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.