Maria Jessop-Mandel
Program Officer, Education and Training Center/International
Civil Society | Conflict Management | Education | Mediation
Phone: (202) 429-3844
E-mail: mjessop@usip.org
Languages: French, Spanish, Creole
Maria Jessop is a program officer in the Institute’s Education and Training Center/International focusing on the development of education programs for Iraq.
She has been a mediator, conflict resolution trainer and cross-cultural specialist contracting with federal, educational, and community-based organizations in New York, Los Angeles, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica. Most recently, Jessop managed the office of American University’s Mohammed Said Farsi Chair of Islamic Peace, which promotes the study and understanding of Islamic values, traditions, and contributions to the quest for global peace through teaching, curriculum development, scholarship, and academic conferences. Also at American, in collaboration with students and faculty, Jessop founded and led The Dialogue Development Group which engages the university community in single and multiple-session inter-group dialogues on topics related to social identities, differences, and inequalities, such as race, gender, interfaith, immigration, and U.S.–Middle East and Islamic relations.
Jessop served in the Peace Corps in St. Lucia, Eastern Caribbean from 1994-96. She holds a B.A. in psychology and will complete her M.A. in international peace and conflict resolution from American University in May 2008.
Publications:
- "The 'Ripe Moment' for Civil Society" co-authored with Diana Aljets and Betsie Chacko, International Negotiation: A Journal of Theory and Practice (forthcoming, early 2008).
- "Dialogue Education at American University," co-authored with Michael Gibbons, Voices in Dialogue, Vol.10, Issue 10, Summer 2007.
