About

I am a feminist moral philosopher. Also, I have worked for more than 20 years in the charity sector focusing on development, public policy and advocacy.  I’ve also taught and trained charity workers in strategic planning, public policy and advocacy and ethics.   Prior to that, I worked in the telecommunications industry and in the US government as a Legislative Aide for a United States Congressman.   At the moment, I reside in the UK and have dual US/UK citizenship.

Currently, I am working on a PhD in international politics that explores and develops a politics of natality.  Natality was first mentioned by the philosopher, Hannah Arendt.  Grace Jantzen develops this idea further in her book, Becoming Divine, A Feminist Philosophy of Religion.

The politics of natality is a politics of hope.  It is based on the premise that human beings are creative, imaginative, resilient and resourceful.  They are capable of doing new things.  Social change is possible.

I developed and applied a qualitative research methodology based on a politics of natality to people engaged in conflict resolution and conflict transformation in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.  I interviewed Israelis and Palestinians who were engaged in different peace projects which include non-violent resistance, dialogue, interfaith dialogue, problem solving workshops and reconciliation projects.  I interviewed Jews, Christians, Muslims and secular people from all strands of those perspectives/beliefs.  I found lots of creative, imaginative and creative ways people from both sides of the conflict were coming together to forge a peaceful future.

The goal of my research is to uncover and highlight these voices which so often get lost in the current public discourse in the media about the conflict.  Their voices form the seeds for hope that the future in Israel and Palestine do not have to be a repetition of the past.