Baker Institute Fellows

Dr. Abdalla is a Professor Emeritus at the United Nations-mandated University for Peace (UPEACE, and the Founder of In Peace Institute. He is also the Senior Advisor on Conflict Resolution at the Washington-based organization KARAMAH (Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights).

From 2022 to 2025 he was the Scholar in Residence at Juniata College’s Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. From 2014 to 2017 he was the Senior Advisor on Policy Analysis and Research at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) of Addis Ababa University. In 2013-2014, he was Vice President of SALAM Institute for Peace and Justice in Washington, D.C. From 2004-2013 he was Professor, Dean and Vice Rector at UPEACE. Prior to that, he was a Senior Fellow with the Peace Operations Policy Program, School of Public Policy, at George Mason University, Virginia. He was also a Professor of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Leesburg, Virginia.

Both his academic and professional careers are multi-disciplinary. He obtained a law degree in Egypt in 1977 where he practiced law as a prosecuting attorney from 1978 to 1986. From 1981-1986, he was a member of the public prosecutor team investigating the case of the assassination of President Sadat and numerous other terrorism cases. He then emigrated to the U.S. where he obtained a Master's degree in Sociology and a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University. He has been teaching graduate classes in conflict analysis and resolution, and has conducted training, research and evaluation of conflict resolution and peacebuilding programs in numerous countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.

He has been an active figure in promoting inter-faith dialogue and effective cross-cultural messages through workshops and community presentations in the United States and beyond. He pioneered the development of the first conflict resolution teaching and training manual for Muslim communities titled (“…Say Peace”). He also founded Project LIGHT (Learning Islamic Guidance for Human Tolerance), a community peer-based anti-discrimination project funded by the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ).

Dr. Abdalla is considered to be one of the key founders of the field of peace and conflict studies in the Arab World. In this regard, Dr. Abdalla implemented the following:

• From 2007-2011 he launched the first series of courses on conflict resolution and peace studies in cooperation with the Institute of Peace Studies of the Library of Alexandria.
• In 2011, he established with Egyptian UPEACE graduates a program for community prevention of sectarian violence in Egypt (Ahl el Hetta).
• In 2018 he led the publication of the first Arabic Glossary of Terms in Peace and Conflict Studies in cooperation with UNDP-Iraq and the Iraqi Amal Association.
• From 2018-2023, he trained hundreds of Iraqi university professors in several Iraqi universities to teach Master’s degree and diploma courses in the field of peace and conflict studies. These programs are currently implemented successfully in numerous Iraqi universities.
• In 2021, he published a pioneering book in Arabic “Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies” in cooperation with the Iraqi Amal Association and the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
• From 2018 to present, he has been a key figure in designing curricula and programs related to Global Citizenship Education (GCED) in the Arab World in cooperation with the UNESCO office in Beirut.

Dr. Abdalla resides in Maryland, USA. Since 2024 has been spending more time in Egypt.

Joseph G. Bock is currently a Faculty Fellow at the Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies at Juniata College, where he was Scholar in Residence from 2024-2025. He was previously Executive Director of Bethlehem University Foundation, where he helped raise funds for Bethlehem University in the Holy Land. He was at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia from 2015-2022, where he became Professor of International Conflict Management and Director of the School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development. From 2007-2015, he was a faculty member of University of Notre Dame, in Indiana, initially at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and then at the Eck Institute for Global Health. Before that, he was Executive Director of the Center for Peace and Global Citizenship at Haverford College. He was the founding Executive Director of the Secure World Foundation and the Arsenault Family Foundation (now Shuraako Capital). His humanitarian work has included directing Catholic Relief Services’ programs in Pakistan and Jerusalem/West Bank/Gaza Strip. As Vice President of American Refugee Committee, he oversaw programs in Bosnia, Croatia, Guinea, Iraq, Kosovo, Liberia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Pakistan, Rwanda, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Thailand, and Uganda, where he managed a budget of approximately $30 million with a global staff of roughly 1,500. After earning his Ph.D. from the School of International Service of American University in Washington, DC, he worked for The BDM Corporation, specializing in computer simulation, and then was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives, serving from 1986-1992. He was Chair of the Energy and Environment Committee from 1990-1992. He was also the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Congress in Indiana’s 2nd District in 2014. His most recent articles have appeared in Development in Practice, Global Governance, Journal of Information Technology & Politics, and Political Geography. He is the author of three books, the most recent one, The Technology of Nonviolence: Social Media and Violence Prevention, was published by MIT Press in 2012. He and two of his Ph.D. students (one of whom was Ziaul Haque, who is now the Director of the Baker Institute) received the Best Paper Award at The Migration Conference, held at Harokopio University in Athens, Greece, in 2017. They subsequently published their findings in “Displaced and dismayed: how ICTs are helping refugees and migrants, and how we can do better,” in the journal Information Technology for Development.

Dr. Bock has had numerous fellowships and consulting assignments, including being:

• Fulbright Specialist at the University of Ngozi, Burundi, East Africa, in August 2025, to write a proposal for an institute focused on good governance and peace in the Great Lakes Region.
• Member of the Pool of International Experts of the research programme on Security and Rule of Law (SRoL) in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings (FCAS), formulated by the Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law, installed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, starting in 2014.
• Fulbright Specialist, at the request of the Municipality of Athens for support in responding to the influx of refugees and migrants, December 2015 and February-March 2016.
• Consultant to The World Bank, Social Development Department/Social Cohesion & Violence Prevention Cluster, 2013.
• Visiting Fellow, Institute for Hate Studies, Gonzaga University, 2013.
• Member of the “Brain Trust” for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, UNICEF and Gates Foundation, 2013.
• Fulbright Specialist at University of Malta, in support of a newly established MA in Humanitarian Action, 2013.
• Consultant with Catholic Relief Services, providing technical support on a conflict early warning and early response project in Lebanon, 2012.
• Consultant with Catholic Relief Services, compiling of a report resulting from a workshop held in Cairo, Egypt, 2011.
• Consultant with American Refugee Committee, serving as Interim Country Director in Haiti, responsible for overall country management and grant acquisition, April-March 2010.
• Member of the Task Force on Strategic Direction, Compatible Technology International, based in St. Paul, MN, 2003-2004.
• Consultant with The Asia Foundation, San Francisco, California, 2001-2006, developing an overall strategy on conflict management and democratic governance with senior management in San Francisco and providing support for programs in Thailand, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
• Member of the Working Group on Reconciliation of Caritas Internationalis, with regular meetings in Vatican City, 1997-1998.
• Fellow with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, 1994-1997, with a focus on the role of non-governmental organizations in the Global South in reducing Muslim-Christian tension.
• Delegate to the British-American Conference, sponsored by The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University and the Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1991.

In addition to teaching at Juniata College, Dr. Bock has taught at University of Notre Dame, the Middlebury Institute for International Studies at Monterey, Eastern Mennonite University, Hebrew University, and William Jewell College.

Daniel Bryan serves as the Executive Director of the Pachaysana Institute. His work's foundation is based on the use of Applied Arts to explore conflicts and create dialogue opportunities. He has spent the last 24 years in Ecuador working with local communities to aid in transforming conflict in ways that respect all stories. He is also an active scholar-practitioner of Participatory Action research and an educator in the Rehearsing Change program. Both programs allow for the application of the arts to develop a common understanding throughout communities. He also travels to universities across the United States and hosts workshops and lectures that educate participants on unlearning, decolonizing methodology, epistemological research, and theater for social change. Find Daniel on LinkedIn.

EVENTS:

• Workshop: Actions for Peace workshop and UN International Day of Peace (2023)
• Lecture: The Intersectionality of Poetry and Activism (2022)
• The Baker Institute Scholar in Residence (2021)
• Lecture: An Encounter with Our Ancestors: Exploring Andean Ways of Knowing (2019)

Commander Caecilia van Peski is a licensed psychologist and Dutch diplomat. She holds an MSc Degree in Educational & Cultural Psychology from Tilburg University, an MA egret in Civil-Military Interaction from German Military Staff College, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Border Security and Management from the OSCE Border Management College. As a Commander in the Royal Netherlands Navy, she has actively participated in various current and post-conflict regions. She is also an expert practitioner in peace and security, democratization, elections, and human rights. Her work has been recognized both nationally and internationally. Her success can also be seen in her work as an educator and lecturer, as she has worked closely with numerous universities and other institutions to provide information and context to ongoing conflicts. Caecilia van Peski is a member-select of the UN Senior Women Talent Pipeline (SWTP), SER TopVrouw (Netherlands Social Economical Council Woman of Distinction) and recipient of the Ambassador for Peace Award granted by the Universal Peace Federation. In October 2010, she addressed the 65th United Nations General Assembly in New York with her statement ‘Women, Peace, Security’, in the capacity of United Nations Special Representative for her country. Caecilia van Peski is sensitive towards the plight of the underprivileged and the call for sustainment of a planet in need. In her three decades as a professional in Peace and Security, she has been able to alleviate human suffering and protect civilians and military in diverse environments that had armed conflict as a common denominator. View Caecilia van Peski's website here.

EVENTS:

• Baker Institute for Peace & Conflict Studies International Symposium (2022)
• Baker Institute Scholar in Residence (2019)
• Lecture: UN Pathway to Peace Architecture (2019)
• Two-Day Intensive Master Class: International Peacebuilding: Early Warning, Prevention, and Intervention (2019)
• Genocide Awareness and Action Week “Acknowledging the Past and Taking Action to Create a Nonviolent Future” (2019)
• “Inside-out Teaching”, Smithfield Correctional Institute – Pennsylvania Department of Corrections “International Rule of Law in The Hague” (2019)

Jerry McCann is a structural engineer currently based in San Francisco, California. In 1991, after a decade of practicing structural engineering, he joined the Peace Corps to teach civil engineering in Uganda at one of its technical colleges. After four years, he returned to California to obtain his master's in construction engineering and management at Cal, Berkeley, followed by a three-year construction management stint in San Francisco to hone his skills. In 2000, McCann returned to East Africa to lead Habitat for Humanity’s national program in Kenya. In 2004, he was given the opportunity to join Interpeace. In this international peacebuilding organization, he supported peacebuilding work in Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, and Kenya and introduced opportunities to bring engineering into peacebuilding solutions. In 2010, he was promoted to Deputy Director General, overseeing Interpeace’s operations worldwide. For the last eight years, McCann has been with Build Up (https://howtobuildup.org/), an innovative peace tech organization, as its senior advisor and resident peace engineer. One of his current areas of focus is to support the development of the peace engineering practice, which he does by supporting universities developing peace engineering programs and supporting peace engineering fellows in the USA and abroad. Find Jerry McCann on LinkedIn.

EVENTS:

• Lecture: We Can’t Engineer Peace, but we Can Engineer More Peacefully (2020)
• Weekend Intensive: The Emergence of Peace Tech: Innovated Peacebuilding in the digital age (2020)
• Lecture: Engineering through a Peacebuilding lens (2018)

Ambassador Leoni Cuelenaere served in the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an Ambassador and Deputy Head of Mission. Ambassador Leoni holds master's degrees in law, Dutch Linguistics, and Literature. She has dedicated her career to addressing the complex challenges many citizens in post-conflict countries face. She has steadfastly advocated for the principles of the rule of law and human rights, laying the foundation for her impactful work. Most notably, she served as the Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Rwanda, Yemen, and Zimbabwe. She commonly addresses issues regarding access to essential resources and individual freedoms. Most recently, Ambassador Cuelenaere has acted as an independent consultant; she has continued her work to highlight the importance of protecting citizens in post-conflict states and ensuring guaranteed access to justice. Find Leoni Cuelenaere on LinkedIn.

EVENTS:

• Baker Institute for Peace & Conflict Studies International Symposium (2023)

Dr. Chris Dolan is a Political Science Professor in the School of Public Affairs at Penn State University. Dr. Dolan has received two Fulbright U.S. Scholar awards, which provided him the opportunity to teach in North Macedonia and Kosovo. During his Fulbright in North Macedonia, Dr. Dolan taught courses on civil societies and the rule of law. While there, he also conducted research on Euro-Atlantic integration and its relationship to defense, foreign policy, and geopolitical security. His previous Fulbright in Kosovo allowed him to teach courses related to Euro-Atlantic integration and word politics. His research focused on NATO accession as well as the normalization of Serbia-Kosovo relations. He serves as a U.S. Fulbright Specialist with the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies in critical infrastructure, working to secure and expand sustainable energy, telecommunications, and e-government. Dolan is a Board Member of the World Affairs Council and the Foreign Policy Association of Central Pennsylvania. Find Chris Dolan on LinkedIn.

EVENTS:

• Baker Institute for Peace & Conflict Studies International Symposium (2023)

Dr. Ibrahim Fraihat is an associate professor in international conflict resolution at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. Prior to his time at the Doha Institute, Dr. Fraihat was a senior foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution as well as an instructor at both Georgetown University and George Washington University. He is an expert on the Middle East and analyzing conflicts present in the region, having published an extensive amount of literature on the subject. Dr. Fraihat uses his knowledge to consult with international organizations focused on creating opportunities for dialogue and effective communication to ensure peaceful transitions in post-conflict contexts. He is also a significant contributor to the Al Jazeera English company, providing context and information on current conflicts. Read Ibrahim Fraihat's Biography Here.

EVENTS:

• Baker Institute for Peace & Conflict Studies International Symposium (2023)

Commissioner Adeto (Ph.D.) is an Associate Professor of Peace Studies and former Director of the Institute for Peace and Security Studies at Addis Ababa University. In February 2022, he was elected to serve as a Commissioner of the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission. The primary focus of his work has been on peacebuilding, conflict resolution, prevention of violent extremism, diplomacy, and more. Commissioner Adeto has published extensively on conflicts in the Horn of Africa. He has partnered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to train diplomats since 2001 and has contributed to managing peace and security in Africa by partnering with the African Union. Find Yonas Adaye Adeto on LinkedIn.

EVENTS:

• Baker Institute for Peace & Conflict Studies International Symposium (2023)