JAN PASSION, M.A. 2230 Lisa Lane, Pleasant
Hill, California, 94523,
USA
+1 925 246-5558 or +1 925 303-3747
E-mail: Jan at Jan Passion1 at gmail dot com Skype:
JanPassion
Overview: Available for
consulting in crisis intervention, intra-group conflict, human resource,
post-traumatic stress and debriefing, family support during emergencies and
emergency accompaniments.
Strengths &
Qualifications:
Leadership: Demonstrated ability to take initiative while
utilizing creative and innovative means to build consensus and achieve goals in
a variety of group and organizational contexts.
Experienced in organizational development, human resources, and crisis
intervention. Strong background in intercultural communication. Poses excellent facilitation, group
leadership and training skills. Highly
empathic and intuitive with solid ability to synthesize, bringing issues and
people together.
International Experience: Have worked in the peacebuilding field in the
following countries: Sri
Lanka, Cyprus, Ghana, Palestine, Israel, Sierra Leone, Ecuador, Thailand, Macedonia, Kenya, USA, Colombia, Guinea, South Africa, U.S.S.R. and India. Worked and lived in Sri Lanka for 3 and half years.
Communication/Technology: Proven written and oral skills on a variety of
levels. Demonstrated ability to
communicate well within organizations as well as representing
organizations. Possess and enjoy variety
of IT related competencies as well as skills in social networking.
Mediation/Crisis
Intervention/Counseling: Certified
mediator and Emergency Medical Technician.
Have broad counseling background as well as skills and training in
crisis intervention. Posses excellent
background and experience in crisis situations – including medical emergencies,
staff abductions, rapidly changing political environments and in escalating
violence contexts.
Professional
Experience: World Learning and the School for International
Training (SIT), Brattleboro,
Vermont
Faculty, CONTACT,
Graduate Online Certificate Program, June 2012 - present
Conflict
Transformation Across Cultures (CONTACT) is a groundbreaking international
peacebuilding program that brings together peacebuilders from around the world,
including a mid-year seminar in Rwanda.
Nonviolent Peaceforce
(NP), Brussels, Belgium
-Acting
Human Resource Director & Int’l Human Resource Systems Manager. January 2010 June 2011 Coordinated the Human Resource Team
(five offices on four continents) to support the staff of NP. Developed organization wide employee
handbook. Negotiated improved insurance
coverage. Supported (both during and after) a staff member who spent over four
months in captivity. Coordinated IT
support for the organization. Served as the Acting Country Director for
the Sri Lanka Project for two months.
-Programme
Officer. July 2006 to January 2010 Supported the various programmes of NP in recruitment, programme
development, hiring, communication, contracts, etc. Served as the Acting Country Director for the
Sri Lanka Project, Acting Communications Director and the organizer of the
International Assembly (Sept 07) in Nairobi during this time.
-Deputy Director,
Nonviolent Peaceforce in Sri Lanka. August
2003 – June 2006. Supervising
a staff of 75 peacebuilders from 20 countries as part of the Nonviolent
Peaceforce (NP) Pilot Project in Sri Lanka, working to reduce and deter violence
in volatile communities and increase the political space for peace and justice
activists/NGOs. Provided support
(supervisory, logistical, physical, relational), for the five field teams,
wrote reports, led trainings, liaised with the wider NP, supported fundraising,
hired local staff, and helped guide and shape the project. Served as Acting Country Director on three
occasions.
-Strategic Liaison
January
2001 – August 2003.
Developed & coordinated the Emergency Response Network. Served as the Co-Chair of the Recruitment and
Information Technology Committees helping to lay the groundwork for the Pilot
Project. Served on the Training
Committee. Conducted research/outreach
visits on behalf of the NP to Israel, Palestine, Sierra Leone
and Guinea.
Assisted in fundraising, outreach and publicity.
World Learning and the School for International
Training (SIT), Brattleboro,
Vermont
Faculty, CONTACT,
Summer Peacebuilding Program, July 1999-2004
Conflict
Transformation Across Cultures (CONTACT) is a groundbreaking international
peacebuilding program that brings together peacebuilders from around the
world. Work on
curriculum development, faculty selection, publicity and outreach, and
web-design, and overall coordination, as well as leading trainings. The Summer Institute involves
over 80 peacebuilders from 30 countries from many conflict areas in the world.
Adjunct Faculty,
Lesley College
Satellite Program, Netanya,
Israel. August 2002 and 2003 Taught
graduate intensive: Inter-Group Conflict Transformation to 70 Israeli
graduate students.
Summer Peace Youth Camp Leader, Nancen Ctr. for Dialogue/Karuna Ctr. for
Peacebuilding. July 2002 Led
peacebuilding dialogue intensive camp for Macedonian, Albanian and Roma youth,
held in Macedonia.
Workshop Presenter, Women Waging Peace, Harvard
University, Boston, MA. November 2000 This
Presentation (for 35 women from 12 different countries) was on conflict
analysis and conflict mapping.
Assistant Instructor, Conflict Transformation seminar, Hampshire
College, Amherst MA
January 2000 Worked
with Dr. Paula Green teaching 27 students from five countries, from five area
colleges.
Graduate Student Body President and Student Trustee, 1998-2000 School for International Training (SIT), Brattleboro, Vermont Presided
over 15-member intercultural graduate student association providing leadership,
representation and coordination. Led
campaign for student representation on board of trustees. As a trustee, oversaw an annual budget of $60
million, supervised executive staff, and developed the long-range plan for the
organization.
Psychotherapist, Group
Leader and Consultant, Burlington, VT 1990-1999 Worked
with adults and children in a variety of contexts (e.g. workshops and seminars,
weekend long trainings, individual, couple and family settings). Led training's in Gender and Violence
and Trauma Recovery, and Educational Groups for perpetrators of
violence. Provided general counseling
while specializing in work with both victims and perpetrators of violence and
trauma.
Emergency Medical Technician, Community First Response; Hinesburg and Hartland, VT
1996-2002 Volunteer certified EMT responding to local
emergencies of all types.
Board Member and
Training Associate, Karuna Ctr. for
Peacebuilding, Leverett, MA. July 2000 –
May 2011
Host family, Vermont
Refugee Assistance; Richmond,
VT 1988-1999 Provided
housing/support to refugees fleeing to Canada
from: Asia, the Mid-East, Africa and the Americas.
Senior Staff - Opening The Heart Workshops, Spring Hill of Ashby Inc.; Ashby, MA 1987-1997
Group Leader, Domestic Abuse Education Project; Burlington, VT
1990-1993 Worked
with Probation Office and the Women’s Shelter to provide educational groups for
men who battered.
Personnel Officer and
Financial Aid Administrator, Burlington College, Burlington VT. 1988-1990
Trustee and Student Body
President, University of Massachusetts 1985-1987
Languages: English (native) and Spanish (high-intermediate) and
Singhala (basic)
Education: School for International Training; Brattleboro, VT Master of Arts:
International and Intercultural Management.
June 2001 Thesis topic: Building
Nonviolent Intercultural Peace Teams.
University of Massachusetts; Amherst, MA
1988 Bachelor of Arts: Gender
and Power. Minor in Women’s Studies.
Cum Laude. University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, PA
1984 Participated in Semester at
Sea -- an educational, intercultural and international global circumnavigation.
References: Available
upon request
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