Webcast: Understanding the Negative Impact of Peer Violence and Bullying on Safe Learning Environments

Julie Hanson Swanson is the Deputy Education Chief in the Africa Bureau of USAID. She previously served for more than eight years in the Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GenDev) at USAID as the Education Program Specialist, working on gender-based violence and education. Ms. Swanson’s current position builds on over 30 years of previous work developing, managing, and implementing programs in formal and non-formal education, adolescent reproductive health, girls’ education, and gender. She has worked with NGOs such as the Centre for Development and Population Activities and Save the Children/USA, as well as international organizations such as the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the U.S. Peace Corps. In addition Ms. Swanson was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco. She has worked long term in Morocco, Gabon, and Egypt. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in French Literature from Brown University, and a Master’s degree in International Education Policy from Harvard University. Ms. Swanson is the 2010 recipient of USAID’s Laura W. Bush Award for Excellence in the Advancement of Global Women’s Equality.

Kalene Resler is a Program Analyst focusing on School-related Gender-based Violence (SRGBV) on the Education and Youth Division of USAID’s Africa Bureau. Prior to joining the Africa Bureau, Kalene worked in the Office of HIV/AIDS in the Global Health Bureau supporting various PEPFAR workstreams, including the DREAMS Initiative to reduce HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women. Prior to this role, Kalene interned with the AFR/SD/ED team, focusing on inclusive education, early-grade reading and SRGBV. Kalene holds a Master’s in International Education Policy from the University of Maryland. Before graduate school, Kalene served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon and as an AmeriCorps VISTA Associate with the Commonwealth Catholic Charities refugee program in Richmond, VA. Kalene also holds a BS in Communication Studies from Boston University.

Dr. Shahriar Kibriya is an educator, researcher and development professional with expertise on education and institutional policy reform; agricultural and food policy; marketing and innovative social entrepreneurship; development and institutional economics; environment and climate sustainability; and quantitative studies of social science. Dr. Kibriya is the Co-Founder of the USAID Higher Education Solutions Network Laboratory in Texas A&M. He is currently the Associate Director and Research Lead for the Center on Conflict and Development, at Texas A&M University. Dr. Kibriya’s applied research work on efficacy of development interventions has generated effective policy suggestions for federal and state agencies.

Jaehyun Ahn is a Research Associate for the Center on Conflict and Development at Texas A&M University. His first field experience was in rural Liberia in 2012, and since then his research interest primarily has been closing urban-and-rural gaps through improving female education in West Africa. In the last two years, Jaehyun presented his research at four international development conferences, co-authored two peer-reviewed journals and one monograph. He is a currently a doctoral candidate at Texas A&M University.

Gustavo Payan is an international development specialist with experience in conflict-affected and fragile environments. An impassioned advocate for youth violence prevention and education in crisis and conflict, he builds programs and influences policy to foster peace and security through promoting access to learning and livelihoods. Gustavo is currently the senior technical advisor and deputy chief of party of the USAID-funded “Asegurando la Educacion” project in Honduras, implemented by DAI. He is also serving as a co-chair of the Advocacy Working Group from the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE). Gustavo is an Edward Mason Fellow and mid-career MPA graduate from the Harvard Kennedy School. He also earned an MA in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University. Gustavo is originally from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and his favorite role is being a dad.

Ashley Henderson is an Education Specialist with the Education in Crisis and Conflict team in USAID’s office of Education. In her current position, Ashley focuses on the Rapid Education and Risk Analysis, adaptive management, social emotional learning, and safe learning environments, as well as field support to USAID education programs, particularly in the Latin America and Caribbean region. Ashley joined the Education office in May 2017 after 5 years in USAID’s Latin America and Caribbean bureau, where she worked as the health and education backstop for the Haiti Task Team. Prior to joining USAID, Ashley worked as a data analyst at the Department of Health and Human Services and as a program director for Community in Action, an NGO based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ashley holds a bachelor of arts in English and Spanish Literature from the University of Virginia, and earned her MPA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.