John Horgan
John Horgan is a professor at the Global Studies Institute and Department of Psychology at Georgia, whose research focuses on the psychological pathways into, through, and out of terrorism. He previously served as director of the International Center for the Study of Terrorism, and has published papers on the disengagement and de-radicalization of violent extremists.
Dr. Shane Bryans
Dr. Bryans is an expert on criminal justice and was previously a prison governor in the UK. He was involved in the implementation of various de-radicaization programs around the world and is currently Programme Manager at the International Centre for Prison Studies in the UK.
Tinka M. Veldhuis
Dr. Veldhuis is a researcher with the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) – The Hague as well as the Global Center on Cooperative Security. She focuses on CVE policies especially those concerned with violent extremist prisoner reintegration and rehabilitation programs.
Eelco Kessels
Eelco Kessels is Managing Director of the Global Center, overseeing its strategic and organizational direction and daily operations. Additionally, he coordinates research and programming activities related to managing and reintegrating terrorism offenders, identifying and addressing violent extremist radicalization in prisons, countering violent extremism, and rule of law–based approaches to counterterrorism. From 2010 to 2014, he worked as Programme Manager at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague. Previously, he was a researcher in counterterrorism at Leiden University and worked for the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence in London. He holds a BA (cum laude) in international law and conflict studies from University College Utrecht and an MA (with distinction) in international peace and security from King’s College London New York Office.
Dr. Arie Kruglanski
Dr. Kruglanski is a professor at the University of Maryland who studies social psychology. Through this lens, he examines how individuals form judgments, beliefs, etc. and how these impact the individuals’ interpersonal relations. He writes extensively about the de-radicalization of extremists and countering jihadist ideology among detainees.
Andrew Silke
Mr. Silke has worked extensively on terrorist and terrorism in both academia and in the government, using his forensic psychology background to examine current issues in terrorism research that impact counter-terrorism policy. He has also written about disengagement and de-radicalization in the CTC Sentinel, and published a book about prison management of violent extremists.
Maj. Gen. Doug Stone, USMC
Retired Marine major general Doug Stone oversaw interrogation and detention in Iraq following the 2006 surge, and is credited with changing the U.S. military’s approach to detention policy. He helped develop the Rome Memorandum, and now works at the United Nations.
Rohan Gunaratna
Mr. Gunaratna is the Head of International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore. He has written extensively on extremist rehabilitation and advocates for a multi-faceted approach that combines religious/spiritual, psychological, social, vocational, and creative arts therapy.
Dr. Elaine Pressman
Dr. Pressman is an Associate Fellow at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism involved in the Intake and Risk Assessment Project. She is a recognized expert in risk analysis and assessment approaches relevant to counterterrorism initiatives and has served as an advisor to numerous government officials on four continents.
Farah Pandith
Ms. Pandith is an adjunct senior fellow at Council on Foreign Relations whose expertise lies in countering violent extremism, millennial Muslims, and culture and foreign policy. She was appointed the first-ever Special Representative to Muslim Communities by former Secretary Clinton, and in this position, has spoken extensively about the inclusion of women in CVE efforts.
Deputy Chief Michael Downing
Chief Downing of the LAPD is an expert in community policing in the context of counterterrorism, using a convergence strategy, as well as in counter-radicalization lessons that he learned during anti-gang efforts in Los Angeles. He is a senior fellow at the GW Center for Cyber and Homeland Security.
Adrian Cherney
Mr. Cherney is an associate professor at the University of Queensland, whose work focuses mainly on institutional legitimacy and cooperation with authorities, such as police officers and overnment officials. He studied community cooperation in counter-terrorism and examining grass root efforts to counter violent extremism, and published his findings in the 2015 report Community Engagement to Tackle Terrorism and Violent Extremism: Challenges, Tensions and Pitfalls.
David H. Schanzer
Mr. Schanzer is an associate professor at the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy, as well as the director of the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security. His areas of expertise are national security and civil liberties, at the juncture of which he has written extensively. He has been the principle investigator of two grants projects, Community Policing Strategies to Counter Violent Extremism and Anti-Terror Lessons of American Muslim Communities.
Dr. Hedieh Mirahmadi
Dr. Mirahmadi serves as a consultant to a wide range of clients for whom she travels extensively to develop programs that promote social cohesion, interfaith social action and resilience against the recruitment tactics of extremist movements. She earned her JD from the University of Southern California, her B.A. in History from UCLA, and a degree in Islamic doctrine from the As-Sunnah Foundation.
Edit Schlaffer
Dr. Schlaffer is a social scientist, writer, activist and holds a PhD from the University of Vienna. In 2002 she founded Women without Borders, an international research-based NGO, encouraging women to take the lead in their personal and public lives. Her research and activities focus on women as agents of change and as driving forces to stabilize an insecure world. In 2008 she launched SAVE - Sisters Against Violent Extremism, the world’s first female counter-terrorism platform.