Who we are
Peace Direct is an award-winning, international NGO supporting local people in some of the most challenging conflict environments worldwide.
We are based in London, UK, and have offices in Washington, DC and New York.
If you’d like to work for Peace Direct, visit our jobs page to see current vacancies for interns or staff.
Elana Aquino, US Executive Director
Elana Aquino is Peace Direct’s US Executive Director, bringing over 15 years of experience in international development and peacebuilding. She worked on South Sudanese IDP return issues and as a Peace Building Program Officer. She focused on supporting locally driven women’s empowerment initiatives, recognizing women as a crucial factor in solidifying peace gains. In Kenya, she was rapidly promoted from researcher to Head of the key coordination secretariat between the government of Kenya and 17 international development agencies. She led the production of the national joint assistance strategy for Kenya, targeting her strengths: facilitation, communication strategies, supervising teams of experts, website development, research, data and risk analysis, benchmarking global best practices and nurturing partnerships.
She organized the first National Development Partnership Forum in Kenya co-chaired by the Prime Minister and the regional Head of the World Bank, with key participation from UN Agencies in the region. She is an ICAP (International Career Advancement Program) Fellow, a Fellow of the International Peace and Security Institute and a board member of Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security, and Conflict Transformation (WCAPS).
Vahe Mirikian, Director for US Policy
Vahe leads Peace Direct’s US office with policy advocacy, focusing on youth, peace and security, atrocity prevention, decolonization, and locally-led peacebuilding. His regional focuses are Africa, the Middle East, and Central and South Asia.
Prior to joining Peace Direct, Vahe interned with Search for Common Ground as a policy advocacy assistant with the Global Affairs and Partnerships department. He also has experience as a legislative intern working with Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., on Capitol Hill. Vahe has an M.A. in International Affairs from the American University of Paris and a B.A. in Politics from Saint Mary’s College of California.
Dica Adotevi, Senior Finance Officer
Dica handles the finances for Peace Direct’s US office. She has more than 20 years of professional nonprofit accounting experience.
Gay Rosenblum-Kumar, UN Representative
Gay is Peace Direct’s New York Representative where she interacts at the UN with Member States, UN staff and NGOs on efforts to support Peace Direct’s local peacebuilding partners in conflict-affected countries. She worked at the United Nations for 25 years on conflict transformation and peacebuilding issues primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. She has been involved in: conflict analysis, capacity-building for mediation and dialogue, electoral violence prevention, and conflict-sensitive policy and practice.
Gay has designed numerous peacebuilding programmes and co-founded the UN’s first cadre of peace and development advisors. Prior to that, she administered anti-apartheid capacity-building projects for refugees in southern Africa. In addition to representing Peace Direct at the UN, Gay is a senior advisor to Nonviolent Peaceforce and undertakes project formulation, analyses and evaluations of peacebuilding projects around the world.
Shannon Paige, Senior Policy and Partnerships Officer
Shannon Paige joined Peace Direct as a Herbert Scoville Peace Fellow in 2020. She now serves as Senior Policy and Partnerships Officer and leads the development of Peace Direct’s US peacebuilding program, co-leads the organization’s work to decolonise the wider international aid system, agenda, and advances the organization’s advocacy priorities.
She is the main author of “Time to Decolonise Aid” and co-author of “Race, Power, and Peacebuilding.” Prior to joining Peace Direct, she interned at a number of small international non-profits, most recently at New Light, a non-profit based in Kolkata, India that works with migrant sex workers. Shannon holds a B.A. in International Studies and Arabic from Kenyon College.
She is the main author of “Time to Decolonise Aid” and co-author of “Race, Power, and Peacebuilding.” Prior to joining Peace Direct, she interned at a number of small international non-profits, most recently at New Light, a non-profit based in Kolkata, India that works with migrant sex workers. Shannon holds a B.A. in International Studies and Arabic from Kenyon College.
Elsie Mares, Policy and Programs Associate
Elsie joined Peace Direct in 2021 first as a Herbert Scoville Peace Fellow before joining the team full-time in 2022 as the Policy and Programs Associate. She works across the US Advocacy Team and the International Programs Team to advance Peace Direct’s partner’s advocacy priorities, develop partnerships and program proposals with local peacebuilders, and support research and policymaking around the localization agenda. In Washington D.C, Elsie is affiliated with Foreign Policy for America’s NextGen Initative, Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security, and is an endorsed Progressive Talent Pipeline young professional.
She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Loyola Marymount University where she served as Student Body Vice President, leading initiatives focused on equity and inclusion. Throughout her undergraduate career, she interned with EMILY’s List, the UK Parliament, and LMU’s Global Policy Institute. She also previously worked with the United Farmworkers Foundation and continues to be involved with grassroots efforts to serve immigrant workers in the US. Elsie is thrilled to pursue her passion for addressing and preventing displacement through contributing to Peace Direct’s work toward a world without violent conflict.
Thomas M. Roane, Operations Associate
Thomas joined Peace Direct in 2022 as the Operations Associate for the US office. He works closely with the US Executive Director and the US Board of Directors to analyze and improve internal processes to advance Peace Direct’s global impact, supports the US team’s programmatic and advocacy efforts, and participates in OrgsInSolidarity.
Thomas graduated summa cum laude with a Master of Divinity from Boston University where he specialized in Religion, Conflict Transformation, and International Relations. Prior to his graduate studies, he graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Religion, Mandarin Chinese, and Human Rights and Conflict Studies from Birmingham-Southern College (BSC). At BSC, Thomas was a Hess Fellow with the General Board of Church and Society where he created a curriculum on the intersection of domestic violence with gun violence, migration, and women and children’s health.
Umama Sarwat, Development Officer
Umama joined Peace Direct in 2023 as the Development Officer for the US office. She leads development and fundraising efforts, with a focus on increasing unrestricted funding from individual and major donor giving, digital fundraising and marketing, corporate sponsors, and other innovative revenue streams. Prior to joining Peace Direct, Umama was employed with the Human Rights Campaign as the Major Gifts Coordinator.
While at the Human Rights Campaign, Umama was responsible for managing HRC’s major gifts database, stewardship, and assisting will all financial needs for the program. She also has experience creating a development plan for Compton YouthBuild, a small nonprofit focusing on training and assisting at-risk youth in the Compton, CA area. While employed at Compton YouthBuild, Umama launched an online #GivingTuesday campaign, which raised approximately $50,000. Umama has a B.A. in Criminal Justice from California State University, Fullerton.
Staff in the UK/EU
Dylan Mathews, Chief Executive
Dylan Mathews is CEO of Peace Direct having joined the organisation in 2015. His commitment to supporting local organisations in the global south spans almost twenty years, during which time he has worked for a range of peacebuilding, international development and humanitarian organisations. While working for the peacebuilding think tank Oxford Research Group, he authored ‘War Prevention Works’ which profiled the role of non-state actors in conflict prevention and resolution – a publication that helped launch Peace Direct in 2004. He is the editor of ‘Working with Conflict 2’ a practical toolkit for local peacebuilders, published in 2020. Dylan is the Vice Chair of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, a global peacebuilding network based in Washington DC.
Harriet Knox Brown, Head of Programmes and Research / Deputy CEO
Harriet oversees Peace Direct’s International Programmes and Research, providing guidance and strategic direction to the work, team and partnerships. Harriet has been supporting local organisations in the global south for over 15 years, working with Y Care International, the global YMCA movement and a range of youth-focused civil society organisations. Her work to date has focused primarily on youth empowerment, livelihoods, tackling injustice, and building more sustainable, socially relevant organisations. Harriet has an MSc in International Development Management and a BA in French and Hispanic Studies.
Valerie Bloomfield, Head of Finance and Operations
Valerie is responsible for all aspects of Finance, HR and administration for Peace Direct in the UK. This includes oversight of organisational budgeting, financial strategy, systems, monitoring and reporting, management of financial risk, HR and office administration. Valerie has over 20 years’ experience in the voluntary sector, both in international development and UK charities. After a master’s degree in International Business, she studied Human Rights for a year in Lyons in France, writing her final dissertation on Tibet after meeting the Dalai Lama in New York and spending six months at the Tibet Society. She is a CIMA qualified Chartered Global Management Accountant. Valerie came to Peace Direct from Y Care International. She is an avid runner and a keen reader
Gemma Britton, Head of Fundraising and Communications (job share)
Gemma leads the Fundraising and Communications team at Peace Direct, helping to grow the funds we need to bring about real change in areas of violent conflict and to raise the profile of Peace Direct and peacebuilding in general. She has 13 years’ experience in the UK charity sector and holds a BSc in Economics from Loughborough University.
Grace Rowley, Head of Fundraising and Communications (job share)
Grace jointly leads the Fundraising and Communications team at Peace Direct, steering our communications strategy across the organisation.
Charlotte Divin, Programme Funding Manager
Charlotte is responsible for helping our partners to develop their programmes and to liaise with government and other institutions to secure the necessary funding. She has been supporting Civil Society Organisations and networks around the world around thematics of peacebuilding, civil-military relations, international criminal law, human rights, and has provided organisational development support as an independent consultant. Charlotte also has experience in managing regional programmatic portfolios in West Africa. She holds a Masters in Bilingual Studies of the Laws of the EU States from University Paris X and an LLM in International Law and Security from Glasgow University.
Jennifer Pobi-Browne, International Programmes Manager
Jennifer is responsible for supporting the International Programmes team in their day to day work with partners, and for coordinating our atrocity prevention work in Burundi and DRC. She has over 10 years experience working in human rights, with a particular focus on the rights of women, children and young people in Latin America. Before joining the Peace Direct team, she was Programmes Manager for an NGO working in Colombia, supporting local partners to build safer communities through youth advocacy, psychosocial support and rights education.
Jennifer has an MA in Human Rights from UCL and a BA in Law (Jurisprudence) from Oxford University.
Lesley Agbarakwe, HR Manager
As HR Manager, Lesley is responsible for the overall strategic direction of HR within Peace Direct, as well as our people-related processes and culture. She comes to Peace Direct with over 25 years HR experience, spanning global and SME organisation across the private and charity sector. Lesley holds membership status of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (MCIPD) from Middlesex University and an HND in Business and Finance. She has worked in a homeless charity and more recently came to us from a charity focussing on research in environment and development.
Bénédicte Aboul-Nasr, Senior Programmes Officer, Great Lakes
Bénédicte manages Peace Direct’s work in the Great Lakes and Central Africa regions, primarily in Burundi, CAR, and the DRC, where she supports partner initiatives relating to peacebuilding and conflict resolution. Her experience has spanned the Middle East, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa, where she has worked with civil society on topics including links between corruption and conflict, post-conflict governance, and the protection of civilians. She previously worked with Transparency International’s Defence and Security programme and with the Center for Civilians in Conflict.
Bénédicte holds an undergraduate degree in French and Common Law from the Université Toulouse 1 Capitole and an LL.M. in Public International Law with a focus on international humanitarian law and human rights law from Queen Mary, University of London.
Manoela Baltar, Senior Programmes Officer
Manoela is a Senior Programmes Officer at Peace Direct, responsible for supporting our work in Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and beyond. On a daily basis, she coordinates with partners in those countries and supports them in developing and implementing locally-led initiatives to prevent violence and support long-term peace.
With an MSc in Violence, Conflict and Development from SOAS, University of London, and a BA in International Relations from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Manoela’s career has been focused on supporting programme implementation and helping to improve policy and practice in the humanitarian, development and peacebuilding sectors – while contributing to better integrating them through the “triple nexus” approach. Her experience includes working with grassroots organisations, government institutions and INGOs, including International Alert, the British Council and the EU. Among her many interests, Manoela is particularly devoted to promoting a human rights-based approach to P/CVE and exploring the links between underlying grievances and political violence.
Ebou Jammeh, Senior Programmes Officer
Ebou is responsible for leading and managing partnerships and projects, serves as focal point of contact for key country desk affairs within selected countries in Asia and Africa. He currently manages the locally led peacebuilding portfolios with a focus on social cohesion and violence prevention in Myanmar, Sudan, and Nigeria.
He has over 15 years experience in humanitarian and development programme management at both regional and in-country levels within Africa and Southeast Asia. He has an extensive background in operations related management and coordination of disasters/humanitarian relief and community-based interventions. He led systems improvement and programmatic capacity strengthening processes, and social cohesion building humanitarian response, coordination, and cooperation etc. Prior to joining Peace Direct, Ebou served in various roles across several INGOs including at The Gambia Red Cross-national Society, IFRC – Sahel Country Cluster (Dakar), Muslim Aid UK – London, and MA UK – Myanmar.
Ebou holds an MA in Diplomacy (University of Birmingham, UK), MSc in Peace and Development Work (Linnaeus University, Sweden), and a BSc (Hons) Disaster Management (Coventry University, UK).
His interest in peacebuilding extends to further research into “Under what conditions does an extended Third-Party commitment in Peace and State building fails to achieve durable peace?” and “What could be a peace-making strategy based on relative deprivation and provention”.
Sam Crocker, Senior Trusts & Foundations Officer
Sam is responsible for liaising with trusts and foundations to secure funding for Peace Direct and our partners. Having graduated with an MA in International Development from University of Sussex, he has since worked in Madagascar for the charity SEED Madagascar and for WWF, developing projects and seeking funding from various donors.
Dimitri Kotsiras, Senior Research Officer
Dimitri is temporarily acting up as a Research Manager. He oversees Peace Direct’s broader research agenda, including coordinating all research projects and developing research guidelines and strengthening internal research practice.
He currently leads on the USAID-funded ‘Stopping As Success’ project, on the Decolonising Systems project, Peace Insight and our atrocity prevention research in the Great Lakes region. He has previously supported democracy strengthening programmes at Westminster Foundation for Democracy.
He also acted as a researcher and campaigner with Crisis Action and Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, and he previously worked at the United Nations reporting on the UN Security Council.
Dimitri holds an MA in Conflict, Security and Development from King’s College London, and a BA in Political Science from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.
Ruby Quantson Davis, Senior Learning and Impact Advisor
Ruby ensures that learning is embedded in Peace Direct’s internal and external work. She collaborates with our global partners to strengthen knowledge, capture learning and measure impact to advance locally led peacebuilding, and our advocacy work, while supporting staff in organisational learning. Ruby comes to Peace Direct with almost 20 years’ global experience in public policy research and advocacy, deliberative conversations, community engagement and institutional development. With an M.A. in International Affairs and B.A. in French and Linguistics, from the University of Ghana, Ruby specialises in strengthening capacity for conflict prevention and peace processes, in places of political polarization, religious differences, ethnic, racial and gender divides. She has worked extensively within Africa and the South Pacific; Israel and the United States, using innovative ways of reflecting, learning, documenting, and sharing knowledge.
Raaval Bains, Research Officer
Raaval is responsible for supporting Peace Direct’s research work on Decolonising the System. He facilitates online Platform4Dialogue discussions, conducts qualitative data analysis and drafts research reports. His work currently focuses on the “Decolonising Peacebuilding Practice” research project as well as supporting on the “Local Voices for Peace” and USAID funded “Stopping As Success” projects. Raaval has previously worked on research projects that advocate for the decolonisation of secondary school education in the U.K.
Raaval holds an M.A in Social Anthropology with a focus on identity and belonging in ethnic minorities from SOAS, University of London and a B.A in History from the University of Cardif
Mélina Villeneuve, Research Officer
Mélina is responsible for supporting Peace Direct’s research, including our work on Decolonising Systems and atrocity prevention research in the Great Lakes region. She is currently working on responsible partnership transitions to locally-led entities through the USAID-funded Stopping As Success project.
Mélina previously worked at Demilitarise Education (@dED_UCATION), an organisation she co-founded whose mission is get universities in the UK to end their ties with the global arms trade. She is also a founding member of Minorities in Peace and Security, a network working to meaningfully engage marginalised communities in peacekeeping, peacebuilding, security & community engagement.
Mélina holds an B.A in Political Science with a minor in History from the University of Miami, in Florida, and an M.A in Security and International Law from the University of Manchester.
Kit Dorey, Policy and Advocacy Manager
Kit is Peace Direct’s Policy and Advocacy Manager, responsible for our advocacy efforts in the UK, aimed at key stakeholders including policymakers, donors and the peacebuilding and international development sectors. Previously at the Bond network, he coordinated cross-sector strategies for holding UK government to account for its delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2021 G7. In former roles, he has concentrated on international LGBT+ and minority rights, youth empowerment and the British Overseas Territories (BOTs), while living and working in Addis Ababa, Budapest, Glasgow and London. He holds an MPhil in Development Studies, for which his thesis focussed on pastoralism and post-development.
Anna Penfrat, EU Representative
Anna is Peace Direct’s Representative to the European Union (EU). She is responsible for our advocacy efforts in Brussels where she interacts with EU officials, EU member states and the peacebuilding and international development sectors. Previously Anna worked for ten years at the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO), where she coordinated the policy and advocacy work on EU institutions and policies. In former roles she worked for Search for Common Ground and ESSEC IRENÉ, focusing on programme support and EU fundraising. She holds a Master’s Degree in Conflict Analysis and Peacebuilding from Sciences Po Lille (France). In addition to representing Peace Direct, Anna also represents Nonviolent Peaceforce to the EU.
Oscar Lester, Fundraising and Engagement Officer
Oscar is responsible for raising the charitable profile of Peace Direct and building strong relationships with our supporter base. He holds a BSc in Politics, Governance and History from Canterbury Christ Church University, and an MA in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Manchester, where his thesis examined the contemporary limits of Euro-American Statebuilding in both theory and praxis.
Jennifer Venis, Senior Communications Officer
Jennifer is responsible for overseeing our cross-organisational communications strategy.
She works across teams to facilitate production of key publications and support the development of messages for all our audiences.
Jennifer has a background in journalism, focusing on human rights and international justice, and was formerly the Multimedia Journalist and Content Editor at the International Bar Association.
Natalie Roberts, Communications Officer
Natalie is responsible for working with colleagues and partners to develop compelling and engaging stories that demonstrate our impact. She is developing our ethical storytelling process, working with colleagues and partners to reach new audiences. She is also focused on specific projects including Peace Gold in DR Congo, and our Facebook and Instagram content strategy. Natalie joins Peace Direct from GPPAC, where she focused on developing stories with partners to showcase their inspiring work and ran their podcast. She holds a BA in Law and a Master’s degree in International Crimes, Conflict and Criminology.
Áine Donnelly, Finance Officer
Áine is responsible for processing payments and maintaining accurate financial records, in order to support the Finance, Fundraising & International Programmes teams with reporting and financial management. Áine graduated from the University of Oxford with a BA in Geography, and also holds a GradDip in Economics. Since graduating, she has volunteered with Teach A Child-Africa in Kenya, and has one year of experience as a Finance & Admin Officer at Restless Development.
Richard Andrew, Database Officer
Richard is responsible for data management at Peace Direct, ensuring supporter information and donations are effectively captured and processed, with a remit to further develop data systems. Richard graduated from the University of Hertfordshire with a BA in Media Arts and has a background in web, print and data management, with over 15 years’ experience working in the non-profit sector. He has previously worked with Kidscape, NHS Lambeth and Minority Rights Group, as well as smaller freelance projects, and volunteered for the Campaign Against Arms Trade.
US Board
Stacey Haefele, Chair
Stacey is a Global Agency Lead at Facebook, where her work focuses on building out alliances with management consultancies. Privately, she is active in promoting non-dualism, civil discourse, sustainable development and the advancement of women’s, human and non-human rights.
From 2008-2016 Stacey served as CEO of HNW, Inc., a marketing services and software firm focused on the high net worth segment. Previously, she was VP, Director of Digital Strategy at Digitas and a Consultant with CSC Index where her focus was corporate strategy and strategic marketing. She began her career in 1991 with Treuhandanstalt, the German privatization agency, where she aided East German companies in their efforts to be acquired by American businesses. Stacey holds a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where she was a Fellow at the Institute for War and Peace Studies and a BA in International Relations from Wellesley College. Stacey lives in New York City and Kent, Connecticut.
Colleen Smith CPA, Treasurer
Colleen is a Director at O’Connor Consulting Services. O’Connor Consulting Services is a women-owned Washington DC based firm that provides accounting and finance support to not-for-profit entities throughout the DC area.
Through Colleen’s work at O’Connor Consulting Services, she oversees the financial operations for clients, has served as Acting CFO for several clients, acted as a project manager on an accounting system implementation, and has conducted many reviews of clients’ financial operations and activities. Prior to joining OCS, Colleen served as Vice-President of Financial Planning and Analysis for National Geographic Ventures, a subsidiary of the National Geographic Society (NGS). She was also Director of Financial Planning and Analysis in the NGS CFO’s Office and worked for several years in the Controller’s Office at the Society. Prior to joining National Geographic, Colleen performed audits of not-for-profit organizations at KPMG. In recent years, Colleen has presented to key industry conferences, including the Greater Washington Society of CPAs’ Not-For-Profit Symposium and has attained the AICPA’s Not-for-Profit Certificates I and II. She is Vice President of the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) at St. Agnes Catholic School in Arlington and is on the Board of Directors for Arlington Babe Ruth Baseball. Colleen earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Quscondy-Mohamed Abdulshafi
Quscondy-Mohamed is a Regional Adviser at Freedom House, where he focuses on building and supporting grassroots human rights initiatives to amplify local voices and improve evidence-based self-advocacy. He was a Research and Advocacy intern in Washington with Peace Direct in the summer of 2017, where he implemented Sudan advocacy and research activities. Quscondy-Mohamed spent more than 10 years in the East and Horn of Africa Sudan, Ethiopia, and Uganda, working on peacebuilding, youth leadership, and human rights advocacy.
He was the founding staff of Sudan Democracy First Group (SDFG), a Sudanese advocacy and think tank organization, where he supported youth and women-led initiatives with leadership programs. Before joining SDFG, he was a Sudan Human Rights Monitoring Associate at the African Center for Peace and Justice Studies (ACJPS). Quscondy-Mohamed began his human rights and peace activism at Khartoum university in 2003, where he co-founded the Darfur Students Movement against the genocide in Darfur. He is the winner of the Civil Society Leadership Award from the Open Society Foundation in 2016 for his role in youth and civil society leadership for peace and democracy in Sudan. He holds dual masters in Sustainable International Development and Coexistence and Conflict Resolution at Heller School for social policy and management, Brandeis University. He did his BA in development studies at Kampala International University, Uganda.
Anthony Smith
Anthony is the Chief Executive at Westminster Foundation for Democracy. Anthony joined WFD in August 2014. He is a member of the Foreign Secretary’s Advisory Board on Human Rights and of the Board of the European Partnership for Democracy. Anthony’s role in WFD builds on his international experience. He was previously a member of the Diplomatic Service and a Civil Servant.
He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1986, served in the Embassy in Madrid and worked on a range of European policy issues including the Balkans, trade policy and Common Foreign and Security Policy. In 1996 he moved to the Department for International Development (DFID) where he worked on Environment Policy, Europe and Southern Africa, as well as being Private Secretary to Clare Short when she was Secretary of State for International Development. Anthony returned to the FCO as Director for European Political Affairs from 2006-2008 before becoming International Relations Director at DFID from 2008-2014, responsible for DFID’s policy on EU development issues, DFID’s funding to the UN system and the Commonwealth, engagement with the G20 and G8, and relations with development partners.
Evelyn Thornton
Evelyn is a management and strategy coach to a diverse array of mission-driven leaders. Previously, she was the Chief Executive Officer of Inclusive Security, a Washington-based non-profit organization that increases women’s influence in preventing and ending violent conflict. During her tenure, she established an innovative shared leadership structure and dramatically expanded Inclusive Security’s impact through programs in seven conflict zones, a network of partners in 45 countries, and strategic communications and advocacy campaigns that influenced thousands.
Evelyn also spent several formative years working in India for His Holiness, The Dalai Lama’s Foundation for Universal Responsibility. She holds a master’s degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University and a B.A. from Virginia Tech. Evelyn lives in Washington, DC with her husband and their two vivacious young daughters, and frequently returns to the Blue Ridge farm where she was raised.
Kehinde A. Togun
Kehinde is the Managing Director of Public Engagement at Humanity United. He has led global democracy and governance programs for over 15 years. He was previously a senior director at The Arkin Group, specializing in international risk management, business intelligence, and strategic advisory. He is also an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Rutgers University – Newark. He also served as the Deputy Director of PartnersGlobal’s Sub-Saharan Africa team where he led the portfolio of anti-corruption, governance, and security reform programs on the continent.
Prior to joining Partners, he worked at the National Democratic Institute (NDI), with stints on the Eurasia, Middle East and North Africa, and Southern and East Africa teams. Kehinde was also the Monitoring and Evaluation officer for NDI in Iraq; and during Nigeria’s 2011 elections, he trained and advised civil society in the Niger Delta as they monitored the electoral process. Kehinde is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Truman National Security Fellow. He is on the steering committee of the Peace and Security Funders Group as well as the boards of Partners West Africa-Nigeria and the Center for Racial Justice in Education. He holds a Master’s degree from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. The New America Foundation and the Diversity in National Security Network named him one of 20 next generation Black American national security and foreign policy leaders in 2020.
Ben Naimark-Rowse
Ben is a Topol Fellow in Nonviolent Resistance and PhD candidate at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. During 2022, he served as International Collective Action and Social Movements Expert for the US Agency for International Development’s Democracy Human Rights and Governance Center (USAID – Consultant). He is a Term Member in the Council on Foreign Relations and a Truman National Security Fellow.
Ben’s expertise on social movements and resourcing of movements draws on two decades spent in academia and civil society working with movements, NGOs, and donors. Ben has served as a Program Officer with the Open Society Foundations, an electoral observer with The Carter Center, a board member of the University of Chicago’s Human Rights Program, and an advisory committee member of the Leading Change Network. His research has been supported by a Harvard Program on Negotiation Graduate Research Fellowship and as a USIP-Minerva Peace and Security Scholar. His publications include Dollars and Dissent,” “Liberating the ‘Enemy’,” “Nonviolent Resistance,” “Darfurian Voices,” “Surviving Success: Nonviolent Rebellion in Sudan,” “¿Que Bolá Cuba?,” and “The Founding Myth of the United States of America.” Ben holds a M.P.A. from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and a B.A. with honors from the University of Chicago. He and his wife, Nadia Marzouki are the parents of twin girls.
UK Trustees
Anthony Smith, Chair
Anthony is the Chief Executive at Westminster Foundation for Democracy. Anthony joined WFD in August 2014. He is a member of the Foreign Secretary’s Advisory Board on Human Rights and of the Board of the European Partnership for Democracy. Anthony’s role in WFD builds on his international experience. He was previously a member of the Diplomatic Service and a Civil Servant. He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1986, served in the Embassy in Madrid and worked on a range of European policy issues including the Balkans, trade policy and Common Foreign and Security Policy. In 1996 he moved to the Department for International Development (DFID) where he worked on Environment Policy, Europe and Southern Africa, as well as being Private Secretary to Clare Short when she was Secretary of State for International Development. Anthony returned to the FCO as Director for European Political Affairs from 2006-2008 before becoming International Relations Director at DFID from 2008-2014, responsible for DFID’s policy on EU development issues, DFID’s funding to the UN system and the Commonwealth, engagement with the G20 and G8, and relations with development partners.
Belinda Bell, Trustee
Belinda is a social entrepreneur who is currently based at the Centre for Social Innovation at the University of Cambridge. She runs programmes which provide training and support for social entrepreneurs, and also teaches social innovation on a number of academic programmes. Previously, she has established and grown a number of social enterprises and she sits on the board of several social organisations. Belinda holds a doctorate from Middlesex University, a master’s degree in community enterprise from the University of Cambridge and a bachelor’s degree in social anthropology from Goldsmiths College, University of London.
David Cutler, Trustee
David has been the Director of the Baring Foundation since 2003. The Foundation is one of the UK’s best known independent funders, giving grants on social justice issues in the UK and in Africa. Before that David has worked for a number voluntary sector organisations both at the local and national level. He is a trustee of the Equally Ours, a civil society collation on equalities and human rights and has been a board member of a number of charities including Amnesty International UK and THET (the Tropical Health Education Trust which links NHS organisations to health centres in the developing world).
David Loyn, Trustee
David Loyn has been a foreign correspondent since the late 1970s, mostly with the BBC. He is an authority on Afghan history. He holds an MA degree in Modern History from Oxford University, and is a qualified barrister. He has won awards in both Radio and Television reporting, including Journalist of the Year from the Royal Television Society for his reporting of the Kosovo conflict. He is a member of an advisory panel to the Foreign Office on South Asia policy, and a lecturer at the Diplomatic Academy. He joined the War Studies Department at King’s in September 2016.
Jennifer Larbie, Trustee
Jennifer Larbie leads the UK Advocacy and Policy team at Christian Aid, with a focus on policy development and advocacy towards the UK government. She represents the organisation in the media and political arena. Jennifer joined Christian Aid in October 2020. Previously, Jennifer was Head of Foreign, Defence and International Development policy at the Labour Party, where she also directed the Party’s international democracy building programmes. Jennifer holds a master’s degree in development studies from the London School of Economics, specialising in economic development policy in Africa. She has previously held roles in Parliament and the National Education Union.
[three_panel title_pos="top" link="" title="
Niamh Neville, Trustee
" image=""][hidden_text teaser="Niamh has 15 years marketing and fundraising experience and has worked with over 100 charities."]Niamh has 15 years marketing and fundraising experience and has worked with over 100 charities. She is experienced in a diverse range of fundraising disciplines and channels gained at creative agencies, directly for charities, consultancy and in the field as a volunteer fundraiser in Zambia. Most recently she’s acted as a senior level fundraising consultant but has previously held roles at The Scout Association and WaterAid.
Nick Whitaker, Trustee
Nick Whitaker is a Chartered Accountant with substantial experience in auditing, corporate finance and forensic services across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. A former partner of PKF(UK)LLP/BDO LLP, Nick is a Non-Executive Director/Trustee of: The Intellectual Property Law Regulation Board, Business Continuity Institute and the Refugee Council. He is also the of Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee for Housing Solutions, The Science Council and Leeds Beckett University.
Stacey Haefele, Trustee
Stacey is a Global Agency Lead at Facebook, where her work focuses on building out alliances with management consultancies. Privately, she is active in promoting non-dualism, civil discourse, sustainable development and the advancement of women’s, human and non-human rights. From 2008-2016 Stacey served as CEO of HNW, Inc., a marketing services and software firm focused on the high net worth segment. Previously, she was VP, Director of Digital Strategy at Digitas and a Consultant with CSC Index where her focus was corporate strategy and strategic marketing. She began her career in 1991 with Treuhandanstalt, the German privatization agency, where she aided East German companies in their efforts to be acquired by American businesses. Stacey holds a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where she was a Fellow at the Institute for War and Peace Studies and a BA in International Relations from Wellesley College. Stacey lives in New York City and Kent, Connecticut.
Patrons
Scilla Elworthy
Dr Scilla Elworthy is a distinguished activist for peace and has worked on peace related issues for over 30 years. In 1982 Dr Elworthy founded the Oxford Research Group, dedicated to researching defence-decision making and developing effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policy-makers and their critics. For this work she was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize and awarded the Niwano Peace Prize in 2003. From 2005 to 2007 Dr Elworthy helped to set up The Elders Initiative and acted as an advisor to Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and Richard Branson. In 2002 she co-founded Peace Direct alongside Carolyn Hayman OBE.
Sir Mark Rylance
Sir Mark Rylance, Oscar winner, actor and former Artistic Director of the Globe Theatre, is a supporter of Conscience, Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), The Peace Pledge Union and World Development Movement (WDM). He was born in England in 1960 and raised in America until 1978. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he was given his first job by the Citizens’ Theatre, Glasgow in 1981. Mark is also an Associate Artist of the RSC, a Friend of the Francis Bacon Research Trust and Chairman of the Shakespearean Authorship Trust. He is also a trustee of the Murray Cox Foundation, and an honorary bencher of the Middle Temple. He lives in London with his wife and two daughters.
More about us
