Adeeb Yousif hails from the village of Juldo in Darfur-Sudan, and for over 14 years has worked with grassroots and social justice movements throughout the country in trying to alleviate the plight of individuals from what he describes as "unfortunate circumstances". In April 2001, he co-founded the Sudan Social Development Organization (SUDO), a human rights, humanitarian relief, and development NGO that he hoped would complement the efforts of the other stakeholders working in the region. Adeeb holds a Ph.D. from the the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, is a former Governor of Central Darfur, and is the General Manager of the Darfur Reconciliation and Development Organization (DRDO). All these endeavors enable him "continue to dedicate his life to the peace, social justice, humanitarian and human rights struggle to end the conflict and genocide in Darfur" via peaceful means.

Adhik Badal graduated from Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu with degrees in English and Conflict, Peace and Development Studies. He is also an MA candidate of International Peace Studies at the Kroc Institute, the University of Notre Dame. He has worked for Local Peace Committee at Kavre district of Nepal under Nepal's Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction as a Peacebuilding Officer and for various nongovernmental organizations. He recently taught as adjunct faculty in Tribhuvan University's Department of Conflict, Peace and Development Studies.

At the time she wrote this article, Agnieszka was the Trauma-Informed Peacebuilding Coordinator for Mediators Beyond Borders International. Originally from Poland, Agnieszka lived in various countries before settling in Oregon, USA. With a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota in international relations, a Master’s from the California Institute of Integral Studies in philosophy and religion, and an ESL teaching certificate, she made teaching ESL and critical thinking her first career, with some years spent moonlighting as a yoga instructor. Agnieszka has instructed students of various ages and levels and interfaced with educators around the world. 

The international arena has always been of primary interest. Recently, she has shifted her career to conflict resolution/transformation and will soon complete her Master’s at the University of Oregon. As part of the curriculum, she has completed basic training in mediation, negotiation, and has participated in workshops on dialogue, collaborative governance, and conflict coaching. She has also interned with the university Ombud’s program for a year. She intends to apply all the newly gained knowledge along with past career and life experience toward peacebuilding efforts; (re)building bridges, supporting healing, and forging new understanding among people. Outside academia and career aspirations, Agnieszka enjoys outdoor pursuits, travel, reading, and most of all, being mom to her 9-year- old son.

Ahmad Al-Hadidi holds degrees in medicine and surgery from Mosul University in Iraq and a master's of public health in epidemiology and biostatistics from Boston University, where he was a Fulbright scholar. He has worked as a physician, a teaching and research assistant, a volunteer helping Iraqi children with war-related injuries seeking medical treatment in Boston hospitals, and a translator for films on humanitarian and peacebuilding issues.

Ahmad Naveed Noormal is an Afghan Diplomat who holds a Bachelor's degree of Academic Law from India. He worked as a diplomat for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan from 2011-2014. He was In-charge Officer of the ‘Heart of Asia’- Istanbul Process for the Regional Cooperation Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this capacity he delegated Afghanistan in several national, regional and international meetings and conferences. He has also worked for the US-Embassy and the United Nations Development Program in Kabul. 

Naveed served as the Chairman of Security and Stability Committee of the Afghan Youth Parliament in 2007-08 and was a member of Youth Peace National Jirga and Youth Leadership Forum. He received his Fulbright scholarship in 2014 to pursue a Masters of Coexistence and Conflict Management with a specialization on Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Management at Heller School of Social Policy and Management, Brandies University. His master's thesis is focused on comparative study of corruption in Afghanistan.

Alan is the Church Relations Officer in the Office of Government Relations, Staff of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. He holds an MA in Peace and Conflict Resolution from the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University.

Alan Yarborough is the church relations officer for The Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations, where he helps inspire advocacy and civic engagement across the U.S. Alan draws extensively from his experience living in rural and urban settings in the U.S. as well as several years abroad in Haiti and Guatemala. He holds an MA from the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University and a BS in economics from Clemson University. He recently launched Habits of Discourse, offering consulting and training in civil discourse, and is a Spring 2023 Better Arguments Ambassador. 

Aleksandra Kuznetsova earned a BA in international relations (2004) and is pursuing an MA in international public law from Kazan State University. She interned at the Agency for International Cooperation and Development in Kazan and at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As a student, she received the Morosov scholarship, given each year to the best student in international relations, as well as the best student medal. In 2005, she volunteered in Berlin on a project titled, "Central Aspects of the EU Constitution: HIV/AIDS & Human Rights." Sasha has worked as a teaching assistant at Kazan State University and has published articles on the role of the United Nations in law-making.

Alemayehu Weldemariam is currently a graduate student at George Mason University’s School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution.  He has taught political philosophy and conflict studies at Suffolk University’s Government Department in Boston, MA. He also had joint appointments at the University of Texas at Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs and Austin Community College. He has published a book and numerous articles about legal pluralism, human rights, national security, foreign policy, and competition law. He has given talks at various American universities, including the University of Chicago, Villanova University, UC Santa Barbara, and the Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University. He has appeared on several media outlets such as World Politics Review, Christian Science Monitor, PressTV, BBC, African Arguments, Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, Open Democracy, and Eurasia Review. 

Alessandra Cuccia is a graduate student at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University. She is also currently working with Insight Conflict Resolution Program on a Retaliatory Violence Insight Project.

Alex Krafchek received her undergraduate degree in women's studies from the University of Mary Washington in 2008. She will graduate in May of 2013 with a Masters in Conflict Analysis & Resolution and a Masters of Social Work from George Mason University.

Alexandria Costa is a Philadelphia native who moved to Washington, D.C. to pursue a life in the nation’s capital and epicenter of foreign affairs, internships, and a never ending news cycle.After graduating from The George Washington University with a major in International Affairs and a minor in Arabic Language, she chose to further her education in the field. Alexandria is currently a Master’s candidate at George Mason University’s School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, where her focus is genocide prevention and mechanisms of reconciliation. Upon completing her Master’s degree this upcoming winter, she hopes to start her career and become a certified mediator in the state of Virginia.

BA in anthropology and women's studies, The Johns Hopkins University (2001). As an undergraduate, Alicia studied peace and conflict through the School for International Training in Northern Ireland. Her research focused on the gendered impact of armed conflict and included volunteer work at several women's community centers in Belfast. Upon graduation she returned to Northern Ireland to facilitate workshops on peace and conflict studies, cross-cultural living and field-based research for the SIT program. Since 2002 Alicia has worked at Women for Women International in Washington, DC designing and implementing programs to assist women survivors of war as they rebuild their lives and communities. Most recently she spent several months in Afghanistan coordinating a rights awareness and vocational skills training program for women.

When he wrote this, Alisher Bazarov was a Masters Student from Turkmenistan, studying at the Kroc Institute for Peace Studies at Notre Dame University.

Aliza Gold is a senior at University of Colorado majoring in German studies, minoring in Hebrew and Israel studies, and completing the Peace and Conflict Studies Certificate. She has a passion for languages and is studying German, Hebrew, and Arabic. In August 2016, she will be moving to Israel and joining the Israeli Defense Forces.  After that she plans to go to graduate school in Peace and Conflict Resolution and then find work in field, and more specifically work with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. 

Allison has a BA in  Middle East Studies/Arabic and she is currently a graduate student at the Carter School of Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University.  

Allyson Mitchell is completing her Master of Science degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Middle Eastern Economics and Policy. Her work has been focused mainly on U.S. foreign policy response to armed conflict with an emphasis on unmanned military weaponry. She was born and raised in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania and shows great appreciation for a home-cooked meal and family gatherings. She is a seasoned explorer of areas of the world less traveled and enjoys the unexpected.

Althea Lloyd has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The Pennsylvania State University, 2013; and a Master of Science in Peace Operations Policy from George Mason University, 2016. She works as a Graduate Associate for Democracy International, Inc., an international development consulting firm, focusing on USAID-funded project implementation in Afghanistan. 

Amber Lewis gained experience in bridging divides between religious groups in conflict as an undergraduate student at Utah Valley University (UVU). She served as a council-member for the UVU’s Interfaith Student Council in 2014 and participated in events and dialogues that brought together participants from varying groups. Amber has continued in the field of peacebuilding by pursuing a Master’s Degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University, with expected graduation in Spring of 2020. Her research interests include understanding the role that religion can play in motivating and mediating conflict, as well as finding ways to bridge political divides, while promoting respectful civil discourse. She currently works as an online ESL teacher to children in China.

Amelia Branczik is a graduate student at SAIS, the School of Advanced International Study, John Hopkins University.

Amy Braun earned a B.S. in biological sciences from 
Notre Dame. As a lay missioner in Thailand, she worked for an anti-
human trafficking group. She has helped design peace studies and conflict
 transformation workshops for a local peacebuilding organization and also has served
 as a volunteer medical assistant.

Andrea Bartoli is the Founder and Director of the Center for International Conflict Resolution at Columbia University where he is a Senior Research Scholar. He has been teaching courses on International Conflict Resolution at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs. His research interests are mainly in the area of religion and conflict resolution, theory of multi-party negotiations and inter-cultural training.

An anthropologist from Rome, he completed his Italian laurea (BA-MA equivalent) at the University of Rome, Italy, and his dottorato di ricerca (Ph.D. equivalent) at the University of Milan, Italy. He has been actively involved in conflict resolution and preventive diplomacy since the early 1980s as a member of the Community of St. Egidio (which he joined in 1970), focusing on Mozambique, Algeria, Burundi, Kosovo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). More recently he coordinated CICR conflict resolution initiatives in Colombia, East Timor, Myanmar (Burma) and Iraq.

Among his recent publications is Mediating Peace in Mozambique? in Herding Cats: Multiparty Mediation in a Complex World, (edited by Chester A. Crocker, Fen O. Hampson, Pamela Aall).

Andrea Strimling is a Commissioner and Mediator with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, in Washington, D.C. She works in FMCS's Office of ADR Services and International Affairs, where she brings ADR training to foreign countries that request it. She has worked extensively in Kashmir and South Africa, among others. Ms. Strimling is also a founder of "ACRON: The Applied Conflict Resolution Organizations Network". ACRON seeks to enhance the effectiveness of international conflict resolution and peacebuilding activities by promoting communication, coordination, and collaboration among applied conflict resolution organizations; by increasing awareness of and funding for the field; and by building bridges to other applied and academic organizations in related fields.
 

Andrew Peterson earned a B.A. degree in philosophy from Haverford College. He has worked on grassroots peacebuilding initiatives in El Salvador, as a peace lobbyist on nuclear weapons issues, and as a U.S. Senate intern in Washington, D.C. Most recently, he worked in Burundi on trauma healing and reconciliation and writing grant proposals to fund training in peacebuilding.

Andrew Scheineson is an M.S. candidate at George Mason University's Carter School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution.  He has also worked as a Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. Department of State since 2010, and has served in China, Mali, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as the Office of India Affairs in Washington, D.C.  As a political officer in Mali, he coordinated U.S. diplomatic support for the negotiation and implementation of the 2015 Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation.  Andrew is originally from northern Virginia.

Angela has been working at The Coexistence Initiative since fall 2000 as the Program Officer for Outreach & Communication. Before joining TCI, she undertook a graduate degree in dispute resolution where her research focused on the relationship between conflict and socio-cultural systems. She has examined this relationship in three areas: women and conflict, public high schools in America, and conflict resolution in her native Kenya. Angela has worked in several arenas, including with student activists, in the US Senate, and as a mediator in the Massachusetts Court System. In addition, she has published and presented papers on her areas of research. Angela holds a BA in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire and an MA in Dispute Resolution from the University of Massachusetts at Boston.

Dr. Ann Harrison McBroom completed a Graduate Certificate in Conflict Transformation at Eastern Mennonite University in May 2006. She comes to the field after a career in Medical Psychology, working in England, the USA, the Middle East and the West Indies. Now contentedly settled in rural Virginia (USA), she plans to pursue both her theoretical interests in transformation and practical work with groups in conflict.

Anna Di Lellio holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Columbia University and a Masters in Public Policy and International Affairs from New York University. She has extensive experience in Kosovo, first as Media Commissioner, and later as Political Advisor to the UN Kosovo Protection Corps Coordinator.

Anna Zaros graduated with a B.A. degree in theology and religious studies from the Catholic University of America, focusing her studies on social justice, nonviolence and world religions, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While participating in a post-graduate volunteer program she focused her work on nonviolence, activism, and environmental sustainability, and worked as a case manager for an organization that assists victims of human trafficking.

Anne is Cloud Risk & Controls Leader for IBM Cloud, focusing on financial services. Born in the Republic of Ireland, she now lives in Paris.  She has been a participant in the Seshat Project for several years, which is where she got involved with the conflict resolution community.  When giving a talk at the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution Symposium of 2022, she asked that she be introduced as a person who "brings people together who might not otherwise come together." In doing so, she broadens everyone's horizons. 

Aref Dostyar is the founder of Afghans for Progressive Thinking (APT), a civil society organization that promotes a culture of tolerance, openness, and respect by providing Afghan university students with opportunities to critically engage contemporary issues. Since 2010, APT has partnered with donors like the National Endowment for Democracy, the United States Embassy in Kabul, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kabul, Oxfam Novib, Cordaid, and Samaritan's Purse to develop and implement programs such as academic debate, leadership development, intercultural dialogues, and media talk shows. 

Aref served as the Director of APT from 2010 to 2013 and now serves as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors. He is currently a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Notre Dame in the United States where he is pursuing a Masters in International Peace Studies as part of the class of 2016.

Ashok Panikkar has worked at the intersections of culture, diversity, conflict, and democracy for more than three decades. He shut down MetaCulture after 18 years to start the Village Idiot Studio through which he is engaged in a quixotic effort to get people to stop destroying the greatest civilization in human history—our own. He teaches course, does research, and writes, all in an effort to help intelligent and conscientious citizens to look beyond commonplace understanding of democracy, human rights, diversity, and party politics and to stop taking vital institutions, the larger society, and democracy for granted.

When he wrote this, Austin was a graduate student at the Carter School  of Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University.

Ayesha Saeed earned a degree in computer science with a minor in social sciences from Lahore University of Management Sciences (2006). She worked as a research fellow on global terrorism at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad, studying the impact of the War on Terror (especially the emergence of suicide terrorism) on the socio-political fabric of Pakistan. She is interested in the role of religion and local culture in the perpetuation of conflict. She grew up in a military family and experienced a near-war situation during Pakistan's 2001 standoff with India. Ayesha has published articles in the Pakistani press and is involved in political activism.

Benjamin Bernard is a 2012 graduate of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute of International Peace Studies, where he was when he wrote this essay.

Bernie Mayer, Ph.D., has provided conflict intervention for families, communities, NGO’s, unions, corporations, and governmental agencies throughout North America and internationally for over 40 years. He is Professor Emeritus of Conflict Studies, Program on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Creighton University, and a founding partner of CDR Associates. Bernie’s newest book (with Jacqueline Font-Guzmán), The Neutrality Trap: from Constructive Engagement to Strategic Disruption in Social Conflict, was published in early 2022. Previous books include: The Dynamics of Conflict, Beyond Neutrality, Staying With Conflict, and The Conflict Paradox.

Boniface Ojak (Uganda) is in the Masters Program at the Kroc Institute of International Peace Studies at Notre Dame University.  Previously, he earned an M.A. in management studies from Uganda Martyrs University. Since 2004, he has worked in northern Uganda with the Justice and Reconciliation Project, conducting research and advocating for victims of violent conflict. He is a Transitional Justice Fellow of the International Centre for Transitional Justice and the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in Cape Town.

Borislava Manojlovic is a PhD (ABD) and Cumbie Director of Research at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University. Her research focuses on dealing with the past, history education, memory, cultural diversity and reconciliation. As a Conflict Resolution practitioner, she has worked for 7 years with the UN and the OSCE peacekeeping missions in Croatia and Kosovo. She is an Associate Editor for Beyond Intractability/SCAR collaborative. Her most recent publications include articles Global Citizens, Cross-Cultural Exchange and Individual Agency published in the Global studies journal and School Communities, Historical Narratives and Reconciliation in Eastern Slavonia published in SIT digital collections.

Brad Spangler is an Associate at Resolve in Washington, D.C. Previously he was a Professional Research Assistant at the University of Colorado Conflict Research Consortium. He also has a Master's Degree in Cultural Anthropology and an Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Environmental Policy from the University of Colorado-Boulder. His primary area of interest is public policy dispute resolution.

When he wrote this article, Brandon was a Master's student at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University.

Burcu Munyas studied international relations at Bilkent University, Ankara (B.A., 2004). In Bilkent she set up and coordinated the Peace Studies Group of the International Relations Academic Research Community. The group organized presentations, teach-ins, and a Peace Exhibition. During 2003, Burcu completed the internship program of the Center for Strategic Research of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, where she prepared a paper on UN peace operations. As a student volunteer, she taught elementary-level English and social sciences. She also participated with Harvard University students in video conferences about Turkish-U.S. relations.

Caleb is a Democracy Community Builder/Cross-Pollinator/Network Weaver; Systems leader; Theologian; Lawyer; and Naval Officer. He is currently working to catalyzye the inter-movement community and capacity build among democracy and civic health-promoting organizations to prepare for collective impact.

Cameron Ronayne is a graduate student at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University, with a bachelor degree in Conflict Analysis and Dispute Resolution from Salisbury University with a concentration in intergroup and interpersonal conflicts. Currently doing work as a mediator and program coordinator with the non-profit Community Mediation Upper Shore, Inc., Ronayne’s work predominantly centers around youth programming, productive conflict engagement, and increasing the accessibility of conflict resolution services in Kent and Queen Anne’s counties in Maryland.

Carolyn Stephenson is a Professor of Political Science at the Univ. of Hawaii-Manoa. She is a member of the graduate faculty in Population Studies, where she teaches on gender, population, and the environment, and participates in the Program on Conflict Resolution. She also directs the Hawai'i Model United Nations, in which graduate student involvement is welcome. Her Research interests include 1) alternative international security systems, including mediation, sanctions, nonviolent action, and peacekeeping, 2) non-governmental organizations and United Nations conference diplomacy in the areas of environment, women, and disarmament, and 3) gender, conflict and conflict resolution.

Carrie Menkel-Meadow is Distinguished Professor of Law and Political Science, University of California, Irvine and A.B. Chettle Professor of Law, Dispute Resolution and Civil Procedure, Emerita, Georgetown University. 

Cate Malek is a freelance journalist, having graduated with a degree in Journalism and Ethnic Studies from the University of Colorado. She is currently also worked as a writer and research assistant for the Conflict Information Consortium.

When she wrote this, Celia was a graduate student at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University.

Charles Hauss is Senior Fellow for Innovaton and Board Member Emeritus at th Alliance for Peacebuilding. He can be reached at chip@charleshaussinfo 

When she wrote this, Chloe was a graduate student at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Studies at George Mason University.

Chris McMorran was a graduate student in Geography at the University of Colorado when he wrote these essays; he is now taking a leave of absence to study in Japan.

Christi Faith Freeman graduated from Wake Forest University with a BA in political science and minors in Spanish and Latin American Studies (2006). At Wake Forest, she researched Guatemala's transition to democracy, the quality of democracy and neoliberal reform in Argentina, and the roles of several Truth and Reconciliation Commission mandates and reports. Faith was active in advocacy for employee healthcare reform at her university. She studied Chilean literature and Spanish in Valparaiso, Chile. Most recently, she taught mathematics for a year at a bilingual school in Juticalpa, Honduras.

Christina Leb is a graduate student at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University and is a SAIS Conflict Management Toolkit team member. She is also working as a consultant on international water resources in Africa.

Christina Shaheen holds a BA in human biology from Stanford University and an MA in medical anthropology from Oxford University (2005). At Stanford, Christina conducted ethnographic fieldwork on local women's participation in an ecotourism lodge in the Peruvian Amazon. She interned in the Women's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch in New York, worked on a community-based organic farm in Italy, and helped develop a disaster preparation book in response to the global threat of Avian influenza. Recently, Christina was a project manager for A World Without Armies, a research assistant to former State and Defense Department official Daniel Ellsberg, and an interim producer at a National Public Radio affiliate in San Francisco.

Christina Sumner is a graduate student at George Mason University’s School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Professionally, she is an advocate for persons with intellectual disabilities (ID). She collaborated on the DOJ investigation into civil and human rights abuses of persons with ID by the Commonwealth of Virginia, and monitors compliance with the resulting Consent Decree and Agreement (2012). She serves on various task forces to realize the Agreement terms, consults with human services agencies, engages in legislative advocacy, and currently serves on her School Board’s Special Education Advisory Committee. Christina is also an adoptive and foster parent; her family operates a small farm near Richmond, VA.

Christina Woolner holds a B.A. in global studies and religion and culture from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo. As a student, she managed the sponsorship of refugee students and spent a term at the Institute for Regional Policy in Yekaterinburg, Russia. She interned at an ecumenical peacemaking agency, edited a journal on religious pluralism and society, and conducted research on peacebuilding and interreligious dialogue.

When he wrote this, Chris was a graduate student at the University of Denver's Korbel School of International Studies.

Chris Honeyman (Managing Partner, Convenor Conflict Management, Washington, DC) has served as a consultant to numerous academic and practical conflict resolution programs in the U.S. and abroad, and as a mediator, arbitrator and in other neutral capacities in more than 2,000 disputes since the 1970s. He is co-director of Rethinking Negotiation Teaching, a major project to revamp the teaching content and methods of negotiation worldwide. From 2004-2009 he served as lead external consultant to ADR Center (Rome), the largest dispute resolution firm in continental Europe, with a particular focus on design of ADR Center's multinational projects in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean. Previously he was director of an extensive succession of research-and-development programs of national or international scale, including Broad Field (2002-2005), Theory to Practice (1997-2002) and the Test Design Project (1990-1995). Chris is co-editor of all four volumes published by the Rethinking Negotiation Teaching project (DRI Press 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013) and of The Negotiator's Fieldbook (ABA 2006), and he is author or co-author of more than 70 published articles, book chapters and monographs on dispute resolution ideas, infrastructure, quality control and ethics. He has held a variety of committee and advisory roles for the ABA and other organizations.

Chris Littlefield is the founder of AcknowledgmentWorks, a training and consulting firm committed to transforming the way that people work together. Chris develops workshops, trainings, and personal performance coaching services geared to help teams and individuals develop the critical skills and self-awareness needed to produce extraordinary results at work and at home. Prior to starting AcknowledgmentWorks, Chris spent 5 years running cross-boarder dialogue programs between youth and adults from the Middle East, Northern Ireland, and the Caucasus. Chris Littlefield is currently based out of Beirut, Lebanon.

Claudia Seymour is a graduate student at SAIS, the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. Claudia is a Johns Hopkins Conflict Management Toolkit team member, currently working with the Humanitarian Response Unit of the United Nations Children's Fund in New York.

Colin is CEO of Mediate.com.  Before that, 2011 Colin co-founded Modria.com, an Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) provider based in Silicon Valley, which was acquired by Tyler Technologies in 2017. From 2017 to 2020 Colin served as Vice President of ODR at Tyler. From 2003 to 2011 Colin was Director of Online Dispute Resolution for eBay and PayPal. He has worked in the dispute resolution field for more than 25 years as a mediator, trainer, and consultant. He is currently Co-Chair of the Advisory Board of the National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution at UMass-Amherst and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Gould Center for Conflict Resolution at Stanford Law School.

Conflict Management Program at SAIS: SAIS is the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. SAIS's graduate students in the Conflict Management Program have, for several years, been assembling a conflict management toolkit, which is available at http://www.sais-jhu.edu/cmtoolkit/index.html. They have graciously allowed us to reprint some of their materials here, not all of which have individual authors listed.

Cornelia-Adriana Baciu is PhD student in Politics and International Relations at the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University, where she focuses her research on international security, military economy and democratic security governance. Cornelia-Adriana delivered lectures and tutorials to undergraduate students enrolled in the programme Economics, Politics and Law at Dublin City University. She has presented papers at several international conferences. Recently, Cornelia-Adriana conducted a research trip to Pakistan, where she met with military officers, government officials and other stakeholders. In 2015, Cornelia-Adriana was a pre-doctoral fellow of the ZEIT-Stiftung Hamburg. Previously, she worked as a Risk Analyst at a security management company in Konstanz, Germany, where she focused her work on armed conflict, terrorism and political instability in Asia and the Middle East. Cornelia-Adriana Baciu studied Politics and European Studies in Germany, India and Romania and completed an internship at the Terrorism Prevention Branch, United Nations.

Contact: cornelia.baciu@uni-konstanz.de; cornelia.baciu2@mail.dcu.ie

Website: http://www.corneliaadriana-baciu.vpweb.de/

D.G. Mawn is the President of the National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM)    As President, D.G. supports the efforts of NAFCM’s members to amplify the voice, aggregate the wisdom and advance the work of community mediation across the continent. 

Damon Lynch earned a B.Sc. in 1995 at Victoria University of Wellington, where he focused on computer science and peace and conflict studies. Damon has worked in the Philippines for the Biodiversity Conservation Network, the Center for Alternative Development Initiatives, and the Philippine Agrarian Reform Foundation for National Development, centered on sustainable development in diverse arenas, from peasant organizations to the United Nations. In India he worked for the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment. In New Zealand he worked for the Development Resource Centre and the Human Rights Network. His essays on Abdul Ghaffar Khan and the Khudai Khidmitgars have been published in India, the U.S. and New Zealand.

Dan Sinh Nguyen Vo holds a BA in international relations from the Institute for International Relations in Hanoi (2003). He worked as a civil servant in the Ministry of Home Affairs at the Institute for International Relations under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 2006, Sinh has worked at the Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City as a teaching assistant and tenure-track lecturer in international relations. He has taught courses in international relations and has contributed to course syllabi in international relations theory, security, and conflict resolution.

Daniel Bar-Tal is currently Professor of Psychology at the School of Education, Tel-Aviv University. Also he serves as a Director of the Walter Lebach Research Institute for Jewish-Arab Coexistence through Education, Tel Aviv University, as a Coeditor in Chief of the Palestine Israel Journal, and a Co-director of the European Summer Institute in Political Psychology.

Daniel Rothbart is professor of conflict analysis and resolution at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University. Professor Rothbart has written extensively on identity-based conflicts, ethics and conflict, conflict theory and philosophy, the causes of protracted violence, and civilians in war. In addition to his numerous publications in scholarly journals and volumes, he recently published the following book: Violent Conflict and Peacebuilding: The Continuing Crisis in Darfur, (co-authored). He currently serves as editor of the book series, "Ethics, Conflict and War", for Routledge Press. And in the area of conflict resolution, he chairs the Sudan Task Groups, which work towards peacebuilding in the Darfur region of Sudan.

Daniel Stid is the Executive Director of Lyceum Labs. He previously served as the founding director of the Hewlett Foundation’s U.S. Democracy Program. From 2013-22, Daniel led $180 million in grantmaking to shore up U.S. democracy in a time of polarization. Earlier in his career, he was a partner at The Bridgespan Group, where Daniel advised nonprofit, foundation, and government leaders; a management consultant with The Boston Consulting Group; and a Congressional Fellow on the staff of House Majority Leader Dick Armey. He is the author of The President as Statesman: Woodrow Wilson and the Constitution. In his blog, The Art of Association, Daniel explores the interplay between civil society and democracy in America. He has a B.A. from Hope College, an M.Phil. in politics from Oxford University, and a Ph.D. in government from Harvard University.

Daniela Cohen. MA, is an associate with The ARIA Group.  She has designed and facilitated experiential workshops to engage adults and youth in conversations to foster understanding of diversity, equity, power, privilege, and inclusion. She is also a conflict resolution skills trainer and has facilitated various conflict resolution processes in the US, Canada, and South Africa.

Dareen Khattab earned a BA in governmental studies from the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzlia (2005). She was an advisor to parliament head MK Shimon Peres, working to connect him with Israeli-Palestinian young people, and served as a member of an Israeli-Palestinian initiative called the One Voice movement. In 2004, Dareen interned in France at the Assembly of European Regions, researching developments related to the European Union constitution. She recently worked at the HAMOKED-Center for the Defense of the Individual, which protects the rights of Palestinians in the occupied territories.

David J. Smith is a Washington, DC career coach and educator.  He teaches at the Carter School at George Mason University and the School of International Service at American University.  At the Carter School he runs its career seminar. He serves on the board of advisors for the master’s in humanitarian action program at the Kroc School at the University of San Diego.  He is the president of the Forage Center for Peacebuilding and Humanitarian Education.  David is the author of Peace Jobs: A Student’s Guide to Starting a Career Working for Peace (IAP 2016).  He was a Fulbright U.S. Scholar teaching peace studies and alternative dispute resolution at the University of Tartu in Estonia.   He can be reached at davidjsmith@davidjsmithconsulting.com and www.davidjsmithconsulting.com.

David Miranda O'Brien earned a B.S. in broadcast journalism from Boston University and a Master of Divinity degree from Notre Dame. He recently served as the Associate Director of Religious Education in the Lay Development Division of the Archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama. He also has worked as an adjunct faculty member in the theology department at Spring Hill College. He has two decades of experience as a community organizer, public speaker, and writer.

Davina is a New Jersey native who studied Political Science and International Relations at the University of Massachusetts. She is now completing a dual Masters degree program in Social Work and Conflict Analysis & Resolution at George Mason University, and she works part-time at the US Institute of Peace.

Deborah Laufer was Manager for Mediation Services at the World Bank for many years, was Executive Director of the Federal ADR Network, which she founded, and was a trainer and consultant on workplace dispute resolution in the U.S. for many years. 

Deborah Shmueli is Senior Lecturer of Planning and Environmental Policy, Geography Department at Haifa University. Dr. Shmueli's research interests include environmental planning, conflict dispute resolution, transportation planning, and location decision making.

Delgerjargal (Degi) Uvsh earned a degree in political science, international relations, and European studies from American University in Bulgaria on a Soros Foundation scholarship (2007). She interned in the Bulgarian parliament and participated in a number of international political simulations. Her interests include the spread of democracy, international law, and social construction and conceptualization of security. Degi completed her senior thesis research on "Application of Securitization Theory in the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union." She has debated and adjudicated in several national and international debate tournaments.

BA international relations, United States International University, Nairobi, Kenya (2001). Denis has served as news editor at Mega FM, a community radio station created to promote peace and development in war-torn northern Uganda. In 2004, he participated in the inaugural seminar on the media in peace building in Burundi that was organized by Search for Common Ground and the Panos Institute of Paris and that attracted journalists from throughout the Great Lakes region. In 2000, he represented his university at the Student Conference on United States Affairs at the West Point Military Academy, New York.

Derya Yüksek is a doctoral researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). Her theoretical and research focus is on the study of media and participation, participatory communication, alternative and community media, and conflict transformation. Yüksek’s PhD project, carried out in the ethno-politically divided island of Cyprus, examined the conflict transformation potentials of community media production processes, designed as a participatory contact zone bringing together Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot teenagers to collectively produce community media content in a series of community media production workshops. With a specialization in project management and EU policies, she was involved as a manager and consultant in various international cooperation projects in the field of culture, education and media across the Euro-Mediterranean, prior to joining the VUB.

Bio Forthcoming.

Diana Chigas is the Director of Programs at the Conflict Management Group, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As a negotiation specialist, she has offered strategic advice and negotiation training courses to senior diplomats and trade and government officials in Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Chigas has worked with the negotiating teams of the government and FMLN guerrillas in El Salvador, with Greek and Turkish Cypriot policy leaders and professionals on dialogue and confidence-building, and with the apartheid-era government, ANC and Inkatha on organizing the constitutional negotiation process in South Africa.

When she wrote this paper, Diane was a graduate student at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University, U.S.A.  She is also a resident of Charlottesville.

Doris Maholo Saydee earned a B.A. in sociology from the University of Liberia. She has participated in training courses on gender-based violence, advocacy, mediation, and reproductive health. She spent five years working for Child Fund Liberia’s gender-based violence program. She also has worked as a victim advocate for the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Unit in the Ministry of Justice, and is the founder and director of the Alliance for Women Advancement.

Dr. Sudha G. Rajput lives in the Washington, DC area and teaches at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University. Having completed 31 years of service at the World Bank, she left the organization to pursue her doctoral studies. Her research has investigated the policy framework of those internally displaced from the Kashmir Valley in 1989. She received her Master's degree in Nonprofit Management and her MBA from the University of Maryland, University College. Sudha maintains a strong interest in teaching, publishing, and policy-making concerning issues of business management as well as of post-conflict societies. Sudha's blog on displacement can be accessed at www.internaldisplacement.info.

When he wrote this article, Dustin was a graduate student at the University of Denver's Korbel School of International Studies.

When this was written Eamon was a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Colorado and was also working as a research assistant for One Earth Future Foundation.

Edilwasif Baddiri is a graduate of Ateneo Law School, Makati, Philippines (2000), and in 2006 earned a masters degree in public administration from Harvard University, which he attended as a Fulbright scholar. Edil served as a legislator in the province of Sulu, and, as a lawyer, worked on human rights cases and served indigent clients. Convener of the Young Moro Professionals Network, he has been active in Muslim organizations. He has written extensively on issues affecting the Bangsamoro People, the Philippine government, and the Philippine peace process.

Edvard Mitevski earned a B.A. from Iustinianus Primus Law Faculty and an M.A. in European Studies from Karl Franzens University in Austria. He interned at the European Parliament and worked for the Secretariat of European Affairs of the Macedonian government. He has headed a department at the public diplomacy directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Macedonia. He is a Fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Edward C. Tomlinson is a doctoral candidate in organizational behavior and human resources at The Ohio State University. He holds an undergraduate degree in economics and business from Virginia Military Institute, an MBA from Lynchburg College, and a Masters in Labor and Human Resources from The Ohio State University. His primary research interests within organizational behavior include the role of trust in professional relationships, negotiation and dispute resolution, and employee deviance.

Elizabet Valcheva is an M.A. candidate in International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. She holds a B.A. in political science and journalism from the American University in Bulgaria where she is from. Elizabet has interned with social justice and interfaith NGOs in Cape Town, South Africa, where she took part in gang violence reduction and urban development projects. Throughout her studies, she has also pursued training in human rights with a focus on minority rights. Elizabet's academic and professional interests include gang violence reduction, policy design and advocacy, social movements and political change, and project monitoring and evaluation.

In December 2016, Elizabeth will graduate from the Master’s program in Peace and Justice Studies at the University of San Diego, where she has studied the role of memory in peacebuilding processes in divided societies. Drawing on her lifelong interest in museums, Cychosz has worked on issues relating to memorialization, cultural heritage, and power-sharing in Northern Ireland, Cambodia, and on indigenous and racial justice topics in the United States. Her undergraduate thesis "Everything is Just Starting": (Re)presenting the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocidal Crimes as a Post-Justice Site of Memory,” explored the relationship between transitional justice mechanisms and memory at one of the most prominent Khmer Rouge-era memorial sites in Cambodia.

Ellie Adelman is a 2012 graduate of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute of International Peace Studies.

Ellie Adelman is a 2012 graduate of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute of International Peace Studies.

Emily Manaen is a 2012 graduate of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute of International Peace Studies.

After serving as a child soldier in Biafra, Emmy Irobi migrated to Poland and Germany. He obtained a Masters degree in International Relations from the University of Warsaw, and went on to obtain a Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Leipzig, Germany in May, 2005. He is now a Polish citizen, and plans to live permanently in Poland. His research interests, however, continue to center on resolving ethnic conflicts in Africa.

Eric Brahm is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. His research interests include human rights, transitional justice and memory politics, globalization, and international organization.

Eric Demeter has spoken around the world in several different countries on a myriad of topics. He has an undergraduate degree from Purdue University in interdisciplinary science, and holds a master’s degree from Bethel College in Theological Studies. He currently studies at the University of Denver at the Korbel School of International Studies in the field of Conflict Resolution.  

Eric Helms studied at the University of Denver's Conflict Resolution Institute.

Evan Hoffman is an Assistant Professor of Conflict Resolution at Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Hoffman has published numerous articles on the themes of conflict prevention and resolution, peacebuilding, and mediation and he has provided consulting services to the Carter Center, the UN, the EU, the Ottawa Police Service, St. Lawrence College (Cornwall), the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice and others on these topics. 

Fasihun-Nisa Qadri graduated with bachelor's degrees in science and law from the University of Kashmir. She has served as a high-court advocate in Jammu and Kashmir and co-founded a human rights research and advocacy group. Most recently, she worked as a legal researcher and field investigator in her home country.

Francis Tuhaise is a 2012 graduate of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute of International Peace Studies. 

Gatwech Nyoat is a fellow for the Southern and Eastern Africa Team at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and is currently pursuing his master’s degree in policy analysis and political change at the Kroc Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Prior to his coming to United States for graduate school, he worked for the United Nations Missions in South Sudan in the areas of rule of law and security sector reform. He has experiences in managing programs in peacebuilding, HIV/AIDS, women’s empowerment, youth and children. Gatwech has worked for international NGOs and local organizations funded by USAID/PEPFAR and Save the Children in both South Sudan and Ethiopia.

Glenda Eoyang is the Founding Executive Director at the Human Systems Dynamics Institute.  She consults with public and private organizations to help them thrive in the face of overwhelming complexity and uncertainty.  She is the co-author (with Royce Holladay) of Adaptive Action: Leveraging Uncertainty in Your Organization (Stanford University Press, April 2013).

Greg is the Executive Director of Lead4Tomorrow, a California non-profit which works on nurturing families, thriving children, and building resilient communities and healthier societies. He has more than 25 years experience in the fields of education, conflict resolution, leadership development and peacebuilding. He has co-founded and directed three university and nonprofit organizations, most recently Lead4Tomorrow. His areas of expertise include developing cross-sector partnerships to address major policy and social issues, both in the United States and internationally. He has written numerous articles and led many courses and workshops toward the end of creating truly civil societies.

Guy Burgess is a Founder and Co-Director of the University of Colorado Conflict Information Consortium. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology and has been working in the conflict resolution field, as a scholar and a practitioner, since 1979. His primary interests involve the study and management of intractable conflicts, public policy dispute resolution, and the dissemination of conflict resolution knowledge over the Internet. He is one of the primary authors and creators of the Online Training Program on Intractable Conflicts, and is the Co-Director of CRInfo -- the Conflict Resolution Information Source. Dr. Burgess has edited and authored a number of books and articles, the most recent being The Encyclopedia of Conflict Resolution (with Heidi Burgess, ABC-Clio 1999).

When he wrote this, Guy was a graduate student at the University of Denver's Korbel School for International Studies.

BA in psychology, American University of Beirut, Lebanon (2003). Hala has worked two years as a program coordinator for international and local youth exchange programs and dialogue seminars at the Center for Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding (CCRP) in Beirut. Working with youth across Lebanon and more recently in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hala has organized and conducted training workshops on conflict resolution, conflict transformation, leadership, and nonviolent communication. She also has engaged in local dialogue programs that dealt with issues of identity, sectarianism and the concept of the "other." In August 2003, she participated in an exchange program on "Arab and American Identities in Tension" in Cyprus, and in 2004 she attended the Caux Scholars Program, an academic program in conflict transformation in Switzerland.

Haleema Afra Boakye is a graduate student of Conflict Analysis & Resolution at George Mason University, Arlington, Virginia. Previously, she graduated from the University of Leicester, Leicester in the United Kingdom in January 2008 earning a Master of Science in Clinical Criminology. In December 2004, she earned a Master of Philosophy in Psychology (Clinical) from the University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana; and she attained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Political Science from the same university in June 2000. She was born and raised in Ghana, then immigrated to the United States of America. In Ghana, she worked on a United Nations assisted gender and child protection program for the Ghana Police Service and had witnessed the evolving democracy in the 4th Republic of Ghana since 1992. Her interests are working in the field of peacebuilding, conflict assessment, gender, and program evaluation. She is married with four children.

Harry Boyte is a  Senior Scholar in Public Work Philosophy at Augsburg University and co-founder of the Institute for Public Life and Work (https://www.iplw.org/). 

Heidi Bucheister is a graduate student at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University. She is simultaneously pursuing a Master's in Social Work. Her interests lie in the areas of social justice, systems analysis, and peacebuilding. Heidi also holds a B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University.

Heidi Burgess is a Founder and Co-Director of the University of Colorado Conflict Information Consortium. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology and has been working in the conflict resolution field, as a scholar and a practitioner, since 1979. Her primary interests involve the study and management of intractable conflicts, public policy dispute resolution, and the dissemination of conflict resolution knowledge over the Internet. She is one of the creators and Co-Directors of the Intractable Conflict Knowledge Base Project (which is the "parent" of this website), and also co-created and co-directs CRInfo -- the Conflict Resolution Information Source. She is also one of the primary authors and creators of five online conflict resolution courses, and has edited and authored a number of books, journals, and articles on intractable conflicts and conflict resolution more generally.

Helen Lewis is a graduate student of SAIS, the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.

Helena Desivilya Syna is Editor-in-Chief of Conflict Resolution Quarterly. She is also Professor of Social/Organizational Psychology & Diversity/Conflict Management, Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Graduate Studies in Organizational, Development and Consulting at The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College in Israel.
 

Hilmi Ulas is a doctoral student and the Dean's Fellow for Civilians-in-War and Genocide Studies at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution who hails from the island of Cyprus. His academic work mainly focuses on genocide studies and the issue of unrecognition in the international political landscape. In order to practice what he preaches, he has also been involved in multiple conflict resolution workshops and peace camps, both as a participant and as a mentor.

Hisham Soliman holds a B.A. in political science from Cairo University (2005), where he later served as a teaching assistant. His honors included a 2004 scholarship from the Fund for American Studies and Georgetown University to attend the ninth International Institute for Political and Economic Studies in Greece; and, in 2003, a 15-day internship on the functioning of the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. Hisham's later positions included media watch officer in a project sponsored by the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies.

Hyun Jin (Deborah) Kwak holds a BA in political science and French from Calvin College (2006). She lived most of her life in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Deborah worked as a research assistant for the Paul Henry Institute and as a McGregor research fellow. She conducted research on the role of religion in fostering civic responsibility. Deborah worked as a faith relations intern at Habitat for Humanity, launching an advocacy plan for affordable housing, and as a translator who assisted immigrants and refugees through the naturalization process.

William Zartman is a Jacob Blaustein Professor of International Organizations and Conflict Resolution and Director of Conflict Management. His areas of expertise include: North and Sub-Saharan Africa; Southern Africa; Middle East; developing nations; human rights; international relations; negotiation and conflict resolution; North-South issues; and political risk analysis. Formerly on the faculty of the University of South Carolina and New York University, Dr. Zartman has served as Olin Professor at the U.S. Naval Academy, Halevy Professor at the Institute of Political Studies in Paris and visiting professor at the American University in Paris. He has been a consultant to the U.S. Department of State, president of the Tangier American Legation Museum Society, and past president of the Middle East Studies Association and of the American Institute for Maghrib Studies. Dr. Zartman has a number of publications on negotiation including his most recent, Preventive Diplomacy Through Negotiation(2000).

Ivan Avramović is a Master’s of Science student at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University specializing in international conflict, specifically in Southeastern Europe. Originally from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ivan has conducted research on post-conflict relations within the youth population of Bosnia and Herzegovina. His primary research interests are democratization, international development, and elections. He holds a BA in Global Affairs and a BA in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University.

Jack R. Williams is the President of the Institute for Global Negotiation, a non-profit association based in Zurich which aims at improving the understanding of the nature and processes of global negotiation among students, academics and practitioners.

Jack is currently a Consultant for the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) where he teaches negotiation and mediation skills to students and diplomats. He is also leading a project to establish a solar PV-system in a refugee camp in Northern Iraq in partnership with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In addition, he serves an Adjunct Professor at the American University of Kurdistan where he was previously an Assistant Professor of International Relations and Acting Dean of the College of International Studies.

After completing his bachelor studies at the University of York and masters at the University of Bern, Jack received his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Zurich, during which time he was a visiting researcher at Princeton University. He worked as a Junior Research Fellow at the Institute of European and International Economic Law at the University of Bern, a Summer Academy and MILE Fellow at the World Trade Institute and undertook an internship in international cooperation and sustainable development at the Swiss Federal Institute for Intellectual Property.

Jack is a CEDR Accredited Mediator and is a member of The Negotiation Studio and the Program on International Negotiation Training.

Jacob Bercovitch is a professor of international relations in the Political Science Department at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. He is widely regarded as a leading expert on international mediation, especially in protracted or intractable conflicts that repeatedly erupt into violence.

Dr. Bercovitch directs the University of Canterbury's program on diplomacy and teaches and conducts research on international politics and international conflict resolution. He has received fellowships from Harvard University, the University of London, and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and has served as adviser to the government of New Zealand on preventive diplomacy and peacekeeping. He is also affiliated with the Program on Negotiation at Harvard and sits on the editorial boards of five professional journals on international relations and conflict. Dr. Bercovitch has written and edited eight books on mediation and conflict resolution, the most recent being Studies in International Mediation (2000, editor) and International Conflict Management: 1945-1995 (1997). He holds a Ph.D. in international relations from the London School of Economics.

Jacqueline (Jackie) N. Font-Guzmán, MHA, PhD, JD (she/her/ella), is a Fulbright scholar with vast experience in conflict, healthcare, academia, and the legal system. Her work has been internationally recognized. She has provided consulting and training to universities, government agencies, courts, healthcare institutions, and many other entities. She serves as the inaugural Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia and also the Strategic Vision Director & Professor in their Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. Jackie’s newest book (with Bernie Mayer, PhD) is The Neutrality Trap: from Constructive Engagement to Strategic Disruption in Social Conflict. Jackie lives in Harrisonburg, Virginia. You can find more information about Jackie’s work at: https://emu.edu/faculty-staff/?show=jzf5993

James Adams provides research and administrative support for the Contending Modernities research and education initiative. Contending Modernities is an interdisciplinary project devoted to generating new knowledge and greater understanding of the ways that religious and secular forces interact in the modern world. James is editor of the Contending Modernities blog.

James graduated from the Kroc Institute's Master's Program in International Peace Studies in 2012. As a student, he interned with Catholic Relief Services in Mindanao, the Philippines, where he focused on grassroots peacebuilding processes.

Prior to arriving at the University of Notre Dame in 2010, James worked with the L'Arche Community in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and participated in Mediation Northern Ireland’s Next Generation apprenticeship program. James holds a bachelor's degree in Conflict Resolution from the University of Bradford, UK.

James Savage is program director for the Enabling Environment for Human Rights Defenders Program at the Fund for Global Human Rights. His work focuses on civic space issues, including narrative-building. Twitter: @jamesmsavage

Jamie Wise is pursuing an MS in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University as a Charles E. Scheidt Fellow for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention. Previously, she graduated with her BA in International Studies and Sociology from The Ohio State University. Jamie has interned at the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C. Her research focuses on transitional justice and the legacies of mass violence in Rwanda, Syria, and Cambodia, which is the subject of her TEDx talk.

Jamie Wise is pursuing an MS in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University as a Charles E. Scheidt Fellow for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention. Previously, she graduated with her BA in International Studies and Sociology from The Ohio State University. Jamie has interned at the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C. Her research focuses on transitional justice and the legacies of mass violence in Rwanda, Syria, and Cambodia, which is the subject of her TEDx talk.

Jay Rothman, Ph.D. founded the ARIA Group 30 years ago to enhance creative engagement with conflicts in nations, organizations and communities. He is an educator, mediator, facilitator, consultant, public speaker and author. He and his team help organizations and communities in conflict to undertake "creative conflict engagement."   "We help our clients find out and articulate what is most important to them in a conflict situation – often a window on important life matters – and how to constructively engage others over these core concerns."

Jayne Seminare Docherty is the executive director of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University. She holds a Ph.D. from George Mason University and earned an AB from Brown University. Jayne's research and practice focus on conflicts that involve worldview differences. She is currently interested in ways we can transform the worldview conflict between the lofty aspirations and the flawed assumptions about race, gender, power, and privilege written into the founding documents of the United States. 

Jean Nyembo holds a B.A. in philosophy from Institut de Philosophie Saint Pierre Canisius in Kinshasa and a B.A. in theology from Hekima College in Nairobi. Nyembo, a Jesuit priest, also earned a graduate degree in theology from Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. He has worked as a schoolteacher and with organizations serving street children, HIV-AIDS patients, and refugees.

Jean-Jacques Subrenat served as a French diplomat (1971-2005) and Ambassador (1995-2005). Since retiring from public service he has done volunteer work as Chair of the Advisory Board, Institut Pierre Werner, Luxembourg; Member of the Board of Directors, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers); Member of ICANN's At-Large Committee; Co-founder & first Chair, EURALO Individual Users' Association; community journalist, WikiTribune; moderator at Collegium60Plus Switzerland; Lecturer, Burgundy School of Business, Dijon, since 2020; Board member, OPAD Dijon, since 2020.

Jennifer Akin is a former graduate student of computational linguistics, who also worked at the Conflict Research Consortium at University of Colorado as a research assistant. She is now pursuing a degree in non-profit administration in Seattle.

Jennifer Goldman is a graduate fellow at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and a graduate student at the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia University.

Jessica Palaoro holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Old Dominion University, as well as a Master’s degree in conflict analysis and resolution from George Mason University.  She currently works with disabled combat veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Her past research includes understanding how unconscious post-traumatic stress behaviors can undermine reconciliatory processes, as well as how PTSD can impact conflict between veterans and their families. Jessica is presently focused on diversity issues within the United States, including understanding America’s division around gender identity. Her latest research involves how to reconcile LGBTQ rights and organized religion.

Jill Freeman is a graduate student in the School for Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.

Jimena Holguín holds a B.A. in modern languages and an M.A. in political science from Universidad de los Andes in Bogota. She has researched political and electoral reform in Colombia for the UN Development Program and affirmative action for indigenous people in Latin America. She has taught courses in comparative politics, Latin American politics, and research methods. She has worked for an organization that promotes humane and orderly migration.

Johan Brosché is a researcher at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, Sweden. Since 2005, Mr. Brosché has carried out field studies and published books, reports, and articles on conflicts in Sudan. Brosché is the co-author of Violent Conflict and Peacebuilding: The Continuing Crisis in Darfur (Routledge 2013), and was part of an academic task force on peace processes in Sudan, supporting the work of Mr. Jan Eliasson in his work as UN Special Envoy for Darfur.

Jon D. Unruh is Associate Professor of Geography at Indiana University. His applied, research, policy, and consulting work focuses on post-conflict land tenure problems and he has published widely on issues of conflict resolution, land law, land policy, ?critical resource? tenure, legal pluralism, and agriculture in a land tenure and peacebuilding context. His past work has included extensive fieldwork in Somalia, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Uganda, Peru, Central America, and Zambia. He is currently Senior Research Coordinator for a USAID funded project on land tenure and property rights East Timor.

John Dale Grover is a graduate student at George Mason University's School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution. He currently writes for Young Voices and for Nations and States. Previously, he was a Non-Resident Fellow with the Center for the National Interest, where he wrote a paper entitled Strategic Empathy as a Tool of Statecraft

BA in human biology, Claremont McKenna College; Claremont, California (2001). As an undergraduate, John was a captain of the varsity football team, and studied in Ecuador for a semester at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito. From 2002-2003 John worked as a volunteer in both Guatemala and Nicaragua. In Nicaragua he initiated a grass-roots development project with the Nicaraguan NGO Consejo de Iglesias Pro-Alianza Denominacional. Living on a farm with a family of ten, he witnessed the consequences of underdevelopment and the social aftermath of the Contra War of the 1980s. In addition, John has volunteered at a hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi, where he assisted medical staff in treating children who were malnourished, were HIV-positive or had facial tumors. Most recently he has worked for the Los Angeles Youth Network, an emergency shelter for homeless teenagers in Hollywood.

John Lande is the Isidor Loeb Professor Emeritus and former director of the LLM Program in Dispute Resolution at the University of Missouri. His scholarship focuses on dispute system design including practitioners’ and courts’ real practice systems, planned early dispute resolution, improving the quality of mediation practice, designing court-connected mediation programs, negotiation theory and practice, and legal education.  He is also on the editorial board of the Indisputably blog.

John Paul Lederach is a professor of Sociology and Conflict Studies at Eastern Mennonite University. He is the founding director of EMU's Conflict Transformation Program and its associated Institute for Justice and Peacebuilding. Dr. Lederach has extensive experience as a peacebuilding practitioner, trainer, and consultant throughout Latin America, Africa, and the U.S. He has pioneered in developing elicitive methods of conflict resolution training and practice, and is a widely published theorist in both English and Spanish. He has been at EMU since 1990.

Ambassador McDonald is a lawyer, diplomat, development expert and peacebuilder, concerned about world, social, economic and ethnic problems. He spent twenty years of his career in Western Europe and the Middle East, and worked for sixteen years on United Nations economic and social affairs. He is currently chairman and co-founder of the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy, in Washington D.C., which focuses on national and international ethnic conflicts.

McDonald retired from the Foreign Service in 1987, after 40 years as a diplomat. In 1987-88, he became a professor of Law at The George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. He was Senior Advisor to George Mason University's Center for Conflict Analysis and Resolution and taught and lectured at the Foreign Service Institute and the Center for the Study of Foreign Affairs. From December, 1988, to January, 1992, McDonald was President of the Iowa Peace Institute in Grinnell, Iowa and was a professor of Political Science at Grinnell College. In 1983, Ambassador McDonald joined the State Department's newly formed Center for the Study of Foreign Affairs as its Coordinator for Multilateral Affairs, and lectured and organized symposia on the art of negotiation, multilateral diplomacy, and international organizations. He has written or edited eight books on negotiation and conflict resolution.

Jonathan Smith holds a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Beulah Heights Bible College, Atlanta (1994) and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language from Georgia State University (2002). In 1999 he was a volunteer for Youth With a Mission in Costa Rica and Spain. In 2002, Jonathan moved to the West Bank to work as an English language instructor at the Arab American University-Jenin. He developed and taught a special English skills course with a content of peace and conflict. Other projects included hosting international students visits to the West Bank, facilitating workshops on Palestinian nonviolent resistance, and participating in interfaith dialogue between the local Muslim and Christian communities.

"Joshua N. Weiss is currently the Associate Director of the Global Negotiation Project at Harvard University. He received his Ph.D. from the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) at George Mason University in 2002. Dr. Weiss has spoken and published on negotiation, mediation, and systemic approaches to dealing with conflict. In his current capacity he conducts research, consults with many different types of organizations, teaches courses on Negotiation, Mediation, and Conflict Management and Resolution, and practices the art and science of negotiation at the interstate, intrastate, and organizational levels." -- from Mediate.com

Juan Gutierrez has been director of the peace research center "Gernika of the Gogoratuz" since 1987. The center was created in the late 1980s to memorialize the city of Gernika, which was bombed by the German Legion CONDOR during the Spanish civil war, and to create a place for the scientific study of reconciliation and peace.

Dr. Gutierrez is a trained civil engineer and was a joint founder of the "critical university" in Germany. He has also worked as a translator and translated Rudolf Bahro and Claus Offe into Spanish.

This piece was written while the author was completing a Master of Arts degree in Peace Studies at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

Julia Chaitin received her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. Her research focuses on: the psychosocial impacts of the Holocaust on survivors, their families and young adults; joint Palestinian-Israeli research that examines the impact of the conflict on Israelis and Palestinians; and issues of collective identity and belonging among refugee/immigrant populations. She is a Senior Lecturer in the Social Work Department at the Sapir College (Israel).

Julia is the Founder and Chief Network Weaver at the Horizons Project. Julia has more than 30 years of experience working for democratic change and conflict transformation around the world, is best known for her ability to convene diverse coalitions and her facilitative leadership of global networks. An organizer at heart, in her role as Chief Network Weaver at The Horizons Project, Julia is committed to bridge-building across sectors, disciplines, and cultures. Throughout her career she has been called upon to translate between theory and practice, while seeding new approaches, organizing principles, and mindset shifts for social change. After serving for almost 14 years as the President and CEO of PartnersGlobal, one of the preeminent international democracy and peacebuilding organizations, in 2022 Julia launched The Horizons Project to focus on the intersection of peacebuilding, social justice, and democracy in the United States.

Julian Ouellet is a graduate student of Political Science at the University of Colorado and a research assistant at the Conflict Research Consortium.

Julian Portilla holds a B.A. in French and Political Science from Vassar College. In 2003 he received his Masters of Science in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University's Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. At present he works as a bilingual mediator and facilitator for Fundacion Cambio Democratico in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a non-profit conflict resolution and training organization in the Partners for Democratic Change International (PDCi) network. His current focus is on land use conflicts and environmental disputes in Latin America.

When she wrote for BI, Juliana was a senior staff member at the environmental NGO Resolve, but she is now at the Center for Collaborative Policy at Sacramento State University.

Karen Werner wrote this as a Master's student at the George Mason University School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution.  However, she has spent most of her working life as a journalist in Washington, D.C., and she also holds a law degree from the University of Virginia.  In addition, as a member of the U.S. National Guard, she served in Baghdad, Iraq, and in Germany where she became interested in European political and state-building issues.

Karin Brown holds a B.A. degree in international politics and anthropology from Juniata College. While working in the West Bank, where she was born, she created a needs assessment of Palestinian Christian youth and served as a human rights observer. Karin has studied documentary photography and is fluent in French and proficient in Arabic and Danish.

Katarzyna A. Przybyla is a Fulbright student in the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. She earned B.A. and M.A. in international relations form Lazarski University in Warsaw, specializing in strategic studies and international security. She graduated with honors.

Since 2010 she has been working in the National Security Bureau of Poland as an analyst on Russia and Central Asia (on leave now).

She also authored several publications on Russia’s foreign and domestic policies, wars in Chechnya and conflict in the North Caucasus.
 
The views expressed here are solely those of the author in her private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of the National Security Bureau of Poland.

Kathryn earned a BA in Government and International Politics with a Minor in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University in 2011.  She then commissened as a Logistics Officer in the U.S. Army, in which she served until 2016.  She then began graduate work at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason, during which time she wrote this paper.

Katie Hyten is the Co-Executive Director of Essential Partners. She completed her master's degree in international negotiation and conflict resolution at Tufts University's Fletcher School, where her research addressed foreign policy in religious conflicts. Prior to joining Essential Partners, Katie served as a mediator and independent consultant in conflict resolution processes and helped develop and manage the first university-wide interreligious institute at Pepperdine University. She was awarded Harvard’s Program on Negotiation (PON) Summer Fellowship to support her research and work with Search for Common Ground in Lebanon. 

Katja Rieger is the founder and CEO of Rippleffect, a Swiss organization that helps to "reconnect companies with their purpose and reconnect leaders with their authenticity." She is "a result-oriented entrepreneur with international corporate experience in Risk, Operations and Quality Management in the Financial Services Industry." She works with companies on topics such as leadership, trust building, organizational transformation, intercultural management, and innovation.

Kayla Tyler is a graduate student at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, located at George Mason University. An emerging practitioner, Kayla is primarily interested in the deconstruction of theoretical assumptions and in narrative-based conflict intervention.

Kelsey Davenport earned a B.A. in international studies and political science from Butler University. As a student, she served as a teaching and research assistant in peace studies, spent a year in Germany studying the development of political identity among Turkish migrant workers, and coordinated campus-wide events designed to raise awareness of local and global peacebuilding initiatives. Kelsey also spent two years with Teach for America.

Kenneth (Ken) Cloke is Director of the Center for Dispute Resolution and for over forty years has been a mediator, arbitrator, facilitator, coach, consultant and trainer, specializing in communication, negotiation, and resolving complex multi-party disputes, including marital, divorce, family, community, grievance and workplace disputes, collective bargaining negotiations, organizational and school conflicts, sexual harassment, discrimination, and public policy disputes; and designing preventative conflict resolution systems. His facilitation, coaching, consulting, and training practice includes work with leaders of public, private and non-profit organizations on effective communications, dialogue, collaborative negotiation, relationship and team building, conflict resolution, leadership development, strategic planning, designing systems, culture and organizational change. His university teaching includes mediation, law, history, political science, conflict studies, urban studies, and other topics at several colleges and universities. 

He is or has recently been an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University School of Law; Southern Methodist University; USC, Global Negotiation Insight Institute at Harvard Law School; Omega Institute; Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Cape Cod Institute; University of Amsterdam ADR Institute; Saybrook University; Massey University (New Zealand). He has done conflict resolution work in Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, Denmark, England, Georgia, Greece, India, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, USSR, and Zimbabwe. He is founder and first President of Mediators Beyond Borders. He served as an Administrative Law Judge for the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board and the Public Employment Relations Board, a Factfinder for the Public Employment Relations Board, and a Judge Pro Tem for the Superior Court of Los Angeles. He has been an Arbitrator and Mediator for over forty years in labor management disputes, and is a member of a number of arbitration panels. He received his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley; J.D. from U.C. Berkeley's Boalt Law School; Ph.D. from U.C.L.A.; LLM from U.C.L.A. Law School; and did post-doctoral work at Yale University School of Law. He is a graduate of the National Judicial College and has taken graduate level courses in a variety of subjects

Kenneth Cloke is Director of the Center for Dispute Resolution and a mediator, arbitrator, consultant and trainer and author, specializing in resolving complex multi-party conflicts, including community, grievance and workplace disputes, collective bargaining negotiations, organizational and school conflicts, sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuits, and public policy disputes, and in designing conflict resolution systems for organizations.

Ketevan Nozadze holds a BA in law and diplomacy from American University for Humanities, Tbilisi College (2007). As a junior, Keti organized student volunteer visits along the Georgian-Chechnian border to help distribute medicine and humanitarian aid to Chechnian refugee camps. She also was involved in advocacy and policymaking to improve the rights of refugees and migrants as part of her internship with the United Nations Association of Georgia. Keti was a summer intern with the International Crisis Group. She later worked for World Vision and Oxfam GB in Georgia on sustainable development projects, the protection of vulnerable populations, and the campaign to meet Millennium Development Goals for Georgia.

Ketty Anyeko (Uganda) is in the Masters Program at the Kroc Institute of International Peace Studies at Notre Dame University.She also holds a post-graduate diploma in conflict management and peace studies from Gulu University and a B.A. in community psychology from Makerere University in Kampala. She served as a Transitional Justice Fellow with the International Center for Transitional Justice in South Africa. Ketty has worked in northern Ugandan communities affected by war, most recently with the Women's Advocacy Network and the Justice and Reconciliation Project.

Dr. Kevin Clements is the Foundation Chair of Peace and Conflict Studies and Foundation Director of the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (NCPACS) at the University of Otago, New Zealand. He is also Director of the Toda Peace Institute. Before that, Dr. Clements was a professor of peace and conflict studies and Foundation Director of the Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Queensland. For several years, he served as Secretary General of the International Peace Research Association (IPRA), President of the IPRA Foundation and Secretary General for IPRA's Asia-Pacific region (APPRA). He was also Secretary General of International Alert based in London, Lynch Professor and Director of Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) at George Mason University, and Head of the Peace Research Centre at Australian National University. Dr. Clements is an expert on academic analysis and practice in the areas of peacebuilding and conflict resolution.

Keziah Conrad earned a B.A. in linguistics from the University of Arizona (2000), having spent a semester in Ireland with the School for International Training. She later worked in Tucson with Catholic Social Services as a case manager for children moving from foster care into adoptive homes. Starting in 2002, she worked for the Mennonite Central Committee in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as program manager of an initiative that highlights the potential of religion to build peace. Keziah's work revolved around the choir Pontanima, which is comprised of people from diverse religious backgrounds who sing the music of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.

Khaled is a graduate student at George Mason University's School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution.  He is a Palestinian, originally from East Jerusalem, where he grew up.  He started his undergraduate work at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, but came the the United States in 2008, where he first obtained an undergraduate degree from SCAR, and then continued on in their graduate program.

Kristi Parker Celico is a Senior Associate at the Center for Science and Public Policy Keystone, CO She has served as a facilitator and mediator with the Center for twelve years. Prior to taking maternity leave, she served as Director of the Center for Science and Public Policy.

Kristian Herbolzheimer holds a BA in agricultural engineering from the University of Lleida (1994) and a Diploma in Culture of Peace from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (2001). In 2000, he spent five months in Central America and five months in Colombia. After that he headed the Colombia Program at the School for a Culture of Peace at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and became deputy director of the Program on Peace Processes, focusing on the Philippines, Western Sahara, and the Basque Country. He has organized international seminars on issues such as transitional justice and peace negotiation.

Kristin is the Executive Director of the Civic Health Project. CPH is dedicated to to reducing toxic partisan polarization and enabling healthier public discourse and decision-making across our citizenry, politics, and media. In addition to her role at Civic Health Project, Kristin serves on the advisory boards of AllSides, Business for America, and Listen First Project. She also serves as a year-round lecturer in Strategic Communications at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Prior to her current work in civil discourse, Kristin held senior executive roles at Intel, IBM, and multiple start-up software companies. She holds a BA in Political Science and an MA in International Policy Studies from Stanford University, and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Kristina Hook graduated as a valedictorian of the University of Florida before earning her M.A. in International Development at the University of Denver's Josef Korbel School of International Studies. She has published articles and presented at an international conference on topics including humanitarian lessons learned, genocide and mass violence, post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation, and devising methods that merge theory and practice for sustainable development programming. She is now a 2013 Presidential Management Fellows Program Finalist.

Lailatul Fitriyah, from Indonesia, earned a B.A. in international relations from the University of Jember. She is the founder of an outreach program that teaches basic literacy, citizenship rights, and health and hygiene to children and parents in underserved villages. For several years, she worked for a parliamentary debate coaching program for students.

Lawrence (Larry) Susskind is the Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at M.I.T. His research interests focus on the theory and practice of negotiation and dispute resolution, the practice of public engagement in local decision-making, cybersecurity for critical urban infrastructure, entrepreneurial negotiation, global environmental treaty-making, the resolution of science-intensive policy disputes, renewable energy policy, water equity in older American cities, climate change adaptation, socially-responsible real estate development and the land claims of Indigenous Peoples.  Larry is also founder and Chief Knowledge Officer of the Consensus Building Institute.

When she wrote this paper, Laura was an undergraduate student at the University of Colorado, taking Heidi Burgess's course on Communication and Conflict Management.  She wrote this paper for that class, and it was so good that I suggested that we would like to publish it on Beyond Intractability. 

Laura Mc Leod has a Bachelor's degree in Political Sciences and Arabic from the University of Zurich, Switzerland and is currently a graduate student at George Mason University, Virginia. She is a volunteer facilitator for the Center for Restorative Justice in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Laura Snider graduated from Colby College with a B.A. in international studies. She spent her junior year studying in Sri Lanka and Chile. She received a grant to conduct research in Sri Lanka, where she interviewed women whose children were disappeared by the military government in the 1980s. In college, Laura served as president of a global justice organization and organized events to raise awareness of human rights.

When she wrote this, Lauren was a graduate student at the University of Denver's Korbel School of International Studies

Lindsay McClain Opiyo holds a B.A. from the College Scholars Program at the University of Tennessee, where she studied the role of the arts in peacebuilding and development in Africa. Lindsay recently worked for the Justice and Reconciliation Project in Gulu, Uganda, and is a founding member of the Jazz for Justice Project and Music for Peace.

Lisa Irvin is a doctoral candidate in the field of communication, at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Lisa Schirch is the is the Richard G. Starmann, Sr. Professor of the Practice of Peace Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at Notre Dame. She has 30 years of experience in peacebuilding research, policy advocacy, practice, and teaching. A political scientist by training, she earned her PhD in 1989 from George Mason University’s Carter Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution. She is also Senior Research Fellow for the Toda Peace Institute where she directs the Institute’s “Technology and Peacebuilding” programme to explore the impact of social media technology on conflict dynamics and its potential for improved social cohesion.  A former Fulbright Fellow in East and West Africa, Lisa is the author of eleven books focused on locally-led peacebuilding, and the role of social media in peace and peacebuildng (looking at both the bad and the good aspects of that). 

Logan Boon studied at the University of Denver's Conflict Resolution Institute.

Lorelei Kelly is the Research Lead on Congressional Modernization at the Beeck Center at Georgetown University.  Lorelei used to lead the Smart Congress initiative with the Open Technology Institute at New America. She was also at the Stanford Center on International Conflict and Negotiation. A civil-military expert, she has spent a decade leading “Security for a New Century” a bipartisan study group in the House and Senate. Lorelei has worked with hundreds of women candidates across the USA—creating and communicating national security platforms that reflect the needs of a rapidly changing world. She attended Grinnell College, Stanford University and the Air Command and Staff College of the US Air Force. She has co-authored two books and numerous articles. Please see the list of her publications.

Louis Kriesberg received his Ph.D. in 1953 from the University of Chicago. He is Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Maxwell Professor Emeritus of Social Conflict Studies at Syracuse University. He was the founding director of the Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts (1986-1994) and continues as an associate of the program. His most recent book is Constructive Conflicts: From Escalation to Resolution (2nd ed., 2003, 1st ed. 1998). In addition to over 150 book chapters and articles, his other published books include: Social Processes in International Relations (ed., 1968), Social Conflicts (1973, 1982), Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change (ed., vols. 1-14, 1978-1992), Intractable Conflicts and Their Transformation (co-ed., 1989), Timing the De-escalation of International Conflicts (co-ed., 1991), and International Conflict Resolution: The U.S.-USSR and Middle East Cases (1992). He is currently doing research on American foreign policy and on reconciliation and changing accommodations between ethnic, religious, and other communal groups. He lectures and consults regarding Middle East issues, conflict resolution, peace studies, and national security.

Lucía Tiscornia holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a Diploma in International Studies from Universidad de la República in Uruguay, her home country. Prior to her arrival at Notre Dame, Lucía worked for the United Nations in Uruguay for three years. Lucía is interested in further exploring the conceptualization of state failure as well as the relationship between international aid and conflict duration using statistical techniques with the objective of generating policy recommendations to contribute towards a deeper reflection on and understanding of the uses of aid and its impact.

Lucy Dunderdale earned a B.A. in history and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia, focusing on sub-Saharan Africa. Lucy has coordinated media relations for the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C., and has worked for the Institute for Global Engagement on religion and foreign policy. She has spent time in Cameroon, France, Malawi, and other parts of Africa.

Lydia Baek is a 2012 graduate of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute of International Peace Studies.

M. Shane Smith is a graduate student in the Political Science Department at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Research Assistant at the University's Conflict Research Consortium. 

Madhawa (Mads) Palihapitiya s the founding Director of the Conflict Early Warning Analytics Program (CEWAP) at the University of Massachusetts Boston’s Center for Peace, Democracy and Development (CPDD) Boston. He is an expert in social cohesion, conflict early warning, evaluation, alternative dispute resolution, research and teaching with over twenty years of experience in designing and implementing violence prevention, peacebuilding and dispute resolution systems in Asia, Africa, and North America.

Mainlehwon Vonhm is a Liberian national and a resident of Washington, DC when this article was written. He received his BA in International Affairs from Florida State University in Tallahassee and earned am MA in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from the School of International Service at American University in Washington, DC in 2004. When this article was written in 2015, Mainlehwon was (an currently is) a Ph.D. student at the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University, Virginia.
 

Máire Dugan is currently directing Race Relations 2020, which she founded. She also developed the Masters in Conflict Resolution curriculum at Columbia College. Dr. Dugan is a member of the Board of Directors for the SCCCR. She developed the "nested theory" to delineate how a given interpersonal, familial, or organizational conflict is symptomatic of over-arching societal systems and structures. Dr. Dugan suggests an intermediate level, which she calls the sub-system, as an arena that practitioners can use to simultaneously address the conflict at hand, the relationship, and the larger system.

Makena Kirima is a Fulbright Fellow. She holds a B.S. in family studies from Kenyatta University and an M.A. in peace and conflict transformation from European Peace University in Stadtschlaining, Austria. Makena participated in refugee resettlement efforts in Kenya and has worked for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees near Somalia.

Mari Fitzduff is a professor and director of the Master's Program in Coexistence and Conflict at Brandeis University. She also chairs the Advisory Board of Coexistence International at Brandeis.

JD, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia (1995). Graduate specialist in conflict resolution, Javeriana University, Bogotá, Colombia (1996). Diploma in peace and conflict studies, Conrad Grebel College, University of Waterloo, Canada (2000). María Lucía has worked extensively on issues of conflict resolution, including posts with the Colombian presidential office and in the mayoral office of Bogotá, where she oversaw the implementation of a community-based conflict resolution program. She also worked with the ombudsman's office in the Board of Human Rights Complaints, followed by a year-long supporting role in the implementation of a project titled "Building a Culture of Peace in Colombian Schools." María Lucía has taught at the Universidad de los Andes and in the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program at the Javeriana University. In Canada, she has volunteered with the Mennonite Central Committee of Ontario and with Conflict Mediation Services of Downsview. Most recently she has undertaken a research program at the International Development Research Centre, Canada, on community and restorative justice. María is a founder of Peacebuilders International.

Marian Rizkalla is a recent graduate of the M.S program at the George Mason Carter School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution where she received the Charles Scheidt fellowship for Mass Atrocities and Genocide Prevention. She holds an M.A in Middle East studies from the American University in Cairo. She is also an incoming first year PhD student at the Carter School.

Marie-Louise Ström is the Director of Education and Training at the Institute for Public Life and Work, based at Augsburg University.

When she wrote this, Marin Hollingsworth was a graduate student at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University.

Mark Davidheiser is Assistant Professor of Conflict Resolution and Socio-Cultural Anthropology at Nova Southeastern University. He specializes in Islamic African Societies and Conflict Analysis and Transformation. He has studied conflict management at multiple institutions, been trained as a mediator and an inter-cultural negotiator, volunteered as a mediator in a victim-offender reconciliation program, and assisted in the training of prospective mediators. His field research has examined conflict and peace in the Navajo Nation, The Gambia, Eritrea, and Senegal. Other research interests of his include socio-economic development, governance, legal reform and social justice, and displacement and resettlement.

BA in religious studies and history, Cornell University (2003). After completing his undergraduate studies at Cornell, Mark spent a year as a member of the Diocesan Service Corps in Buffalo, New York, a program designed for recent college graduates who commit themselves to the tenets of social justice, intentional community, simplicity, and spiritual exploration. As a Corps volunteer, he worked at the AIDS Alliance of Western New York, a drop-in center for those living with HIV/AIDS, and at Compeer of Greater Buffalo, a mental health agency that matches volunteer mentors with children, adults, and seniors dealing with mental illness. After his volunteer year, Mark remained at Compeer as a full-time program and community development coordinator. He has also been active with various other organizations in the Buffalo area as a volunteer, including AIDS Community Services of Western New York, AIDS Family Services, and Pax Christi of Western New York.

Mark Gerzon has been president of Mediators Foundation for the past fifteen years, and has led or incubated many projects designed to foster international understanding and cross-border collaboration between adversaries. He is currently the director of the Global Leadership Network, which is linking practitioners and trainers in the field to develop a more inclusive, global definition of leadership. In addition to serving as chief facilitator for the Bipartisan

Congressional Retreats, he has worked with legislatures, public officials and schools systems throughout the world. He is the author of several books, most recently A HOUSE DIVIDED: Six Belief Systems Strugging for America's Soul and the forthcoming LEADERS BEYOND BORDERS: How to Live -- and Lead -- in Times of Conflict. For further information about his work, see www.mediatorsfoundation.org.

Mark Magellan is a graduate student pursuing his Master's degree in the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (S-CAR) at George Mason University. In addition, he sits on the Advisory Board at S-CAR. Currently, he works with Graduate Student Life and is a Teaching Assistant for Research and Inquiry in Conflict Resolution. His interests are in dispute resolution, mediation, and peacemaking and reconciliation in developing countries, namely in Latin America. He holds a B.A. in English Literature and Language from the University of Virginia.

Marko Karadzic graduated from Belgrade University Law School. He also holds an LL.M. in international human rights law from Notre Dame. Marko has worked for Serbia's Ministry for Human and Minority Rights, the Belgrade Center for Human Rights, Catholic Relief Services, the Council for Child Rights of Serbia, and at the National Assembly. He interned for the International Criminal Court in the Hague and for the Justice, Equality, Human Dignity, and Tolerance Foundation in New York.

Martín Carcasson, Ph.D., is a professor in the Communication Studies department of Colorado State University, the founder and director of the CSU Center for Public Deliberation (CPD), and faculty in CSU’s new Masters in Public Policy and Administration program. He also works closely with International City/County Manager’s Association (ICMA) and the National Civic League, running workshops on public engagement, and is currently serving as a faculty resource for the ICMA Leadership Institute on Race, Equity, and Inclusion. His research focuses on helping local communities address “wicked problems” more productively through improved public communication, community problem solving, and collaborative decision-making. The CPD is a practical, applied extension of his work, and functions as an impartial resource dedicated to enhancing local democracy in northern Colorado.

Massimo Fusato is a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)and is also a Conflict Management Toolkit member.

Matt Legge is the author of Are We Done Fighting? Building Understanding in a World of Hate and Division. He is also a Peace Program Coordinator at the Canadian Friends Service Committee.

Maurice Ouma Amollo holds an M.A. in archaeological anthropology from the University of Nairobi (2001). He has taught at Tangaza College, Catholic University of Eastern Africa, the Utretch School of Arts in Holland, and the University of Southern Denmark. Recently, he managed Amani Peoples Theatre in Nairobi, and is the author of two books exploring the roles of theater and the arts in peacebuilding. Amollo has also written plays, research papers, and journal articles on popular education, culture, and participatory communication.

Maurice Sikenyi graduated from the University of Nairobi with a B.Ed. in linguistics and literature. He also holds a certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages from Syracuse University, where he was a Fulbright Scholar. He has facilitated HIV/AIDS awareness programs, taught English to immigrants and refugees in the United States, and worked to promote voter registration and civic education.

BA in political science and international relations, Addis Ababa University (1999). Meedish has worked for four years at the Addis Ababa-based Center for Local Capacity Building and Studies where she served as the project officer for programs of governance and human rights. She also conducted a series of community seminars centered on issues of gender. More recently she has been the assistant regional coordinator of Save the Children USA where she worked with the elderly, religious leaders, women's associations, parent-teacher associations, and girls' clubs. In 2003 she participated in a seminar organized by the Austrian Study Center for Conflict Resolution and Network of African Peace Builders in Botswana.

Megan is a graduate student at the George Mason University's School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. 

Megan Huber earned a B.A. in political science from Wake Forest University and an M.S. in conflict analysis and resolution from George Mason University.  After a year teaching English in Malaysia through the Fulbright Program after college, she entered a career in the field of international education.  She is a huge believer in the power of people-to-people exchange programs to deepen tolerance, build greater understanding between peoples and nations, and break down the barriers that so often divide us.  

Melissa McCauley graduated with a B.S. in international business administration from Chapman University in California. As an undergraduate, she volunteered as a youth development worker in South Africa. After graduation, she served with the Peace Corps in the Philippines, where she focused on educational development. She also has studied the role of yoga therapy in resolving conflict.

Merwyn De Mello is a graduate of the Conflict Transformation Program at Eastern Mennonite University. He most recently worked in refugee camps in Tanzania with Jesuit Refugee Service, as a rights advocate and community organizer.

Micaela Cayton Garrido graduated from Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines with a B.A. in communications (1998) and a J.D. from Ateneo de Manila University School of Law (2002). In 1995 she joined Tugon, a student organization whose members volunteered at a halfway home for abandoned babies and abused girls. She later became Tugon's president. In law school, Micaela was active at the Ateneo Human Rights Center, first as an intern and later as a facilitator and lecturer. From 1999 to 2002 she was a volunteer for the Ateneo Legal Aid office. From 2002 to 2004, Micaela worked for the Supreme Court of the Philippines, assisting in the research, writing and the promulgation of cases concerning constitutional, political, economic, criminal, and civil matters.

Michael Elliott is an Associate Professor of City Planning at the Georgia Tech College of Architecture.

Michael is an economist, attorney, author and entrepreneur, focusing particularly on community economics. He is the author of Put Your Money Where Your Life Is:  How to Invest Locally Using Self-Directed IRAs and Solo 401ks

Michelle LeBaron joined the Faculty of Law at the University of British Columbia in 2003 after ten years of teaching at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution and the Women's Studies program at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She is also directing the UBC's Dispute Resolution Progam. From 1990-1993, she directed the Multiculturalism and Dispute Resolution Project at the University of Victoria. Professor LeBaron has lectured and consulted around the world on cross-cultural conflict resolution, and has practised as a family law and commercial mediator. She was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1982 after articling at Campneyand Murphy in Vancouver. Professor LeBaron is currently completing a book on conflict resolution across cultures with colleagues from six different countries. She continues to pursue research into creativity and multiple ways of knowing as resources for bridging cultural differences.

When she wrote this article, Michelle Maiese was a graduate student of Philosophy at the University of Colorado, Boulder and was a part of the research staff at the Conflict Research Consortium.

Mihaela Racovita holds a BA in political science and European studies from the American University in Bulgaria (2007), where she served as vice-president of student government and as a student representative on university committees. As a research and academic assistant, Mihaela collected data for a project on "Determinants of Support of EU Accession in Romania and Bulgaria." She has attended numerous international conferences, including a World Bank Institute conference on "Building Inclusive Financial Sectors for Development" and the Eurosim Simulation of the European Union in Prague.

Milena Petrova has gaduated with a BA in International Relations from the American College of Thessaloniki, Greece. In the past, she has focused on issues related to human trafficking in the Balkans and has worked for non-governmental organizations in Bulgaria, concentrating on youth development. In the future,she would like to work with non-profit organizations in the field of peacebuilding, exploring issues related to women’s and youth empowerment and vulnerability in conflict areas. Currently, she is pursuing a Master’s degree in Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

Min Xiaomao holds a bachelor's degree (2004) in international law from Foreign Affairs College in Beijing, where she served as director of the Legal Aid Center. Xiaomao served as news officer of the 2003 Beijing Model United Nations, where human rights and anti-terrorism topped the agenda. As champions of the Second Chinese National Round of the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, Xiaomao and her teammates represented China in the Sherman & Sterling International Round held in Washington, D.C., where she met peers from more than 90 countries.

When he wrote this, Mitch was a Master's student in the University of Denver's Conflict Resolution Program. 

Morton Deutsch is one of the founding fathers of the field of conflict resolution, specializing in the psychology of conflict. Currently Professor Deutsch is the E.L. Thorndike Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He founded and is still active in Columbia's International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution. He is the author of countless articles and books, including the 1973 Resolution of Conflict, which is still in use today.

Myla Leguro holds a B.S. in agriculture from Ateneo de Davao University. She has worked for Catholic Relief Services since 1991 on peace and development projects in Mindanao and East Timor. Myla was the first CRS-Kroc Visiting Fellow. She serves on the Catholic Peacebuilding Network's steering committee and was one of 1,000 women collectively nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.

Nhina Le is a graduate student of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University. She served as a Southeast Asia Policy coordinator at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC. Prior to coming to the U.S., she was a research analyst of Asia-Pacific's international politics and security matters at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Nhina previously worked as an English and American studies teacher at the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, National University, Vietnam.

Nicole Enns Fehr holds bachelor's degrees in theology and peace and conflict transformation from Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg. She has worked as a research assistant, a coordinator for an inner-city educational program and development agency, and as a facilitator for a community reconciliation and dialogue group in Northern Ireland. She also participated in a peacemakers' delegation to Israel and Palestine.

When she wrote this article, Nicole was a graduate student in the University of Denver's Korbel School of International Studies.

Nita Yawanarajah is a UN Political Affairs Officer and the Project Manager for the UN Department of Political Affairs Peacemaking Databank Project: UN Peacemaker (http://www.un.org/peacemaker). UN Peacemaker is a publicly available website on the United Nations' experience in peacemaking and mediation.

Norman Shultz is a graduate student of Philosophy at University of Colorado, Boulder. Currently writing his thesis on evolutionary ethics, Norman gives lectures to high school students and community groups on critical thinking and ethical theory.

Nuredin Netabay holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Asmara (2003), where he completed an internship as a public relations officer. After graduation, he worked for two years as a graduate assistant in political science at the University of Asmara. Nuredin earned a postgraduate diploma in international relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Bologna Center (2006), where he received the African Fellowship Award. Nuredin has participated in a variety of development-related projects, including consulting about, researching, and analyzing data regarding health care, infrastructure, energy use, local languages, and family composition.

Nuwan Herath graduated with a B.A. degree in peace and conflict resolution from University of Kelaniya. He also is an M.A. candidate in conflict, peace and development studies at Tribhuvan University in Nepal and holds a human rights diploma from the Institute of Human Rights in Sri Lanka. He has worked as an intern for a human security organization in Sri Lanka and represented the Sri Lankan Embassy as an election observer in Nepal, where he also conducted field research.

Olympio Barbanti, Jr. is on the faculty in the Department of International Relations at the Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Minas Gerais, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. He has 16 years of professional experience on issues relating to the promotion of community-based sustainable development in the Brazilian Amazon, and has delivered a number of capacity-building courses on conflict negotiation and consensus building for social and environmental NGOs, government officials, Public Attorney members, and trade union leaders.

At the time this was written, Omario Kanji was a graduate student at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. He was also one of a team of students to have put together their Conflict Management Toolkit.

Palma is Co-Founder and Research Director of Civity. Drawing from her Civity, bio:  I am a white woman married to a Black man, and I have three biracial, now adult, children. Crossing the boundary of race with conversation and relationship has been an integral part of my life for more than 40 years. I’m a lawyer by training, which is very “head”-oriented. Being involved in my local community as a public school parent, however, brought home the realization that the key to being able to address deep challenges is people being in relationship with each other – especially with people who are not like-minded and not similarly situated. The “heart” is the foundation that makes “head” progress possible. The word and the practice of civity grew out of this.

In addition to being Co-Founder and Research Director of Civity, I am a Professor of Law in the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution (NCR) Program at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. I teach classes in conflict engagement, facilitation, leadership, systems, structural injustice, and organizing for justice and solidarity. I also design and facilitate Conversations About Race and Belonging, working especially with teachers and parents in public education.

Before joining the NCR Program, I was a faculty member in the Creighton School of Law. I have also taught at the University of Maryland School of Law and the Georgetown University Law Center. Before entering teaching, I clerked for Judge J. Skelly Wright on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Justice Byron White of the U.S. Supreme Court. My work with Civity connects my academic work to practice, and my practice work informs and grounds my academic work. In addition to a B.S. (Civil Engineering) from Stanford University, I hold a JD from Stanford Law School and an LLM in Alternative Dispute Resolution and Legal Problem-Solving from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Patrick Coy is an Associate Professor at the Center for Applied Conflict Management and Political Science Department. Dr. Coy has published ethnographic research on the human rights work of a Peace Brigades International team in Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict, where he also served as an international observer. He has also published research on the Catholic Worker movement, on the community mediation movement, and on the peace movement during the Persian Gulf War.

Patrick Hiller holds an M.A. in Human Geography from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany. Patrick currently is a Ph.D. student at the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, Nova Southeastern University. He is a co-investigator of an ongoing international study on ethnicity and sense of belonging among refugee and immigrant populations in the United States and Germany. He has experience working with NGOs that promote social justice in Mexico.

BA in philosophy and Shona (1994), BA in Philosophy (1995), MA in philosophy, University of Zimbabwe (1997). Patrick has been a teaching assistant and lecturer in philosophy at the University of Zimbabwe where he taught applied ethics and philosophy of religion. He has also held lectureships at the Arrupe Jesuit College of Philosophy and Humanities, United Theological College, and Christian College of Southern and Central Africa. Patrick has received research grants from the University of Zimbabwe for a study of language and politics, with a focus on hate speech in Zimbabwean politics, and has attended a peacebuilding workshop conducted by the Silveira House Peacebuilding Team. He is writing a dissertation on the humanitarian intervention and the crisis in Darfur at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom.

Patrick William Otim earned a BA in humanities from Makere University (2002). He also holds a post-graduate diploma in conflict management and peace studies and a post-graduate diploma in education from Gulu University. He has worked as an information officer for Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief and as an information officer for the Straight Talk Foundation. Most recently, Otim worked for the Norwegian Refugee Council as a communication, monitoring and evaluation manager. He has also spent time in Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, and Lebanon. Otim's research has focused on the role of the media in conflict transformation and he has written articles on peacebuilding in northern Uganda.

Content forthcoming...

Paul Wehr is a Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is also the former Director of the Peace and Conflict Studies program at the University of of Colorado, and Co-Founder of the Conflict Information Consortium.

Payton Martinez graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder in August 2016 with a double major in International Affairs and Religious Studies with an emphasis on the Middle East and Islam. She also received the Certificate in Peace and Conflict Studies and is studying Arabic with the goal of becoming fluent.  She currently lives in Boston where, in addition to volunteering with the homeless population, she is preparing for law school.

Peter Coleman is an assistant professor of Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and Director of the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia. Dr. Coleman has conducted research on social entitivity processes (ingroup/outgroup formation), gender discrimination in organizations, the mediation of inter-ethnic conflict, ripeness in intractable conflict, conflict resolution and difference, and the conditions which foster the constructive use of social power. He recently co-edited a book entitled, The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice (2000), published by Jossey-Bass, in which he also authored a chapter on intractable conflicts. He has numerous other publications in the area of intergroup conflict, as well.

Peter S. Adler, PhD is a planner, mediator, and negotiation expert. He is a principal in The ACCORD3.0 Network (www.accord3.com) and a partner with GUILD Consulting, a management consulting firm. As a planner he works with organizations in the public, private and civic sectors on strategy, alignment, and governance. As a mediator, he assists people in conflict to reach agreements. He has worked in the government, business and the NGO sectors and taught advanced negotiation courses at the University of Hawaiʻi and California State University Dominguez Hills. He is the author of four books including a forthcoming novel about the next American civil war and lives and works in Hawaiʻi.

Phil Barker is a graduate student in Political Science at the University of Colorado, Boulder and is a part of the research staff at the Conflict Research Consortium.

Phillip Gamaghelyan is the co-founder and co-director of the Imagine Center for Conflict Transformation, an organization dedicated to positively transforming relations and laying foundations for lasting and sustainable peace in conflict-torn societies. He is also the co-founder and the former managing editor of the Journal of Conflict Transformation: Caucasus Edition. Phillip initiated and facilitated numerous Azerbaijani-Armenian dialogue and training workshops with diverse audiences including students, politicians, journalists and educators. In addition to the Armenian-Azerbaijani work, Phillip has also served as a consultant, trainer and facilitator for Turkish-Armenian, Arab-Israeli, Indian-Pakistani, Afghani and Georgian-South Ossetian initiatives in collaboration with the Seeds of Peace, Harvard University, Brandeis University, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Princeton University, and George Mason University. Phillip holds an MA degree in conflict resolution from Brandeis University and is currently working on his Ph.D. at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University.

Mr Tyabazayo is a researcher at a public institution in South Africa, in the Province of the Eastern Cape.

Prabha Sankaranarayan is the President and CEO of Mediators Beyond Borders International, an international impact organization whose mission is to build local skills for peace and promote mediation worldwide. She is committed to partnership, as evidenced by the organization’s collaboration with over 130 organizations globally. She co/leads MBBI’s recent partnership with Rotary International, a global network of 1.2 million members, with NAFCM, a North American network of over 300 mediation centers and the recently formed TRUST Network the first Early Warning and Response platform in the USA.

She is a conflict transformation practitioner who has mediated, facilitated and trained in Europe, Asia, Africa and the USA.  Her public and private sector work includes conflict analysis for public/private partnerships, consultation & assessment for industrial development zones, design and implementation of trainings for multinational corporations; inter faith dialogues as well as facilitation of multi-stakeholder mediations.  

Rachael Rackley is a graduate student at George Mason University in the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Rachael became interested in conflict analysis as an undergraduate student at Christopher Newport University, where she studied peace and conflict through an Interdisciplinary Studies Bachelor's degree program. After working in several problem solving workshops during college, she developed a passion for negotiation and diplomacy. Rachael is interested in pursuing a career in diplomacy or development.

Rachel Kleinfeld is a senior fellow in Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, where she focuses on issues of rule of law, security, and governance in democracies experiencing polarization, violence, and other governance problems.

Rachel Miller graduated from Eastern Mennonite University with a B.A. in economic development. She spent a semester in the Middle East studying the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and worked in economic development in Bolivia. Most recently, she worked for an international environmental organization. Rachel is a board member of the Anabaptist Peace Center in Washington, D.C.

Ramesh Prakashvelu is from Hyderabad, India. He has an MA in political science from Madras University, India (1993) and is pursuing an MA in Peace Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at Notre Dame University. Ramesh has worked as regional coordinator of the Coastal Poor Development Action Network, followed by a three-year stint as program assistant with the South Central India Network for Development Alternatives. In 1999 he joined the Henry Martyn Institute International Centre for Research, Interfaith Relations and Reconciliation in Hyderabad as the program coordinator. While there he engaged in strengthening individual, institutional and group capacities for resolving conflicts, building peace and working on participatory peace-based training.

Razma Dostyar is an Adjunct Lecturer at Balkh University, one of the most prestigious universities in Afghanistan. She has an undergraduate degree in English Literature.

Razma is passionate about education particularly among Afghan women. She believes long-term peace hinges on this important issue in her country.

To pursue her vision to promote education, she has volunteered and professionally worked with numerous Afghan organizations including Improvement Way Organization(IWO), Afghan for Progressive Thinking(APT), and X-pert Institute. Additionally, she has volunteered for learning purposes in Pravah, a youth-led organization, in New Delhi-India. She has also served as a Consultant to review radio talk show materials at the Killid Radio and Ariana FM intended to encourage illiterate mothers to send their children to school.

Rebecca Burns earned a B.A. in international studies and English from Indiana University. For several years, she worked with a national network of student activists seeking to influence the U.S. response to conflict in Sudan. She also has served as a coordinator for a student anti-genocide coalition. Becky recently studied in Tanzania and Cambodia, where she researched local sentiment toward the Khmer Rouge tribunals.

Rebekah H. Korver is a Master's student at George Mason University's School for Conflict Analysis & Resolution where she is focusing her studies on Displacement and Peacebuilding. Her Bachelor's degree is in Philosophy from the University of the South. As a practitioner in refugee services, Rebekah has worked in advocacy, refugee resettlement, and humanitarian aid with displaced populations. She is also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. 

Richard Salem of Evanston, Illinois, has been active as a mediator, trainer and consultant in conflict management since 1968, when he was appointed Midwest Director of the U.S. Community Relations Service (CRS). He mediated many high profile disputes during that time, including the Skokie-Nazi conflict in Illinois, the Wounded Knee standoff, and numerous police-community, prison, school desegregation, and civil rights conflicts. Between 1979 and 1995, Salem made 15 extended trips to South Africa where he pioneered the training of negotiation and mediation in community conflicts. He served on the initial training committee of South Africa's National Peace Accord,and provided training for the Accord's regional and local peace committees. Salem subsequently trained and consulted in six countries in East and West Africa, Northern Ireland, and El Salvador, and from the USA served as a consultant to Fundacion Libra. His work in Rwanda led him to edit, co-author and co-publish, in 2000, "Witness to Genocide - The Children of Rwanda." Salem works under the auspices of Conflict Management Initiatives, a not-for-profit organization that he founded in 1990 to support the use of collaborative problem solving processes to address community conflicts.

Robert Gardner is a graduate student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Colorado, where he works as a research assistant at the Conflict Research Consortium. He has been working for several years on the Environmental Framing Consortium project on Framing of Intractable Environmental Disputes.

Roy Lewicki is the Dean's Distinguished Teaching Professor and Professor of Management and Human Resources at the Max M. Fisher College of Business, at The Ohio State University. Professor Lewicki maintains research and teaching interests in the fields of negotiation and dispute resolution, managerial leadership, organizational justice, and ethical decision making. He is the author or editor of twenty-four books, numerous articles, and teaching materials. Dr. Lewicki was also Program Co-Chair (1998), President-Elect (1999) and President (2000) of the International Association of Conflict Management, and is a trustee of the Columbus Council for Ethics in Economics.

Ruth was a graduate student at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution when she wrote this in the Spring of 2020.

BA in international economics, Tajik State University of Commerce (2004). MA in political science (Central Asia), OSCE Academy in Bishkek (2005). In 2001-2002, Said studied international relations at Montana State University. Upon return to Tajikistan, he worked as an assistant at the Aga Khan Humanities Project, maintaining communications among nine partner universities throughout Central Asia. In 2004 he and several colleagues organized Tajikistan's first Model UN conference. Said has had several internships that involved work in the areas of peace and development for host organizations such as The Coexistence Initiative, Canadian Embassy and Aga Khan Humanities Project.

Sammy Mwiti Mbuthia earned a bachelor's degree in social work from the University Of Nairobi (1994) and a post-graduate diploma in mass communications from the University Of Nairobi (1996). In 1993, he started his career in development work, serving with African Education Fund International with branches in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. He also worked as a feature writer and columnist with the East African Standard, a daily Kenyan newspaper. In 1999, as a United Nations volunteer, he was deployed in East Timor as part of a team sent to prepare the country for the referendum that paved the way for East Timor's independence from Indonesia. He worked in East Timor as a district electoral officer and information officer. Since 2001 he has been writing and editing articles for the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Samuel Gbehgbah Toe holds a BA in business administration from Don Bosco Polytechnic (2005). He was a fellow with the International Center for Transitional Justice and the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in Cape Town, South Africa (2006). Samuel has represented civil society in negotiations with political parties on the Accra Comprehensive Peace Accord in Monrovia. He served as secretary on the selection panel for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and has worked with the Liberian TRC on organizing public hearings regarding human rights violations during Liberia's civil war. Samuel is co-author of "Impunity Under Attack: The Evolution and Imperatives of the Liberian TRC".

Sana Rizwan Farid attended the University of Karachi, where she earned a B.A degree (2002) and an M.A. (2003) in international relations. Sana interned at the Oxford University Press in Karachi in 2001. In 2002, she worked as a research assistant for the Program on Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution at the University of Karachi, where her research focused on the civil war in Afghanistan. The daughter of an Indian mother and a Pakistani father, she has seen firsthand the problems caused by the strained relations between the neighboring countries. Sana was a volunteer teacher of underprivileged girls from 1993 to 2000.

Sana Rasul Rais earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a minor in economics from Lahore University of Management Sciences. She has worked on a legal-aid project for Afghan refugees, conducted research on Sudan, and worked for a relief group in her home country. Most recently, she served as a research associate for a U.K.-based humanitarian organization.

Sana Rizwan Farid attended the University of Karachi, where she earned a B.A degree (2002) and an M.A. (2003) in international relations. Sana interned at the Oxford University Press in Karachi in 2001. In 2002, she worked as a research assistant for the Program on Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution at the University of Karachi, where her research focused on the civil war in Afghanistan. The daughter of an Indian mother and a Pakistani father, she has seen firsthand the problems caused by the strained relations between the neighboring countries. Sana was a volunteer teacher of underprivileged girls from 1993 to 2000.

Sanda Kaufman is Professor of Planning, Public Policy and Administration at Cleveland State University’s Levin College of Urban Affairs, where she directs the MA in Environmental Studies and the MS in Urban Studies programs. Her research spans: negotiations in environmental and other multi-stakeholder public conflicts; social-environmental systems resilience; dynamic modelling of complex processes, program evaluation; and negotiation pedagogy. She collaborates with scholars in planning, public administration, law, physics, management, statistics, and geography, and with practitioners of planning and conflict management. 

Sandra Marker is a Sociology graduate student and a Research Assistant at the University of Colorado's Conflict Research Consortium.

Sarah Bosha holds an LLM in international human rights (magna cum laude) from Notre Dame. She also holds an undergraduate law degree from the University of Zimbabwe. She has worked for Amnesty International, interned at the International Criminal Court, and conducted research on constitutional development for the Center for Civil and Human Rights in South Sudan.

When she contributed to this article, Sarah was a research assistant with the Conflict Information Consortiu.

When she wrote this article, Sarah was a graduate student at the Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver.

Sarah Park holds a B.A. in politics and Latin American studies from Oberlin College (1999). Sarah worked most recently for her U.S. Congressman, Chris Van Hollen, as a district field representative. She served as a mediator between constituents and federal, state, and local government agencies concerning housing, immigration, insurance, and transportation issues. From 2001 to 2003, Sarah taught English and AIDS education in a rural high school in Cameroon as a Peace Corps volunteer. While in Africa, she created a computer training center and started a peer education and mentoring program for the village youth.

Sarah D. Peterson is a Program Officer at The Coexistence Initiative (TCI)?a small non-profit dedicated to creating a world safe for difference. Ms. Peterson manages a series of community based initiatives in South Africa and New York designed to foster community awareness of and a commitment to the active embrace of differences across lines of ethnic, religious, and cultural identity. Prior to TCI, she worked as a Program Associate at Search for Common Ground, promoting cooperative approaches to problem solving in Macedonia and Ukraine. In addition, Ms. Peterson has also worked for the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia, and the World Bank in Latin America, helping local communities build a framework for peace and reconciliation as well as lay the groundwork for regional stabilization, economic development, and democratic reform. Ms. Peterson holds a Masters of International Affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University in Economic and Political Development and International Security Policy and a Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College.

Sarah Rosenburg graduated from American University with her masters in Political Science. She is currently contracting with the University of Colorado Conflict Research Consortium.

Sean O’Reilly graduated from the University of Colorado in May of 2012 earning B.A.s in Psychology and Sociology. Afterwords he pursued his education by earning certificates in Emergency Medical Technician, Terrorism and Counter Terrorism, and Peace and Conflict Studies. He is currently working as a research assistant at CU's Conflict Information Consortium under professors Heidi and Guy Burgess. He plan to continue his education by pursuing a Master’s degree in peace and conflict studies in the fall of 2016.

Senait Woldu Tesfamichael earned a BA in political science from the University of Asmara, Eritrea (2000) and an MA in African studies from the University of California at Los Angeles (2002). After graduation, Senait joined the political science department of the University of Asmara as assistant lecturer. She taught introduction to political science, African politics, political dynamics of the horn of Africa, theories of development, and human rights, and was head of the department from August 2004 to January 2007. She has written education manuals, supervised research, and chaired presentations for the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students.

Shamil Idriss is the Chief Executive Officer of Search for Common Ground, the world’s largest dedicated peacebuilding organization. In his current capacity as CEO, and in his previous capacities as President, Chief Operating Officer, and Burundi Country Director, Shamil has led Search’s efforts to end violent conflict in more than 35 countries globally, including some of the most devastating conflict zones in the Middle East and Africa.

Shamil was appointed in 2005 by United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Kofi Annan as Deputy Director of the UN Alliance of Civilizations. In this role, he supported high-level political and religious leaders in developing policy recommendations and action plans to improve cross-cultural relations between Western and Muslim-majority countries, before, during, and after the Arab Spring revolutions. During his tenure at the UN, he worked closely with policymakers from the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa in conceiving and implementing conflict prevention projects and increasing cross-cultural understanding. From 2004-2005, Shamil worked with the World Economic Forum to establish the Forum’s Council of 100 Leaders, conceiving and leading the Council’s “Action Track” to identify and attract support for innovative high-impact programs.

Shamsia Ramadhan holds a diploma in human development and a B.A. in social ministry from Tangaza College Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi. In 2006, she was the program coordinator for a Kenyan social justice movement. She worked as a research officer and trainer with the Peace Network of Kenya and the U.N. Development Program and has conducted research on land policy in Kenya.

When she wrote this, Shannon was a ranger in Yosemite National Park, and was also a graduate student at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University.

Sharon Kniss is a 2014 MA Candidate in International Peace Studies at the Kroc Institute of International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Prior to her current studies, she worked for over six years as a conflict transformation practitioner in the U.K. and the U.S. She has also advised nonprofit organizations working with ex-offenders and restorative justice initiatives, and directed a community center in Virginia. She holds a B.A. in Justice, Peace, and Conflict Studies from Eastern Mennonite University.

Sibghatullah Arsalai works for the government of Afghanistan. He is a Fulbright scholar holding a masters degree from the University of Texas in the field of International Political Economy.

He is also a fellow at the Kabul Center for Policy and Strategy, having a specific interest in the areas of Peace, Security and Geo-politics.

BA in business administration, Frankfurt University, Germany (1994). Diploma in business analysis, Lancaster University, UK (1995). MBA in accounting, operations research, management in industrial businesses, Muenster University, Germany (1998). Silke has worked for an international manufacturer as a financial controller and product manager in Germany, France, Switzerland, and the U.S. In addition, she has been the president of a local non-profit organization that provides food for the needy. Silke has been active in workshops and summer camps dealing with issues of personal liberation, nationalism, gender, and racism.

Sophat Soeung graduated from the Royal University of Phnom Penh (2004) and the Royal University of Law and Economics (2007). Since 2004, he has worked as a lecturer of English at the Royal University. He has conducted research on television broadcasting in Cambodia funded by the Thuringian-Cambodian Association. He also has volunteered for the Living Documents Project of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, distributing documents in rural areas and interviewing survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime. Most recently, he's worked for the School for International Training in Cambodia and has been involved with the Initiatives of Change Association Cambodia, which focuses on peacebuilding.

Sophie Haspeslagh is a graduate student in the School for Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Stephanie Talarek received her Bachelors Degree in History from George Mason University and is currently pursuing her Masters Degree at the George Mason University School for Conflict Analysis Resolution. She is a lifelong resident of Northern Virginia.

Stephanie Talarek received her Bachelors Degree in History from George Mason University and is currently pursuing her Masters Degree at the George Mason University School for Conflict Analysis Resolution. She is a lifelong resident of Northern Virginia.

Stephen Okello graduated from Nkumba University with a BA in international relations and diplomacy (2006). He worked for the Parliament of Uganda, USAID-Legislative Support Activity/Development Associates, USAID-Northern Uganda Peace Initiative, and the Center for Conflict Resolution in Kampala. Stephen helped found the Uganda Conflict Action Network (Uganda CAN), an organization of Ugandan and US citizens focused on the crisis in northern Uganda. In 2006, he collaborated with five international Catholic religious orders as part of a team working to establish a Justice and Peace Center in Kampala. Stephen has worked for the Small Arms Survey as a field research assistant in Uganda.

Stephen Oola holds a bachelor's degree in law from Makerere University, a post-graduate diploma in legal practice from the Law Development Centre, and a post-graduate diploma in conflict management and peace studies from the Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies at Gulu University. He has worked as a lawyer for several transitional justice projects, monitored the negotiation of a peace process between Uganda's government and the Lord's Resistance Army, and led the drafting of a proposed national reconciliation bill.

Susan Allen Nan is Assistant Professor in the School of International Service at American University and serves on the Board of the Alliance for Conflict Transformation.

When she wrote this, Suzie Wagner was a graduate student in the Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver.

Sydney Bergen is a recent graduate of Webster University's Global Master's in International Relations program. Sydney's undergraduate degree was awarded by the University of Colorado in 2007 specializing in Psychology and Sociology. Sydney's interest lies in the application of concepts of conflict mediation and alternative solutions to sustainable peace and development.

Takhmina Shokirova earned a diploma in international relations from Russian Tajik Slavonic University and an M.A. in international law and human rights from University for Peace, Costa Rica. Takhmina has worked for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Center as a gender issues assistant and has been involved in the project "Religious Identity, Islam and Peacebuilding." She worked as a child protection program assistant at the United Nations Fund for Children.

Tami Carsillo is a doctoral student at George Mason University specializing in International Education and her research interests include civics education, non-native teachers, and education resources in South Sudan.   She is a graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College, Montclair State University, and received a Master’s of Teaching in Secondary History and Social Science from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Tamra Pearson d'Estree is Henry R. Luce Professor of Conflict Resolution and the Director, Center for Research & Practice at the Conflict Resolution Program University of Denver. Her research interests include the formation and maintenance of group identity; the role of social identity needs in conflict and conflict resolution, especially in international/intercommunal and environmental/public policy conflict; communication and conflict; stereotyping processes; gender and cultural differences in group process and conflict resolution; values and norms in decision making and group process.

Taras Mazyar earned an M.A. degree in International Relations from Lviv Ivan Franko National University (2001). He interned at the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of the European Union in 2000 and worked from 2000 to 2002 as assistant to the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs researching issues of human rights protection, migration, minority rights and WTO-related issues. In 2002-2003 he worked at the Pylyp Orlyk Institute for Democracy, dealing with issues of democracy-building in Ukraine. In 2002 Taras interned in Germany's Bundestag, followed by a position in 2004 at Euro-Ukraina Consulting, where he helped implement World Bank and EC projects in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Taras Mazyar earned an M.A. degree in International Relations from Lviv Ivan Franko National University (2001). He interned at the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of the European Union in 2000 and worked from 2000 to 2002 as assistant to the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs researching issues of human rights protection, migration, minority rights and WTO-related issues. In 2002-2003 he worked at the Pylyp Orlyk Institute for Democracy, dealing with issues of democracy-building in Ukraine. In 2002 Taras interned in Germany's Bundestag, followed by a position in 2004 at Euro-Ukraina Consulting, where he helped implement World Bank and EC projects in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

A lifelong resident of the Cleveland area, Ted Wetzel is an engineer who spent five years at a Fortune 500 company, 17 years in marketing and management at smaller manufacturers, and then 11 years as a small-business owner before turning to his passion project. He created Fighting to Understand to spread the message that civic education and a collaborative spirit among everyday Americans can restore the core values of a democratic republic for the next generation.

Tom Arendshorst is an ophthalmologist who holds a B.A. from DePauw University (1968) and an M.D. from the University of Michigan (1972). He has been president of the governing boards of Holland's Community Action House and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holland. Tom has developed an experiential outdoor education program for multiracial disadvantaged youth. He has edited the Journey into Freedom newsletter, and been a Bread for the World volunteer. His work as a physician included providing free medical care to needy patients in his community, as well as on six visits to Honduras.

Timothy Sisk is a Senior Research Associate at the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver. At GSIS, he is developing a program of studies and conducting applied research in human security and international peace. His research is supported currently by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Previously a Program Officer and Research Scholar at the federally chartered United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., Dr. Sisk was a Washington-based scholar and analyst of international relations and U.S. foreign policy for 15 years. He served from 1984-89 as a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers. Prior to the Senate, he was an international journalist reporting from South Africa. He is the author of several books, including Democratization in South Africa (Princeton, 1995) and Power Sharing and International Mediation in Ethnic Conflicts (Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict, 1996).

Titik Firawati is a Fulbright Fellow. She earned a B.A. in international relations from Gadjah Mada University, where she later worked as a researcher and facilitator at the school's Center for Security and Peace Studies and taught courses on strategy, international security studies, and democracy studies. Titik has conducted research on ethnic conflict in Indonesia.

Tom Dunne is a long-time conflict resolver, as a result of his experience in the Navy.  In the 1960’s, Tom served with a U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Team in Vietnam, and later with a reserve Navy SEAL Team. Those experiences led him to seek better ways than using force and violence to resolve conflicts. After the war, Tom entered the fledgling field of conflict resolution, and has worked in that field for fifty years. He has helped individuals, organizations, and communities resolve disputes and manage conflicts productively, working with government agencies and NGOs. His work has included executive teambuilding, strategic planning, labor-management partnerships, conflict resolution, and designing work systems to foster cooperation, productivity, and work satisfaction. At Search for Common Ground (one of the largest Peacebuilding NGOs in the world), Tom co-founded the U.S.-Muslim Engagement Project to improve relations between the U.S. and the Muslim world.

He also co-founded The Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County, Maryland, which helps community members resolve local issues through cooperative problem solving. Tom is a charter member of the Leadership Council of Convergence Center for Policy Resolution, which convenes people and groups with divergent views to build trust, identify solutions, and form alliances for action on critical national issues.  He is also writing a book entitled Waging Peace: How Adversaries are Learning to Resolve Their Conflicts Through Cooperative Problem Solving.

Tova Norlen is a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Viktor Kotsev graduated from Duke University with a BA in International Comparative Studies and English and a minor in history (2007). He has studied in New York City, Australia, the Mediterranean, and Lebanon, where he was briefly stranded during the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict of 2006. Viktor has participated in conferences on peacebuilding and conflict resolution and presented a paper at Notre Dame's Student Peace Conference in 2006. He has conducted research in Albania, Kosovo, and Macedonia, focusing on identity dynamics and conflict.

When he wrote this Vlad Shchukin (a native Russian) was pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Denver's Korbel School of International Studies.  

Wendell Jones is leading an effort to use complexity system theory to look at conflict, security, and trust.

This piece was written while the author was completing a Master of Arts degree in Peace Studies at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

"A world-renowned negotiator, mediator, and bestselling author, William Ury directs the Global Negotiation Project at Harvard University. Over the last thirty years he has helped millions of people, hundreds of organizations, and numerous countries at war reach satisfying agreements." -- from Mediate.com

Yatman Cheng has a BA in experimental psychology from Oxford University, England (2005). YatMan completed her secondary education at Red Cross Nordic United World College (UWC) in Norway after being selected by the Hong Kong UWC national committee to represent Hong Kong. She consequently received a Jardines Matheson Foundation award to attend Oxford University, where she wrote a dissertation on inter-group conflict. At Oxford she was president of an Amnesty International chapter and a member of both the Tibet Society and the United Nations Association. In 2003, she volunteered with Tibetan Children's Villages in India, and in 2004 she visited the Center for Children's Happiness in Cambodia, for which she has since raised funds. YatMan recently interned at Civic Exchange, a Hong Kong-based organization that promotes democratic culture and civil society, where she wrote a research paper studying linkages between democratization and social spending in Hong Kong.

When she wrote this piece for BI, Yillah was pursuing an MA in Peace Operations from George Mason University. Before that, she got a BA, also from George Mason, in Art (Studio) with an amphasis on painting and photography

Young Sun Park earned a BA in economics and political science from Seoul National University (2007). Young was an exchange student in Japan in 2004-2005. As a college student, she studied North Korea and feminism and did volunteer work with former sexual slaves known as "comfort women." During her senior year, she researched Korea-China trade issues with a grant from the Korea International Trade Association. She has received awards from the Dooeul Scholarship Foundation for Women Leaders and the Japan Student Service Organization and has worked as a teaching assistant at the Graduate School of International Studies at Seoul National University.

Zachary Elwood is a former professional poker player and the author of Reading Poker Tells turned psychologist who has become interested in and has recently written an excellent book on American Political Polarization entitled Defusing American Anger: A Guide to Understanding Our Fellow Citizens and Reducing Us-vs-Them Polarization.

Zamira Yusufjonova earned a bachelor's degree in American Studies from American University - Central Asia, (AUCA), Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (2004). For two years at AUCA, Zamira received Soros Supplementary Grants for her outstanding academic performance and active participation in extracurricular activities. In 2003, she took part in the Bilgi University Summer School on Conflict Resolution, Istanbul, Turkey; and she initiated and taught a course on conflict resolution in the Varzob Leadership Camp in Tajikistan, organized by the American Council for International Organizations. In summer 2004, she participated in the Caux Scholars Program in Conflict Transformation in Geneva, Switzerland. She also completed an internship in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.