Phil Vernon has worked on peacebuilding, international development and humanitarian initiatives since 1985, both in the field and in headquarters roles. From 2004-2017, he was director of programmes at the peacebuilding NGO International Alert. Since then he has worked as an independent advisor for NGOs, UN agencies and businesses, and is particularly interested in helping non-peacebuilding specialist organisations identify their contribution to peace.

Isabella Jean is an advisor and learning partner to international and local organizations, bilateral donors, private foundations, and UN agencies with 20 years of experience. Her focus is on documenting promising institutional and programmatic practices and strengthening capacities for conflict sensitivity, peacebuilding, humanitarian effectiveness and accountability to affected communities. While serving as Director of Collaborative Learning at CDA, Isabella co-authored a widely acclaimed critique of the externally driven aid model, Time to Listen: Hearing People on the Receiving End of Aid. Her current advisory work supports processes for decolonizing the aid system, increasing equity and accountability, and funding strategies in support of locally led action. Besides, Isabella teaches graduate-level courses at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management, where she has also served on the Alumni Board from 2012-2018.

Peter Woodrow was the Executive Director of CDA Collaborative Learning Projects from 2013 to 2017 and the Co-Director of CDA’s Reflecting on Peace Practice Program (RPP) from 2003 to 2013. He continues to provide occasional consulting services in the peacebuilding arena.  In 2018, with co-author Diana Chigas, Peter published Adding Up to Peace, the result of ten years of RPP research on how peacebuilding efforts create momentum towards peace. Prior to joining CDA, Peter was a Partner at the mediation organization CDR Associates in Boulder, Colorado. He is an experienced mediator, facilitator, and conflict resolution trainer. He holds a Masters in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and a BA from Oberlin College.

Anita Ernstorfer is a senior associate with Interpeace’s Advisory Team (IPAT) and on peace responsiveness, and also directs Interpeace’s ‘Effective advising in complex contexts: Enabling sustaining peace’ course. Anita works independently through her own advisory and research firm Untangle (LLC), with a focus on peacebuilding, conflict sensitivity, and systems and complexity approaches. She has 20 years of international experience working on a range of contexts across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Previously, Anita was the Director of the Peacebuilding Effectiveness Practice at CDA Collaborative Learning and worked as a conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and conflict sensitivity adviser with UNDP and UNICEF.