November 13 @ 6:30 pm – 8:15 pm
The Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E Street NW
Room 113
Washington, DC
(Refreshments and Dinner will be served)
The 21st Century is still in its infancy, but has unfortunately seen the evolution and presence of various forms of violent extremism – from lone wolves on the domestic front, to organized insurgent and international terrorist groups that operate on all corners of the globe, from the Far East and Horn of Africa, to South America, and the Middle East, extremism has no boundary.
In this most recent Rise to Peace Speaker Symposium, our distinguished group of experts will examine how violent extremism has evolved over the past 20 years and discuss what programs and policy initiatives must be implemented to stop this violence. Guns, Butter or Diplomacy – which policy is most effective? Are there alternative solutions? With experts from the government, academia, and the field, this symposium will provide in-depth analysis of the problems related to countering violent extremism, and tools that have both worked and failed to check this threat.
Speakers
Oliver Wilcox
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM, BUREAU OF COUNTERTERRORISM WITHIN THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Oliver Wilcox is Deputy Director of Countering Violent Extremism at the Bureau of Counterterrorism within the United States Department of State. Prior to his time at the Department of State, he served a number of roles at USAID, including Senior Country Coordinator for Tunisia and Senior Peace and Security Advisor for the Middle East. He holds Master’s degrees from the University of Virginia and Georgetown University.
Leanne Erdberg
DIRECTOR OF COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM, U.S. INSTITUTE OF PEACE
Leanne Erdberg is the director of Countering Violent Extremism at the U.S. Institute of Peace as well as the interim director of RESOLVE. Prior to USIP, she held positions in the U.S. government including senior advisor to the deputy assistant to the president and deputy homeland security advisor on the National Security Council staff at the White House, counterterrorism advisor for the undersecretary of state for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, among others. She holds a J.D. with honors in the concentration of international law from Boston University.
Jesse Morton
FOUNDER, PARALLEL NETWORKS
Jesse Morton is founder and head of Parallel Networks. As co-founder and chief propagandist of Revolution Muslim, he advocated for Al-Qaeda and Salafi-jihadist ideology within the United States. Once a prominent radicalizer in the West, he is now research coordinator of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue’s Against Violent Extremism Network in North America. He holds a Master’s degree in international relations from Columbia University.
Ahmad S. Mohibi
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, COUNTER-TERRORISM
Ahmad Shah Mohibi is the Director of Research, Counter-Terrorism. In this latter role, his contributions include field research and analyses of policy issues related to terrorism, violent extremism, human rights, national security, and peacebuilding efforts. Prior to that, Ahmad worked for over 12 years supporting the United States government in various roles regarding counter-terrorism, diplomatic negotiations, peace processes, international development, and national security, including agencies such as the Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), to build the Justice Center in Parwan — a special tribunal where foreign and domestic terrorists were prosecuted in Afghanistan. Ahmad displayed his ongoing loyalty to democracy by faithfully assisting the troops in the war zones of Afghanistan to combat terrorism. Ahmad is fluent in five languages and holds an M.A. in International Policy and Practice from George Washington University. He graduated with Honors from George Mason University, where he earned a B.A. degree in International Affairs and Political Science.
Michael R. Sherwin
ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Michael R. Sherwin, an Assistant United States Attorney with the U. S. Department of Justice, has extensive experience in national security investigations and counterterrorism cases. Prior to becoming a federal prosecutor, Michael was an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy, where he served throughout the Middle East in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
