Please click a staff member's name for contact info and biography.

MANAGEMENT STAFF:

PROGRAMMING STAFF:

PUBLISHING & COMMUNICATIONS STAFF:

Dr. Ken Rutherford is the Director of the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR) and Professor of Political Science at James Madison University. In his capacity as CISR Director he is conducting or participating in post-conflict missions and projects in Burundi, Colombia, Iraq, Jordan, Laos, Lebanon, Palestine, Rwanda, Switzerland, Uganda, Vietnam and Yemen. He is co-founder of the Landmine Survivors Network, and is a renowned leader in the Nobel Peace Prize-winning coalition that spearheaded the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty and the global movement that led to the 2008 Cluster Munitions Ban Treaty. He has worked for the Peace Corps (Mauritania), UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Senegal), International Rescue Committee (Kenya and Somalia) and as a Fulbright Professor (Jordan). Rutherford is the author of Disarming States: The International Movement to Ban Landmines (Praeger, 2011) and Humanitarianism Under Fire: The US and UN Intervention in Somalia (Kumarian Press. 2008), and co-editor of Reframing the Agenda: The Impact of NGO and Middle Power Cooperation in International Security Policy (Greenwood Press, 2003) and Landmines and Human Security: The International Movement to Ban Landmines (State University of New York Press, 2004, paperback 2006). He has testified before Congress and published articles in numerous academic and policy journals, including World Politics, Journal of International Politics, Journal of International Law and Policy and The Review of Disability Studies. He was a Professor of Public Affairs and an Associate Professor in Political Science at Missouri State University prior to joining the JMU faculty in February 2010. Rutherford holds a B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of Colorado (1985, 1992 respectively), and Ph.D. from Georgetown University (2000). Photo courtesy of Missouri State University Photo Services.

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Dr. Suzanne Fiederlein joined the CISR in 1999 and served as Senior Research Associate and Victim Assistance team leader before becoming Associate Director in 2010. She has worked on projects related to victim assistance, International Mine Action Standards, Mine Risk Education (managing the ERW Awareness in Schools project in Jordan), mine action in Latin America, mine action database systems (specializing in casualty data), and program evaluation. In addition, she has coordinated the curriculum for the Mine Action Senior Managers Course. She holds graduate degrees in Latin American Studies (M.A., Univ. Of Texas) and Political Science (Ph.D., Univ. of Arizona) and has served on the faculty of James Madison University and Virginia Commonwealth University.  Her fields of academic research include refugee policy, international law and organizations, and Latin American politics.

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Ms. Lois Carter Crawford, APR, is Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of ERW and Mine Action and has also served as Project Manager on the Adaptive Technology Catalog: Tools for Survivors of Landmines and Explosive Remnants of War and the To Walk the Earth in Safety projects. Prior to joining the MAIC in 2005, Crawford worked in advertising and publishing for more than 25 years. Her management, writing, publishing and editing skills have been a solid addition to the MAIC staff. Crawford is an accredited public relations professional (APR) and holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She and her husband have four children. She loves to read, garden and cook.

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Ms. Carolyn Firkin is the Program Support Specialist for CISR. She has held this position since March 1997. Prior to coming to JMU she spent approximately 10 years working for the federal service in Northern Virginia. She enjoys walking, gardening and spending time with her children.

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Mr. Cameron Macauley has a teaching career spanning 25 years. After obtaining degrees in Anthropology and Psychology, he became a Physician Assistant in 1984. He worked in a refugee camp on the Thai-Cambodian border then volunteered at a district hospital in Sumatra where he taught surgical techniques to the nursing staff. In 1988 he joined the Peace Corps and spent two years in Guinea-Bissau, after which he went to Mozambique where he taught courses on trauma surgery for landmine injuries. He went on to train vaccinators in Angola, and from 1996 until 2001 he ran a malaria control program for the Yanomami Indians of northern Brazil. He received his MPH from Boston University in 2003, and then returned to Angola in 2004 to train Angolan health professionals on HIV/AIDS. In 2005 he revised the CDC’s Home Based Care Manual for Mozambique. He then became Health Education Specialist for Survivor Corps, teaching mental health courses in El Salvador, Bosnia, Jordan, Ethiopia, Colombia, and Vietnam. Since January 2008, he has developed educational materials on psychological trauma. He has participated in BUSPH’s Complex Humanitarian Emergencies course as an instructor since 2003 and has taught sessions on communicable diseases, disaster preparedness, landmines and natural disasters. He joined the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery in August 2010 to lead efforts in Peer Support.

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Ms. Nicole Neitzey is the Program Manager/Grants Officer for CISR. She was formerly Technical Editor and Managing Editor for The Journal of ERW and Mine Action. She has been working for the CISR since 2001. She graduated from James Madison University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in Technical and Scientific Communication and an Online Publications Specialization. In her work at the CISR/MAIC, she has served as Project Manager for the Pathways to Resilience Program, the Study on U.S-Origin Landmines, Consortium for Complex Operations Portal Review project, and State Department CD-ROM project, as well as assistance with the Big Bang Project, the Landmine Action Smartbook, and UNDP Senior Managers Courses.

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Geary Cox II is Program Coordinator/Project Manager for the Center of International Stabilization and Recovery. He joined the Mine Action Information Center in March 2005 as an Editorial Assistant to The Journal of ERW and Mine Action before becoming Assistant Editor/Research Specialist. He holds a Master of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Arts in political science/English, both from James Madison University. He is pursuing his doctorate in non-profit and community leadership through the School of Strategic Leadership Studies at JMU. In 2012, Geary received the All Together One award, which recognizes leaders' unique contributions to the JMU community.

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Assistant Project Manager & Research Specialist

John Meagher joined the staff in July 2012 as Assistant Project Manager & Research Specialist. He worked previously as an Allocations Processor at the Refugee Processing Center in Roslyn, Va. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at James Madison University. He earned a Master of Public Administration in 2010 (concentration: Management in International Nongovernmental Organizations) and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Justice Studies (concentration: Global Policy) in 2008, both from JMU.

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Assistant Project Manager & Research
Specialist

Mr. Edward Lajoie joined the CISR staff in April 2011 as an assistant for CISR's Senior Managers Course and is now a program assistant and research specialist for CISR. Ed graduated from James Madison University in May 2011 with a BA in International Relations with a concentration on the Middle East.

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Ms. Jennifer Risser joined the staff in April 2009 as Assistant Editor for The Journal of ERW and Mine Action, and became Managing Editor in November 2011. Previously, she worked as an Editorial Assistant at the Penguin Group in New York. Jennifer received a Master of Arts in Publishing Studies from City University, London, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from James Madison University.

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Ms. Heather Bowers Holsinger joined the staff in September 2009 as Information and Communications Specialist. She is the graphic designer of The Journal of ERW and Mine Action and To Walk the Earth in Safety. She manages the CISR website, supports public relations including presentations and collateral printed material, and contributes to a variety of ad hoc projects. Previously, she was the editor and graphic designer of Shenandoah Insights magazine. Her background includes experience in graphic and web design, business management, and public history. She received a Master of Business Administration degree from Frostburg State University and a Bachelor of Arts in history from Roanoke College.

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Amy Crockett is Copy Editor as well as Web and Graphics Assistant for the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery. She first joined CISR staff in 2009 as an Editorial Assistant to The Journal of ERW and Mine Action. She earned her bachelor's degree in Media Arts and Design with a minor in Anthropology from James Madison University in 2010.

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Ms. Rachael Weber Tayanovskaya joined the CISR staff in January 2012 as an Assistant Editor. Prior to working with CISR, Rachael joined the Brethren Volunteer Service and went to Budapest, Hungary, where she was a program coordinator and editor for the European Region of the World Student Christian Federation. Before she moved to Europe, she graduated from James Madison University in 2006 with a BA in English and a concentration in Creative Writing.

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Mr. Blake Williamson joined the CISR staff in October 2010 as an Editorial Assistant and is now an Assistant Editor. He graduated from James Madison University in 2012 after earning a Bachelor of Science in Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication with a concentration in Computer Information Systems.