Mark Silk
Mark Silk graduated from Harvard College in 1972 and earned his Ph.D. in medieval history from Harvard University in 1982. After teaching at Harvard in the Department of History and Literature for three years, he became editor of the Boston Review. In 1987 he joined the staff of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where he worked variously as a reporter, editorial writer and columnist. In 1996 he became the first director of the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life and in 1998 founding editor of Religion in the News, a magazine published by the Center that examines how the news media handle religious subject matter. In June 2005, he was also named director of the Trinity College Program on Public Values, comprising both the Greenberg Center and a new Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture.
Olivia Nielsen
Olivia Nielsen is a Principal at Miyamoto International where she focuses on resilient housing solutions. From post-disaster Haiti to Papua New Guinea, she has developed and worked on critical housing programs in over 45 countries. Olivia has over a decade of experience in housing finance, housing public-private partnerships, post-disaster reconstruction and green construction. Through her work she hopes to make safe and affordable housing available to all.
Maya Jacobs
Maya Jacobs currently works at Internews where she serves as the Deputy Chief of Party (deputy director) for a $42.25 million global internet freedom program that focuses on gender and marginalized groups and supports local civil society, independent media, and human rights defenders to better prevent and respond to digital repression.
Maya previously oversaw management and fundraising for the Southeast Asia portfolio at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). Programs in the portfolio focused on media literacy, information integrity, youth civic engagement, LGBTQI+ inclusion, electoral operations and management, cyber security, anti-corruption, civil society resilience, disability inclusion and women’s political participation. She also led the development of the organization’s Do No Harm and Safeguarding policies and led an LGBTQI+ working group to carry out IFES’s approach to LGBTQI+ inclusion.
Prior to IFES, Maya developed and implemented programs for Freedom House’s Asia team that focused on fundamental freedoms and democracy. She has consulted at Banyan Tree Foundation and the International Center for Nonviolent Conflict and previously worked at ICF International.
Maya holds an MA in international affairs from the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University and a BA in environmental studies from Connecticut College. Maya resides in the greater Boston area.
Ankita Kushwaha
Ankita Kushwaha is a lecturer at Sai University, Chennai, and a Ph.D. research scholar at Centre for Philosophy, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She holds an M.Phil. from the University of Hyderabad and an M.A. from Jawaharlal Nehru University. She has co-instructed courses such as Critical Thinking and Ethics at Sai University. She has also taught the Ethics course for Undergraduates at the Centre for Philosophy, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Kushwaha’s area of specialization lies in social-political philosophy, with a particular focus on the relationship between religion and the state in India. Her research aims to explore how to maintain peaceful coexistence in a diverse society like India and to analyze the justifications for the approaches taken towards religion in the country.
Kushwaha has published a book review of Neera Chandhoke’s book Rethinking Pluralism, Secularism and Tolerance: Anxieties of Coexistence, published in Perspectives: UCD Postgraduate Journal of Philosophy (Vol 9, pp. 361 365). She has also presented papers, Gandhi’s Idea of Truth & its Relation to Secularism, presented in the 94th Session of the Indian Philosophical Congress, “Beyond Neutrality: State and the Role of Religion,” at the International Conference for Multidisciplinary Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities, organized by Manipal University, Jaipur, and “Beyond Coexistence: An Exploration of Peace through Justice and Fraternity” on the Indian Philosophy Network Colloquium. She has also contributed a blog article, “Traditional vs Colonial: Navigating Dichotomies of Philosophy in India,” to the Indian Philosophy Network website.
Megha Kapoor
I am Megha Kapoor, a PhD research scholar at the University of Delhi and Lecturer at Sai University in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. I embarked on my academic journey at the University of Delhi, where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. My passion for philosophical inquiry led me to continue my studies at the same university, completing a Master of Arts in Philosophy. I then pursued an M.Phil. in Philosophy at the University of Hyderabad, where I achieved a CGPA of 9.0. Currently, I am working towards a PhD in Philosophy at the University of Delhi, which I began in 2020. As I often say, I call myself a lover of philosophy, and this love has been the driving force behind my academic pursuits.
Throughout my journey, I’ve sought to expand my understanding and expertise through various certifications. I received a Post Graduate Certificate in Gandhian and Peace Studies from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in 2018, followed by a Certificate in Human Rights in 2019. In 2020, I completed a course in Religion, Conflict, and Peace from HarvardX, as well as a certificate in Death Penalty Law and Advocacy from the Capital Punishment Justice Project, Australia.
My academic work has allowed me to present papers at several esteemed conferences. I’ve shared my thoughts on topics such as “Rethinking Peace and Prosperity: A Gandhian Perspective” at the Indian Philosophical Congress, “Power, Responsibility, and Peace Post Covid-19 Era” at the Saint Damian Conference in Belgium, and “Beyond Coexistence: An Exploration of Peace through Justice and Fraternity” on the Indian Philosophy Network Colloquium. My research on “The Impact of Globalization on Peace” was presented at the International Conference on Peace and Conflict Resolution in Tehran, Iran.
In addition to my presentations, I have published papers and articles that reflect my philosophical inquiries. One such paper, titled “Ecological Solidarity: A Philosophical Analysis through Societal-Environmental Dialectic,” was published in the Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics. I also contributed to the Indian Philosophy Network with a blog post titled “Traditional vs Colonial: Navigating Dichotomies of Philosophy in India.” I believe in the conversation between discourses without boundaries, and this belief has guided much of my work.
My areas of expertise include the Social and Political Philosophy of India and the West, Peace Studies, Human Rights, Postmodern and Postcolonial philosophy, and Philosophy and Fiction.
Beyond academia, my heart lies in humanitarianism and philanthropy — the areas I aim to build my career. In 2013, I volunteered as a teacher at a Primary Government School in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, as part of the Igniting Young Minds project, where I helped provide life skills education to underprivileged children. I was also involved in The Mahābhārata Project, organizing webinars on “Yoga Consciousness in Mahābhārata and Bhagavadgītā.” Since 2022, I’ve been serving on the editorial team of The Mahābhārata Project, assisting in the publication of an edited volume.
I firmly believe that kindness and compassion are the primary precepts of life, and these values continue to guide both my academic endeavours and my broader aspirations.
Mitchell Pitts
I’m Mitchell Pitts, an MBA candidate at Boston University Questrom School of Business and a former U.S. Marine. My journey has been anything but traditional—I went from serving in the military and working in satellite communications to securing U.S. embassies abroad and now transitioning into the world of business. My passion lies at the intersection of global development, infrastructure, and strategic leadership, all driven by a desire to create meaningful impact.
During my time in South Sudan, I saw firsthand the effects of humanitarian crises, which reshaped my perspective on leadership and service. It wasn’t just about security—it was about finding ways to contribute, like organizing fundraisers for local orphanages and improving logistical systems to make operations more effective. In Vienna, I focused on modernizing security protocols, and in Bangkok, I managed financial operations while mentoring a team of Marines. Each experience reinforced my belief that leadership isn’t just about authority—it’s about adaptability, collaboration, and making decisions that improve people’s lives.
Now, at Questrom, I’m focused on applying these experiences to a future in infrastructure and global development, working alongside engineers and policymakers to build sustainable projects that enhance communities worldwide. I thrive in fast-paced, mission-driven environments and am always looking for opportunities to bring strategy and execution together to drive real change.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that I met Mitch through Remi, who befriended Baron—a large, regal dog I immediately nicknamed "The Aristocrat." His humans, Jeff and Elizabeth, became friendly with me, and I soon learned that Jeff often provided housing for people passing through the neighborhood. The first guest was a remarkable Iranian artist, who is now an MBA student at BU’s Questrom School of Business. As it turns out, we have much in common, including an unusual, non-traditional childhood. He grew up in many states and spent the last three and a half years living in South Sudan, Vienna, and Bangkok.
Our conversations have covered a wide range of topics, from Marine Corps concerns to the ideation of creating a new university. I am continually struck by his intellectual curiosity and career aspirations, which align closely with the core mission of the Institute of Global Leadership, spanning foreign service and humanitarian issues. Remarkably, he lives just 150 steps away from me—a serendipitous proximity that has fostered a relationship marked by productivity and stimulating discussions, ranging from sports to Wernher von Braun. His name is omnipresent in Huntsville, Alabama, including the mansion-turned-museum atop Monte Sano Mountain.
I enjoy learning from Mitch, and our occasional differences in opinion only serve to sharpen our thinking. His experiences are meaningful and diverse. As I write this, we are about to depart for Bangkok. He has already taken the initiative to redesign a website through a friend's connection, just one example of his resourcefulness. When I use the word "productive," I do so with full appreciation of the balance between meaningful work and the engaging conversations we have while collaborating.
Gavin Murphy
Gavin went to law school before starting his career in San Francisco after finishing engineering studies at Tufts. He spent 10 years in SF working as a lawyer and carving out time for running, climbing, and skiing. Gavin is an avid reader - focused mostly on nonfiction and the occasional mystery. Gavin now works as in house counsel for Brex, a fintech startup combining his engineering and legal background. Professionally he has focused on financial services regulation in the US as well as UK, EU, Canada, and Australia including previous stints at Square and several international law firms. Gavin currently lives in Washington DC with his wife, Madeline, and black lab, Hyde.
At Varo he launched a secured credit card for credit building and a payday alternative loan for the under banked in the US. At Square, Murphy launched small business loans in the U.K. and small business lines of credit in the US.
Welcoming the community to Truro! Bear sculpture courtesy of wonderful Gavin.
Jim Walsh
Dr. Jim Walsh is a Senior Research Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program (SSP). His research and writings focus on international security, and in particular, topics involving nuclear weapons. Dr. Walsh has testified before the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives on topics relating to nuclear terrorism, Iran, and North Korea. He is one of the relatively small number of Americans who have travelled to both Iran and North Korea for talks with officials about nuclear issues.
His recent writing includes “The Implications of the JCPOA for Future Verification Arrangements (including the DPRK),” “The Digital Communications Revolution: Lessons for the Nuclear Policy Community,” and “Laser Enrichment and Proliferation: Assessing Future Risks.”
Dr. Walsh is the international security contributor to the National Public Radio's Here and Now, and his comments and analysis have appeared in the New York Times, the New York Review of Books, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and numerous other national and international news outlets. Before coming to MIT, Walsh was Executive Director of the Managing the Atom project at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a visiting scholar at the Center for Global Security Research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He has taught at both Harvard University and MIT. Dr. Walsh received his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Gail Schechter
Since launching her career as a tenant organizer in 1984, Gail Schechter has been a local and national leader in fair, affordable, and intergenerational housing; investigation of housing discrimination complaints; housing development; and community organizing. Today Gail serves as the Executive Director of the nonprofit Housing Opportunities and Maintenance for the Elderly (H.O.M.E.), providing and championing intergenerational housing and support services for low-income seniors throughout the City of Chicago.
She is also a widely recognized thought leader in conceiving of and implementing creative grassroots strategies for just, beloved communities, most recently as the organizer of “The Justice Project: The March Continues” in Chicago’s northern suburbs, the Evanston-based racial equity focused Community Alliance for Better Government, and the Skokie Alliance for Electoral Reform, which won three citizen-led referendums in 2022 that break a nearly 60-year single-party monopoly on local government. In 2012, the Governor appointed her to fill the “affordable housing advocate” seat on the State Housing Appeals Board, the enforcement body of the Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act which she helped to pass. Gail is also a co-founder of the Chicago-based Addie Wyatt Center for Nonviolence Training and the author of “We’re Gonna Open Up the Whole North Shore” in the anthology The Chicago Freedom Movement: Martin Luther King Jr. and Civil Rights Activism in the North (2016). She has a B.A. with honors in history from Oberlin College and a master's degree from Tufts University in Urban and Environmental Policy.
As to how I remember my time together with Sherman and IGL, I attach a letter that I wrote on that very topic 10 years ago! Feel free to take what you want from it. (And yes, I was a "valedictorian" for my Urban & Environmental Policy class at Tufts, in 1990).
Alina Shkolnikov
Alina Shkolnikov is a seasoned professional with a rich tapestry of experiences spanning diverse sectors and global landscapes. As the Chief Partnerships Officer at PollyLabs and a Faculty Lecturer at The New School, Alina brings a wealth of knowledge and a deep commitment to strategic innovation to her roles.
With a career marked by impactful contributions at organizations such as the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation, HP, and PresenTense, Alina has honed her expertise in catalytic growth and social impact. Her journey from Ukraine to Israel, India, and the US has equipped her with a unique perspective that fuels her interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving.
Alina's academic background in communications and strategy, coupled with her practical experience, enables her to craft meticulously designed strategies that drive meaningful social and environmental change while ensuring financial sustainability.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Alina is dedicated to fostering dialogue and progress as the Chair of the Israeli Board of Seeds of Peace and a Board Member at Forum Devorah. With a steadfast commitment to making a positive difference in the world, Alina Shkolnikov is a driving force for innovation and collaboration in the pursuit of a better future for all.
Bar Pereg
Bar Pereg, CEO of PollyLabs, is a visionary leader driven by a passion for leveraging technology to address pressing global challenges and drive purpose-driven growth. With a diverse background spanning various industries and roles, Bar has witnessed firsthand the untapped potential of technology to drive positive change. This realization prompted the founding of PollyLabs, a groundbreaking think tank and centre studio focused on repurposing technology for good.
Throughout her career, Bar has worked with Fortune 500 executives, startups, governments, and NGOs, advising on growth strategy, technology integration, and social impact. With extensive global experience and a track record of leading diverse teams, Bar is dedicated to pioneering innovative solutions that promote equity and improve the human experience.
Bar holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, where she specialized in finance and sustainability. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management and Sociology from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. With a deep understanding of business strategy, technology, and social dynamics, Bar is committed to driving meaningful change and shaping a more inclusive future for all.
Sameer Arshad Khatlani
Sameer Arshad Khatlani is a journalist with Hindustan Times, India’s second-biggest newspaper. He was a senior assistant editor with the Indian Express until June 2018.
Born and raised in Kashmir, Khatlani began his career with the now-defunct Bengaluru-based Vijay Times in 2005 as its national affairs correspondent. He joined the Times of India in 2007. Over the next nine years, Khatlani was part of the newspaper's national and international news-gathering team.
He has reported from Iraq and Pakistan, and covered elections and national disasters. Khatlani has a master's degree in history from Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi.
He is a fellow with the Hawaii-based American East-West Center and the author of The Other Side of the Divide, A Journey into the Heart of Pakistan, Penguin eBury Press, March 2020.
CB Bhattacharya
CB Bhattacharya is the H.J. Zoffer Chair in Sustainability and Ethics at the Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh. He is a world-renowned expert in business strategy innovation aimed at increasing both business and social value. His research and teaching focus specifically on how companies can use underleveraged “intangible assets” such as corporate identity, reputation, corporate social responsibility and sustainability to strengthen stakeholder relationships and drive business and societal value.
Prof. Bhattacharya has published over 100 articles and has over 45,000 citations per Google Scholar, placing him among the top 50 cited marketing academics per Google Scholar and the top 1% of marketing academics per a Stanford University study. His latest book entitled Small Actions Big Difference: Leveraging Corporate Sustainability to Drive Business and Societal Value was published by Routledge in 2019. He is co-author of the book Leveraging Corporate Responsibility: The Stakeholder Route to Maximizing Business and Social Value and co-editor of the book Global Challenges in Responsible Business, both published by Cambridge University Press. He has served on the Editorial Review Boards and served as Editor of special issues of many leading publications. Prof. Bhattacharya is the founder of the Center for Sustainable Business at Pitt as well as the ESMT Sustainable Business Roundtable, a forum with more than 25 multinational members, aimed at discussing opportunities and challenges in mainstreaming sustainability practices within organizations. In 2007, he started the Stakeholder Marketing Consortium with support from the Aspen Institute.
Prof. Bhattacharya is part of a select group of faculty members that have been named twice to Business Week’s Outstanding Faculty list. He is on the #thinklist of the University of Bath, a list of influential faculty thinkers on issues of responsible business. He has won several best paper awards, teaching awards and research prizes. He was also a finalist for the Aspen Institute’s Faculty Pioneer Award in 2007. In addition, he received the Emory Williams Distinguished Teaching Award in 1995, the highest teaching award at Emory University.
He received his PhD in Marketing from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1993, his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in 1984 and his Bachelors (with Honors in Economics) from St. Stephens College, Delhi in 1982. Before joining ESMT in 2009, he was the Everett W. Lord Distinguished Scholar and Professor of Marketing at the School of Management at Boston University. Before joining Boston University, he was on the faculty at the Goizueta Business School, Emory University. Prior to his PhD, he worked for three years as a Product Manager in Reckitt Benckiser plc.
Prof. Bhattacharya has conducted research and consulted for many organizations such as Allianz, AT&T, Bosch, Eli Lilly, E.ON, General Mills, Green Mountain Coffee, High Museum of Art, Hitachi Corporation, Procter & Gamble Company, Prudential Bank, Timberland and Unilever. As an expert in corporate responsibility and sustainability, he is often interviewed and quoted in publications such as Business Week, BBC, Forbes, Financial Times, Fortune, Newsweek, The New York Times and The Economist and on TV stations such as Times Now, CBS and PBS. He frequently delivers keynote speeches or brings in his insights as a panelist at company, industry, and academic conferences and conventions.
Graziella Reis-Trani
Graziella Reis-Trani is the global alumni leader, ICEO at LHH and an executive and leadership development coach at GRT Coaching.
As a coach, she empowers leaders to uncover unconscious patterns in their beliefs, behaviors and language to increase their impact by establishing new ways of being that bring self-awareness, emotional intelligence, confidence and better relationships.
Graziella has spent over 15 years working as a corporate alumni leader in three top global law firms before joining LHH to serve as the global alumni leader for the International Center for Executive Options. During this time, she has coached associates and alumni around professional development and career transition, developed multi-year alumni strategies, identified and executed alumni focused activities that supported business development and recruiting objectives. Graziella also helped design and launch an award-winning internal Coaching Office while serving as a Coaching Office Steering Committee member, mentor and coach.
Prior to that, Graziella spent a few years working at the United Nations, at not-for-profits (the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO), the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and the US Committee for UNDP), UN agency (UNDP) and the UN Secretariat (DPA, DPI).
Graziella holds an M.A. in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University’s School of International Service, a B.A. in International Relations from Tufts University and a certificate in Women’s Entrepreneurship from Cornell University. Graziella completed her coaching certification at the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) and currently holds an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential from the International Coaching Federation.
While at Tufts, Graziella became involved with the Institute for Global Leadership her freshman year, when she worked for the IGL during their annual symposium. She continued her involvement by organizing an event with QUNO ahead of the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racial Intolerance. Graziella participated in the 2002-2003 (Global Inequities) EPIIC class, which explored the relationship between globalization and inequality. Inspired by that class and her experience at the UN, Graziella helped organize an IGL delegation to the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Graziella was born in Brazil and raised in NYC, having also lived in Boston and Washington, DC. This international upbringing has given her a great appreciation for exploring different countries and cultures any chance she gets. She loves music (especially live!), from classic rock and 90s pop to opera and classical and is always up for going to show or concert.
I met Graziella when she was a first-year Tufts student and work-study student at the Institute for Global Leadership.
Impressed by her discriminating demeanor, intellectual curiosity, and her organizational skills, always problem-solving with a ready smile, I hoped to attract her to EPIIC.
Several years later, she found its topic relevant to her concerns and shone brightly as an important member of the Global Inequities colloquium and symposium. At my Institute, dedicated to nurturing leadership, it was immediately clear she was a confident and sensitive leader.
I recognized Graziella's deep concern for environmental justice, water rights, and preserving nature, prioritizing sustainability. She conducted valuable independent research on the relationship of water and conflict. She could at once be thoroughly passionate yet always thoughtfully determined in an utterly steady and calm manner.
She was a frequent and prized volunteer. As Vice President of the International Club, she was responsible for setting up university-wide culture shows and was extolled as one of the finest host advisors for Tufts International Orientation.
Graziella's deep capacity, actually her strong instinct, is to help nurture and care about people, and she has dedicated herself to furthering principled policy at numerous NGOs.
I knew of her love for music and saw her intermittently, especially at our IGL Carnegie Hall benefit concerts by Music for Life International, supporting Syrian refugees, or for the UN agency concerned with preventing gender-based violence and protecting women.
A fiercely independent and powerful advocate for women's empowerment, she possesses a deep sense of justice and commitment to equality and equity.
Graziella is an impressive, thoughtful, and compassionate person. A highly sought-after corporate alumni leader, executive coach and mentor, she is the quintessential Convisero member, fusing knowledge, acumen, human and emotional intelligence skills, and integrity in a superbly professional manner.
Thom Kidrin
I’ve known Thom Kidrin for decades. He is one of the most innovative, imaginative, entrepreneurial and over the horizon thinkers that I know. He is also one of the more fun people to be around. Chairman and CEO of Real Brands Inc. and President and CEO of World’s Inc will give you some insight on how he is avant garde.
But most importantly in my life, Thom was a lifelong friend and advocate of “Hurricane” Rubin Carter who spent 19 years in prison for twice being wrongfully convicted of a triple murder in a bar in Paterson, New Jersey. And a forceful advocate for the remarkable John Artis, one of the most decent, courageous and honest people I have ever met.
Thom Kidrin, Rubin Carter, and my wife Iris Adler
Thom was an indomitable supporter of Rubin and John during their time in prison and after, and has continued to honor their legacy since Rubin passed from prostate cancer in 2014 and John died in 2021. Thom managed to get the attention of Muhammed Ali, Jimmy Carter, and the NAACP in order to support freeing Rubin and John. While many gave up support after Rubin was convicted for the second time of the same crime, thinking that the court could not be wrong twice, Thom stuck with him.
Rubin, knowing that he was not meant to be there, refused services from the prison, including eating the food being served. Thom would take a train once a month from Manhattan to Trenton to deliver 25 lbs canned food to Rubin in prison, the maximum amount allowed. If the box of food exceeded 25 lbs, the guard would take out the heaviest cans, remarking that Rubin will “lose some weight this month.”
Thom also brought Rubin books, at first law books that Rubin would read to try to get himself out. But later, Thom convinced Rubin that he needed to free his mind because he was not going to be able to free himself through reading books on law. He started to bring him different kinds of books, ones on philosophy and metaphysics, ones like Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning that had a profound impact on my life as well. Thom said that his goal was to provide Rubin with food for his mind, body, and spirit.
Thom has continued to tell Rubin’s story in whatever medium he can. While Bob Dylan’s song Hurricane is the song that most people would attach to Rubin and John’s story, Thom also wrote a song representing the case a year before Dylan. During his second trial Rubin would enter the floor to speak to the lyrics of Thom’s song:
Life…in the Trenton Penn
A fortress of misery
Stripped of human dignity
But he would never fade away
He couldn’t fade away
His efforts continue today. Thom co-wrote a musical with Peter Allen dictating Carter’s story and is now the lead in an effort to make a documentary series that uses 40 hours worth of tapes which only the BBC had used previously, telling the story in visual form.
I worked with Thom, Rubin and John to bring their archives to Tufts, where they now exist in the Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. It was through Thom that Iris and I met Rubin and hosted him in our Truro home. I invited Rubin as a paragon of dignity and ethics to Tufts and honored Rubin posthumously with John present with a Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award.
Months before his death, I hosted John and two extraordinary advocates, the authors of Justice on the Ropes at the Brookline Booksmith store for a book signing.
Now, while the archives are well presented at Tisch Library, the explicit intent of the archives was not to remain passive but to be actively utilized in campus programming and more importantly to inspire students to actively work on death row cases and on behalf of people unjustly accused and convicted. This responsibility contractually lies with the Director of the Institute for Global Leadership, but has remained fallow since I retired in 2016. With the incorporation of elements of the Institute into Tisch, given civic mandate and its highly successful Tufts University Prison Initiative at Tisch (TUPIT), Thom and I are intent on reviving its original intent.
More information can be found here.
Emily Harburg
Emily Harburg is passionate about building technology that helps people feel more connected, supported, and motivated. She is the CEO and co-founder of PairUp, a B2B SaaS platform that helps connect and support staff across organizations. PairUp matches employees using a research-backed pairing algorithm and then helps staff get the ongoing support, learning, and connection that they need to thrive and grow at work.
Emily’s background spans industry, startups, and academia. She has worked at Walt Disney Imagineering where she designed technology for the Disney theme parks, at Facebook (Meta) where she worked as a User Experience (EX) researcher, and at Education First (EF) where she led the Emerging Tech and Innovation team designing tech to support millions of students around the world. In 2015, Emily co-founded Brave Initiatives, an organization dedicated to helping women build tech skills and confidence in coding for social impact. She also co-founded Youth Lead the Change, a global youth leadership program for high school students, in partnership with Harvard University.
Emily’s academic research lies at the intersection of technology and social behavior, and the role that technology can play in building self-efficacy and confidence. Her research has been published and shared in global conferences, academic journals, case studies, and news publications -- including the Harvard Business Review, TEDx, Computer Human Interaction (CHI), CNN, and more.
Emily graduated with a B.A. in Social Anthropology and Psychology from Harvard College, and with a Ph.D. in Technology and Social Behavior from Northwestern University. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, skiing, photography, playing volleyball, and gathering for Thoughtlucks.
I had the great pleasure of being welcomed warmly into the home of the extraordinary Fred and Suzie Harburg family when their son Ben entered Tufts University, and I was his mentor as the director of the Neubauer Scholars Program, a prestigious award he won.
There I had the added pleasure of meeting Emily. I recently had the great opportunity of attending Brookline High School’s Sports Hall of Fame she was inducted for her captaining the Women's Varsity Volleyball and Crew teams and ran indoor track.
I vividly remember Emily, When she was the Vice President of the Leadership Institute at Harvard, I was pleased to expose her to the Institute's Synaptic Scholars and Empower and helped advise her on her petition to create an innovation major at Harvard, which subsequently emerged as Harvard's iLab.
While some details of her extraordinary Brookline, Harvard, and subsequent professional career are below, what impresses me most about her is her warmth, compassion, and generosity of spirit.
Priyanga Pugazh
I’m Priyanga, meaning “lovable person, or their presence makes the place more happy”.
During my teenage years, I used to love going to Marina Beach for sunrise which was and still is my most-liked part of the day. At that moment, I realized how small and insignificant I was in comparison to the vastness and complexity of the world. And yet, at the same time, I felt a sense of connection and belonging, I realized that we are all part of a larger ecosystem and that everything we do has an impact on the world around us which was one of the inspirations to choose ‘Sustainability and Energy management’ as an Undergrad degree from Stella Maris College, University of Madras.
I enjoyed the whole multidisciplinary learning process. I majored in Renewable Energy and minored in Energy studies securing two consecutive General Proficiency (2017 & 2018) and I was also a part of the ‘Core committee’ of the department. Taking various internships made me realize that working in sustainability is much deeper rooted than it is in books, and towards the end of the course I was left with numerous questions and cravings to obtain answers, which landed me with the desire to expand my knowledge of the environment and urge for finding solutions to today's environmental challenges, which led me to study Master's degree in Environmental Sciences from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore.
My higher education has given me a firm understanding of sustainability principles, as well as vital technical abilities that will enable me to tackle difficult environmental challenges and fine-tune my skills in Environmental law & policies, Toxicology, Biodiversity and Conservation, EIA, and GIS. I also worked on a 6 month long research project in toxicology, a TANSCHE-funded program, in which my part of the research was on “Effects of selected antibiotics on germination and plant growth of ladies finger.” I also worked on a minor self-interest project on ‘sustainable packaging -using edible films’ during UG.
A career in sustainability means a lot to me. It's not just a job or a profession, but a calling to make a positive impact on the world. I spent 6 months as a Research Analyst at SEPA, a non-profit organization that works on Sustainability, where I was part of India’s biggest renewable energy expo REI-Delhi 2022. Currently, I teach ‘Environment and Sustainability’ and ‘Global Challenges’, Foundation courses providing Environmental literacy to students at Sai University, Chennai. I have a strong sense of purpose and a desire to work toward a future that leads to sustainability. In the near future, I plan to pursue a master's degree or one-year program with adequate funding and might pursue a PhD later on.
Fun facts about me: I’m almost 6 foot tall (not so common here), I'm always up for having Chai (tea) and small talk, I love being around animals and I value little moments and little things above all else.
I am excited to welcome Priyanga to our community. She is now one of my teaching fellows for SaiU’s Global Challenges class. I already know that she is assiduous and I can not only rely upon her but anticipate her valuable insights into not only environmental and sustainability matters but given her quick grasp of complexity, other challenges.
Rachel Fleishman
Rachel Fleishman is a sustainability professional, scholar, and advisor, active in the fields of corporate sustainability, climate change and climate security. Rachel earned her MBA at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University; her MPM at the School of Public Policy, University of Maryland and her BA in international relations and history at Tufts University.
Rachel’s first professional passion was nuclear arms control. Following studies at Tufts and the University of Maryland she went to work for a consultancy designing arms control options for the US Government; then went in-house full time at the Pentagon. When the Soviet Union dissolved, some in the US defense and diplomatic corps shifted focus to environment, security and technology. Rachel did the same, helping to found and run the International Affairs office for the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Environmental Security). In this role Rachel helped pioneer military environmental collaboration as a tool of soft diplomacy; bring environmental security issues to NATO’s core; and designed and ran the first US environmental, security and intelligence conferences.
Rachel left the Pentagon to get an MBA from Kellogg, and has been working with the private sector ever since. However, Rachel has maintained ties to the defense arena as a Senior Fellow at the Center for Climate and Security, where she publishes and offers briefings on climate security in Asia Pacific. She has also led nonprofit organizations, including the Climate Change Business Forum and the United Jewish Congregation (both of Hong Kong).
Rachel believes that climate and nature are the defining issues of our time. Humanity’s response today, and in the next few years, will determine whether society endures. Her personal contribution lies in working across organizations and value chains to recalibrate economic processes and relationships in pursuit of a more sustainable future. She has a particular focus on critical interfaces: business, government and social welfare; innovation, product and market; and companies, climate and society.
Over the past 10 years Rachel has helped organizations from startups to multinationals achieve their sustainability goals. She is currently Managing Director, Consumer Sectors and Business Transformation for the global nonprofit Business for Social Responsibility.
Remi
Welcome to some very recent Remi experiences on Corn Hill Beach in Truro. The first picture you will notice has a bespeckled pup. Why? Because my dear friend, Michael Maso, brought me up on a missing part of my childhood, namely, the cartoon Mr. Peabody and Sherman. When you read the description below, you will see how apt the relationship is. There is no doubt that Remi, whom I obviously adore, is like Mr. Peabody, the far more sagacious partner in the relationship. I hope you enjoy her, and delight in her, as I do, as my entire family does. Whenever I am stressed, she is empathically at my side, and regardless of what side of the bed I wake up on each morning, our early morning runs on the beach put me in the right frame of mind to meet the challenges of the day. This posting will be updated more frequently than any other! This entry hopefully brings a smile to your face and makes it conclusive that this is not a LinkedIn, but a beloved community.
To those of you who really know me, you will recognize how accurate this is!
Mr. Peabody, the most accomplished canine in the world, and his boy, Sherman, use a time machine called the Wabac to embark on outrageous adventures. However, when Sherman takes the Wabac without permission to impress his friend Penny, he accidentally rips a hole in the universe and causes havoc with world history. It's up to Mr. Peabody to mount a rescue and prevent the past, present and future from being permanently altered.
Martin O'Brien
Martin O’Brien is the Founder and Executive Director of the Social Change Initiative (SCI), an international not-for-profit organization based in Belfast. SCI works to help activists and donors to be more effective agents for change. Its work is focused on the themes of peacebuilding, equality, human rights and migration.
Prior to joining SCI, Martin worked for 11 years at the Atlantic Philanthropies where he was Senior Vice President and managed the foundation’s global grant-making programs on Health, Ageing, Children and Youth, and Reconciliation and Human Rights. He led the planning process for the conclusion of Atlantic’s programmatic grant-making.
Martin is also a seasoned activist for social change having worked for over 30 years in the peace and human rights movement in Northern Ireland. He led the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) which campaigned locally and internationally to advance human rights in Northern Ireland. He was centrally involved in the efforts to secure strong measures to protect human rights and equality in the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement.
Martin’s work as an effective advocate for human rights and peace has been internationally recognized with a number of awards and honors. He has extensive experience of high-impact philanthropy, fundraising, human rights, advocacy, peacebuilding, and conflict resolution. His work as an activist and as a strategic grantmaker has given him a particular insight into how change happens and the role that philanthropy can play.
I have the privilege of knowing Martin who I have heard of for a very long time from Padraig O’Malley, a common friend, in the wonderful weave of Convisero. I was actually introduced to him by Adi Nassar, the program manager of Amal-Tikva. I was introduced to Adi by his predecessor Amitai Abuozaglo. This came about initially by my meeting Amitai as my Harvard student when I interviewed and successfully nominated him for the Oslo Scholars Program. It is clear that Martin will be a tremendous asset for the course I will teach on mediation, negotiation and conflict resolution in the spring of 2024 at Sai University. We are intent on trying to bring Indian and Pakistani students together to begin to think about divided societies and in particular the future of Kashmir.