Berkley Center

Mohammed Abu-Nimer is a senior adviser at the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) and professor in the International Peace and Conflict Resolution program at American University's School of International Service. An expert on conflict resolution and dialogue for peace, his work has focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and on application of conflict resolution models in Muslim communities.

Susan Hayward is a specialist on religion, peace, and human rights and a research fellow at the Georgetown University Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. From 2007 to 2021, she worked with the Religion and Inclusive Societies team at the U.S. Institute of Peace, partnering with faith-based and religious actors worldwide to transform violence and advance just peace with a particular focus on Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Colombia. In this role, she also sought to strengthen religious literacy within U.S. foreign policy and global diplomacy, partnering with the State Department, USAID, and the European Union, among others. From 2020 to 2023, Hayward supported the establishment and development of the Religion and Public Life program at Harvard Divinity School, building a graduate level certificate program for students seeking careers to advance religious literacy for just peace in vocations such as policymaking, humanitarian action, and organizing.

Sheherazade Jafari is an adjunct lecturer in the Program on Justice and Peace at Georgetown University. As an educator, facilitator, researcher, and trainer, Jafari brings an equity lens to building inclusive cultures and to sustainably resolving and transforming conflict within organizations and communities. At Georgetown University, she teaches courses on Religion in Conflict & Peacebuilding and Decolonizing Peace & Justice. She is also a co-founder and lead consultant of The Ripple Collective, through which she works with social change organizations to navigate conflicts in ways that foster generative outcomes and advance racial justice. Her recent publications include Religion and Gender Action Guide (United States Institute of Peace Press, 2023). 

Melissa Nozell is a strategic religious engagement fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, where she supports an initiative dedicated to documenting and strengthening the U.S. government’s capacity for strategic religious engagement in the contexts of diplomacy, development, and defense. She served as the senior program officer for religion and inclusive societies at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), where she led initiatives to research and support the effective engagement of religious actors in conflict prevention and resolution. Prior to joining USIP in 2014, Melissa supported humanitarian aid efforts for Syrian refugees in Jordan and researched religious trends in the United States through the Pluralism Project at Harvard University and in the Middle East through the Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Center. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University and a master of theological studies from Harvard University.

Jessica Roland serves as senior specialist for inclusive peace at the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers, where she leads efforts to advance the organization’s strategic priorities related to the inclusion and leadership of women, youth, and marginalized communities. Before joining the Network, she held a senior policy and advocacy role at Women Deliver and previously worked with the National Democratic Institute to promote women’s political participation. She has also contributed to a U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women grant initiative focused on improving services for survivors of domestic violence with disabilities. Roland holds a Master of Arts in International Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Richmond, the American International University of London.

Sahlim Charles is the executive director of Re-Imagining New Communities. His research examines the availability, accessibility, and condition of children’s play and recreation spaces in Nairobi’s informal urban settlements, with a focus on their role in improving overall living conditions for children.