Master of Arts Program in Conflict Resolution
Academic interests: post-conflict reconciliation & community development processes in Asia/Southeast Asia (esp. golden triangle region); women in armed conflict
Allison Adams-Alwine
BA in Political Science and Sociology
Vanderbilt University
Country of origin: United States
Academic interests: the role of women in peace building; the importance of culture as both a divisive and unifying force in conflict situations
Ally is currently an intern at Women in International Security (WIIS), a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the influence of women in foreign and defense affairs, and creating a more holistic approach to international security. Her main project at WIIS is assisting in the production of a major report to be published in late Spring 2008 which focuses on increasing senior leadership opportunities for women in UN peacekeeping operations. This summer, she will be working as a dispute settlement specialist for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, in their dispute settlement service.
Ally graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2007 with a degree in political science and sociology. Her undergraduate research focused on transitions to democracy in the former Soviet bloc countries of Eastern Europe. This research iniatiated her interest in the role of women and other marginalized groups in peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction. Currently, she is interested in exploring ways to facilitate a shift away from the traditional, state-centered national security paradigm towards a more inclusive and holistic approach focused more on human security and rights.
In her free time, Ally likes road trips, trying new restaurants, and watching really bad reality tv shows.
Smriti Angara
BA in Political Science
Cornell College
Country of origin: India
Academic interests: negotiations and mediation, South Asian conflicts, game theory
Erica Bonanno
BA in Communication Studies: Conflict Resolution
James Madison University
Country of origin: United States
Academic interests: transitional justice, restorative justice, trauma healing, reconciliation, mediation, facilitation, interpersonal and family conflict
Erica is currently a Design, Monitoring and Evaluation intern at Search for Common Ground, an organization committed to changing the way the world deals with conflict- away from an adversarial approach towards more collaborative problem solving. Her main project at SFCG is doing statistical and qualitative analysis to evaluate the impact of a youth empowerment radio program in Nepal. She is also a certified mediator with training and experience in facilitation. Presently, she represents Georgetown University as Vice President of Georgetown's Conflict Resolution Association.
Before coming to Georgetown, Erica graduated from James Madison University with a degree in Communication Studies: Conflict Analysis and Intervention, where she conducted and presented two large-scale original research projects on interpersonal and family conflict. She graduated with distinction and was awarded the Outstanding Graduating Communications Student Award and Elizabeth B. Neatrour Memorial Award for the outstanding graduating senior.
Erica is hoping to travel this summer to either Europe or Africa to gain international experience in conflict resolution.
Eric Brinkert
BA in Government and Religious Studies
Claremont McKenna College
Country of origin: United States
Academic interests: religion, religion and conflict, religion and politics, human rights, genocide, education, collaborative conflict resolution
Eric currently works as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Berkeley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs where he is developing a series of case reports chronicling episodes of religion and violence around the world, specifically the conflicts in Bosnia, Somalia, and Uganda. Eric recently attended the Global Youth Connect Rwanda Human Rights Delegation and also serves as the Conflict Resolution and Peace-Building Program Coordinator for Amani Africa, a grassroots organization striving to create a sustainable peace movement in Central African post-conflict communities. Eric graduated from Claremont McKenna College in 2005 with a dual BA degree in Government and Religious Studies, where he was selected Theta Alpha Kappa: National Honor Society for Religious Studies and Theology. Eric was also a 2005 selection to the All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletics Conference team for Track and Field.
Country of origin: United States
Academic interests: post-conflict reconstruction, sub-Saharan Africa and education
Country of origin: Greece
Academic interests: reconciliation, political leadership, negotiation theories, humanitarian crises, intergroup psychology, East Asian politics, Central American conflicts
Radina Ivanova
BA in International Relations and Spanish
Eckerd College
Country of origin: Bulgaria
Academic interests: negotiations
Mark Jansson
BA in Criminal Justice, minor in Religion and Philosophy
Roanoke College
Country of origin: United States
Academic interests: weapons proliferation, religion, leadership, psychology
Ayela Khan
BA in History
Queens University, Ontario
Country of origin: Pakistan
Academic interests: ethnic and resource driven conflict with a particular interest in religion as a source of and tool of strife
Min Jung Kim
BA in English Interpretation
Geumgang University
Country of origin: South Korea
Academic interests: Peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula, Six-Party Talks for the denuclearization of North Korea, Peacebuilding in South Asia and North East Asia region
Mathias Kjaer
BA in Political Science, minor in Economics
McGill University
Country of origin: Denmark
Academic interests: East Post-conflict reconstruction/reconciliation, sources/root causes of ethnic conflict
Jason Klocek
BA in Psychology, minor in Philosophy
University of Notre Dame
Country of origin: United States
Academic interests: role of religion in conflict and peace building, and the role of religion in politics, with a regional focus on Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia
This past year Jason served as a Research Assistant for Professor Clyde Wilcox and assisted with projects focused on the role of religion in politics and the politics of social issues.
In May, at the Mitchell Conference at Queen's University in Belfast, Jason will present a paper on the role of religious actors in the process leading up to the Good Friday Agreement. During the summer, he will study Russian at Astrakhan State University in Astrakhan, Russia through a 2008 Critical Language Scholarship.
As an undergraduate, Jason’s main interests were at the cross-roads of socio-cognitive psychology and philosophy. In the spring of 2002, he studied religion and philosophy in Athens, Greece and, in the summer of 2003, he was awarded an undergraduate research grant to explore the preservation of Cretan Jewry in Chania, Crete.
From September 2003 to October 2005, Jason served with the U.S. Peace Corps in south-eastern Turkmenistan. His primary work was in the fields of English education and youth development In addition, he has experience working with domestic non-profit organizations.
Ruth Levenkron
BA in Political Science (Peace/Conflict and International Politics Concentrations)
Bryn Mawr College
Country of origin: United States
Academic interests: transitional justice and trauma healing, post-conflict reconstruction, humanitarian assistance, Sub-Saharan Africa.
During her first year at Georgetown, Ruth served as a Research Assistant to Professor Alan Tidwell conducting media surveys of the Pacific region. She has worked in a number of different environments including university admissions, research laboratories, and local government offices.
During the summer of 2008, Ruth will intern in the Transitional Justice Programme at The Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation in South Africa. This will be her second visit to Africa. After participating in a month long conference in Cape Town during her senior year, she was able to conduct field research for her undergraduate thesis which focused on the democratization of South Africa. Her interests in conflict resolution continue to develop, but she has focused extensively on transitional justice, the role of museums, monuments, and other collective memory devices, as well as issues concerning ex-combatants, both adult and former child soldiers. During her undergraduate career, Ruth completed the pre-medical coursework in addition to her Political Science major. While she chose not to pursue medical school, she continues to have an interest in health-related issues, particularly relating to mental health in post-conflict societies.
Karen Love
BA in Political Science, conc. in International Relations
Columbia University
Country of origin: United States
Academic interests: conflict resolution in asymmetric conflicts; the role of third party actors in conflicts; post-conflict reconstruction
Karen Love is a career government employee who worked as a Civil Rights Analyst for the Department of Justice Voting Section. At the Justice Department, Karen was responsible for ensuring that state and local voting legislation and elections complied with Federal voting rights statutes. For her work at the Department of Justice, Karen was awarded three Certificates of Commendation. Karen also worked as a Foreign Policy Intern at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and as an Intern to the United States Press Secretary at the White House. Karen received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Columbia University. At Columbia, she was awarded the Columbia University King's Crown Leadership Legend Award for her outstanding work as a leader and bridge-builder on campus. Karen was also inducted into the Order of Omega honor society.
Joelle Miller
BA, SUNY, College Purchase
Country of origin: United States
Academic interests: history and origins of conflict; Sub-Saharan Africa; conflict escalation; symbolism and conflict dialogue; intractable conflicts
Sheila Mwiandi
BA in Diplomacy and Sociology, minor in Black World Studies
Miami University, Ohio
Country of origin: Kenya
Academic interests: impact of war on civilians, refugees and diplaced persons, negotiation and settlements
Michelle Scanlon
BA Political Science, minor in International Affairs
Slippery Rock University
Country of origin: United States
Academic interests: conflict prevention and transitional justice
Michelle graduated summa cum laude from Slippery Rock University, where she was an active member of the Model United Nations and Model North Atlantic Treaty Organization teams. During the 2006-2007 academic year, Michelle acted as president of the Slippery Rock University chapter of Amnesty International and led the group's advocacy efforts to end the genocide in Darfur. Her leadership with this group earned her recognition as Slippery Rock University's Outstanding Senior Woman. Michelle was selected as a Junior Fellow for the American Academy of Political and Social Science and has co-written and presented several papers regarding gender and minority issues in American politics. Recently, Michelle was selected to represent Georgetown University at the Mitchell Conference at Queen's University in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Karen Simonson
BA in Political Science
University of California, Berkeley
Country of origin: United States
Academic interests: Middle East (mostly the Levant), dialogue over the Internet (alternative forms of communication between groups), organizational conflict
Sarah-Yen Stemmler
BA in International Affairs
Tufts University
Country of origin: Switzerland
Academic interests: civil society; post-conflict reconstruction & the re-building of institutions; Latin American conflicts; the flourishing of organized crime during civil strife and its role as an impediment to post-conflict democracy-building
Prior to graduate school, Sarah worked in various UN field offices throughout Guatemala, accompanying UN staff members to police trainings, conflict resolution training sessions with farmers, and an exhumation of a mass graveyard. During this time, Sarah also interviewed UN staff members and the Guatemalan population at-large to produce a publication that evaluated the effectiveness of the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA). In addition, Sarah did volunteer investigative work in Guatemala for the UN-funded National Center for Refugee and Immigrant Children. Through her investigation, Sarah gathered evidence to help a neglected child separate from his abusive parents and obtain his U.S. Green Card. Sarah graduated cum laude with a BA degree in International Affairs from Tufts University. She was selected to the National Society of Collegiate
Scholars, the National Dean's List and Spanish National Honor Society.
Lindsay Stepp
BA in Conflict Studies and German
DePauw University
Academic interests: intercultural/ ethnic conflict, the roles of cultural differences and communication in conflict, NGOs/ international organizations
Country of origin: United States
Lindsay received her BA in Conflict Studies and German from DePauw University, where she graduated summa cum laude and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. During her undergraduate studies, she traveled extensively in Germany and spent a semester studying at Eberhard-Karls Universität. She has since participated in a three week service trip in Havana and Guantanamo, Cuba, and lived in Nanjing, China, where she taught ESL. Lindsay has interned with the Association for Conflict Resolution in Washington, DC and now teaches English part-time with the DC Schools Project.
Casey Swegman
BA in Psychology, minor in Film
Drexel University
Country of origin: United States
Academic interests: international human rights law, refugee health, transitional justice mechanisms
Casey Swegman earned her BA in Psychology and Video Production summa cum laude from Drexel University. She received the Doreen Steg Memorial Award for outstanding achievement in the field of psychology. While at Drexel Casey's primary focus was Clinical Psychology. As an undergraduate she also studied at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, where she examined the evolution of documentary photography in Apartheid and Post-Apartheid South Africa.
Evelyn Thornton
BA in International Studies, minor in Spanish
Virginia Tech University
Country of origin: United States
Academic interests: negotiations, reconciliation
Evelyn Thornton is the policy officer and administration manager for The Initiative for Inclusive Security, a program of Hunt Alternatives Fund, which advocates for the full participation of all stakeholders, particularly women, in formal and informal peace processes. Her work at Inclusive Security has focused extensively on conflict resolution efforts in Sudan, and has included co-organizing and facilitating trips to Darfur to assess the Darfur Peace Agreement with Refugees International and to Khartoum to consult with and train women leaders. Evelyn also manages the Initiative’s resource allocation, strategic planning, performance monitoring, and strategic partnerships. Prior to joining the Initiative, Evelyn was a program associate for the Foundation for Universal Responsibility for His Holiness The Dalai Lama in New Delhi, India, where she worked closely with the Foundation’s program, Women In Security, Conflict Management, and Peace. Evelyn received her BA summa cum laude in International Studies from Virginia Tech. She has traveled, lived and worked in South America, Europe, and South Asia, and has published numerous writings about her experiences.