As a member of the Executive Director’s Leadership Council for Amnesty International USA (AIUSA), what thrilled me the most about the Annual General Meeting (AGM) was the motivation, focus and determination of the multitude of young human rights activists. OK, having members of Amnesty’s International Secretariat, Country Directors, Board Members and Nicolas Cage sing Happy [...]
I’d worked with diplomats and women’s rights activists from several nations to promote the passage in 2000 of 1325, a UN Security Council Resolution that mandates the protection, participation and promotion of women and their involvement in all aspects of peace processes. Last week, during the opening of 64th UN General Assembly, I attended “Peace and Security through Women’s Leadership: Acting [...]
Akash Kapur’s New York Times article describes through his personal experiential lens, “creative destruction,” a concept Joseph Alois Schumpeter popularized in his 1942 book Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy. Kapur describes how innovative entrepreneurial development that can sustain long-term economic growth bringing wealth to some in previously impoverished areas, simultaneously often destroys the values of a culture, [...]
I am honored to be one of those interviewed in the full-length documentary ”Barack Obama: People’s President“ that also features interviews with other media analysts, scholars, journalists and activists. In this 40-sec video excerpt from the film, I speak about the campaign’s innovative strategy of connecting on-line social networking with off-line community organizing at the local, state and [...]
We explore how, regardless of your organization’s size, length of time in existence or level of expertise, you can begin to utilize or expand upon your current use of the myriad web-based options that can increase the effectiveness of your organizational initiatives and help you sustain them. Guest panelists Danny Moldovan, Change.org; Sarah Durham, Big Duck [...]
The purpose of the course I created for and teach annually at NYU’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service is to create a framework to conceptualize and subsequently engage in development as an integral component of capacity building.  Development conveys the significant scope of strategic planning and creative yet disciplined execution required for effective sustainable results.  I designed the [...]
Today, while Colloquium workshops continue, another historic event is part of the program. Tonight the film Pray the Devil Back to Hell about the Liberian women’s peace movement responsible for ending the brutal 14-year civil war wasshown. This was the first time it is being screened for the public in Liberia. Radio stations have been promoting [...]
Carol Jenkins, President of the Women’s Media Center, is the MC for this International Colloquium on Women’s Empowerment, Leadership, Development, Peace and Security  being held in Samuel K. Doe Stadium in Monrovia, Liberia co-hosted by Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Finland’s President Tarja Halonen. This is what I texted Carol first thing this morning, [...]
First lesson learned: better charge camera battery before departing on a 29 hour voyage! I wish I could show you pictures from the magnificently chaotic and gorgeous scene of much of an entire plane of Colloquium participants disembarking in the dark; beautiful young singers & drummers greeting us, small handwritten welcome signs; drinks & snacks; [...]
I am a blog virgin and this is my first!  For many years, as a consultant I’ve been encouraging all my clients to learn about and utilize the many tools and platforms the Internet provides to allow them to increase their impact and many have done so to great success.  As I also teach courses [...]