Dr. Susan Allen - Director
Susan Allen is a scholar-practitioner of conflict resolution. Her main focus is on reflective practice and research that emerges from practice contexts. She has substantial expertise in intermediary roles and coordination amongst intermediaries, evaluation of conflict resolution initiatives, and theories of change and indicators of change in conflict resolution practice. She has engaged long-term in conflict resolution in the Caucasus, as well as contributing to a variety of conflict resolution initiatives in Eastern Europe, Eurasia, the Caribbean, South America, and Africa.
Susan Allen joined the S-CAR core faculty in 2005 after two years teaching International Peace and Conflict Resolution as Assistant Professor at the School of International Service at American University. This was a return to S-CAR. Susan Allen’s Ph.D. (2000) and M.S. (1995) degrees are from S-CAR. Between graduate school and joining the faculty at ICAR, she co-founded and directed the Alliance for Conflict Transformation (ACT) and served as Senior Program Associate for the Conflict Resolution Program at the Carter Center in Atlanta, GA. Susan Allen’s current research centers on catalytic workshops. Her work has been supported by the US Institute of Peace (Peace Scholar award, Grant program), the One Foundation, USAID, the US State Department, and the William and Flora I. Hewlett Foundation, Compton Foundation, Catalyst Fund (with ACT), USAID, US State Dept (with ACT).
Laura Villanueva – Executive Director, Dean's Fellow for Practice
Laura Villanueva has recently come to S-CAR after 10 years of peacebuilding project management, development, and practice in the field. Her experience and practice began at the Basque Peace Institute in Gernika. She then went on to join a Japanese NGO that has develped a people-to-people harmonybuilding process, which is on-going and co-located in Japan and the Middle East. Laura also worked and practiced her approach in other locations in Europe utilizing culture as a key peacebuilding entry point. For her most recent project, she has co-founded a women’s NGO in Mexico, which is preparing to train women as peacebuilders.
Laura is pursuing her PhD at S-CAR to refine and build on her practice and conceptual work on a Japanese grassroots peacebuilding model. Specifically this is a Japan-based peacebuilding model that has the potential to serve as an innovative people-to-people application for use in different areas of conflict. Also in this regard, Laura is examining the epigenetics nexus of love and conflict transformation in connection with on-going processes in the field. Her overall objective is to better equip theorists and practitioners with tools to establish love conceptually and practically as a peacebuilding fundamental.
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Margarita Tadevosyan - Dean's Fellow for Practice
Margarita Tadevosyan is currently a PhD Student at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Margarita's academic and professional interestes are in the area of practical engagement with conflict affected societies, especially in the South Caucasus. Prior to joining S-CAR, Margarita worked for the US Embassy in Armenia in Public Diplomacy and later Political section. She has extensive experience of participating in track two projects, and has authored several articles and op-eds addressing issues of conflict resolution in the Caucasus
Marz Attar
Marz Attar is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Peacemaking Practice and describes himself as a seeker for light, for inner freedom, for beauty, for peace and justice. He played a role in formation and manifestation of our Center for Peacemaking Practice, through regular meetings with Susan and Andrea. He is retired and is presently focused and engaged with expressing and actualizing the vision for One Foundation, which was started when his company, Highland Cellular Inc. was sold and eventually merged into AT&T system.
After leaving his birth place near the Caspian seashore, with his family, Marz migrated to Anatolia where he attended American schools at Talas and the Lycee at Robert College in Istanbul. He came to the US in 1962 to attend Syracuse University where he studied Economics and international finance, followed by Harvard's MBA program as a Ford Fellow. He joined Arthur Young & Company's New York office upon graduation in 1967. Amongst his accomplishments was the initiation of Arthur Young's Urban Affairs Program to serve the inner city needy neighborhoods. Received his CPA in NY in 1973. That same year he was asked to start Arthur Young's Middle East Office in Tehran, providing consulting and financial services to international clients. In 1977 he established his own client services company as Attar & Associates which he transferred to California in 1980, after the Iranian Revolution. During '80's Marz became involved with wireless communication leading to Highland's role as a pioneer wireless service provider in West Virginia (winner E&Y's 2002 Entrepreneurial Award).
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Dr. Andrea Bartoli
Andrea Bartoli is a Senior Fellow a the Center for Peacemaking Practice, as well as the Dean of The School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University. He works primarily on Peacemaking and Genocide Prevention. The Founding Director of Columbia University’s Center for International Conflict Resolution (CICR), a Senior Research Scholar at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), a Teaching Fellow at Georgetown University, and at the University of Siena, Dr. Bartoli has taught in the US since 1994. He chaired the Columbia University Seminar on Conflict Resolution. He is a member of the Dynamical Systems and Conflict Team (http://www.dynamicsofconflict.iccc.edu.pl/) and a Board member of Search for Common Ground (http://www.sfcg.org/ )
He has been involved in many conflict resolution activities as a member of the Community of Sant'Egidio (http://www.santegidio.org/en/ ), and has published books and articles on violence, migrations and, conflict resolution. He was co-editor of Somalia, Rwanda and Beyond: The Role of International Media in Wars and International Crisis. Dr. Bartoli served as Associate Director, Italian Academy for Advanced Studies at Columbia University from 1992-99. He was a lecturer at the University of Rome-Tor Vergata, 1987-92, and director of the Center for the Study of Social Programs, 1986-92. He was president of Unita Sanitaria Locale 7, 1983-87 and a consultant to Consiglio Nazionale dell’Economia e del Lavoro, 1980-84. An anthropologist from Rome, Dr. Bartoli completed his Italian dottorato di ricerca (Ph.D. equivalent) at the University of Milan and his laurea (BA-MA equivalent) at the University of Rome.
Dr. Mark Thurston
Mark Thurston, Ph.D. is a senior fellow at George Mason University's Center for Peacemaking Practice and Center for Consciousness and Transformation. With an academic background in psychology, Mark has worked for 35 years in adult education related to consciousness, holistic health, and personal transformation. He is the author of numerous books related to personal spirituality, dream psychology, meditation, and the transformation of consciousness. Mark's research interests include mindfulness, conflict transformation, the role of intentionality in groups, and aspects of consciousness which can be experienced in the dream state. His courses at Mason have recently included "Conflict Transformation from the Inside Out," "Practices for Reconstellating Conflict," and "Consciousness, Meaning, and Life Purpose."
Dr. Christopher Mitchell
Christopher Mitchell was born and educated in London. He has held academic positions at University College, London, the London School of Economics, the University of Surrey and the University of Southampton. He was appointed Lecturer in the Department of Systems Science at the City University in 1973 and became Professor of International Relations there in 1983. He joined the academic exodus from Britain in the mid-1980s and is currently Emeritus Professor of Conflict Research at George Mason University, Virginia, where he was Director of the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution between 1991 and 1994.
He continues to work on practical and theoretical aspects of peacemaking processes and has recently published articles on the theory of entrapment, on ending asymmetric conflicts and on a multi-role model of mediation. His major works are The Structure of International Conflict (Macmillan & St Martins Press; 1981), Peacemaking and the Consultants' Role (Gower Press & Nichols Publications; 1981), and (with Keith Webb) New Approaches to International Mediation (Greenwood Press; 1988). Most recently he has published Gestures of Conciliation (St Martins Press/Macmillan; 2000), A Handbook of Conflict Resolution(Frances Pinter/Continuum 1995) and (with Landon Hancock) Zones of Peace (Kumarian Press; 2007) andLocal Peace-building and National Peace (Continuum; 2012).
Alicia Pfund
Alicia Pfund is the Luigi Einaudi Fellow at the Center for Peacemaking Practice, and the Latin American advisor to the Dean. She is coordinating the Center’s activities to support S-CAR links with Latin American Universities to strengthen their peacemaking programs, and to exchange knowledge. Alicia is the editor of two books: From Conflict Resolution to Social Justice: the Work and Legacy of Wallace Warfield (Bloomsbury; 2013), and Experiencias Latinoamericanas en el Abordaje de Conflictos (S-CAR and University for Peace, 2014). She's also a panel mediator with the Prince George's County, MD, Circuit Court. A native of Buenos Aires, she had a previous career in Latin American development at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington D.C. Alicia holds a M.A. in Applied Anthropology from the American University in Washington D.C.
Dr. Tatsushi Arai
Dr Tatsushi (Tats) Arai is a Visiting Scholar of S-CAR and a Fellow of S-CAR’s Center for Peacemaking Practice. He is also an Associate Professor of Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation at the School for International Training (SIT) Graduate Institute in Vermont and a Research Fellow of the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research in Hawaii. Previously Tats was a lecturer of international relations at the National University of Rwanda in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide. Over the past fifteen years, he has led or co-facilitated a number of dialogues and practitioner trainings on conflict-related issues for civil society and government leaders in diverse regions of the world, including the Middle East, the Asia Pacific, South Asia, the African Great Lakes, and North America. His ongoing annual workshops include two peacebuilding and development trainings, one in Vermont and the other in Kathmandu, Nepal, as part of SIT’s Conflict Transformation Across Cultures (CONTACT) program, and two week-long Interactive Conflict Resolution (ICR) dialogues on Taiwan-China-U.S. relations, organized by Strait Talk, a youth-led multi-national movement. Furthermore, Tats is actively involved in six nongovernmental organizations in the field of international conflict resolution and development as a member or adviser.
Tats’s scholarship bridges theory and practice. His publications include: Clash of National Identities: China, Japan, and the East China Sea Territorial Dispute, as co-author/editor (2013, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars), Creativity and Conflict Resolution: Alternative Pathways to Peace(2009, Routledge), and contributions to Conflict across Cultures: A Unique Experience of Bridging Differences (2006, Intercultural Press). As S-CAR’s vising scholar, Tats is currently exploring Buddhist approaches to peacebuilding and policymaking, as well as conflict resolution in China-Japan-U.S. relations, with emphasis on the East China Sea dispute.
Dr. Arthur Romano
Arthur Romano is a Fellow at the Center for Peacemaking Practice and an Assistant Professor at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution. He is a scholar-practitioner whose research and applied interests include global educational movements, the use of transformative and experiential education in communities affected by violence and nonviolence education. Professor Romano is currently teaching courses on identity and conflict resolution, peace education and group, community and organization conflict analysis and resolution. Arthur’s PhD research utilized complexity theory to examine pedagogical innovation in the field of international peace education.Arthur has designed and implemented experiential educational programs in Asia, Africa, and Central America on peace and conflict resolution related themes. He co-developed the Diversity Matters Now workshop series, which explores issues related to identity and peace-building in colleges and universities across the US.Arthur is also committed to the ‘co-production of knowledge’ and has worked with various community actors to generate and disseminate information about conflict resolution and peace education. In 2011, he wrote Education for Peace: A Resource Guide for Educators and the Community, and in 2005, he worked with a coalition of community groups to produce Teaching Peace in Scotland. Both publications were generated in dialogue with community educators and were offered free of charge through a coalition of allied organizations.
Dr. Peter N. Stearns
University Professor, Provost Emeritus
Dr. Peter N. Stearns became Provost and Professor of History at George Mason University on January 1, 2000; he was named University Professor in January 2011. He has taught previously at Harvard, the University of Chicago, Rutgers, and Carnegie Mellon; he was educated at Harvard University.
During Dr. Stearns' tenure as Provost, George Mason more than tripled its level of funded research and tripled its number of doctoral programs. Expanding global partnerships included a growing number of dual degree programs and elaborate connections with students and universities in countries like Brazil, China, Russia, South Korea and Turkey. Dr. Stearns also spearheaded several important initiatives to expand the university’s global presence, namely the establishment of the branch campus in Incheon, Korea; and the collaboration with INTO to increase the number and diversity of students recruited from abroad. Each of these projects is deeply rooted in a desire to increase global understanding, and opportunities for constructive collaboration among different societies.
Dr. Stearns received the prestigious Mason Medal in 2014; that same year, the university was awarded the Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award for Campus Internationalization.
Dr. Stearns retired as Provost in June 2014 but maintains a robust faculty schedule. He has published widely in modern social history, including the history of emotions, and in world history; and has authored or edited over 125 books, mainly in social history and world history. Since 1967 he has served as editor-in-chief of The Journal of Social History.
Dr. Douglas Irvin-Erickson
Douglas Irvin-Erickson, Fellow of Peacemaking Practice and Director of the Genocide Prevention Program, is an expert on genocide and international law. He comes to the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution from the Rutgers University Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, where he served as the Director of Outreach (2007-2009), co-led genocide prevention projects for the Democratic Republic of Congo (2012-2013), conducted ethnographic research in Cambodia in connection to reconciliation and the Khmer Rouge Genocide Tribunal (2010), and conducted in-country research on political violence and reconciliation in Argentina (2009). Previously, Irvin-Erickson has worked in Phnom Penh in relation to the Khmer Rouge genocide and ongoing issues of justice and reconciliation. He is the author of chapters and articles on genocide and political theory, and the co-editor of Hidden Genocides: Power, Knowledge, and Memory. His current research includes a book on the life and works of Raphael Lemkin, the originator of the word "genocide" who authored the UN Genocide Convention; and an co-edited volume titled, Violence, Religion, Peacemaking: Contributions of Interreligious Dialogue. Irvin-Erickson also serves as Associate Editor of Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal, the official publication of the International Association of Genocide Scholars. He holds a Ph.D. in Global Affairs from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and an M.A. in English Literature.
Dr. José M. Garzón
Dr. José M. Garzón recently retired from the USAID Foreign Service, following three decades working in Democracy, Governance and Conflict programs. He most recently served as Deputy Director of USAID’s Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation in Washington, where he carried out conflict assessments and evaluations in Bosnia and Kosovo. Previously, he headed the USAID Democracy and Governance Offices in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Guatemala, and Bolivia. From 2002 – 2005, he served in USAID Washington as Rule of Law Division Chief, and Europe and Eurasia Democracy Team Leader. Other Foreign Service assignments include Philippines and Bangladesh, where he worked on strengthening civil society and disaster relief. His essay “Democracy and Development Reconsidered“, which examines the importance of governance effectiveness, was published in the 2012 volume of USAID’s Frontiers of Development series. Prior to joining USAID, he worked several years on development programs in Peru and El Salvador.
José earned his PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1986, and received his B.A. from Whittier College also in political science. While completing his graduate work, he worked on Capitol Hill, then received a Fulbright to study in Peru. His doctoral dissertation reviewed changes in state and society relationships in Southern Peru from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Bill Potapchuk 
Lisa E. Shaw
Tani Marilena Adams
Andrea has five years of experience in the nonprofit and communications sectors. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the Javeriana University of Colombia, and a Master in Development studies from the University of Geneva. With a deep interest in nation building, civil society strengthening, and alternative development, Andrea has provided technical assistance for the design, implementation and evaluation of public policies especially in the fields of justice, human rights, and victims assistance. More specifically, as part of the team working for the NGO Corporación Consultar, Andrea analyzed the results of various peace attempts in Colombia, and designed a new psychosocial procedure for the victims of armed conflicts. Furthermore, She provided technical assistance to several organizations in Colombia such as Academy for Educational Development, Quinteros S.A, Associated France Press, the Press Department at the French Embassy in Colombia, and Estudios Políticos in Mexico. Andrea has a special interest in programs that foster alternative development and local capacity as a path to reduce violence. Since April 2015, Andrea has been working as a trainee for the Institute of Multi-Track Diplomacy in Washington DC.
Matthew Graville
Matthew Graville is an organizational and design coach focused on reflective practice and learning processes. Over the past 10 years he has worked on organizational learning, debriefing, and intercultural communication, in China, Taiwan, France, India, and the USA. Matthew focuses his coaching work on the helping professions -- teachers, first-responders/emergency personnel, social services staff -- and social entrepreneurs.
Najuan Daadleh
Najuan Daadleh served as a fellow at the Center for Peacemaking Practice in her final semester in the MS program at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, in spring 2012. During her MS studies, she placed an emphasis on Lonergan's Insight Philosophy, Feminism in Islam, as well as projects on evaluation.
Jacquie Greiff
Jacquie Greiff served as the Executive Director of the Center for Peacemaking Practice for two years, during which time she managed the Center’s administration and projects, and was instrumental in founding the Learning from Practice Podcast and the Peacemaker’s Retreat, as well as being deeply involved in the Breaking the Impasse dialogues and the Practitioner Debriefing Project. Currently, Jacquie is a doctoral student of Education Culture and Society at the University of Pennsylvania, with a research focus on the socio-cultural effects of education reforms in conflict and post conflict societies.
Ellyn Yakowenko
Ellyn Yakowenko was the Dean's Fellow for Practice from fall 2011 to fall 2012. She came to S-CAR with a BA in Biology and BA in Spanish Literature and Language from St. Mary’s Honor’s College of Maryland. She also holds a MA in International Development (concentration in natural resources and violent conflict) from American University. Her master’s thesis is “The Role of Natural Resource Degradation in Protraction of the Sudanese Civil Conflict”. During her graduate studies, she spent a semester at the U.N. Mandated University for Peace. Ellyn is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Paraguay 2005-2007) and recently worked for Africare in Washington DC as a Program Manager, Office of Agricultural and Food Security. Interests include: environmental conflict management, mitigation and prevention strategies.
Farzin Illich
Farzin Illich is a Fellow at George Mason University’s Center for Peacemaking Practice at the School for Conflict Resolution and Analysis. Previously, he served as the Drucie French Cumbie Fellow working with Dean Andrea Bartoli on Peace-building efforts. He leads Visions of Peace – a multidisciplinary and cross-regional cultural diplomacy project – which develops strategies that harness the power of culture, communication and media to build a more peaceful world. The Visions of Peace project designs and promotes innovative exchange programs, cultural productions, exhibitions, roundtables, seminars and intellectual tourism projects. The project promotes cultural competence for building more effective global institutions. Farzin has produced and directed award-winning documentaries, educational and training programs for NGOs and cultural institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. His work has explored complex social themes in America’s inner city, been instrumental in supporting Palestinian civil society by empowering Palestinian media makers, and designing training programs for at-risk youth. In leading this Project, Farzin will contribute his expertise in social sciences and Middle East affairs, experience in using media for peace building, and fluency in Dari.
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