Community of Practice

Canada

Adam Kahane is a founding partner of Generon Consulting and of the Global Leadership Initiative. He is a leading designer and facilitator of processes through which business, government, and civil society leaders can solve their toughest, most complex problems. He has worked in more than fifty countries, in every part of the world, with executives and politicians, generals and guerillas, civil servants and trade unionists, community activists and United Nations officials, clergy and artists.

Adam is the author of Solving Tough Problems: An Open Way of Talking, Listening, and Creating New Realities (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2004). Nelson Mandela said: “This breakthrough book addresses the central challenge of our time: finding a way to work together to solve the problems we have created.”

During the early 1990s, Adam was head of Social, Political, Economic and Technological Scenarios for Royal Dutch/Shell in London. Previously he held strategy and research positions with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (San Francisco), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (Paris), the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (Vienna), the Institute for Energy Economics (Tokyo), and the Universities of Toronto, British Columbia, California, and the Western Cape. In 1991 and 1992, Adam facilitated the Mont Fleur Scenario Project, in which a diverse group of South Africans worked together to effect the transition to democracy. Since then he has led many such seminal multi-stakeholder dialogue-and-action processes, throughout the world. He was one of the sixteen outstanding individuals featured in Fast Company’s first annual “Who’s Fast” and is a member of the World Academy of Art and Science, the Commission on Globalisation, the Aspen Institute’s Business Leaders’ Dialogue, the Society for Organizational Learning, the Global Leadership Network, and Global Business Network.

Adam has a B.Sc. in Physics (First Class Honors) from McGill University (Montreal), an M.A. in Energy and Resource Economics from the University of California (Berkeley), and an M.A. in Applied Behavioral Science from Bastyr University (Seattle). He has also studied negotiation at Harvard Law School and cello performance at Institut Marguerite-Bourgeoys. Originally from Montreal, he lives in Boston and Cape Town with his wife Dorothy and their family.

Guatemala
City: Guatemala

Lawyer and Notary, graduated at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala. Master degree in Public Policies by the Universidad Rafael Landívar, and Doctorate degree in Social Sciences by FLACSO. Permanent professor of the Faculty of Agronomy, USAC in the Area of Social Sciences and Rural Development. External consultant of ASIES in several research projects related to the peace process and to public policymaking initiatives. Weekly columnist of Siglo XXI. Adrian has been delegated by the USAC and FLACSO for several dialogue spaces for public policymaking for rural development through participatory processes. He has also participated in multistakeholder dialogue processes like Visión Guatemala, Grupo Barómetro and Plan Visión de País. He was the Coordinator of the Dialogue Table installed by the government for reaching consensus on a comprehensive rural development policy, and the facilitator of the Judicial Forum organized by the Secretariat of Agrarian Affairs.

Argentina
Perfiles.Nat_.eng.pdf 17 Kb

Lawyer (UBA), mediator, specialist in public conflicts and Master in Neurolinguistics. He has teached at: Universidad de Barcelona, Universidad de VIC and Universidad Complutense in Spain, Universidad Católica de Asunción, Universidad de Sonora in Mexico. Alejandro has also been a teacher for the National Cooperation Spanish Agency in Antigua Guatemala, and in Lima, Peru. He was a professor in the Master on Conflict Resolution at the Universidad de Lomas of Zamora, in the Postgraduate course on Conflict Management at the Universidad Nacional del Nordeste, and in the Postgraduate course on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at the Law School, Universidad de Buenos Aires. Nató is the author of the books "Mediation x 7",  "Victims of drugs",  "Community mediation. Conflicts in the urban social scenario" and "Geography of the conflict". He acted as People Defensor in Buenos Aires City. President of the Study Center on Democracy and Social Peace, Mexico. Representative of The Carter Center in Bolivia.

Guatemala
City: Guatemala

Law studies at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala. Among her most relevant experience: lobbying, negotiation, dialogue, relationship building and advocacy with national and international actors for reinsertion of rootless population. At present, Amanda works with alternate methods for conflict resolution and tranformation, forming university students. She also provides capacity building and awareness-raising to community groups.

Argentina
City: Tucumán
Perfiles._Cabria._eng.pdf 17 Kb

Lawyer. 1998. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Tucumán- Argentina.  Mediator. 2001. Escuela de la Magistratura del Poder Judicial de Salta. Salta- Argentina.  Field of expertise: peacebuilding; conflict transformation; community mediation.  Professional Skills: Coordinating peacebuilding programs. Designing and delivering social projects. Designing and facilitating dialogue processes. Developing and leading training programs. Fundraising and program management. Administrative tasks related to social projects. Office Coordinator.  Relevant work experience:  2005: Founder and Executive Director of the NGO “Fortalecer la Paz en Venezuela”. Due to a sustainable effort during two years in Venezuela, a NGO was created, focused on conflict transformation trough training, action and research. Editorial coordinator of Mediadores en Red L@ Revista, a quarterly magazine specialized in Conflict Resolution.  Member of “Red de Apoyo al Diálogo Democrático”, an initiative of the Democratic Dialogue Project. UNDP.   2003-2005: Coordination of the group Aquí Cabemos Todos. Venezuela. This is a group of notables, conformed by journalists, academic, political, priests, among other professionals, respected by both sides of the conflict in Venezuela. They aim to represent the voice of the moderates in such a polarized context.  2003 - 2005: full time and part time Project Officer for the Carter Center. Coordination of the Program "Fortalecer la Paz en Venezuela" (UNDP and TCC joint project ). Venezuela. This is a more structure conflict transformation program result of previous efforts in Venezuela.  2004: Electoral Observer for The Carter Center during the gathering of signatures to ask for the Recall Referendum. Venezuela.  2003 - 2004: Facilitator Assistant to the negotiation efforts between media owners and the government. Venezuela.  2004: Facilitator Assistant to the facilitation efforts at the Mecanismo de Enlace y Seguimiento. Venezuela.  2003-2004: Facilitator Assistant to the facilitation mechanism in the Mesa de Negociación y Acuerdos. Venezuela.  2003: Project Coordinator. Activities for "Fortalecer el Tercer Lado en Venezuela". United Nations Development Program. Venezuela. Consultant hired for project coordination and networking. Focused on supporting the creation of a peacebuilding Network; training design; peace building activities trough media.  2003: Project Coordinator. Project "Fortalecer el Tercer Lado en Venezuela". The Carter Center- Dai- UCV. Venezuela. During one month I worked coordinating different components of this project: William Ury conference and workshops, other conflict resolution workshops and networking. The project was design as a contribution to the conflict transformation efforts in Venezuela.  2002-2003: Community mediator. Defensoría del Pueblo de Tucumán. Tucumán-Argentina.  2002- : active member of Fundación Mediadores en Red. Argentina. This foundation promotes mediation, through an extensive net of mediators in Argentina and Latin America. It also provides training and knowledge sharing activities.  2002- : Private mediator. Tucumán-Argentina.  1994 - 1995: Board of Directors of La Grieta (Politics and Culture) Magazine. U.N.T. Tucumán-Argentina.  Mother tongue: Spanish.  English:  written (fluent), verbal (advance), translation (fluent). Italian: written (basic), verbal (fluent).

Guatemala

Areas of Expertise: security, defense, dialogue. Languages: Spanish, English (80%). Sociology degree (Universidad Pontificia, Spain); studies in Political Science (Universidad Rafael Landívar, Guatemala); working on PhD thesis, Sociology (Universidad Pontificia). Co-director of SEDEM (Security in Democracy). Coordination team: Project "Making a Security Policy for Democracy", a dialogue platform for civilian-military relations. Researcher: Military Policy project and Agenda for Security of the Area of Political Studies and Security of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), Guatemala. Assistant: Verification Program on the completion of the agreements with relation to displaced populations in Guatemala. Consultant: Defense of the Rights of Woman of the Attorney of Human Rights. Cultural Assistant and Tourism Assistant in the Guatemalan Embassy in Spain. Professor: Political Sociology (Universidad Rafael Landívar), Sociology (Universidad del Valle de Guatemala). Published: article about Privatization of Security in Guatemala. At present, Ana Glenda is Director of Interpeace, Regional Office for Latin America.

Guatemala
City: Guatemala

Ana María is working as Justice, Security and Conflict Officer at UNDP Guatemala. She has a degree in Social Science and Law, and postgraduate degrees in International Law, Project Administration and Management and Social Psychology and political Violence. She has worked for the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and in the Center for Justice and International Law. Since 1999, she has being in Guatemala, working in the Denmark Programme of Human Rights for Central America, as regional advisor for justice and human rights.

Bolivia

Journalist. She was the first Ombudsman of Bolivia (1998-2003). She was the Director of Fundación UNIR, an initiative to promote dialogue and peace culture. And teacher of Conflict Management at Universidad del Valle. On her 30 years of press experience she has been reporter, editor, publisher and national and international journalist. She was Director of the Journal PRESENCE (1989-1995). She also has published “Ni todos ni tan Santos, Crónicas sobre el poder " and “País Intimo”, as well as numerous articles and essays on ethics, human rights and communication. She has been President of the Andean Council of Ombudsman, Vice-president of the Federation the Newspaper International, President of the Andean Council of Defenders of the Town, Vice-president of the Federación Internacional de Diarios, President of the Asociación de Periodistas de La Paz, the Círculo de Mujeres Periodistas and the la Asociación Nacional de la Prensa.

Venezuela
Address: sanjuana@camelot.rect.ucv.ve santajuana2004@yahoo.com.mx

Graduate in Social Psychology and doctorate in Political Sciences. She is the Director of the Center for Peace and Human Rights of the Universidad Central de Venezuela. She belongs to the steering committee of the Center of Studies of America. Ana María is a professor at the Sociology School of the Universidad Central de Venezuela, Director of the Center for Peace and Integration (1995-2002), Consultant for the World Bank on governance and conflict issues in Venezuela, and for the IDB for designing and evaluating programs and operations in Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Venezuela.

Guatemala
City: Guatemala
Phone: (502) 23653953

CVEnglish-Linares.pdf 14 Kb

Computer Engineer graduated from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM. She worked in the area of computer engineering during 11 years, at a technical level and as manager. From 1993 to 2000, she worked in socioeconomic areas and development projects. From 1997 to date, she has also worked as an English/Spanish translator of documents related to housing, social investment, country profiles, peace, risk management, education, dialogue, health, citizenship and others. From 2000 to 2003 she worked at Universidad Rafael Landívar as advisor to the Administrative Vicerector, contributing to the preparation and follow-up of administrative and academic-administratives processes of diverse nature. From 2003 to 2004 she was in charge of creating and managing Punto de Expresión, a new unit dependant directly on the Rector and in charge of managing complaints and suggestions coming from all groups of the university community; promote and monitor customer service; and promote the use of mediation to solve conflicts. She also gave support to the IDB mission aimed at research and documentation of the Housing Situation in Guatemala; and to the research project for an geographic information system to be used in the housing program in Guatemala. She was part of the Technical Secretariat of Visión Guatemala (national vision and scenario building). At present she works for the Democratic Dialogue Regional Project as facilitator and consultant on information processes.