Board Member
Lisa Schirch is an associate professor of peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University. She earned a B.A. from the University of Waterloo in Political Science and International Relations and her M.S. and Ph.D. from George Mason University in Conflict Analysis and Resolution.
A former Fulbright Fellow, Schirch has worked in every region of the world as a researcher, trainer, and facilitator in the fields of conflict transformation and peacebuilding for 15 years. Within the field of peacebuilding, she specializes in alternative security strategies, the use of media and the arts, development, human rights, women, rituals and ceremonies, civil-military relations, civilian peacekeeping and facilitating dialogue in identity-based conflicts.
With colleagues in the Institute for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University, Schirch consults with a network of strategic partner organizations involved in peacebuilding activities throughout the U.S., Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe.
She is the author of four books: Ritual and Symbol in Peacebuilding, The Little Book of Strategic Peacebuilding, Civilian Peacekeeping: Reducing Violence and Making Space for Democracy, and Women in Peacebuilding Training Manual.