AC4 Conflict Resolution Alumni Career Panel

Jenny Besch (TC ’98), Director of the Westchester and Rockland Mediation Centers of CLUSTER, Inc

Jenny Besch, Director of the Westchester and Rockland Mediation Centers of CLUSTER, Inc. since 1998, is a certified mediator and State Certified Trainer with advanced training in community mediation, parent-child mediation, custody-visitation mediation, divorce mediation, child permanency mediation, lemon law arbitration, employment discrimination mediation, victim offender mediation and restorative justice group conferencing. She holds a Masters degree in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, where she also did her undergraduate work. She is co-author of Parenting through Divorce: A Collaborative Negotiation, a training designed to assist parents and children adjust to their changing circumstances. She has served on the Board of Directors of the New York State Dispute Resolution Association, as well as EPIC, a noted parent effectiveness training and service organization and presently serves on the Governors Juvenile Justice Advisory Group.

In addition to her work at WRMC, Jenny is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University in their graduate program in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, where she teaches Advanced Mediation.

Alon Hillel-Tuch (NECR ’11), Co-Founder & CFO, RocketHub

Alon works on the development of the emerging crowdfunding market, using technology and social ritual to help people interact, communicate, exchange, and share ideas. Alon’s additional focus is on education and awareness having lectured at social conferences such as Tedx as well as Fortune 500 companies and universities. Alon has testified on the JOBS Act in front of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee in US Congress, and published three well respected whitepapers on the JOBS Act that received critical acclaim from government, press, and regulatory groups. Alon hosted the Whitehouse’s Jobs Council at RocketHub’s headquarters, and oversaw a FINRA’s Capital Markets Series module. Born and raised in The Netherlands, Alon received his B.A. from Hamilton College, and his M.Sc from Columbia University.

Enid Portuguez (NECR ’12), Digital Media Officer, World Federation of United Nations Associations

Before venturing into the masters program in negotiation and conflict resolution at Columbia, Enid covered entertainment and style topics as a reporter, writer and editor for print and online publications such as the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Daily News, InStyle.com, and the Daily Beast. In her current role, she is responsible for developing and managing WFUNA’s digital presence through its website, social media platforms, e-newsletters and online campaigns as well as coordinating WFUNA’s marketing and communications projects and initiatives.

Francesco Mancini (SIPA ’03), Senior Director of Research, International Peace Institute

As Senior Director of Research at the International Peace Institute (IPI), Francesco Mancini develops and leads IPI’s research agenda, quality control of research outputs, manage research staff, and fundraising. His research focuses on conflict analysis, prevention, mediation, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding. He also leads IPI’s largest program that works on strengthening multilateral response capacity to crises and conflict. He launched and oversees www.theglobalobservatory.org. He regularly lectures in academic institutions and presents to conferences and governments on global peace and security issues. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where he teaches conflict assessment.

“Rae” Yunzi Tan, PhD (TC ’13), Assistant Professor of Negotiation and Conflict Management, School of Public and International Affairs, College of Public Affairs, University of Baltimore

As a current full-time faculty member in the Negotiation and Conflict Management program at the University of Baltimore, Rae teaches graduate courses on research methods, approaches to managing conflict, and organizational conflict management. Her research interests include diversity training, team conflict management, as well as conflict management training, interventions and systems in organizational contexts. Prior to her current role, Rae had taught as an adjunct professor at both the Morton Deutsch-International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution (MD-ICCCR) and the Social-Organizational Psychology programs at Teachers College, Columbia University. Aside from her academic experiences, Rae is also an experienced professional in organizational development, with a background in strategic change consulting, organizational research, marketing and business development in both private and not-for-profit sectors.

Michelle Jackson (NECR ’11), Founder, Snap Indigo

Michelle Jackson is the Founder of Snap Indigo, a creative collaboration consultancy. For the last 20 years she’s worked for Fortune 500 corporations, community organizations and entrepreneurs moving ideas to reality. The NECR MS program gave her the theoretical understanding of conflict resolution and how it applies to her interests in moving ideas to reality. Her recent projects includes work for a major advertising agency as well as for the AC4, Earth Institute on Cosmopolis 2045. She also serves on various not-for-profit/community boards; focusing on the health and well-being of New York City residents.

Krister Lowe, (TC ’00 M.A. and TC ’14 Ph.D.), Organizational Psychologist & Partner, C Global Consulting

Krister Lowe, Ph.D., is an Organizational Psychologist and Partner at C Global Consulting based in New York City. Dr. Lowe has more than 15 years of experience providing training, facilitation, consulting and coaching interventions for organizations in more than 25countries around the globe. He currently leads a team of consultants providing specialized solutions in the areas of conflict resolution, performance management, team effectiveness, and leadership development. Krister holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Social-Organizational Psychology from Columbia University. He is a certified Mediator in New York State, is a Master Trainer in the NBI suite of psychological and neuroscience based assessments, and is pursuing coaching certification through the Coaches Training Institute (CTI).