Maria Jessop

Maria Jessop is a senior program officer with the United States Institute of Peace’s Academy for International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding (USIP’s Academy) in Washington, DC where she develops and implements education and training programs in conflict and post-conflict context.  As part of USIP’s Iraq Team, Miss Jessop has been leading civic and human rights education projects in Iraq’s education sector since 2008. 

Miss Jessop specializes in facilitated dialogue approaches to resolving intergroup conflict, fostering reconciliation, engaging civil society in community problem-solving and teaching civic and human rights education.  She has both trained and facilitated dialogue among civil society leaders in Iraq, Colombia and Haiti.  She also teaches a course on “Building Bridges through Intergroup Dialogue” at USIP’s Academy headquarters in Washington, DC.  As part of State Department’s Africa Contingency Operation Training and Assistance (ACOTA) Program, Miss Jessop also regularly conducts negotiation training in multiple African countries for UN Peacekeeping Officers.

Miss Jessop came to USIP with over a decade of experience as a mediator, trainer and cross-cultural specialist with federal, educational, and community-based organizations in New York, Los Angeles, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica.  From 2005-2007, she managed the office of the Mohammed Said Farsi Chair of Islamic Peace at American University in Washington, DC which promotes the study and understanding of Islamic values, traditions, and contributions to the quest for global peace.  Also while at American, Miss Jessop founded and led (and currently advises) The Dialogue Development Group which engages the university community in intergroup dialogues on topics related to social identities, differences and inequalities.

Maria Jessop was raised internationally and served in the Peace Corps in St. Lucia (1994-96).  She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a M.A. in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University.  She is fluent in French and Spanish.  Publications include: “The Ripe Moment for Civil Society” (co-author) International Negotiation: A Journal of Theory and Practice (2008) and “Dialogue Education at American University” (co-author) Voices in Dialogue (2007).

Publications:

•    “The Ripe Moment for Civil Society” (co-author) International Negotiation: A Journal of Theory and Practice (2008).
•    “Dialogue Education at American University” (co-author) Voices in Dialogue (2007).
 

Available on usip.org

Developing Peace and Human Rights Educators in Iraq.

In the Field, September, 2009.