Staff

Raymond Shonholtz, J.D., President
Mr. Shonholtz founded Partners for Democratic Change in 1989, establishing the first of Partners national Centers for Change and Conflict Management. In Fall 2008, Mr. Shonholtz served as a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington, D.C., working on foreign assistance recommendations for the incoming Obama administration.

In 1976, Mr. Shonholtz established and served as President of the Community Boards Program, one of the first community and school mediation initiatives that brought conflict resolution skills and processes into neighborhoods and schools throughout the U.S. and internationally. Mr. Shonholtz is educated as a lawyer and has an extensive background in legal practice, education, and policy. He serves on several boards of directors and editorial boards, and has written and lectured extensively on the subject of mediating systems, conflict resolution models, and the positive function of conflict in democratic society.

Julia Roig, J.D., Executive Director
Ms. Roig is responsible for the overall development and strategic planning of Partners’ network, as well as the management of Partners’ staff and global programming. She provides technical leadership on the development of new Centers and other new program development, and maintains relationships with key counterparts and donors.

Ms. Roig joined Partners after significant field experience in the Balkans and Latin America managing various Rule of Law and Conflict Resolution development programs. She is an experienced mediator, facilitator, systems designer and trainer; and has specialized expertise in international project evaluation and program assessments. Ms. Roig currently serves on the editorial board of Conflict Resolution Quarterly, and has written extensively on international conflict resolution and mediation program management. She began her legal career as a mediation program manager for the D.C. Courts, and then as ADR Specialist for the U.S. Office of Special Council. Ms. Roig holds a J.D. from The George Washington University.

Dina Dukhqan, Director of International Programs
Ms. Dukhqan is responsible for managing Partners’ international programs and developing innovative programming to promote democratic processes and change management. She has designed training programs including those to support the Mauritanian National Anti-Corruption Coalition. Prior to joining Partners staff in Washington DC, Ms. Dukhqan was the founding Director of Partners-Jordan: Center for Civic Collaboration, a Jordanian NGO committed to advancing civil society, promoting mediation and conflict management, and encouraging citizen participation in Jordan’s social and political development. Partners-Jordan forms part of the Partners for Democratic Change International Network.

As Director of Partners-Jordan she led a coalition to reform Jordan’s law governing NGOs. In the past, Ms. Dukhqan has worked for leading development organizations and has a strong background in project development. She has built a reputation as an executive with strong leadership and interpersonal team-building skills. Ms. Dukhqan had implemented development projects across the entire Middle East and North Africa region, including: Jordan, West Bank, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, Yemen and Mauritania.

Teresa Crawford, Director of the Sustainable Leadership Initiative
Ms. Crawford has over 10 years of experience working with civil society organizations to help them make better use of information and information technology in their work. She has worked in over 30 countries on issues as diverse as eradicating violence against women in war, disability rights and minority civic participation. From 2006 to 2009 she was the Director of the Advocacy and Leadership Center at the Institute for Sustainable Communities and built a robust training and capacity building program for CSOs with a focus on collaborative advocacy and transformational leadership. An experienced trainer, manager and researcher Teresa is also the co-founder of IPKO, the first post-war Internet service provider in Kosovo. IPKO is now a multimillion dollar company and Teresa is on the board of IPKO Foundation, the first endowed local foundation in the region. Teresa has a degree in politics and peace & justice studies from the University of San Francisco and a Master's degree in nonprofit management and policy from NYU.

Laina Reynolds Levy, Ph.D., Senior Program Manager
Ms. Levy manages a global portfolio of programs from Kosovo to Indonesia, and leads efforts to improve network-wide learning and sharing of knowledge through information technology. Previously, she worked as a conflict management trainer with civil society organizations in Southeast Europe (particularly in Kosovo) to strengthen the capacity of their staff and volunteers in peaceful approaches to dealing with conflict. She previously managed training and outreach programs at the Centre for Conflict Resolution, Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford in the UK, and has also worked with William Ury at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. She holds a PhD and an MA in Conflict Resolution from the University of Bradford and a BA in Political Science from Sonoma State University in California.

Monalisa Salib, Senior Program Manager
Ms. Salib manages and supports programs in the Middle East and new center development in Yemen. Monalisa brings over five years of experience in international development, managing, monitoring, and designing community development, civil society, and conflict resolution initiatives in Liberia, Sudan, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Yemen. She holds a M.S. in Organizational Development and Knowledge Management from George Mason University and a B.A. in International Affairs and Political Science from Florida State University.

Nilanka Seneviratne, Development Manager
Mr. Seneviratne writes and edits grant proposals and explores new funding opportunities, as well as manages existing projects. Most recently he managed Partners' 20th Anniversary Innovations for Tomorrow Seminar Series and Conference. Additionally, he works on organization-wide initiatives and activities including: assisting in developing new Centers and managing Partners’ Washington, DC office and website. Prior to joining Partners he worked with the Public Sector Services Unit of the Emerging Markets Group as well as worked for the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement in Sri Lanka. He holds a Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in International Budgeting and Analysis from the George Washington University, a BA in International Studies and a BS in Psychology.

Alejandro Beeche, Program Associate
Mr. Beeche coordinates Partners' Latin American initiatives and liaises with all Sustainable Leadership Fellows from Latin America. Mr. Beeche is originally from Costa Rica, where he previously worked as a junior lawyer for a corporate law firm, and as a mediator and trainer for a Mediation Center. While at the Center, he trained mediators in the Justice House Program throughout many regions of the country. Mr. Beeche is currently finishing his Master’s in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University. His academic background is in Law, Psychology, and International Political Economy.

Conner Purcell, Development Associate
Mr. Purcell researches and identifies new funding opportunities, and assists in writing and editing grant proposals. Prior to joining Partners, he managed international development projects and professional exchange programs for Heartland International in Chicago, IL. He is currently finishing his MA in International Development with a focus on Democracy and Governance at the School of International Service at American University. He holds a BA in International Studies and Political Science from Loyola University Chicago.

Jill Floyd, Program Associate
Ms. Floyd provides support for Partners’ Executive Programs, including research and proposal development. She previously worked as a Research Assistant for the Institute for the Study of International Migration and for Georgetown University’s Government Department. Ms. Floyd holds an MA from Georgetown University in Conflict Resolution with a concentration in Refugees and Humanitarian Emergencies.