Who We Are
Some of us work directly in conflict mediation while some of us try to apply the principles to our daily work. This is a voluntary group of academics, development practitioners , journalists, consultants all of whom deeply believe in the power of Adaptive Leadership as a resource for social change.
About LPGN
The phenomenal development of technology, in particular the internet, now exists to put increasing numbers of people in previously unimaginably close communication with one another, allowing us to cross cultural boundaries as never before and to tap the deep instinct in every human heart to cooperate beyond national or ethnic identities.
However, we have also witnessed that without evolved leadership, the energy released through these movements cannot be harnessed in a purposeful way that leads towards progress on the underlying, systemic challenges needing to be addressed for peace on a global scale.
We are in the process of partnering and co-creating the infrastructure to ‘contain’ the global connectivity and learning (the whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts) and to support the incubation of individual initiatives.
LPGN Founders
Raised in Northern Ireland, Hugh O’Doherty teaches…
Hugh O’Doherty
Raised in Northern Ireland, Hugh O’Doherty teaches leadership at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government where he also directs the Leadership for 21st Century Africa program in partnership with the Aga Khan Foundation in Kenya. At MIT, he provides adaptive leadership education for the Legatum Center’s Foundry Fellowship Program that brings together entrepreneurs in Africa who have demonstrated a commitment to bringing about change and are purposed to building the leadership skills necessary to carry them into the next phase of their entrepreneurial journey. Hugh has taught leadership and conflict resolution at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies, the McGregor Burns Academy of Leadership, University of Maryland, where he directed the Ireland-US Public Leadership Program for “emerging” leaders from all the political parties in Ireland. In Northern Ireland, he directed the Inter-Group Relations Project, an initiative bringing together political and community leaders in Ireland to establish protocols for political dialogue. Hugh has consulted extensively with a wide variety of clients including the UN Staff College, the Irish Civil Service, the American Leadership Forum, the Episcopalian Clergy Leadership Program, the National Conservation Leadership Institute, the Harvard Humanitarian Leadership Initiative, the Polish Leadership Academy, and the Mohawk Community Leadership Program in Canada. He has also consulted in Bosnia, Croatia, Venezuela, and Cyprus and has addressed the United Nations Global Forum on Re-Inventing Government. He has worked with the government of Nepal on a negotiation and leadership development program, as a third-party member of an Armenian-Turkish Dialogue process, and on a leadership development program with a number of leaders from major political factions in Kashmir and Bahrain. He is a founder member and Director of the Leadership and Peacemaking Global Network. Hugh earned an M.Ed and Ed.D from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Gene has been working in leading edge…
Gene Martineau
Co-founder of LPGN.
Gene has been working in leading edge technology start-up’s for over 30 years. His last project in “Smart City” solutions involved applications designed using Machine Vision, Machine Learning/AI, Edge computing, IOT, and Block-Chain. He is focused on bringing state-of-the-art technology capabilities through LPGN and its vision for Adaptive Leadership to the domain of international conflict resolution.
Gene’s Purpose Statement:
To Witness and support the recognition and adoption of the Zero-Point education process, as it applies to LPGN and its global mission.
The purpose of my life is to use my creativity…
Tara Acker
KSG Grad 2005
Management Consultant at JCamp180.
Co-founder of LPGN.
The purpose of my life is to use my creativity, authenticity, curiosity, interpersonal and organizational skills to:
- Teach about leadership
- To advocate for the oppressed (women, minorities)
- To use system thinking to make policies or decisions more efficient and effective
- To apply my writing and story telling to create meaning
- To care for living things
Combining legal and advanced public…
Patrick Reilly
LPGN Board Member.
Purpose: To help create paths for local voices.
Combining legal and advanced public administration management skills with political expertise, Patrick assists policy advisers and decision makers to move forward in a productive manner. He has been an elected official in Alaska, a Governor of Alaska appointee to a quasi-judicial appellate board, a council-appointed city clerk, a local governance adviser in the Horn of Africa, an international election monitor and both a private and government attorney. He has worked in Kosovo with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe from September 2009 to October 2015, departing as a senior legal officer.
Patrick is a University of Salamanca Global and International Studies Program faculty member who teaches a graduate level negotiations course with the subtitle “Negotiating in the Conflict Zone” and is currently active with international organizations to develop individual and community adaptive leadership skills.
Our LPGN Team
My purpose in peacebuilding is to rebuild…
Daniel Aldaco
My purpose in peacebuilding is to rebuild trust between institutions and communities through evidence, empathy, and shared narratives. I believe sustainable peace is not achieved only by reducing violence but by creating systems that recognize dignity, ensure accountability, and give voice to those historically left out of decision-making.
I am an economist and public policy specialist focused on security, institutional reform, and racial justice in Latin America. Over the past decade, I have worked at the intersection of government, civil society, and academia to help public institutions evolve through evidence and community engagement. I currently serve as Research Manager at Innovations for Poverty Action, where I oversee projects across Central America on violence prevention, education, and digital inclusion. Before that, I advised Mexico’s federal police and the Inter-American Development Bank on police accountability and institutional reform.
I am also the co-founder of Basta Racismo MX, an antiracist organization dedicated to confronting racism and inequality through community-based training, advocacy, and cultural projects. Our initiatives have been recognized by UN Women, UNDP, and supported by the Global Fund for Human Rights. Through this work, I’ve seen how meaningful peacebuilding requires both structural change and human connection—spaces where people can see themselves as part of a shared story.
Across all my work, I aim to merge the precision of data with the power of storytelling. Whether through research, policy, or film, my goal is to translate evidence into empathy and create bridges between communities and institutions that can sustain more just and resilient societies.
I am Yousef Alzaeem, a Palestinian entrepreneur…
YOUSEF ALZAEEM
Let me share my story with you.
I am Yousef Alzaeem, a Palestinian entrepreneur whose life has been shaped by both the promise of peace and the harsh realities of conflict. Today, I direct Strategy and Business Development at ABS Construction in Chicago, but my heart remains deeply connected to Gaza, where my journey began.
In 2016, I founded Everest Trading Group in Gaza, building a diverse portfolio from cement distribution to pharmaceuticals. Sustaining businesses in such a complex environment taught me that when you’re creating jobs for your community amid uncertainty, failure isn’t an option.
I’ve always believed in building bridges where others saw walls. I became the first student from Gaza to pursue a master’s degree at Tel Aviv University, then co-founded the YES Initiative, sponsoring Gaza-based leaders to earn MBAs at the prestigious Kellogg-Recanati program—fostering dialogue through education.
The tragedy unfolding in my homeland strengthened my resolve. I founded HopeLine Connections, providing remote employment for displaced Gazans in Egypt through professional services to U.S. startups. With colleagues, I also launched Amal, offering free mental health support to over 150,000 displaced Gazans. The need is overwhelming, but every life touched matters.
My journey in diplomacy and leadership spans 18 years…
Mercy Atieno
My journey in diplomacy and leadership spans 18 years, and I’m honored to serve as Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Foreign Service in Kenya’s Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary. Being selected from over 10,000 applicants across 44 African countries to join the inaugural Obama Foundation Emerging Leaders program was a defining moment for me, as was my time as an Edward S. Mason Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School. But what truly drives me is empowering the next generation of African leaders—I coach transformational leadership programs in collaboration with Harvard, founded the Adaptive Leadership Foundation (where we’ve created 34 videos and 7 e-books on leadership), and mentor women in defense, diplomacy, and development. My path from academia and NGO work to foreign service taught me the power of adaptive leadership and authentic partnerships. While pursuing my PhD in International Relations, I stay engaged with initiatives close to my heart, from co-founding the Global Mandela Leadership Movement to advocating for gender equality in digital economies. I believe in speaking truth to power, building bridges across teams and cultures, and creating space for others to lead with courage and purpose.
Tahir is Senior Advisor South Asia Program…
Tahir Aziz
Tahir is Director of the South Asia Program at Conciliation Resources, a London-based peacebuilding organization that provides practical support to help people affected by violent conflict achieve lasting peace and improve peacebuilding practices worldwide. Tahir supports a range of partner organizations and individuals in the region in their initiatives for conflict transformation and resolution, often drawing upon lessons learned from peace processes in other regions. His work has a particular focus on both sides of the Line of Control, the frontier separating the Indian and Pakistani sides of Kashmir. Before he pursued a master’s in peace studies, Tahir worked for the president of the Pakistani side of Kashmir as Director of the Human Rights Commission. In this role, he participated regularly in United Nations Human Rights Commissions sessions in Geneva. “At that time, the volatility in Kashmir was at its peak,” Tahir said, referring to the violent conflict between India and Pakistan in the early 1990s over the disputed region. “It piqued my interest in human rights and engaging with the international community.” Prior to joining Conciliation Resources, Tahir was also a Research Associate with the South Asia Program at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, London, and Senior Associate with International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, Washington D.C.
Alina is the Associate Director of the…
Alina Bitrán
Alina is the Associate Director of the Human Trafficking Research Initiative at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), where she leads efforts to foster partnerships between researchers and practitioners to conduct rigorous research studies on what works to counter human trafficking around the world. Previously, she was Senior Research Manager at IPA Mexico, overseeing a diverse portfolio of qualitative and quantitative research on crime, violence prevention, criminal justice reform, and migration. Other experiences include researching the reform of criminal justice systems at Fundación IDEA and working on Open Society Foundations-supported research around peace-building efforts in Colombia post-Peace Agreement. Alina holds an MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School and a BA in Public Policy from the University of Chicago.
I grew up deeply connected to my roots in the…
Nevena Bosnic
I grew up deeply connected to my roots in the former Yugoslavia, where my family’s experiences of war and displacement profoundly shaped how I see the world. As a first-generation American, I’ve carried those lessons of resilience, empathy, and community into every part of my life. Having experienced both the vulnerability of starting over and the strength that comes from a supportive community, I’m driven to help others find that same sense of belonging and empowerment—ensuring every voice is heard and valued within a larger whole.
That conviction has shaped my career and continues to guide how I approach systems change. Today, I work as a strategy consultant helping health, human services, and labor agencies across all levels of government navigate complex challenges. Building trust with stakeholders and designing solutions with them, not for them, is at the heart of my work and keeps me grounded in the realities behind policies and data. My perspective draws on experience across public, private, and nonprofit organizations in the U.S. and abroad.
I hold a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Drexel University—training that deepened my understanding of how systems work and how they can work better for people. I bring that foundation to my work, where I use human-centered design and adaptive leadership to help make government more responsive, data-informed, and outcome-oriented.
In 2022, I founded Eco-Alliances for Change to…
Ali Duvall
In 2022, I founded Eco-Alliances for Change to increase the adaptive capacity and resilience of conservation professionals, promoting meaningful ecological, social, and political change that benefits both the natural world and human communities. The name reflects a fundamental shift from ego-centric thinking—individualistic, hierarchical, and self-oriented—to an eco mindset that is collaborative, interconnected, and focused on collective well-being.
My work bridges jurisdictional boundaries and sectors to achieve strategic habitat conservation that serves local communities while addressing biome-wide resource challenges. I have led efforts to protect threatened sagebrush and grasslands, partnering with executive decision-makers, boards of directors, policymakers, collaborative partnerships, and agricultural groups in the western U.S., navigating adaptive and technical challenges.
I am deeply committed to peacebuilding in conservation contexts, particularly where competition for dwindling resources like water and land fuels conflict, or where violence drives environmental degradation—creating cycles that threaten community stability and human well-being for decades. We combine technical expertise in natural resource conservation with adaptive leadership that bridges divides and amplifies diverse voices, which is essential to sustaining our Earth and communities.
My team and I are committed to inspiring and empowering people to think, act, and connect beyond traditional conservation approaches, practicing new ways of working together to conserve and steward the lands, waters, and wildlife we cherish as a global community. For more information on my background, accomplishments, and the services we offer, visit ecoalliancesforchange.com or LinkedIn.
I’m the Chief of Staff to the CEO of…
Sakina Haider
I’m the Chief of Staff to the CEO of Nesta, where I lead strategic initiatives that strengthen our mission to design, test, and scale solutions to society’s biggest challenges. I’m driven by a deep belief that innovation, rigor, and partnership can improve lives at scale—and I bring that commitment to everything I do.
Before joining Nesta, I served as an Associate Director in Strategy & Delivery at the International Rescue Committee, driving global and programmatic initiatives. A defining moment of my time at IRC was deploying to Afghanistan after the fall of the government in 2021, helping the Country Program adapt to a radically changed context—including delivering a budget that increased fivefold overnight. I also worked across Jordan, Kenya, and Tanzania to support teams on the front lines.
Earlier in my career, I contributed to the UK’s Covid-19 response and worked at Boston Consulting Group in the Social Impact and Public Sector practices. At BCG, I partnered with organizations such as the World Food Program in Jordan—supporting the redesign of a food assistance program for Syrian refugees—and with Save the Children.
I’ve conducted research on humanitarian negotiations with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, including fieldwork in Lebanon and Qatar, and worked with the Belfer Center at the Kennedy School on Economic Diplomacy. I also taught undergraduate Economics at Harvard College—an experience that sharpened my commitment to evidence, clarity, and impact.
I hold a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford and a Master in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School.
Smriti Iyer is a development economist with…
Smriti Iyer
Smriti Iyer is a development economist with 11 years of experience designing, scaling, and evaluating programs across agriculture, education, skills training, and health in South Asia, Africa, and the United States. She has worked with organizations as diverse as the World Bank, Tata Sons, and IMAGO Global Grassroots, bringing a cross-sectoral perspective to systems change.
Currently based in Goa, Smriti leads a consultancy working at the intersection of economic development, climate resilience, state capacity, and organizational development. Her work is grounded in adaptive leadership, supporting institutions and leaders to navigate complexity, strengthen capacity, and drive systemic impact.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Delhi, a Master of Science in Economics with a specialization in Environmental and Resource Economics from the TERI School of Advanced Studies, and a Master in Public Administration in International Development from Harvard University. She is also a certified Scrum Master.
Victoria has been working in the humanitarian and…
Victoria Jean-Louis
Victoria has been working in the humanitarian and development sector for over a decade. As a Haitian American, she was compelled to contribute to the massive humanitarian response following the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Since then, she has contributed to a wide range of humanitarian and development programs across Haiti, the wider Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa. Previously, Victoria served as Programme Director for Concern Worldwide, where she focused on peace consolidation and conflict management in Haiti’s urban centers.
Her educational background is in International Relations and African American Studies, and she holds an M.A. in International Relations from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.
Victoria is a member of the 2018 National NGO Program on Humanitarian Leadership (NNPHL) cohort and remains dedicated to applying and promoting the core principles of adaptive leadership within her work. Later in her career, she facilitated adaptive leadership training for hundreds of humanitarian professionals, helping to strengthen leadership capacity across the sector. She continues to reinforce the humanitarian and development sector through the application of adaptive leadership approaches, supporting organizations and individuals to navigate complexity, drive change, and build resilience.
Ameya heads the South Asian Leadership Initia…
Ameya Kilara
Ameya heads the South Asian Leadership Initiative, a cutting-edge leadership institute dedicated to building peace in the region. The initiative partners with Inter Mediate and leadership experts at the Harvard Kennedy School. She previously managed the South Asia Programme at Conciliation Resources, facilitating dialogue initiatives across the Line of Control in Kashmir and an India-Pakistan track two process with former military and intelligence chiefs. In 2017, she provided technical support to the UN’s Office of the Special Envoy for Syria in proximity talks between the Syrian government and opposition groups. Ameya is a dual-qualified lawyer (India and the UK) and holds a Master in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Her work has been recognised through multiple awards including the Tamasek Foundation-NUS Leadership Enrichment and Regional Networking Award 2008 and the Gleitsman Leadership Fellowship at Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership.
Ashwaq is a longform writer, who most recently was…
Ashwaq Masoodi
Ashwaq is a longform writer, who most recently was a Nieman fellow at the Harvard University. Ashwaq, who belongs to the conflict-ridden region of Kashmir, has been working as a journalist, covering the lives of the minorities in India, for almost a decade. In 2016, she received the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism award, the highest award of journalism in India. Prior to this, she received the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award for her work on gender.
Having grown up in a conflict zone, where access to even basic necessities was a privilege, I have always strived to help in big or small ways to create a just world where children can afford to enjoy the careless joys of childhood, and where youth don’t have to spend every single day in taking desperate actions just to survive. The purpose of my life is to help, through my stories and community building, to seek a life of dignity and peace for as many people around me as I can.
Robin joined the World Economic Forum in March…
Robin Nataf
Robin joined the World Economic Forum in March 2025 as Climate and Health Community Lead. He curates a community of healthcare, climate, insurance and financing leaders committed to mobilising the private sector to build societal and economic resilience to the health effects of climate change. He was previously a Lead in Wellcome Trust’s Climate and Health Policy and Strategic Partnerships teams, where his work included co-shaping the first ever Health Day at COP28, launching the Coalition for Mental Health Investment and designing Wellcome’s approach to partnering with the private sector.
Robin has over 15 years experience working on climate, health, humanitarian and development challenges, including for philanthropies, governments, multilateral institutions and non-profits. He notably led the Paris Peace Forum’s policy initiatives to drive international multi-stakeholder cooperation on global challenges, helped shape the UK’s humanitarian response to the Syria crisis while at DFID, and oversaw a leading European NGO’s humanitarian response teams.
Robin holds an MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University, a Master of International Affairs from Sciences Po, and a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. At Harvard, he helped teach classes in Adaptive Leadership and Middle East national security. He speaks fluent French, English and Spanish, as well as basic Russian and Levantine Arabic. He has lived and worked in Geneva, the USA, France, the United Kingdom, Lebanon, Jordan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and is passionate about building high-performing cross-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams.
As an adaptive leadership practitioner, Víctor…
Victor Perez
As an adaptive leadership practitioner, Víctor helps individuals, groups, and organizations strengthen their capacity to effectively navigate change and conflict. He draws on expertise in leadership, conflict resolution, adult development and emotional psychology to foster resilience and broaden the range of responses to complex challenges.
Over the past decade, Víctor has worked internationally as a consultant, trainer, facilitator, and coach across the corporate, nonprofit, grassroots, and public sectors. His projects have included designing leadership development programs, leading strategic planning and organizational change processes, facilitating dialogue across political and cultural divides, and coaching emerging leaders to navigate uncertainty and conflict. He has also advised on international policy and economic strategy, conducted research on globalization and geopolitics, and led initiatives to advance LGBTQ+ rights.
Víctor holds a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, where he was a Topol Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, a Teaching Fellow in adaptive leadership, and a Research Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He earned bachelor’s degrees in economics and management from Universitat Pompeu Fabra, with additional studies at the London School of Economics, the University of Pennsylvania, Queen Mary University of London, and Peking University. Víctor was born and raised in Catalonia, Spain and he is based in Berlin, Germany.
Preeti is a leadership educator and social…
Preeti Sahai
Preeti is a leadership educator and social sector strategist who uses systems thinking approaches. Her purpose is to strive for harmony and inter-connectedness – amongst people from different communities and between humans and the environment. Her endeavor is to curate spaces that enable communities facing severe differences to engage with one another.
Preeti brings experience of over two decades in social development, politics and has been keenly interested in the politics of identity. This experience helps her build dialogue processes around trust, equity, justice and resolution of conflicts, in search for new possibilities leading to peace. She works with several fellowships and organizations to facilitate adaptive leadership processes with entrepreneurs, civil servants, politicians and social workers. She is trained as a financial analyst and has a Bachelors degree in Economics from Delhi University and Masters in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.
With over a decade of experience across Latin…
Sofia Salas Ungar
With over a decade of experience across Latin America, Sofia has worked at the intersection of public policy, social impact, and cross-sector collaboration, holding roles in management consulting, non-profit organizations, and multilateral partnerships. As a Project Leader at Boston Consulting Group, she advised state governments on education, mental health, and economic development strategies. Previously, she led reconciliation and youth leadership programs in post-conflict regions, co-founded an initiative to strengthen math and soft skills in underserved schools, and coordinated the Paridad Ya campaign, which contributed to a political gender parity law in Colombia. She has taught Adaptive Leadership for Social Change at the Government School of Tecnológico de Monterrey. A recent participant in the MIT’s Presencing Institute’s Ecosystem Leadership Program, she currently works as a consultant and facilitator supporting initiatives focused on social impact strategy, impact investing, and organizational transformation.
Sofia holds an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School, where she was a Research Assistant on women’s involvement in social movements and a Topol Fellow for Non-Violent Solutions to Conflict at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics with minors in Political Science, Journalism and Design from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá.