Two years after the emergence of COVID-19, the pandemic continues to menace global public health and destabilize the global economy. War and humanitarian disasters are ravaging Yemen and Ukraine. Today’s most urgent events require a skilled and nimble approach to conflict resolution.
Agility in the conflict resolution field is crucial when quick decisions can have large-scale consequences–whether it’s a shift in workplace culture, the change of course on a program, or when global events impact carefully laid out strategies. Leaders representing different sectors within the conflict resolution field will discuss the role of agility in their work and what practices and experiences have helped them develop this critical skill.
RSVP for the fourth event in our Agility 2.0 series, “Agility in the Moment,” on May 2. The event’s speakers, School of Professional Studies Lecturers Dr. Ramone Segree, Mark Whitlock, and Dr. Dianne Williams, as well as Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Program Director Dr. Beth Fisher-Yoshida, will speak to the importance of agility in the moment across various scenarios.
Mediation on the international stage
Dr. Dianne Williams brings a wide range of international conflict-related training experience. She has a strong background in the Caribbean and Latin America, in particular around criminology, conflict resolution, mediation, restorative practices, restorative justice, and cultural competency. In her previous life she was a Criminologist and Consultant and has done coursework at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, the International Institute for Restorative Practices as well as the National Defense University William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, where she is a rostered adjunct instructor. She is a Clinically Certified Criminal Justice Specialist, a Certified Sentence Mitigation Specialist, a Certified Social and Behavioral Research Investigator and a Certified Mediator. She is a Licensed Trainer of Trainers in Restorative Practices, a Crime Prevention through Community Engagement and a Crime Prevention through Environmental Design specialist. Dr. Williams has numerous publications and co-authored the 2012 United Nations’ Human Development Report for Trinidad and Tobago.
The prevention of atrocities
Mark Whitlock teaches the final Capstone Thesis seminar as part of the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program. Whitlock’s research and practice examines identity-based political violence and decision-making, emphasizing operational early warning and response (EWR).
His research has specifically analyzed the theory to practice nexus, forecasting writ-large, and the prevention of mass atrocities/mass killing. He has conducted research and consulted on regional early warning architectures primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central Europe with organizations including The Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and The Visegrad Group. He recently coordinated research for the Africa Task Force on the Prevention of Mass Atrocities (ATF), and contributed to the development of an internal handbook on conflict prevention and decision making for UNOWAS political staff while based in Dakar, Senegal. He has contributed to developing online simulations for graduate students that explore the aforementioned themes highlighting conflict analysis, communication, and decision-making.
Investing in women globally
Dr. Ramone Segree is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), is a nonprofit executive, fundraiser, brand manager, and strategist. He serves as U.S. Executive Director/Vice President, Marketing, Development and Communications for Women for Women International. He was previously VP for Development, Chief Development Officer and Senior Director, Development, Alumni Affairs and Education, NYU Langone Health, Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Langone Long Island. He also was VP for Advancement and Foundation Executive Director, LaGuardia Community College/CUNY, SVP for Advancement, Meharry Medical College, VP for Advancement and Foundation Executive Director, Salem State University, and VP for Development, Pittsburgh Public Theater.
He was President of Segree Associates, a strategic management and philanthropy firm he formed in 2002, and an interim executive member with the Registry for college and university presidents. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserves and Pennsylvania National Guard as a medical specialist. His publications include strategic management, philanthropy, leadership, and alumni affairs, and his research includes community psychology, arts learning, organizational leadership, and the college presidency.
Building communication skills for peace
As Professor of Professional Practice, Beth Fisher-Yoshida, Ph.D. teaches classes in negotiation, conflict resolution, and conflict analysis. Her approach to learning is based on her core belief that when we improve communication by developing more self-awareness, we will have better relationships and improved negotiation practices.
Dr. Fisher-Yoshida is Executive Director of the Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict and Complexity (AC4) and Director of the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) program, both housed in the Earth Institute at Columbia University. In her role at YPS she has been working to develop systemic approaches to building more effective communities through youth leadership in Medellín, Colombia, using a Social Lab approach.
Dr. Fisher-Yoshida partners with clients to develop customized interventions aimed at improving organizational performance. She is able to blend the best of both worlds: the knowledge from academia with effective practices to apply successfully to real life situations. Her firm, Fisher Yoshida International, focuses on leading organizations through change by improving communication and creating shared goals and practices to align with the organization’s mission and vision. She works globally with clients and speaks conversational Japanese having lived and worked in Japan for 13 years.
Dr. Fisher-Yoshida is the author of numerous articles, chapters, edited books, authored a book on transnational leadership, and last year published, with Joan C. Lopez, “Redefining Theory and Practice to Guide Social Transformation: Emerging Research and Opportunities” (IGI Global). She has a new book to be released soon on women and negotiation. Her main areas of focus are Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM), negotiation, intercultural communication, conflict resolution and transformative learning.