their scrutiny of government, and promoted an understanding of the importance of long term approaches to genocide prevention through the creation of national parliamentary mechanisms.
Carol Daniel Kasbari, conflict transformation specialist and veteran facilitator for groups in conflict in the Middle East since 1995. She managed several USAID programs through local and international NGO’s such as Search for Common Ground, Catholic Relief Services and other in various fields such as in media, dialogue, education and advocacy. She worked with numerous groups such as wounded crossing borders, senior media professionals, high school educators, women activists and many others in Israel, Palestine, Turkey, Greece and Bosnia. She was the co-founder and director of the Israeli Palestinian Media Forum (IPMF) and a consultant for UNESCO’s division of Freedom of Expression for 8 years. She is well known in the region for her capability to create partnerships among organizations and people in conflict and has succeeded to gain the trust of Palestinians and Israelis actors personally and professionally. In 2003 she produced the only co-production ever between Israeli and Palestinian official TV stations, a documentary “On the Road to Dialogue” which was co-broadcasted simultaneously on PBC and Channel 2 to give a message of tolerance and hope in the heat of the second Intifada. She has written several academic papers and presentations on critical media consumptions, war/peace journalism and other. Her op-ed articles on Jerusalem and reflections on the Israeli Palestinian dialogue were published widely in several languages internationally in Washington Post, NY times and media outlets in the Middle East. In 2011, she held a powerful TEDx talk on “Going beyond the Dialogue of Words” to illustrate through her personal experience the numerous ways to act and reach out to the other, to cross the emotional and physical borders to create a dialogue of actions .She holds B.A in Sociology and Anthropology, and Master degree in NGO Administration and Public Policy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Terri Dickerson is Civil Rights Director for the Coast Guard, one of the five military services of the United States. A civil servant, she has been a member of the government’s Senior Executive Service since 2000. She previously was Staff Director for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, a position where she evaluated the nation’s civil rights effort, and published reports which offered recommendations to Congress and the White House. Earlier, she worked at the Small Business Administration ensuring equality for women- and minority-owned businesses. Prior to government service, she worked in positions which promoted justice and equity including six years as Executive Director for American Women in Radio and Television, and its non-profit 501(c)(3) Foundation. She authored the book 50 Activities for Managing Cultural Diversity (later published under the title 50 Activities for Diversity Training, HRD Press Amherst, MA, 1993). Ms. Dickerson was 2009 recipient of The Presidential Rank Award, which honors the top 5% of senior Federal employees for “sustained extraordinary accomplishment.” She also earned the 2014 Benjamin Hooks Distinguished Service Award, annually conferred by the NAACP to a civilian policy-maker for forming, implementing, and facilitating fairness and equity. She is featured in the documentary Infinite Dignity and Worth, produced in 2011 by the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, wherein she comments on her experiences in 1962 as one of a few black students who integrated the New Orleans Catholic Schools (which is the focus of her PhD studies). She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia (Charlottesville), and Masters from the Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore thesis: Connecting a Nation: Interrelationship Between Government and the Media, Past, Present, and Future). She also holds certificates in Leadership Development (Johns Hopkins) and Conflict Analysis and Resolution (George Mason).
Montserrat Lopez Skoknic holds a BA in Political Science from the Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile, and an M.Sc. in Global Affairs from the Center of Global Affairs at New York University (NYU). Most recently Montserrat worked in the Latin America and Caribbean Program at Higher Education for Development in Washington, DC.
While there, she provided research and administrative support on international development projects focused on human rights, education, and women's leadership, among others. She also participated in the internship program of the Organization of American States.
There, she worked in the Office of the Rapporteur on the Rights of Womenat the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, conducting research in access to justice for women and sexual and reproductive health rights.Prior to coming to the United States, this native Chilean worked during three years at the International Labor Organization in Santiago.
Lisa McLean holds a BA in Political Studies from the University of Manitoba, and in 2013 she received her Master of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies from the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice at the University of Manitoba. Lisa began working for the Canadian federal government in 2005, and has worked for the department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for six years. In this time she worked with the Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program, and more recently shed worked as a Project Officer negotiating and monitoring federal funding arrangements with local service provider organizations to deliver services to newly arrived immigrants in Manitoba.
Lisa has co-authored a chapter on peace studies and feminism in a forthcoming volume on gender and peacebuilding to be published by spring 2015, and has delivered a presentation on feminist and anti-colonial research methodologies at the Canadian Association for the Study of International Development (CASID) conference in 2012. She has also been invited to guest lecture at the University of Winnipeg on Canada’s refugee resettlement program and on the findings of her thesis. Lisa’s Master’s thesis focused on the challenges faced by newcomer women in Winnipeg, Manitoba as well as the ways that newcomer women engage in community-building to pursue positive social change.Moving forward, Lisa is interested in furthering her knowledge in the areas of feminism, gender, and violence with a particular interest in theories of security and reproductive justice.
Sixte Vigny Nimuraba is currently an Executive Coordinator at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (S-CAR) and the Genocide Prevention Program Assistant at George Mason University (GMU). He is a MS Graduate in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from S-CAR and was a Shinnyo Fellow. In his Shinnyo Fellowship, he brought together international and American students through dialogue. He has been working closely with UNHCR and Ligue Iteka in Burundi until 2011 as Regional Coordinator through the Ligue Iteka’s Monitoring of Returnees Project. First he coordinated activities in 5 Northern provinces (Ngozi, Kirundo, Kayanza, Muyinga and Karusi) and after being promoted coordinated the South (Makamba, Bururi and Rutana) because there was a higher number of returnees and land conflicts to deal with. Before Ligue Iteka he held different positions from local and international organizations such as Volontari Italiani Solidarieta Paesi Emergenti (VISPE), Care International, Conseil National de Lute Contre le SIDA (CNLS). These experiences gave him the inspiration and passion to dedicate his life in peaceful coexistence and social cohesion. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from University of Ngozi (Burundi).
Nawal Rajeh is a peace educator as well as an activist and community organizer in the Washington, DC area. She is the Founder and Director of the non-profit, By Peaceful Means. The non-profit seeks to empower youth, schools, and communities through creative conflict resolution initiatives and advocacy-building skills.
Nawal also cofounded and has been running a Peace Camp for the past eight summers in Baltimore, which has served hundreds of low-income families as one of the only cost-free camps in the city. Nawal is currently an adjunct teacher at a DC public high school teaching conflict resolution and restorative justice to grades 9-12.
Her areas of interest include racial justice, community conflict, peace education, and the agency of youth to create positive change. Nawal served as a Jesuit Volunteer in Baltimore, MD after receiving a B.A. in Political Science and Peace Studies from Westminster College. She completed her M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University's School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution in 2010.
Nilofar Sakhi has 14 years of experience in management and leadership. She managed international organizations, education institutions and national local organization. Before coming to George Mason University for her doctoral degree she was the Executive Director at the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) in Kabul. She was also adjunct assistant professor at American University of Afghanistan where she taught public policy making.
Sakhi has earned a strong record of success in initiating collaboration and management among national and international organizations, and she has actively participated in formulating policies on the national level in Afghanistan. Sakhi has spent over twelve years championing human rights and civil society in Afghanistan. She has been involved with governance, rights and democracy, transitional justice, and rule of law related activities.
Before she came to AUAF, Sakhi was the Country Director of Open Society Foundations- Afghanistan office. Prior to this she was a Senior Consultant to Rule of Law, Transitional Justice, Human Rights, and Women Rights at the Open Society Foundations (OSF) in Kabul, Afghanistan.
In 2002, she founded the first women civil society organization “Women Activities & Social Services Association (WASSA)” in Herat, Afghanistan. She remained an Executive Director of WASSA for few years and currently entitled as chairperson of the organization.
Sakhi completed her second graduate program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C., becoming a Master of International Public Policy.
She has awarded Fulbright scholarship to study Peacebuilding and Organizational Leadership at Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia, receiving her first Master’s degree in Arts, Conflict Transformation, and Peacebuilding. She has written articles on Presidential elections, democracy, governance and women rights.
Jessica Smith holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with minors in Spanish and Psychology, as well as a Master of Arts in Social Justice and Human Rights, both from Arizona State University. She joins the S-CAR community as the Dean’s Fellow for the Center for the Study of Narrative and Conflict Resolution.
Most recently Jessica worked with the Gender Advisor for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Amman, Jordan where she assisted with Agency-wide activities aimed at promoting and monitoring gender sensitive programming and interventions in line with international frameworks for gender equality. Prior to this post, Jessica was the Program Manager of the Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research at Arizona State University where her research focused on domestic sex trafficking. Jessica collaborated on multiple projects involving the use of innovative research methodologies designed to contribute to and expand the sex trafficking knowledge base. Jessica also co-facilitated a weekly trauma-focused psycho-education group with sex trafficking survivors and led therapeutic art workshops at a safe house for sex trafficked adult women.
As a PhD student at S-CAR, Jessica would like to pursue research that contributes to the advancement of policy and practice that supports the inclusion and active participation of women in post-conflict processes. She is interested in ethnographic research that incorporates the use of photography and narrative as means for exploring gendered dimensions of conflict. She is drawn to non-traditional research methodologies that amplify the voices of marginalized populations and create spaces for individuals to press for change on their own behalf.
Shirley Souryal's passion is to bolster those who have suffered tremendous atrocities and loss. Her personal and professional journeys have led her to Bosnia, Israel/Palestine, Northern Ireland, Kenya, Rwanda, Colombia and recently, Iraq. She nearly did not make it home. Her second-chance at life and her exposure to all that is unjust has propelled her to pursue justice and reconciliation with greater passion.
Shirley's tenure in Baghdad began soon after receiving her Master’s degree at S-CAR. Her Arabic language skills and Egyptian-American heritage primed her for a diplomatic role as a liaison between the United States Embassy and the Government of Iraq’s key institutions, including the Presidency Council, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Council of Representatives. She fostered professional partnerships by establishing trust that enriched dialogue and enhanced cooperation.
Photography has been instrumental in recalibrating Shirley's path and reframing the narrative of her life. She uses her passion to raise awareness about issues of injustice and tragedy, capturing existing narratives and creating new ones. In 2011, Shirley traveled to Rwanda and Kenya with the Blood: Water Mission, an organization that provides access to clean water and ‘clean blood’ through HIV/Aids clinics for Africans. Along the way, she captured images that depict resilience, strength and hope in a way that words alone do not. She treasures and exhibits these images, as well as those from other conflict zones, empowering brave souls to speak on their own behalf.
To honor and serve our nation’s heroes, Shirley launched a program that provides Wounded Warriors respite from Walter Reed Military Hospital by attending their favorite musical concerts. These connections fuel their transformational journeys and their resilience inspires Shirley's own.
Jeremy Tomlinson is a British national but also holds a US passport. He has lived in Cambodia since he completed an MA in Post-war Recovery Studies at the University of York (UK) in 2011. For the past two and a half years, he has focused professionally on the Myanmar peace process. As Documentation and Learning Officer at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPCS), he undertook independent research, oversaw the organization’s publication agenda, and assisted the Myanmar peace process support program. During this time he also wrote and presented a paper on international third party support of the Myanmar peace process at the 1st Peace Practitioners Research Conference in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Subsequently, Jeremy has worked as an independent consultant for Plan International, KHANA, and the Foundation for Local Development. These assignments have included research projects, workshop coordination, conflict analysis, and, most notably, backstopping the Ethnic Peace Resource Project, Phases I and II, funded by the Norwegian and Swiss Ministries of Foreign Affairs. Jeremy completed a BA in International Studies from the University of East Anglia (UK) and the International Baccalaureate (I.B.) program at the United World College of the Atlantic (UWCAC ‘05-‘07). He has lived in Cambodia, India, Nigeria, South Sudan, the UK and the USA. Outside of his academic interests, which include mediation, negotiation, peace processes and transition, Jeremy is an avid motorcyclist.
Laura Villanueva has recently come to S-CAR after 10 years of peacebuilding project management, development, and practice in the field. Her experience and practice began at the Basque Peace Institute in Gernika. She then went on to design and implement a people-to-people peacebuilding process, which is on-going and co-located in Japan and the Middle East. Laura also worked and practiced her approach in other locations in Europe utilizing culture as a key peacebuilding entry point. For her most recent project, she has co-founded a women’s NGO in Mexico, which is preparing to train women as peacebuilders.
Laura is pursuing her PhD at S-CAR to refine and build on her practice and conceptual work on a Japanese grassroots peacebuilding model. Specifically this is a Japan-based peacebuilding model that has the potential to serve as an innovative people-to-people application for use in different areas of conflict. Also in this regard, Laura is examining the epigenetics, love, and conflict transformation nexus in connection with on-going processes in the field. Her overall objective is to better equip theorists and practitioners with tools to establish love conceptually and practically as a peacebuilding fundamental.