Emily Cook is a peacebuilder, educator, social worker, and scholar-practitioner whose work bridges research and community practice to strengthen relationships among people, place, and future generations. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of Legacies Peace Center, she leads initiatives that integrate food, wellness, environmental stewardship, leadership development, and peacebuilding to cultivate resilient communities.

Emily holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Georgia and is a Ph.D. candidate in International Conflict Management, Peacebuilding, and Development at Kennesaw State University. Her research explores Indigenous women's peacebuilding, matriarchal systems of governance, environmental sustainability, and the ways Indigenous knowledge can inform more relational approaches to peacebuilding and community development. She is the co-author of the peer-reviewed article "Environmental and Collective Rights: Differences between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous NGOs Involved with the United Nations Human Rights Council," published in the International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, which examines how Indigenous organizations advance distinct perspectives on environmental and collective rights within international human rights institutions.

Throughout her career, Emily has worked across social work, nonprofit leadership, higher education, international education, and international development. She has supported at-risk youth, survivors of domestic violence, and communities experiencing generational poverty, while also designing community-based programs that expand access to education, leadership, and supportive services. These experiences continue to shape her commitment to relational care, justice, and sustainable community development.

For more than nine years, Emily directed a nationally recognized education program, mentoring student leaders, developing innovative educational initiatives, and leading one of the country's largest peer-learning programs. Her leadership earned international recognition for excellence in higher education, including awards for outstanding supervision and program innovation. She has also taught undergraduate leadership and social work courses, designed graduate-level peace education curriculum, and is certified in restorative justice, conflict management, and yoga instruction.

Previously, Emily served as Associate Director of the Afro-Amerindian Research and Cultural Center, where she supported research, educational programming, and international partnerships that amplified the voices, histories, and knowledge systems of Afro-Indigenous communities throughout the Americas. She also served as Managing Editor of the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development and has held leadership roles within international higher education organizations that advance collaborative learning and professional development.

Through Legacies Peace Center, Emily brings her research into practice by developing programs grounded in reciprocity, relational responsibility, environmental stewardship, and women's leadership. Her work explores how Indigenous matriarchal values can inform contemporary peacebuilding by strengthening relationships among individuals, communities, and Mother Earth. Guided by the belief that peacebuilding begins within individuals, grows through relationships, and expands through leadership, she is committed to helping communities build lasting systems of wellbeing across generations.

Dr. Anne M. Chance is a peacebuilding practitioner, researcher, and program designer specializing in community resilience, cultural heritage, and trauma-informed restorative practices. She brings a multidisciplinary background spanning public history, conflict analysis, program evaluation, and community development.

Dr. Chance previously served as Director of Solution Labs with TRENDS Global, where she designed integrated, cross-sector programs addressing structural and cultural drivers of conflict through inclusive, community-engaged methodologies. Her work emphasizes facilitated dialogue, conflict transformation, and the use of qualitative and quantitative research to address complex social challenges.

She has contributed to curriculum development for academic institutions, including trauma-informed restorative practices programming at Kennesaw State University, and has supported public history, preservation initiatives, historic redevelopment projects, and cultural programming. Her experience also includes program evaluation with partners across education, healthcare, and community response systems, as well as editorial leadership as Managing Editor of the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development.

Dr. Chance holds a Ph.D. with research focused on structural violence, during which she developed the Chance Matrix, a framework for analyzing inequities using large-scale international datasets. Her current research advances Conflict Transformative Design, an emerging framework that integrates peacebuilding principles into planning, design, and community development processes.

As Co-Founder and Director of Advancement for Legacies Peace Center, Dr. Chance helps advance a model of practice that supports communities as co-creators of sustainable solutions. Her work emphasizes women's leadership, the preservation of cultural knowledge, and the cultivation of resilient, inclusive systems that strengthen communities through collaboration, shared learning, and long-term peacebuilding.

Lina Tuschling is a Monitoring and Evaluation specialist with ample experience in and a passion for humanitarian and peace building work. Currently, she is working in refugee resettlement. In the past, Lina has worked on community development and peace building projects in Liberia and Afghanistan. Lina holds a master’s degree in Peace Research and Security Policy from the University of Hamburg, Germany and a PhD in International Conflict Management from Kennesaw State University, US.

Karla Ramirez is a psychologist trained at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, a Licensed Master of Social Work (LMSW) from Kennesaw State University, and co-founder of Energy Works ATL. She provides individual and family therapy to adolescents and adults across metro Atlanta and surrounding communities. As an immigrant, Karla is deeply committed to supporting the growing migrant population in Georgia. Her work lies at the intersection of mental health, education, culture, and community peacebuilding. She integrates trauma-informed and culturally responsive care through psychosomatic methodologies, offering both direct services and group interventions. In addition to her clinical practice, Karla is passionate about advancing systemic change and promoting healing-centered, community-led initiatives that foster social cohesion and long-term well-being.

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!