FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

January 4, 2022

CONTACT

Nick Zuroski | (202) 822-2047 | nick@allianceforpeacebuilding.org

Washington, D.C., USA. –  The Board of Directors of the Alliance for Peacebuilding is thrilled to announce that Elizabeth (Liz) Hume has assumed the position of our next Executive Director as of January 1, 2022.  

As Executive Director, Liz will lead the Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP)—named the “number one influencer and change agent” among peacebuilding institutions worldwide—a nonpartisan network of 150+ organizations working in 181 countries to prevent conflict, reduce violence, improve lives, and build sustainable peace. In her new role, Liz will spearhead AfP’s recently renewed strategic focus on field-building to strengthen and advance the peacebuilding field, enabling peacebuilding organizations to achieve greater impact—tackling issues too large for any one organization to address alone. The board and membership are grateful for Liz’s leadership as acting head of the organization over the past year and her dedication to AfP during her tenure of more than seven years. She succeeds Uzra Zeya, who recently re-joined government as the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights at the U.S. Department for State.  

“After a thorough search process for our next executive, the board’s decision was unanimous to appoint Liz to take on this crucial leadership role at the Alliance. It’s such an important moment to be connecting and expanding the peacebuilding field, and Liz has the passion, breadth of technical knowledge, and clear commitment to collective action that we need to grow AfP’s impact,” said Board Chair Julia Roig.  

“As violent global conflict hits a 30-year high, it is clear we have a global violent conflict problem, and the work of the Alliance for Peacebuilding is more critical than ever,” said Hume. “As Executive Director, I look forward to working together with the formidable team at AfP and the board of directors, to continue building on our robust network of members and partners to ensure peacebuilding is the answer to ending and preventing violent conflict and building sustainable peace both globally and in the United States. I am proud to carry on the legacy of a long line of strong leaders at AfP, including Uzra Zeya, Melanie Greenberg, and Chic Dambach.” 

Throughout her tenure, Liz helped build AfP into a powerful influencer in the peacebuilding field. She is a leading conflict and peacebuilding expert with over 20 years of experience in senior leadership positions. Liz previously worked as Chief Legal Counsel at the OSCE in BiH and Kosovo, where she was responsible for developing the legal framework and policies supporting the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords and UN Resolution 1244. She served in leadership positions at USAID, where she helped establish the Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation and was responsible for developing programs and policies to improve the USG's ability to address the causes of violent, deadly conflict. She also managed sizeable and complex peacebuilding programs for NGOs in Afghanistan and Ethiopia. She is an international lawyer and holds a master's degree in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding.  

The Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP)—named the “number one influencer and change agent” among peacebuilding institutions worldwide—is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit, nonpartisan network of 150+ organizations working in 181 countries to prevent conflict, reduce violence, improve lives, and build sustainable peace. At our core, AfP cultivates a network to strengthen and advance the peacebuilding field, enabling peacebuilding organizations to achieve greater impact—tackling issues too large for any one organization to address alone.