I am a graduate of the Georgetown M.A. Program in Conflict Resolution and the current Conflict Mitigation Manager for the ARD-USAID Local Governance and Community Development (LGCD) project in north and west Afghanistan. I provide the strategic guidance to our interventions in conflicted areas and oversight of our sub-projects. My unit's work is primarily in conflicted areas that are immediate post-kinetic (after fighting). Our objective is to help communities establish sustainable peace and strengthen them against the Taliban by creating linkages with the Afghan government.

While attending graduate school, I focused on the security aspects of conflict mitigation and transformation and had the opportunity to work as a research assistant within the Department of Defense at the National War College, an institution distinct for its focus on interagency solutions to complex challenges. My research for the National War College included a study of the interagency and intragovernmental negotiations that led to S/CRS and course design support to 15 graduate level courses. I also worked as a military culture analyst at Hicks and Associates, Inc. (subsidiary of SAIC) on the Sudan, Chad, and Philippines projects.

I took a semester off from Georgetown to serve in Liberia as a project officer for an international non-governmental organization. I was in the field with a team of national staff, interacting daily with ex-combatants and host communities to facilitate the organization's unique DDR program. I initiated a research program to capture the experiences of the beneficiary population and interviewed ex-combatants with a view to understanding the dynamics of fighter recruitment, retention, and demobilization.

Before starting at Georgetown, I performed field research in conjunction with the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) as part of my undergraduate honors thesis project exploring motivations for developing countries to contribute military forces to United Nations peace operations.

Contact Details

Email: daw46 at georgetown.edu

Education

Academics
MA Conflict Resolution 2007
Georgetown University

BA International Relations 2004
University of California, Davis

Professional Training & Certification
Multi-Party Negotiation/ Conflict Management Executive Workshop
Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Air Force

Washington Diplomat Defense Seminar
Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, National Defense University

Honors
Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research (Honorable Mention)
University of California, Davis

Experiences

Professional Experience
Conflict Mitigation Manager,
ARD-USAID - Local Governance and Community Development Project (Afghanistan)

Project Officer and Research Supervisor,
Landmine Action - Human Security Programme (Liberia)

Research Assistant,
National War College (Washington, DC)

Military Culture Analyst,
Hicks and Associates, Inc. (subsidiary of SAIC) (Vienna, VA)

Presentations
- "Do Fighters Fade Away? DDR and its Effect on Armed Groups."
Faculty Development Seminar, Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies

- "The Influence of Ex-Combatants in Liberia - The Case of Guthrie Rubber Plantation."
Faculty Development Seminar, National War College

- “Poor Man’s Charity?: Why Developing Countries Contribute to United Nations Peace Operations.”
UC Davis Undergraduate Research Conference
Slides

-“Convergence of Interests: Peace Operations as a Means of Strengthening European Union (EU) Common Foreign and Security Policy.”
EU Center of California

Cross-Cultural
International Experience:
- 2007 Ex-Combatant Field Research (Liberia)
- 2004 United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) Field Study (Liberia)
- 2003 Assembly Line Work, Ford Auto Plant (Germany)
- 1999 Volunteer Worker, State Gubernatorial Campaign (Germany)

Languages: German (speak, read), French (beginning)