Alliance for Peacebuilding / About Us
Board of Directors
All board members serve on the board in their personal capacities and not as representatives of their respective organizations. Organizational affiliations and addresses are listed for informational purposes only.
Board Leadership & Executive Committee
Alan Fitts — Board Chair & Executive Committee Member
Alan Fitts serves as the Vice President and Chief of Staff for the Corporate Affairs & Communications (CA&C) Division at American Express, which includes the firm's internal and external communications departments; Corporate Responsibility and the AmEx Foundation; DEI initiatives and ESG. In this role, Alan oversees a wide range of strategic initiatives across CA&C globally. He also oversees CA&C strategy and key deliverables; manages finance, compliance, and third-party lifecycle processes for the department; and runs day-to-day administration of the office of Chief Communications Officer Jennifer Skyler. As a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, Alan works closely with American Express CA&C colleagues, business partners, Executive Committee members, and other key stakeholders.
Rebecca Crall — Board Vice Chair & Executive Committee Member
Rebecca Crall is the Area of Focus Manager for Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention. She has been with Rotary International since 2006, working primarily with the strategic and programmatic development of the Rotary’s Peace Initiatives. Her work as Area of Focus Manager centers on the strategic growth of the PCP portfolio with an emphasis on the development of the Rotary strategic partnership with the Institute for Economics and Peace.
Nic Hailey — Board Treasurer & Executive Committee Member
Nic Hailey CMG joined International Alert as Executive Director in September 2021. Prior to this role, he spent 24 years in the UK Diplomatic Service, most recently as a Director-General at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (responsible for the merger of the FCO and DFID); High Commissioner (i.e. UK Ambassador) to Kenya 2015-19; Africa Director 2013-15; and deputy Ambassador to Afghanistan 2012-13. He previously served in UK embassies in Washington DC, Berlin and Paris as well as a range of roles in London. Nic was educated at a Steiner Waldorf school, Cambridge University and the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (Paris).
Judy Dunbar — Board Secretary & Executive Committee Member
Judy Dunbar is Director, Social & Community Impact, at Converse. In her role, she is responsible for helping Converse connect young people to the resources and opportunities they need to fulfill their potential. Judy is committed to developing impact programs that reflect the values and mission of the company and create meaningful social impact. Since joining the Brand, she has grown the company’s charitable giving footprint more than tenfold, led by community partnerships in Converse’s hometown of Boston, as well as Los Angeles, New York and the U.K.
Board Members
Julia Roig
Julia Roig is the Founder and Chief Network Weaver of The Horizons Project, an initiative to bridge peacebuilding, democracy and social justice in the US, bringing together international expertise and networks for broader movement-building and solidarity.
Allison Poyac-Clarkin
Allison Poyac-Clarkin is the Senior Vice President of Programs at Management Systems International who serves as a member of the Executive Management Team and oversees MSI's extensive democracy, governance, and conflict portfolio. With more than 20 years of development experience, Ms. Poyac-Clarkin brings substantial knowledge of conflict theory and assessment and robust technical expertise in countering violent extremism and promoting peace in conflict and post-conflict contexts.
Deborah Kennedy-Iraheta
Deborah Kennedy-Iraheta currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at FHI 360. Her extensive career in international development spans more than three decades. Prior to joining FHI 360, she worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Kemi Okenyodo
Kemi Okenyodo, Founder/Executive Director, Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative also known as Partners West Africa Nigeria has over twenty years of experience in security, governance, criminal justice reform and NGO management in Nigeria and West Africa. She presently provides strategic and operational leadership for the organization with the support of a vibrant Board and team.
Maleeka Glover
Maleeka Glover is the Executive Director for Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security, and Conflict Transformation (WCAPS). For the past 20 years, Maleeka has worked across many areas of public health, both domestically and globally, holding positions with the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, in addition to several academic institutions.
Rev. Mark E. Fowler
Rev. Mark E. Fowler is the Chief Executive Officer at Tanenbaum who is responsible for guiding the organization to the fulfillment of its mission to promote justice and build respect for religious difference by transforming individuals and institutions to reduce prejudice, hatred, and violence. Rev. Fowler is a sought-after keynote speaker and facilitator in all of Tanenbaum’s core program areas and has addressed organizations globally on issues of equality in race, gender, sexual orientation and religion.
Miguel Diaz
Miguel Diaz is the John Courtney Murray University Chair in Public Service at Loyola University Chicago and was selected by President Barack Obama as the 9th U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See. Prof. Díaz obtained his doctorate in Systematic Theology from the University of Notre Dame. He is a member of the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA) and member and former President of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS).
Shaila Gupta
Shaila Gupta is the Vice President at Luminate where she leads global finance, funding operations, IT, facilities, and legal functions. Shaila brings over 15 years of consulting and portfolio management to her role, with special expertise in financial analysis spanning across both established and emerging markets.
Sonya Reines-Djivanides
Sonya Reines-Djivanides is the Executive Director of the EPLO, a network of 45 individual NGOs, networks of NGOs and think tanks from 17 European countries (13 EU Member States plus Kosovo, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom). She has more than fifteen years of experience in international conflict resolution and works, in her current role, towards peacebuilding and the prevention of violent conflict.
Thomas Campbell
Tom Campbell has counseled U.S. and multinational corporations facing catastrophic financial and reputational loss or losses associated with a crisis for more than 30 years. Tom’s global perspective and emphasis on strategic planning and policy are reflective of his experience in Washington, D.C. as the former General Counsel of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under President George H.W. Bush. There he played a key role in the United States government’s response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill crisis. Additionally, he spent years representing private sector clients in his roles as a founding partner at Campbell, George & Strong, LLP. and managing partner of Pillsbury, Wintrop, Shaw, and Pittman's Houston office.
Alpaslan (Alp) Özerdem
Alpaslan (Alp) Özerdem is the Dean of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. He is an accomplished academic specializing in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and post-conflict reconstruction. With more than 20 years of experience, he has conducted extensive field research in conflict zones, authored 14 books, and written numerous journal articles, book chapters, and op-eds. He actively engages with international organizations and his contributions include developing training programs for humanitarian aid practitioners, civil servants, and policymakers. He holds a PhD in Post-war Recovery Studies.
Emeritus Board Members
Chip Hauss — Emeritus Member
Charles “Chip” Hauss has spent fifty years as an author, activist, and mentor. He currently serves as Senior Fellow for Innovation at AfP and is the lead editor of AfP ‘s book series with Rowman and Littlefield, Peace and Security in the Twenty-First Century, for which he wrote the lead volume.
Rob Ricigliano — Emeritus Member
Robert Ricigliano is a systems and complexity coach at The Omidyar Group where he supports and guides teams within organizations and initiatives in efforts to better understand and effectively engage with dynamic systems.