About

I work on conflict and change. In order to better understand them and how to work within and on them, I have helped develop several tools and frameworks.

I’ve written two books on understanding social dynamics.

From Principle to Practice: A User’s Guide to Do No Harm brings together the lessons from 20 years of the Do No Harm Project on how to work both effectively and ethically in complex environments. The techniques are simple, practical, and useful.

With Mary Anderson, I co-authored Opting Out of War: Strategies to Prevent Violent Conflict (Lynne Rienner, 2013). We looked at communities in the midst of civil wars who developed strategies for staying out of the conflict around them. We wanted to understand how this was possible and if others could learn to do the same. We found that they shared several clear and common characteristics—which also characterize resilient communities everywhere.

I directed the Do No Harm Project and the Steps Toward Conflict Prevention Project from 2001 to 2013, leading the collaborative learning process of those two projects.

I’ve worked with hundreds of organizations and thousands of people around the world, helping them to identify and anticipate their impacts on social dynamics.

I’ve developed and provided training workshops on using these techniques and concepts. I have coached organizations working on social change, designed interventions, and conducted evaluations on impact.