Talib M. Shareef is President and Imam of the historic, Nation’s Mosque, Masjid Muhammad, in Washington, D.C., dating back to the mid-1930s. Imam Shareef, is a retired U.S. Air Force member with 30+ years of service; he has an MBA from American Intercontinental University, a Diploma from the Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, and the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Arabic and Middle East studies. He is a student of the late Imam W.D. Mohammed, Muslim-American Spokesman for Humanity.

Imam Shareef served as Imam in five U.S. cities and seven military locations around the world. Under the high patronage of His Majesty Mohammed VI, the King of Morocco, Imam Shareef received the Kingdom’s highest Royal Medal and honor for his outstanding interfaith leadership. He participated in the signing of the Abuja Peace Declaration organized by the International Global Peace Foundation and the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution in Nigeria. He was the first Imam with military service to open a session of the U.S. Congress with prayer. He led an interfaith delegation to Italy meeting with the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Co-organized, spoke and led the historic first Islamic congregational prayer at the Washington National Cathedral. Invited and sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs to speak in several cities and meet with various local, national and international leaders in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with emphasis on Human Rights, Islam in the U.S., Interfaith and combating terrorism. He offered the opening prayer on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for the 50th Anniversary of Dr. King’s March on Washington; key speaker at former President George H.W. Bush’s Points of Light Conference’s Faith Summit; Spoke at the South African Embassy celebration of Nelson Mandela’s life; led historic delegation to and addressed over 500,000 in South Africa; Hosted Press Conference/Panel for Presidential Candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders at the Nation’s Mosque to address religious bigotry. Spoke at Sojourner Douglass College memorial honoring human rights activist, Coretta Scott King. He addressed the ills of Human Trafficking on Capitol Hill. One of the leading voices speaking out against terrorism and addressing countering violent extremism (CVE). Facilitated the CVE Forum at the Global Peace Convention in Manila, Philippines. He established the first Islamic Dietary Nutrition site for elderly members of all faiths in D.C. Councilmember for the National Summit on Non-Violence; member of the D.C. Mayor’s Interfaith Council and is President of the Interfaith Conference based in the nation’s capital.

Imam Shareef was honored to sit with and be recognized for his service by President Barack Obama at the White House Iftar; served as keynote speaker for the Pentagon and Homeland Security Iftars, co-initiated effort that led to the U.S. Military commissioning its first Islamic Chaplain; Islamic Representative on the National Coalition for Veteran Caregivers, Imam and Vice Commander of the National Muslim American Veterans Association (MAVA), Advisor to Global Peace Foundation USA; Served as U.S. Imam Speaker at the World Alliance of Religions for Peace in Seoul Korea, the Global Peace Conventions in South America and N. Ireland; and traveled with a special delegation to the Middle East for orientation on the Israeli-Palestinian Situation. He was selected Denver’s Spectrum Newspaper’s “Who’s Who” among African American Leaders, selected the Muslim Journal’s Imam of the Year Award, and his Mosque received the Golden Minaret’s Masjid of the Year Award, 2016. Recipient of the NAACP Roy Wilkins Leadership Award. Imam Shareef and wife, Tahirah, have three children, seven grandchildren, are custodial parents of three others and have fostered several children.

President at IRF Secretariat and Global Fellow at the Wilson Center Middle East Program.
Nadine Maenza is a noted speaker, writer, and policy expert with almost three decades of experience advocating for working families and a champion for international religious freedom.

Nadine held two terms as a White House appointee on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which she had served as Chair since June 2021. She was elected Vice Chair in 2019. Nadine represented USCIRF in delegations to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, Bahrain, Indonesia, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Thailand, Taiwan, and Uzbekistan. During her time at USCIRF, she also traveled in her capacity to better understand conditions in Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Bangladesh, Iraq, and Northeast Syria, where she spends about a month each year. In September 2021, she received the “Cedar of God Award” from In Defense of Christians for her “tireless worker throughout her career for religious freedom for Christians both in the Middle East and globally.” She is most honored to have met with persecuted communities of various faiths worldwide.

Nadine is a Senior Advisor at Patriot Voices, where she provides her expertise to shape the organization’s special emphasis on public policies that support working families. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Institute for Global Engagement (IGE), the Sinjar Academy, and Freedom Research Foundation. Previously, she was Chairman of Hardwired Global, an organization working to stop religious oppression worldwide.

Nadine’s writings on various policy topics have been published in numerous publications domestically and internationally. She is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University. She is married with three children living outside of Philadelphia in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (2016 – 2019)
Commander, US European Command (2016 – 2019)
Commander, US Forces Korea (2013 – 2016)

In 2019, General Curtis “Mike” Scaparrotti completed a distinguished 41-year career in the US Army as the Commander, US European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, NATO. As the NATO Commander, General Scaparrotti worked to preserve the security and stability of the Alliance and strengthen it in the face of traditional and new-age adversaries. He collaborated with the leadership of all 29 NATO member nations, as well as the various NATO partner countries around the world.

Prior to General Scaparrotti’s leadership position at NATO and US European Command, General Scaparrotti served as the Commander of US Forces Korea / United Nations Command / Combined Forces Command in Seoul, South Korea from 2013 to 2016. He has also served as the Director of the Joint Staff, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force, the Deputy Commander of US Forces – Afghanistan, the Commanding General of I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and the Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division.

Additionally, over the years, General Scaparrotti served in key leadership positions at the tactical, operational, and strategic level of the United States military. These positions have included Director of Operations at US Central Command, and the 69th Commandant of Cadets at the US Military Academy at West Point. He has commanded forces during Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), Support Hope (Zaire/Rwanda), Joint Endeavor (Bosnia-Herzegovina), and Assured Response (Liberia).

General Scaparrotti’s awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, and the Army Meritorious Service Medal. Additionally, he has earned the Combat Action Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge, and the Ranger Tab.

General Scaparrotti graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1978. His military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Command and General Staff College, and the US Army War College. Additionally, General Scaparrotti holds a Master’s degree in Administrative Education from the University of South Carolina.

In addition to his work with The Cohen Group, General Scaparrotti is a member of the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Council, a member of the Advisory Board of the Patriot Foundation, and a Senior Fellow at the National Defense University.

Dr. Aziz Sadat recently established the Afghanistan Public Affairs Council (APAC) based in Washington, DC. He conducts research and outreach activities on conflict, fragility, and Afghanistan development, specifically focusing on freedom, human rights, and education. The Council maintains constant communication with the Afghan diaspora world-wide.

Aziz Sadat’s expertise and focus areas span from drivers of armed conflict and instability in Afghanistan and the development of strategic responses to address conflict and insecurity to global challenges like forced migration.

Aziz has been actively involved in Afghan Peace, foreign relations, and the restoration of Afghan Civilization since the Russian invasion 1979. He worked for many years on development approaches to conflict prevention, post-conflict, and peacebuilding policies. Aziz Sadat became a political prisoner under the Taliban in 1995 after his appointment as ambassador to China.

Aziz Sadat was a full-time consultant with the Afghan government for over ten years, focusing on fragility, conflict, and forced displacement issues. He conducted and coordinated research and policymaking activities, including authoring relevant publications, conducting policy dialogue with governments, and engaging in partnerships with bilateral, multilateral, national, and local actors. He was the coordinator of the Afghan president’s representative office, Pathways for Peace-Inclusive Approaches to Preventing Violent Conflict, a ground breaking initiative for establishing the Ministry of Peace that turned attention to development and peace negotiations between the Afghan government and Taliban.

Aziz Sadat founded the Afghanistan Ministry of Peace, the Afghanistan National Institute for Peace and Justice, and the World Trade Center of Kabul.

Major General (Ret.) Kwang-Hyun Chang graduated from the Korean Military Academy in 1983. He accomplished a great deal of major command and staff positions in various units and policy departments throughout his 35-year military service. In particular, he served as Chief of Staff of the Army Chiefs of Staff in 2010 after being promoted to General in 2009, and in 2011 as Chief of Operations 1 of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. From 2012 to 2013, he served as commander of the 51st Infantry Division. In 2014, he served as Chief of Staff of the FROKA (1st ROK Army). In a highlight, in 2015, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief of Staff of the UNC MAC following his assignment as the CFC’s Deputy Chief of Operations. In 2016, he retired on December 31st after last serving as commander of the Army Aviation Operations Command. And also, Major General (Ret.) served as COO & CFO at the Military Mutual Aid Association from May 1, 2017 to May 31, 2020. He is now working as a professor of “Innovation Strategy Leadership” and “Defense Convergence Leadership” at Midwest University (U.S. Missouri).

Major General (Ret.) is a person who was exceptionally busy in his military life but did not neglect studying for his own development, earning a master’s degree in business administration from Yeungnam University Graduate School of Business in 1987. In 2019, he completed the MBA course at Yonsei University Graduate School of Business. He also earned a Doctorate in Engineering from Ajou University Graduate School in 2019. His doctoral dissertation was “A Study on the Revitalization of the United Nations Command based on the Transfer of Wartime Operational Control.” He is currently writing a book about the United Nations Command (UNC), and his book is scheduled to be published in Korea in the summer of 2020.

Major General (Ret.) is well known as the right soldier who values laws and principles during all military life and was also a soldier who devoted himself to strengthening the ROK-US alliance. This led to him receiving many medals and commendations. In 2002, he received a citation from the President of the Republic of Korea. And in 2002 and 2008, he received a Citation from the Secretary of the United States Army. In 2011, he received the National Security Medal, the “Cheonsu Medal” from the Korean Government. In 2016, he received the highest honorable LOM (Legend Of Merit), awarded to foreign military officers from the US Government, and also received the ‘Michael Knight Award’ from the US Army Aviation Association.

Major General (Ret.) Urs Gerber is the president of the Foundation Council of the Swiss Armed Forces’ Historic Material Foundation, an institution responsible for collecting, maintaining, and developing the “hardware legacy” of the Swiss Armed Forces.

He is co-chairing the Annual Senior Officers Seminar (ASOS) on leadership and crisis management at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) and is continuing to give talks and lectures on the situation in and around the Korean Peninsula. Furthermore, he is representing the Swiss Armed Forces on the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS). Until the end of 2019 he has been the editor-in-chief of the Swiss Military Power Revue, a military-strategic publication of the Chief of the Swiss Armed Forces.

From February 2012 until August 2017 Maj. Gen Gerber has been the Swiss Member and Head of the Swiss Delegation to the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, Panmunjom, Republic of Korea, from where he retired at the end of August 2017.

Educated as a historian at the University of Berne he worked as a research assistant for the Swiss National Fund before joining the Swiss General Staff in 1984 as a civil servant. After a short assignment to the Plans & Policy Directorate, Urs Gerber worked for an extended period in senior positions at the Strategic Intelligence Service heading the Analysis Division from 1998-99.

After a short stint as Senior Project Manager for Military Strategy he headed from 2002-2003 the Swiss Verification Unit mainly responsible for the implementation of arms control agreements. From 2004-2011 Urs Gerber was Head of the Euro-Atlantic Security Co-operation Division. In this capacity he has been responsible for all multilateral activities of the Swiss Armed Forces and its relations within the framework of UN, OSCE and EAPC-PfP as well as for arms control and disarmament issues of the Swiss Ministry of Defence.

From 2006-2011 he has also been the Deputy Director of the International Relations Directorate of the Swiss Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence. In parallel to his professional career, Urs Gerber started his militia (reserve) military career in 1973. 1981-85 he served as an infantry company commander. After graduation in 1986 to general staff officer he has been assigned ACOS Intel (1986-1990) and ACOS Ops (1995-96) at division staff level. From 1991-94 Urs Gerber commanded an infantry battalion in Field Division 3 (Inf). From 1997-2003 he was assigned to the staff of 1st Field Army Corps as a senior adviser to the commanding general and as ACOS Intel (1998-99).

2004-2011 he has been a senior staff officer on the Military Strategic Staff of the Chief of the Armed Forces. Upon decision of the Swiss government of October 2011 he was promoted to Major General to take over the Swiss Delegation to the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, Panmunjom, Republic of Korea, by 21 February 2012.

Apart from national (general) staff and flag officer courses, Urs Gerber graduated from the ITC of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) (1993/94) and from the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) (2000) in London.

Hee-Eun Kim is the Founder, President, and CEO of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy (CAPS), a Washington DC-based international security think tank that provides policy recommendations about present and future threats to security and stability across the Asia Pacific region. Her mission is to bring awareness to leaders and the general public about real-world defense and security issues pertaining to Asia Pacific nations.

Mrs. Kim received her bachelor’s degree in political science and her master’s degree in international relations (Foreign Policy and National Security) from SungKyunKwan University in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
From 2007 – 2008 Mrs. Kim worked at the Gyeonggi Research Institute, a think tank affiliated with Korean Government research on the US-ROK Alliance and US Forces Korea. While at GRI she led the Kaesung Industrial Complex outreach program.

From 2009 – 2011 Mrs. Kim served as the chief manager for an exchange program between the United States and ROK at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education, where she led the pilot program to include North Korean defectors students in the exchange program.
From 2011 – 2012, she served on the staff of the Senior Secretary of Foreign Policy and National Security within Cheonghwadae, the Office of the President. She was responsible for writing the monthly internal Think Tank Report and led the outreach program for the Senior Secretary of National Security.

At the end of the Presidential administrative term in 2012, Mrs. Kim joined the staff of United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea located in Seoul. She initially started her position as International Relations Officer at the Multi-national Logistics Division and moved her position as the Chief of United Nations Command (UNC) Logistics Branch.

In 2016 Mrs. Kim was appointed as Deputy Director of Political-Military Engagement on the Commander’s Strategic Initiatives Group for the US four-star Commander of United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea. She supported Commander and the leadership group as a Pol-Mil Advisor and planned and executed Key Leaders Engagements.

In 2020, she established the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy in Washington DC as a non-governmental and multinational think tank. Recently, she also joined the Advisory Board for the Economic Conflict & Competition Research Group at King’s College London.

Colonel (Ret.) Maxwell is Vice President of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy and a Senior Fellow at the Global Peace Foundation (where he focuses on civil society support to a free and unified Korea). He is the Editor-in-Chief of Small Wars Journal. He is a 30-year veteran of the US Army, retiring as a Special Forces Colonel and has worked in Asia for more than over 30 years, primarily in Korea, Japan, and the Philippines. Colonel Maxwell served on the United Nations Command / Combined Forces Command / United States Forces Korea CJ3 staff where he was a planner for UNC/CFC OPLAN 5027-98 and co-author of the original ROK JCS – UNC/CFC CONPLAN 5029-99 (north Korean instability and regime collapse). He later served as the Director of Plans, Policy, and Strategy and then Chief of Staff for the Special Operations Command Korea. He commanded the Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines (JSOTF-P), served as the G3 for the United States Army Special Operations Command, and culminated his service as a member of the military faculty at the National War College.

Following retirement, he served as the Associate Director of the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service (2011-2017). Colonel Maxwell is a fellow at the Institute of Corean-American Studies, an advisor to Spirit of America, and on the Board of Directors of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, the International Council of Korean Studies, the Council on Korean-US Security Studies, the Special Operations Research Association, the OSS Society, and the Small Wars Journal. He earned a B.A. in political science from Miami University, and an M.A. in Military Arts and Science from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and from the School of Advanced Military Studies, and an M.S. in National Security Studies from the National War College. Colonel Maxwell teaches “Unconventional Warfare and Special Operations for Policy Makers and Strategists.”

Chioma Daisy Onyige is a distinguished Professor of Criminology based at the Department of Sociology within the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Port Harcourt. Internationally recognized for her scholarly contributions and extensive research, she focuses on a range of crucial areas such as gender and crime, environmental sociology, gender and climate change, as well as related subjects like conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Her ongoing research interest is on contemporary slavery studies, with a particular emphasis on human trafficking and the smuggling of women and children from Africa to Europe. Notably, her publication titled “Globalization, Poverty, and Human Trafficking in Nigeria” (2018) emerged from presentations at The University of Sheffield (2017), The University of Oxford (2017), and the International Sociological World Congress in Toronto, Canada (2018). Professor Onyige holds esteemed fellowships at various prestigious institutions, including the Global South Scholar-in-residence at the Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland; the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society at LMU, Munich, Germany; the Africa Science Leadership Programme (ASLP) at the University of Pretoria, South Africa; the Commonwealth Fellowship at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom; membership in the Global Young Academy (GYA) German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in Halle (Saale), Germany; and fellowships at the Kate Hamburger Kolleg “Law as Culture” Center for Advanced Studies and the Heinz Heinen Senior Fellow at the Cluster of Excellence “Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies,” both at the University of Bonn, Germany. She is a Global Peace Ambassador for Humanitarian Services, an honour given to her by the Global Peace Foundation, Nigeria.

Mohamed Saliou Camara Ph.D, is a professor of History, Philosophy, and Mass Communication and the chair of the Department of African Studies at Howard University. He received an M.A. and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University in History on a Fulbright Scholarship. He majored in African History and double minored in Middle Eastern Studies and African American Studies with Mass Communication and Political Science as his research-related fields. Camara earned a Diplôme d’Études Supérieures (DES) from the Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry (IPGANC, Guinea) where he double majored in History and Philosophy. He also received an Advanced Professional Degree in Journalism from the Centre d’Étude des Sciences et Techniques de l’Information (CESTI), University of Dakar now Cheikh Anta Diop University (Senegal).

Professor Camara worked at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida (2003-2016), where he also served as Director of the McNair Scholars Program, Vice Speaker and then Speaker of the Faculty Senate, and Associate Vice President for Academics. In 2008 he was voted Outstanding Researcher of the Year in the Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, and in 2009 he received Embry-Riddle’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award.

Prior to coming to the United States for his doctoral education, Camara worked as a lecturer and associate chair of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Conakry, a journalist for the National Radio Television Network of Guinea, a speechwriter for the Press Bureau of the Presidency of the Republic of Guinea, and the president of the University Press of Conakry.

Professor Camara is the author of seven books, the co-editor of two books, and the author of numerous book chapters and peer-reviewed articles on African studies, with a focus on political history; political communication and journalism; media, culture, and society; philosophy, religion, and spirituality in African civilization; civil-military relations; human security; and the question of regional integration in intra-African relations. His books include: Health and Human Security in the Mano River Union: Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire (2020); Is There a Distinctively African Way of Knowing: Knowing and Theory of Knowledge in the African Experience (2014); Political History of Guinea since World War Two (2014); Historical Dictionary of Guinea (5th Edition) (2013); The Development of a Trans-National Region in West Africa: Transcending the Politics of Sovereign Nation States (2010); Le pouvoir politique en Guinée sous Sékou Touré (2007); and His Master’s Voice: Mass Communication and Single-Party Politics in Guinea under Sékou Touré (2005).

Professor Camara’s current research centers on three collective books: (1) Transcendental Africanity: The Key to Defeating Afrophobia and Reclaiming Global Africa; (2) Religion, Spirituality, and Philosophy in Africa’s Struggle against Meta-imperialism from the Cold War through the Global War on Terror; and (3) Citizen Contract and Transformational Governance in Guinea.

Professor Camara is the recipient of Le Grand Prix de la Francophonie for 2023, an award recognizing the quality of his teaching, research and scholarship, and his contribution to the advancement of peace and democratization in Africa. He is a recipient of the 2022-2023 Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship. He is also the founding president of the Africa Renewal Foundation (ARF), a non-profit organization whose mission is to engage the African Diaspora or African Union Sixth Region and contribute to African development in the areas of leadership and governance, and innovation and entrepreneurship.

Dr. Nwokeafor is a passionate, courageous and innovative educator/administrator with a well-established track record of inspiring students, faculty and administration at BSU to race for excellence. He is committed to creating an environment in which students know they are valued for their pursuit of excellence in their educational endeavors, and where their success is understood to be inextricably linked to that of the community. Prior to his appointment as the dean of graduate school about seventeen years ago, Dr. Nwokeafor held a distinguished career in teaching, research, and service for ten years at BSU’s Department of Communication, in the College of Arts and Sciences. He also served as the Chair of the Department of Communication, during which time he reshaped and restructured a vibrant communication department by introducing learning resources such as the media lab. Where hands on journalism and integrated technology driven lectures are held for a much better student learning outcome. Dr. Nwokeafor also served as senior personnel for a four and half million dollars National Science Foundation (NSF) grant titled: Training Institute for Practicing Mathematics and Sciences Secondary Teachers (Grants not funded). He has published eleven books with the twelfth one on the way, nine book chapters, three book proposals, seven refereed Journal articles, five newspaper (Washington Post) articles, forty-five professional presentations, twenty-six invited presentations and eighty-five professional services. His research interest includes Information Communication Technology (ICT) and development communication in Africa. Dr. Nwokeafor holds a doctoral degree in Mass Communication from Howard University, a master’s degree in Mass Communication from Howard University and bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Howard University. He also holds a National Certificate in Education from Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education Owerri in Nigeria. Dr. Nwokeafor is married and has four adult children.

Dr. Philliph Masila Mutisya, Ed. D., is an esteemed Professor of Education within the Department of Curriculum Instruction at North Carolina Central University’s School of Education (WWW.NCCU.EDU). With a rich educational background and extensive experience spanning over 37 years in higher education, Dr. Mutisya is a driving force in instructional training and development, curriculum design, policy and research evaluation, program development, assessment, and professional development for educators from K-20.

As an educator, he plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of education, particularly in the field of Instructional Leadership in Education, where he instructs courses for two Master’s Degree in Educational Technology programs. His dedication to equity in education is underscored by his role as a Facilitator for the Equity Advocacy Certificate Program.

In addition to his academic contributions, Dr. Mutisya is an influential figure beyond the classroom. He serves as one of the Founder, Senior Vice President, and Executive Director of Diaspora Outreach Developments Foundation Inc. (www.dodfinc.org). He is the Lead Founder and a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Diaspora University Town(DUT.OR.KE). His commitment to promoting global peace and education is evidenced by his pivotal role in establishing a collaborative partnership between the Global Peace Foundation and North Carolina Central University, which led to the creation of the NCCU Honors program LEAP HUB—a pioneering initiative focused on enhancing peace capacity building in higher education.

Professor Mutisya’s involvement extends to various boards of directors, where he actively contributes to educational initiatives and transformation. His certification areas encompass Character Education and Process Education Training, adopting a 21st Century Transformational approach to Teaching and Learning. He is also an Executive Member of key organizations, including The Academy of Process Education(www.processeducation.org), AAER International (WWW.AAERinternational.ORG), the Kenya Scholars and Studies Association (KESSA.ORG), and the International Institute for African Scholars(https://iiasglobal.net/)

Dr. Mutisya’s research interests are diverse and include instructional leadership and curriculum development, research capacity building in interdisciplinary Critical Pedagogy and Andragogy, Diversity, Multicultural Education, Cultural Identity, Educational Entrepreneurship, Educational Psychology, and Philosophical/Social Foundations of Education. He is a driving force behind professional training and development in International and Global Education Literacy.

Dr. Mutisya’s extensive academic and leadership accomplishments reflect his unwavering commitment to advancing education and fostering global peace through innovative and inclusive approaches in the field.

Dr. Joseph Peter Ochogwu is the Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He was the Director of Research and Policy Analysis, in the Institute, and has worked as Special Assistant in the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President from 2011 – 2016. He has served as Conflict Adviser to the erstwhile British Department for International Development (DFID) for one year (2017 – 2018) before returning to the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution.

He has an innovative approach to facilitating and supporting interactions and engagements in emerging areas of policy making, parliamentary reform, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, countering and preventing violent extremism. He is vastly experienced in research and programme design, training, result based management, and programme monitoring and evaluation. He served as Member and Technical Expert to the Presidential Committee on Community Policing and Internal Security.

Dr. Ochogwu is widely published on peacebuilding, security, democracy and governance subjects. He won several fellowships including the prestigious British Government Chevening Fellow – 2004/2005, Israeli Mashav Fellow – 2007, UN University of Peace/IDRC Africa Programme Doctoral Fellow – 2008/2011, and IPCR Director General’s award for independent research, and a Commendation from the Chief of Staff to the President.

Dr. Ochogwu is a Visiting Associate Professor at the Nile University of Nigeria, Bingham University, and serves as a Facilitator and Examiner with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). Also, he consults for several International Development Partners in Nigeria including: British Council, British Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, United States Institute for Peace, Konrad Adeneur Foundation, Search for Common Ground, Institute of Development Studies, BASIC Research programme, amongst others.

Dispassion for the world and attraction for Swami Vivekananda’s ideal of “Service to Man is Service to God” led a working professional in his twenties, to tread a new path. The youngster who joined the Ramakrishna Order as a monastic, later became Swami Shantatmananda, after formal monastic vows. In his journey of nearly 45 years in the Ramakrishna Order so far, he has spent nearly 30 years at the international headquarters of the Order, viz. Belur Math in West Bengal. He was in-charge of the Audit Department for more than two decades and brought about many important reforms. He was also instrumental in initiating major staff welfare schemes benefitting thousands of employees. His passion for service to the poor and marginalised, led to his helping in the setting up of two voluntary organisations in West Bengal, namely Sarada Seva Sangha and Sarada Kalyan, largely managed by trained women volunteers. These have turned out to become wonderful examples of women empowerment. When he assumed charge as the Head of the Ramakrishna Mission, Delhi nearly 15 years ago, new vistas opened before him. Dissemination of the spiritual messages of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda as well as conducting scriptural classes became one of the major focus areas. These and other lecture assignments have taken him all over the world. His passion for interfaith harmony inspired him to organize a World Meet for Peace and Harmony in 2012, which was inaugurated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The fact that Swami Vivekananda’s ideas of man-making and character-building education have not penetrated our educational system compelled him to start a programme to awaken children to their full potential, through gentle nurturing and guidance. This nascent idea led to a full-fledged Awakened Citizen Program, which was launched in 2013-14 and is currently running in over 5,500 schools, all over India. The programme has already changed mindsets and touched the lives of 10 lakh children and 20,000 teachers. He is now working on developing programmes for primary school children, parents, administrators, corporate executives, professionals and others who are likely to benefit from the powerful and highly relevant, contemporary ideas of Swami Vivekananda. He is in the process of setting up a separate institution, namely Vivekananda Institute of Values (VIVA) for this purpose at Gurgaon, in Haryana. He has been a member of some of the insightful committees set up by Central Government on Education. Presently, he is a member of the NITI Aayog. Swami Shantatmananda has contributed a column on Hinduism for eight years in the newspaper Sunday Guardian. He also writes occasionally for the Speaking Tree of Times of India. He has a deep love for music and he is deeply interested in sports.

• A Claretian Missionary Priest and the Director of SAKLAY Center.
• He’s a Spokesperson of (NE-IATF) Nueva Ecija Inter-agency Task Force from 2020 to present
• He’s the President of (ABSNET) Area Based Standards Network – Nueva EcijaCluster from 2018 to present.
• He was the Vice-President of DSWD ABSNET – Region 3 from 2018 – 2022
• He was the Director of JPIC (Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation), Claretian Missionaries in Los Angeles California from 2000 to 2005
• He was an Associate Pastor of the Our Lady Queen of Angels in Los Angeles California from 2008 to 2012
• A Chaplain at the Philippine Orthopedic Center in Quezon City from 2008 to 2012 
• Became the Director Cupa of the Claret Urban Poor Apostolate in Quezon City from 2012 to 2014 
• Became a member of the Ethics Committee at the Philippine Orthopedic Center in Quezon City from 2008 to 2012 
• Was a Program Anchor at PTV4, a television show in Bagong Pilipinas from 2010 to 2011
• Became a Consultant at the Department of Health from 2016 to 2017
• A Board Member of the Joey Velasco Foundation from 2010 to present
• Executive Director of the “AKO ANGF SAKLAY INC.” at San Antonio, Nueva Ecija from 2014 to present
• A Peacebuilder and Peace Advocacy speaker of Global Peace Foundation from 2019 to present