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During our interview, a painting hung behind Dr. Durdana Islam. I came to learn that she herself had painted it–“15 tulips for 15 people who have helped shape my life in ways I didn’t think possible.” It is this deep sense of connection which drives her work in business sustainability, community engagement, and mentorship. Born…

When Sonja Wood reflects on her path into peacebuilding, she traces it not to a classroom or policy forum but to a series of lived experiences that exposed systemic inequities. Long before ever considering a career in mediation. Originally from France, Sonja built her early professional life in chemical engineering, completing a master’s degree and…

Jennifer Nackos knows there’s no such thing as a perfect mediator. This, however, won’t stop her from trying. She explains her routine before every session: “I imagine that I’m walking through a screen door and filtering out all of my biases and my opinions, all of the things that could take an effect on the…

Roslyn Williams George “always had a soft spot for people who faced challenges.” They would be drawn to her as a shoulder to lean on, and Roslyn would be more than happy to listen. Listening, after all, is a skill, and Roslyn has it in spades. She notes how it is important to meet people…

For Rut Rivera-Encarnación, mediation is far more than a professional skill. In her world, it is a calling rooted in dignity, empowerment, and the belief that “people are the experts of their own situations.” Rut earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the Universidad de Puerto Rico before earning her JD at the…

Stefan Schwartzmann isn’t your typical entrepreneur. Yes, he’s started a successful company stretching across ten Latin American countries, and yes, he’s currently deep in conversations about “scalable growth.” But what makes Stefan stand out is his sense of purpose. He’s not in the startup world for the money or recognition, but rather the peace. If…

Growing up in Ecuador, Alicia Arias Salgado has always been keenly aware of the injustice happening around her. The law is applied differently depending on who you are, and corruption abounds. As a law student, Alicia vowed to advocate for justice reform in her country. Now, she works as a lawyer, mediator and arbitrator to…

Mediators and peacebuilders in this community of practitioners at MBBI, work tirelessly every day toward building a “peaceable” world. The teams conduct analysis, design interventions, facilitate training, convene gatherings, and a whole lot more. It is time to recognize them at this time with a celebration of their work and a spotlight on their impact….

Somia Sadiq is a space-maker for more women of colour to assume leadership roles, and a tenacious boundary-pusher advancing peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts across the globe. She believes stories have the power to advance diplomacy, break barriers, and promote healing. With ancestral roots in post-colonial Punjab and Kashmir, Somia Sadiq holds experience in environmental sciences,…

During the Nigerian Civil War in 1967, a young couple fled the country through underground tunnels. They ended up in Côte d’Ivoire, where shortly thereafter, a future peace advocate was born: Mr. James Offuh. As a child, his parents took him to Nigeria to rediscover his roots in the Igbo community. Mr. Offuh grew up…