Oct 28 Wed
2020

International Suite Talk Series: “Careers in Peacebuilding” with Lauren Baillie and Tyler Jess Thompson from the United States Institute of Peace

12:00PM - 01:00PM Online via Zoom
About the speakers:

Lauren Baillie is the senior program officer on atrocity prevention at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).  She leads a program that explores the intersections between atrocity prevention and cross-cutting criminal justice reform issues, including countering violent extremism, combatting corruption and transnational organized crime, and promoting women, peace, and security.  Ms. Baillie joined USIP after ten years with the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG), where she served most recently as vice president and senior counsel.  During her time with PILPG, she worked extensively on accountability and transitional justice in conflict and post-conflict settings, including South Sudan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Kosovo.  Her expertise includes human rights documentation, design of responsive transitional justice mechanisms, women’s participation in peace and transitional justice processes, justice sector accountability, and strategic litigation as a tool to promote accountability.  She has field experience in Libya, Kosovo, South Sudan, and Tanzania.  Prior to PILPG, Ms. Baillie worked with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Brookings Institution.


Ms. Baillie holds a juris doctor from American University’s Washington College of Law, a master of arts in international affairs from the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, and a bachelor of arts in political science from Yale College.


Tyler Jess Thompson is a senior expert on negotiations and peace process support at USIP. Thompson joined USIP after five years with the U.S. government as a senior adviser on peace processes at the State Department and as an adviser on atrocities prevention at USAID.


Thompson has been a strategic adviser and trainer on cease-fires drafting, peace negotiations, atrocities prevention, transitional justice, and post-conflict constitutions for governments, parties, and civil society in a broad range of countries in the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Thompson is formerly the policy director for United for a Free Syria and an adviser to a coalition of pro-democracy Syrian-American advocacy and educational organizations. For five years, Thompson served as legal counsel at the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG), where he directed their cease-fires practice area. He managed PILPG's offices focusing on justice, rule of law, transitional issues, and crisis negotiations in Tripoli, Libya, and Pristina, Kosovo.


Thompson’s research and practitioner areas include peace negotiations, cease-fires, agreement drafting, crisis management, transitional justice, atrocities prevention, post-conflict legislative reform, and constitution drafting processes. He has advised the U.S. government, other states, conflict parties, and civil society in Syria, Libya, Yemen, Kosovo, Georgia, Burma, South Sudan, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia.


Thompson holds a Juris Doctor and a master’s from American University. He holds a bachelor’s in English and gender studies from Boston College.

Organizer

International and Comparative Legal Studies

Special Events & CLE

secle@wcl.american.edu