Master of Arts Program in Conflict Resolution
Caitlin Breitenbruck 
BA in History, Minor in Latin American Studies and Caribbean Studies
University of Central Florida
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include Latin America; guerrilla movements; peace-processes and post-conflict reconstruction.
Paul Charlton
BA in Philosophy
Central Washington University
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include Pakistan; dialogue/ conflict involving Muslim communities; and health work in post-conflict settings.
Ilan Cooper
MA in International Relations
University of Chicago
BA in War Studies
King's College London
Country of Origin: England
Academic interests include transitional justice; torture; human rights; and accountability in Africa.
Sara Crowe
BA in Political Science, Middle Eastern Studies
Wake Forest University
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include the Middle East, specifically the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Ling Cui
BA in English Language and Literature
University of International Relations (China)
Academic interests include transnational justice; post-conflict personal healing; African peacebuilding; culture; and religion.
Maria Manuela Diez
BA in Sociology
Georgetown University
Academic interests include regime change; transition; the role of religion/faith in dialogue and conflict resolultion; and national identity.
Jill Floyd
BA in Psychology
Boston University
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include humanitarian and refugee studies.
Matthew Hall
BA in Philosophy, minor in Modern Middle Eastern History
American University in Cairo
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include cultural diplomacy.
Bethany Haworth
BA in International Relations
College of William and Mary
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include South Asia; human rights; the role of religion in conflict resolution; and how conflict resolution impacts women.
Michael Hernandez
BA in Political Science and Philosophy, minor in History
University of Scranton
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include the Middle East, Islamic societies, and terrorism.
Mallory Huggins
BA in Rhetoric and Communication Studies, minors in Law and Italian
University of Richmond
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include alternative dispute resolution; organizational conflict resolution; interpersonal conflict resolution; and conflict narratives.
Anastasia Kolivas
BA in Anthropology
Temple University
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include religion and conflict, specifically non-Arab Muslim issues; refugees, and internally displaced persons.
Rita Konaev
BA in Politics and Sociology
Brandeis University
Country of Origin: Israel
Academic interests include the Middle East; human and civil rights; international law; post-war reconstruction; diplomacy; and work with youth from conflict regions.
Jennifer Magalong
BA in History and International Relations
Brown University
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include international law; peacebuilding; and human security.
Julien Marneffe
BA in International Law, Human Rights
Universite Catholique de Louvain
Country of Origin: Belgium
Academic interests include United Nations, peace and stability operations, and mediation.
Takaaki Masaki
BA in Liberal Arts, concentration in International Studies
Soka University of America
Country of Origin: Japan
Academic interests include the effective implementation of disarmament; demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programs; and the interplay between state-level actors and civil society in peace negotiations.
Takaaki was born in Tokyo, Japan and came to the United States to pursue his undergraduate degree at Soka University of America, Aliso Viejo. He graduated from Soka University in May 2008 with a degree in Liberal Arts. During his senior year, Takaaki interned and served as a certified mediator at the Orange County Superior Court.
James Milner
BA in Philosophy, minors in Religious Studies and Classics
University of Miami
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include business and conflict; conflicts over natural resources; and law.
Megan Murphy
BA in Religion, minor in Arabic
University of Rochester
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include humanitarian crises; negotiation/ settlement; armed-conflict resolution; transitional justice; and collaborative conflict resolution
Megan graduated from the University of Rochester in 2007 with a B.A. in Religion and concentrations in both International Studies and also Modern Standard Arabic. Before coming to Georgetown, she travelled for a year and volunteered, studied, and worked in such cities as Rabat, Barcelona, Cairo, London and Paris. While in London, she interned for the International Action Network on Small Arms (www.iansa.org), which first inspired her to enter the field of Conflict Resolution.
Her extra-curricular interests include fencing, running, and volunteering with local D.C. charities including Doorways Shelter for Women and Families and also Homeward Trails Animal Rescue.
Kathryn Nash
BA in International Affairs with a regional concentration in Africa and a functional concentration in international development studies
George Washington University
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include implementation of peace agreements and post-conflict reconstruction, as well as women's roles in the peace process.
Christopher O'Connor
BA in History
Washington and Lee University
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include Africa and Ireland.
Daniel Olsher
MA in Cognitive Linguistics International Relations
University of New Mexico
BA in International Relations
Brandeis University
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include contributions of identity and psychology to conflict; models for collaborative understanding of conflict; cognitive reframing/ methods for re-construing conflict participant viewpoints and concepts; methods for resolving structural conflict; engaged values/ spirituality; intersection of communal abstract values and politics in service of conflict resolution; and Asian conflict.
Patrick O'Toole
BA in Political Science
Stonehill College
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include peacekeeping and humanitarian aid and assistance.
Christine Pratt
BA in International Relations, minor in Art History
Syracuse University
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include conflicts between various religious factions, specifically Sunni and Shia Muslims; conflicts stemming from gender inequalities instituted by governments comprised of fundamentalist religious groups; and Middle Eastern affairs, particularly the Arab-Israeli conflicts and conflicts between Turks and Kurds.
Jessica Sauer
BA in Spanish and Communication
University of Northern Iowa
Country of Origin: United States
Sebastian Spicher
BA in Conflict, Peace and Security
University of Kent at Canterbury (UK)
Country of Origin: Germany
Academic interests include international law; human rights; and humanitarian intervention.
Rachel Steinberg
BA in Political Science
Bryn Mawr College
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include ethnic conflict; cross-cultural relations and identity; and the Middle East, specifically the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Rachel received her BA in Political Science, with concentrations in Peace and Conflict Studies and Comparative Politics from Bryn Mawr College in 2006, where she graduated cum laude. During her undergraduate career, she spent a semester studying at Kings College London in the War Studies department. Throughout Rachel's undergraduate studies, she focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Middle East, ultimately writing her undergraduate thesis on the degree of the existence of religious factors in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a topic she plans to continue to explore during her time at Georgetown. Since moving to DC post-graduation, Rachel has interned on Capitol Hill in the office of Congressman Bill Pascrell, and spent the past two years working for the law firm of Sandler, Reiff & Young, where she focused on non-profit and lobbying law.
Evelyn Thornton
BA in International Studies, Minor in Spanish
Virginia Tech University
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include negotiations and reconciliations.
Caryl Tuma
BA in Anthropology and History and International Relations
Carnegie Mellon University
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include interfaith dialogue; the Middle East; human rights; and immigrant labor.
Before arriving at Georgetown, Caryl worked for two years at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, where she advised students on career development, organizational leadership, and study abroad opportunities. Previous to that, she interned with the Latin America Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies as well as for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Maipham Vang
BA in Psychology
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include negotiations; monitoring and evaluation; and Asia.
Jamie Vernaelde
BA in International Relations and French
University of California, Davis and Sciences Po, Paris
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include ethnic conflict.
Matthew Wall
BA in International Studies and English
University of Missouri-Columbia
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include the Northern Ireland peace process; negotiation strategies; and peacebuilding.
Sarah Wegner
BA in International Relations/ Global Affairs
Eckerd College
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include refugees and internally displaced persons; humanitarian assistance; and peacebuilding.
Sarah graduated with highest honors from Eckerd College in 2008. During her time at Eckerd, she focused on Middle East politics and International Relations. She was co-president of ACI, the campus' social justice club. She also traveled to Israel, the West Bank and Egypt in 2007 for an independent study on religion and conflict.
Immanuel Wolff
BA in International Affairs
University of St. Gallen (HSG)
Country of Origin: Switzerland
Academic interests include influence of structural constraints on conflict situations, as well as ways to address them; the role of (mis)perception, identity and roles in creating, aggravating and resolving conflict situations; and mediation in general.
Tamar Zalk
BA in World Arts and Cultures, minor in Political Science
UCLA
Country of Origin: United States
Academic interests include the Middle East; approaching conflicts from alternative perspectives; religious and cultural understanding and education particularly in areas of religious extremism, and the use of public diplomacy in international relations.
Tamar graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in World Arts and Cultures and a minor in Political Science. Before attending Georgetown, she spent nine months teaching English in Pusan, South Korea, saving money for her true passion: travel. She then spent three months traveling through China, Israel, and Egypt, engaging in local culture and better understanding the politics and environment of the countries.
Tamar was recently awarded a 2009-2010 NSEP Boren Fellowship to study modern standard Arabic. During the fall of 2009, she will participate in an intensive Arabic training at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. From December 2009 to August 2010, Tamar will study Arabic for four hours each day, five days a week at the Qasid Institute in Jordan. She will also work as a volunteer at Partners Jordan, an NGO committed to advancing civil society and political development.
University of Colorado at Boulder
Country of Origin: Venezuela
Academic interests include conflict analysis and resolution, nonviolence, and security issues in Latin America.
Claire Anderson
BA in Religion, Minors in Sociology and Anthropology
Denison University
Country of Origin: USA
Academic interests include gender in peace building and the Balkans.
Sarah Arkin
BA in International Relations and Spanish
Tufts University
Country of Origin: USA
Academic interests include ethnic and religiously-driven conflict, perceived injustices and the role of media, civil society capacity building, and children affected by conflict.
Kristina Aronson
BA in Political Science
Rollins College
Country of Origin: USA
Academic interests include determining the causes of conflict and post conflict reconstruction and stabilization.
Eli Bailey
BA in History
Colorado College
Country of Origin: USA
Academic interests include Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Country of Origin: USA
Academic interests include transitional justice and genocide.
Tyler Beckelman 
BA in Political Science, International Studies
Macalester College
Country of Origin: USA
Academic interests include interests include East Africa and the Sahel.
Kathleen Beringer 
BA in Political Science, Minor in Business
Villanova University
Country of Origin: USA
Academic interests include the Middle East conflict, Southeast Asia conflict, and origins of conflict.
Abby Bruell 
BA in Security and Conflict, Minor in Hebrew
Emory University
Country of Origin: USA
Academic interests include post-conflict development, institution building, and military theory.
Sigma Chang 
BA in International Studies
University of Washington - Seattle
Country of Origin: USA
Academic interests include humanitarian emergencies and refugees.
Rebecca Cunfer
St. Joseph’s University
Country of Origin: USA
Vedrana Durakovic 
BA in International Studies
University of Washington - Seattle
Country of Origin: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Academic interests include transnational justice, security studies (and security in post-conflict societies), negotiations, human rights, South Africa, and the Balkans.
Vanessa Francis 
Psychology
University of Houston
Country of Origin: USA
Academic interests include the Middle East.
Anuj Gurung 
BA in Communication, Minors in Political Science and History
Hiram College
Country of Origin: Nepal
Academic interests include ethnicity-based conflict, refugee issues, and genocide.
Sarah Jackson 
BA in International Studies and World Politics and Diplomacy, Minors in French and History
University of Richmond
Country of Origin: USA
Academic interests include ethnic conflict, R2P, the Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa, and human rights.
Haja Kakay 
BS in Psychology and Sociology
College of William and Mary
Countries of Origin: Liberia and Sierra Leone
Academic interests include humanitarian aid and assistance, peacekeeping and conflicts in Africa, and the rehabilitation of children involved in West African conflicts.
Vlatka Landay
BS School of Foreign Service
Georgetown University
Country of Origin: Croatia
Academic interests include environmental conflict; peacebuilding; transitional justice; Balkan wars, and the region's post-war reconstruction and democratization.
Brittani Manzo 
BA in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, Journalism
New York University
Country of Origin: USA
Academic interests include Israel and Palestine.
Ashley McArthur 
BA in Religious Studies, Minor in Philsosophy
University of Pennsylvania
Country of Origin: USA
Academic interests include conflict prevention, social psychology of conflict, religion and politics, and post-conflict reconstruction.
Adam Mellion 
BA in Political Science, Minors in African Development and French
University of Rhode Island
Country of Origin: USA
Academic interests include rebel groups in Sub-Saharan Africa, refugees/internally displaced persons, and genocide/crimes against humanity.
Megan Neville 
Anthropology and Peace Studies
University of Notre Dame
Country of Origin: USA
Academic interests include Northern Ireland and the Middle East.
Seth Newton 
BA in Anthropological Sciences with Public Service Honors
Stanford University
Country of Origin: USA
Academic interests include the roles of psychology, community/labor organizing, and social movement roles in conflict resolution.
William Smedley
Bachelor of Specialized Studies, Concentrations in Arabic Language and English Literature
Ohio University
Country of Origin: USA
Academic interests include Arabic, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, psychological antecedents to conflict, victimization, and communalization of war trauma/PTSD.
Rhea Vance-Cheng graduated summa cum laude from Mary Baldwin College in 2009. She majored in Theatre, concentrating on playwriting, with a minor in Peacekeeping and Conflict Resolution. During her time at Mary Baldwin she was Vice President of the Mary Baldwin Global Initiative, which promoted human trafficking awareness and prevention in Nepal. She also studied inter-cultural communication and the peacemaking process abroad in Cyprus in May of 2009. She is now a program assistant for the MA in Conflict Resolution Program.
Laila Zulkaphil 
BA in Political Science and International Relations, Minor in European Studies
American University in Bulgaria
Country of Origin: Mongolia
Academic interests include human rights issues in the Muslim world, ethnic and religious conflicts, UN peace operations.