Pushpa Iyer, Director

Pushpa Iyer has over 20 years of experience in the field of conflict studies. She specializes in identity conflicts, non-state armed groups, civil wars, peace processes, and peacebuilding in post-war societies. Her current research interests are: non-state armed groups, challenges to peacebuilding, and gendered security in the US military. Pushpa is a long-term activist and advocate for the poor and marginalised communities in Gujarat, India. She has consulted and conducted research in several countries in South and Southeast Asia as well as in Africa. 

Currently, Pushpa is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Policy and Management at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. She received her Ph.D. from the Institute of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University. Pushpa also has a degree in law from Gujarat University, India and an MBA in International Management from the University of East London, UK.

Pushpa is the founding Director of the Centre for Conflict Studies and is the Editor-in-Chief for the centre’s publications.

Kevin Avruch

Kevin Avruch is a Professor of Conflict Resolution and Anthropology in the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR), and faculty and senior fellow in the Peace Operations Policy Program at George Mason University. He received his B.A. from the University of Chicago and M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California at San Diego. He has taught at three universities and served as Coordinator of the Anthropology Program at GMU. In 2005, he became Associate Director of ICAR.

Dr. Avruch has published extensively on a wide variety of subjects in conflict analysis and resolution. He served as book review editor of Anthropological Quarterly and is currently on the editorial boards of three esteemed publications. He has lectured widely in the U.S. and abroad, and his work has been recognized by the International Association of Conflict Management and the United States Institute of Peace, where he was senior fellow in the Jennings Randolph Program for International Peace.

Dr. Avruch is currently working on projects investigating sources of political violence in protracted conflicts, the role of human rights and truth and reconciliation commissions in postconflict peacebuilding, and cultural aspects of humanitarian and peacekeeping operations.

Dr. Joe Bock

Joe Bock directs the Master’s in Science for Global Health program at the Eck Institute for Global Health at the University of Notre Dame. He is the liaison to Catholic Relief Services for Notre Dame and an editorial adviser to Development in Practice, founded by Oxfam GB.

He received his Ph.D. in International Relations from the School of International Service of American University and an MSW and BSW from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr. Bock has twelve years of humanitarian relief and development experience with Catholic Relief Services and the American Refugee Committee. He was a Fellow with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Executive Director of the Center for Peace and Global Citizenship at Haverford College and the Secure World Foundation, and a member of the Working Group on Reconciliation of Caritas Internationalis. He served six years in the Missouri House of Representatives, with various leadership positions.Dr. Bock has taught at four prestigious universities and published numerous works. He is currently completing a manuscript based on his consulting work with The Asia Foundation in Sri Lanka.

Dr. Tamra d'Estree

Dr. Tamra d'Estree Tamra Pearson d’Estrée has a PhD in Social Psychology from Harvard University. She co-directs the interdisciplinary Conflict Resolution Institute at the University of Denver, and is the Henry R. Luce Professor of Conflict Resolution in the Josef Korbel School of International Studies. She has led trainings and facilitated interactive problem-solving workshops in various inter-communal conflict contexts, including Israel-Palestine, Ethiopia, and in US intertribal disputes. She also has directed and evaluated projects aimed at conflict resolution capacity-building in Israel-Palestine, the Caribbean, Ukraine, and Georgia, with projects funded by the State Department and USAID. She has served as an evaluation consultant to community and non-governmental organizations as well as UNESCO, UNDP, and USIECR.

Dr. d’Estrée’s research areas include identity dimensions of social and ethnic conflict, procedural justice, intergroup relations, and the evaluation of international, community and environmental conflict resolution. She worked with community mediation centers in Colorado to develop a common evaluation framework, and is co-author, with Bonnie G. Colby, of Braving the Currents: Evaluating Conflict Resolution in the River Basins of the American West (Springer), as well as numerous book chapters and articles in various interdisciplinary journals. She is on the boards of the Association for Conflict Resolution and the Colorado Office of Dispute Resolution.

Karen Osborne

Karen Osborne has been active in the non-profit world of the San Francisco Bay Area for many years. She was a member of the Salvation Army Board and a founding member of two multi-cultural organizations for seniors, Senior Action Network and Planning for Elders in the Central City. She currently hosts a monthly lecture series, Conversations, in Carmel, California. Ms. Osborne had a career in health care administration and education and is the parent of four children. She was the first public member of the Ethics Committee of the California State Bar and founder of the San Francisco Long Term Care Committee, which developed the plan for long term care in San Francisco County. She lives in Carmel and San Francisco, California.

Richard E. Rubenstein

Richard E. Rubenstein is Professor of Conflict Resolution and Public Affairs at George Mason University. He is a faculty member of the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution (formerly known as the Institute of Conflict Analysis and Resolution).

Professor Rubenstein was educated at Harvard College (B.A. 1959, magna cum laude), Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar (M.A. 1961), and Harvard Law School (J.D. 1963). He practiced law in Washington, DC, taught political science at Roosevelt University in Chicago, and was professor of law at the Antioch School of Law.

Professor Rubenstein is the author of eight books, the most recent of which is Reasons to Kill: Why Americans Choose War. He is an expert on popular narratives of war and peace, religious conflict, terrorism, and methods of resolving serious international and domestic disputes. He has lectured throughout the US and abroad and has appeared on numerous radio and television shows and film documentaries discussing these issues.

Laura Goodman, Editor, Pathfinder Series

Ms. Goodman received her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and her master’s degree from the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (now known as the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution) at George Mason University. She is a writer, editor, and English teacher.

Bryan Weiner, 2012

Bryan Weiner is currently working towards his Master of Public Administration from the Monterey Institute for International Studies.  He received his Bachelors of Arts in Cinema Television Critical Studies from the University of Southern California in 2005.

His interests include human rights, with a particular emphasis on international LGBT and immigrant and refugee rights, conflict resolution, Latin America, education and youth development.  His work experience includes serving as an Early Elementary Education Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay and several positions at a charter high school in inner-city Los Angeles, most recently working as a guidance counselor with at-risk youth.

Eduardo Sánchez

Eduardo Sánchez is currently a master's candidate in the Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies program and additionally pursuing a Conflict Resolution Certificate at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. He received his undergradute degree in International Relations at Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico City). His prior experience includes working as an advisor to the Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights at the Mexican Foreign Ministry, primarily in charge of United Nations affairs and international security. His research interests include non-state armed groups and children in armed conflict.

Joel Post, 2011-2012

Joel Post received his undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and is now pursuing a master`s degree in International Policy Studies with a focus in Conflict Resolution at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. His research interests include politics, education, immigration and conflict analysis/resolution in Asia. His experience includes five years as an education professional in Japan, volunteer work in India and Papua New Guinea, and conducting field research in Nepal.

Kirill Prudnikov, 2011 - 2013

Kirill Prudnikov is a graduate student at the Monterey Institute of International Studies pursuing his degree in International Policy Studies with a focus in Conflict Resolution. Kirill’s area interests include symbolic politics and ideology, peacebuilding, power and conflict. He received his bachelor's degrees in Conflictology and Philosophy from Saint Petersburg State University. His prior experience includes working for St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly, Office of St. Petersburg Senator and conducting field research in Nepal and India.

Lauren DaSilva, May to December 2013

Lauren DaSilva graduated from the University of California, Davis in with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and African and African-American Studies and is now pursing a Master of Public Administration. Lauren's research interest include Marxism, revolutions, neocolonialism, socialism in West Africa, women's rights and empowerment, and feminism. She has conducted research regarding women's education and political participation in Ghana, West Africa and spent two years working for a non-profit that advocates for migrant family rights in California's Central Valley.

Margaret Conant, May to December 2013

Margaret is currently a graduate student at the Monterey Institute for International Studies working towards a degree in International Policy Studies with a focus on Human Security & Development. She received her bachelor's degree in History from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2012. Her research interests include security studies, human rights, conflict resolution, and Islamic studies. Currently, she also works in the Graduate Writing Center as a Writing Tutor and at the International School of Monterey as a Reading Tutor for grades K-5.

Omar Salem, 2012

Omar Salem received a B.A. in Political Science with a dual emphasis in International Relations and American Politics, from the University of California, Merced. His experience in American politics includes working for a California state senator, a United States congressman, and several political campaigns. His experience in international policy is primarily research-based, including conducting human rights research for the Political Science department of UC Merced as well as assisting with humanitarian research for the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. Omar is currently studying to receive an M.A. in International Policy Studies with a concentration in Conflict Resolution from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, where his primary fields of interest remain Conflict Analysis, Human Rights, Humanitarian Operations and their intersections with American Politics.

Raymond Aycock, 2011-2013

RJ Aycock is currently a master's candidate at the Monterey Institute of International Studies focusing on the study of conflict resolution. He graduated with a BA in Arabic Studies from National University in 2011.

His interests are focused on the development of sexual and gender identities within the context of religion, and is particularly interested in how these play out in societies that have undergone periods of sustained violent conflict.

Sean Parks, May to December 2013

Sean Parks received a BA in Political Science with a focus on International Relations and Economics from Truman State University in 2012. Sean is currently studying to receive an MA in International Policy Studies with a focus on Human Security and Development, as well as a Conflict Resolution Certificate, from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. His research interests include post-conflict transition and justice, development economics, human rights, and humanitarian issues, specifically in regards to Middle-Eastern and North African states, and Muslim minority groups.