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Staff

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CIVIC is based in Washington, DC and includes an invaluable network of people around the world who volunteer their time and expertise.

SARAH HOLEWINSKI | Executive Director

Sarah has served as executive director of CIVIC (Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict) since 2006. She has traveled to Afghanistan, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Somalia, Lebanon and Israel to lobby for smarter, more compassionate policies for war victims. Sarah is a frequent commentator on armed conflict with major media outlets including CNN and BBC, and has published op-eds in the Washington Post, USA Today, International Herald Tribune, among others.  Read more...

MARLA BERTAGNOLLI-KEENAN | Managing Director

Marla is the managing director of CIVIC, where she oversees the organization's work on US military compensation systems and consequence management of civilian casualties, including military training and doctrine review.  In addition to her work with the military, Marla helps shape CIVIC's programs in conflict zones and oversees operational aspects of the organization.  Since joining the organization in October 2005, she has coordinated programs and research in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Nepal, and Georgia.  Prior to CIVIC, Marla was an Edward Rawson Fellow at Citizens for Global Solutions, working in US global engagement on issues as varied as the conflict in Darfur to Avian Influenza.  A former management consultant, Marla has held senior communications and marketing positions with a range of private sector organizations. She holds a Masters of Science in Public Policy and Management with a concentration in policy analysis and international policy from the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy & Management at Carnegie Mellon University and earned her Bachelors degree in Business Administration from the University of Arizona.

GOLZAR KHEILTASH | Director, Making Amends Campaign

Golzar Kheiltash is the director for CIVIC’s Making Amends Campaign (MAC).  She has been a long-time supporter of and contributor to the MAC, serving on CIVIC’s Advisory Board as a legal authority on international humanitarian and human rights law since 2007. Golzar brings to CIVIC a strong and diverse background in humanitarian and human rights advocacy. Prior to joining CIVIC, Golzar was the Lead Organizer for the Control Arms Campaign at Oxfam America, working toward securing strong US support for a legally binding international Arms Trade Treaty. For seven years before that, Golzar served as a tireless advocate for the establishment of an impartial and effective International Criminal Court (ICC) in various organizations in Washington, including Citizens for Global Solutions and Human Rights Watch.  During this time, she also served as an independent consultant to US NGOs advocating for the ICC. Golzar holds a double Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley in Rhetoric and Middle Eastern Studies, and a law degree with an emphasis in public international law from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a seasoned public speaker on international justice and conflict issues and has published numerous articles on the ICC, Darfur, and genocide.

MICHAEL SHAIKH | Director of Country Operations

Michael Shaikh joined CIVIC in March 2012 as the director of country operations. Prior to joining CIVIC, Michael served as a Senior Analyst with International Crisis Group’s Asia Program based in New York. Michael re-joined Crisis Group in August 2007 after three years in Afghanistan and Pakistan where he worked first as an Analyst for Crisis Group in Kabul and then as the Afghanistan Researcher for Human Rights Watch. As Senior Analyst, Michael acted as deputy to the Asia Program Director, providing advice on field operations and related planning and policy development. He was also responsible for enhancing Crisis Group’s capacity to report quickly on conflicts in Asia.  Often deploying at short notice to track unfolding crisis situations, Michael has reported on Sri Lanka’s civil war and its aftermath, Thailand’s Red Shirt crisis and Myanmar’s ethnic border wars. Most recently he has covered India’s regional foreign policy and Beijing and Washington’s maritime security posture in the South China Sea. Michael also managed Crisis Group’s Bangladesh project. He has an MA from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in international policy and nonproliferation studies.

LIZ LUCAS | Chief Communications Officer

Liz joined CIVIC in August 2011 as chief communications officer, bringing a strong humanitarian background to the team. She spent the last six years with Oxfam America, leading the organization's media and communications work on disasters and conflicts as the humanitarian press officer. Frequently deployed to the field, Liz's work focused on humanitarian access and the protection of civilians in conflict zones including Darfur and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Prior to her role as press officer, she led Oxfam communications in Ethiopia, based in Addis Ababa. Liz holds a B.A. in English from Haverford College.

PEGGY HU | Associate

Peggy joined CIVIC as an associate in January 2011. She has previously worked as a regional analyst focused on counterterrorism and counter-radicalization in Southeast Asia at the Navanti Group, and has contributed to the Henry L. Stimson Center’s Future of Peace Operations program’s project to strengthen the capacity of military forces to protect civilians from mass atrocities. She is proficient in Mandarin Chinese, and holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame and an M.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.

TREVOR KECK | Field Fellow, Afghanistan

Trevor joined CIVIC in January 2012 as a field fellow based in Kabul, Afghanistan. Trevor is a recent graduate of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where he focused his research and coursework on international humanitarian law, human rights law, civilian protection issues and irregular conflict.  While a graduate student, he worked as a researcher and writer for an advocacy project with the Harvard Human Rights Clinic and Human Rights Watch, a research assistant at Conflict Dynamics International, a Boston based NGO, and as an intern with the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.  Prior to attending graduate school, Trevor worked on conflict prevention issues for the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

NATHALIE BEKDACHE I Analyst, Libya

Nathalie joined CIVIC and the Center for American Progress in January 2012 as a Libya Analyst based in Tripoli. Prior to this, Nathalie was a member in a research team with the New Libya Foundation conducting field studies on civil society in Libya. Her previous work experiences range from conducting research on public policy with the Issam Fares Institute in Lebanon, to working in development with the International Labour Organization in post-war rehabilitation projects in the south of Lebanon. Nathalie received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut and her Master’s in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy in Tufts University.

MARION BOCCACCIO | Intern

Marion joined CIVIC in February 2012. She recently graduated with a degree from Nanterre La Défense University in international legal studies, focusing on English, American, French and Public International law. She has worked for the French Delegation at NATO during the launching of Operation Unified Protector in Libya. She consequently produced a research work on the concept of the Responsibility to Protect and deepened her knowledge in humanitarian action at Paris Créteil University. While at CIVIC, she will focus on the protection of civilians by international organizations.

ERIN OSTERHAUS | Intern

Erin joined CIVIC in January 2012. Prior to joining CIVIC, Erin worked on various projects concerning indigenous rights in Central America, as well as monitored U.S. military aid to the region while working at the Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA and the National Security Archive. Additionally, she has interned at the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Organizations, where she did intensive work on the Human Rights Council and UN General Assembly's Third Committee. Erin speaks Spanish, French and German and is proficient in Russian. She holds a B.A. in Spanish and French from Southwestern University, and is currently pursuing an M.A. in German and European Studies in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.