Raymond Shonholtz, J.D., President. Mr. Shonholtz founded Partners for Democratic Change in 1989, and established the first of several national Centers on change and conflict management in Central and Eastern Europe. As President of Partners, he is responsible for overall development and strategic planning for the organization and the management of all Partners’ divisions. In 1976, Mr. Shonholtz established and served as President of the Community Boards Program, one of the first community and school mediation initiatives that brought conflict resolution skills and processes into neighborhoods and schools throughout the U.S. and internationally. Mr. Shonholtz is educated as a lawyer and has an extensive background in legal practice, education, and policy. He serves on several boards of directors and editorial boards, and has written and lectured extensively on the subject of mediating systems, conflict resolution models, and the positive function of conflict in democratic society.

Julia Roig, J.D., Executive Director. Ms. Roig joined Partners in May 2008. She joins us from the American Bar Association; for the last year and a half she served as their Country Director in Serbia. She is be responsible for the overall development and strategic planning of Partners’ network as well as the management of Partners’ day-to-day activities. She will conduct new Center assessment trips and raises funds for the establishment of new Centers and other programs including the Leaders program. She holds a J.D. from The George Washington University.  

Anne Devero, Director of Corporate Programs (On Sabbatical). Ms. Devero is responsible for Partners’ program to build strategic partnerships with the private sector. She conceptualized and managed Partner’s first outreach to the private sector through our leadership symposium on “Corporations as Builders of Law and Society in Evolving Democracies” attended by key executives from leading multinational corporations. The success of this event prompted Partners to embark on a longer term effort to facilitate closer linkages with the private sector to develop sustainable Centers and innovative programs in countries of strategic importance to the private sector, recognizing our mutual interdependence and shared interest in strengthening the institutional framework of democracy. Prior to joining Partners for Democratic Change Ms. Devero founded an international firm that worked with entrepreneurial companies in Central and Eastern Europe to gain access to the US and Western European marketplaces. She was a former Partner with the management consulting division of Coopers and Lybrand and Senior Manager with Peat Marwick. During her tenure with these firms she provided consulting to over 150 US and international corporations on the strategic use of information and communications technology to enhance quality and productivity. She managed a consulting practice that provided services to multinational corporations in the construction, manufacturing, investment brokerage, financial institution, insurance, pharmaceutical and transportation industries.

Dina Dukhqan, Director of International Programs. For the last three years Ms. Dukhqan has grown Partners' Jordanian affiliate Partners-Jordan from it infancy to the robust organization that it is.  Under her leadership Partner-Jordan has grown into a leading organization delivering mediation services and has recently won the first grants in Jordan given by the Foundation for the Future. She brought her field experience to the home office in early 2008 from which time she has been guiding Partners expansion in the Middle East while maintaining close ties with the international Partners network, Partners for Democratic Change International.  She will be playing an integral role in focusing Partners' efforts overseas while interacting with donors and clients here in the US. 

Laina Reynolds Levy, Ph.D., Senior Program Manager. Ms. Levy joined Partners in 2004 to manage proposals and grants and support the work of Partners’ Centers in the Balkans and Caucuses. Previously, she has worked as a conflict management trainer with civil society organizations in Southeast Europe (particularly in Kosovo) to strengthen the capacity of their staff and volunteers in peaceful approaches to dealing with conflict. She previously managed training and outreach programs at the Centre for Conflict Resolution, Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford in the UK, and has also worked with William Ury at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. She holds a PhD and an MA in Conflict Resolution from the University of Bradford and a BA in Political Science from Sonoma State University in California.

Nilanka Seneviratne, Development Associate. Mr. Seneviratne recently joined Partners after finishing graduate school. He writes and edits grant proposals and explores new funding opportunities, as well as manages existing projects. Prior to coming to Partners he interned with the Public Sector Services Unit of the Emerging Markets Group. He holds a Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in International Budgeting and Analysis from the George Washington University, a BA in International Studies from the University of South Carolina, and a BS in Psychology from Clemson University.