Academic Advisory Board

D. Michael Shafer, Rutgers University (Croatia, Cambodia, and Thailand)

Dr. Shafer received his BA from Yale and his PhD from Harvard, and has been a professor of international relations and international political economy at Rutgers for 25 years. He is a Carnegie Presidential Teaching Fellow and was the first winner of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Award for Distinguished Contributions to Undergraduate Teaching. He has also been voted "Best Teacher" by Rutgers students on many occasions. He is founder of Global PACT and has led Global PACT programs in Croatia (2004, 2005, 2006) and Thailand (2007). He will direct Global PACT's first program in Cambodia in 2008. 

Denise Horn, Northeastern University (Brazil, South Africa, and Thailand)

Professor Horn holds a PhD in political science from Rutgers University and is Assistant Professor of International Affairs at Northeastern University in Boston. She served as the Associate Director of the Center for Global Security and Democracy at Rutgers University, where she was involved in the development of the Civic Engagement Program (CEPO) at the State University of Moldova in Chisinau, Moldova. Dr. Horn's recent research examines the effects of US foreign funding in the development of civil society, especially in the area of women’s issues, in transitional states. Her forthcoming book, Gentle Invasions: Geopolitics in a Transitional Era, explores the implications of democracy promotion for US geopolitical strategy and global stability. Dr. Horn runs Global PACT trainings at Northeastern, manages Northeastern's many Global PACT overseas programs and develops new Global PACT programs -- most recently the Global PACT environmental program in Bahia, Brazil. She has led Global PACT trainings in South Africa (2006, 2007) and Thailand (2007). She will launch Global PACT's first program in Brazil in 2008.

Beth Leech, Rutgers University (South Africa)

Professor Leech holds a BS in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and a PhD from Texas A&M University. She specializes in social mobilization and lobbying, but has also conducted field work on the Masai in Kenya. In 2005, she received the Emerging Scholar Award presented by the Political Organizations and Parties section of the American Political Science Association. Prof. Leech is an accomplished teacher in the Political Science Department and winner of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Award for Distinguished Contributions to Undergraduate Education. One of her most popular courses is a one-semester version of the the Global PACT training called Activism and Advocacy.

David Mislan, Rutgers University (Croatia)

Professor Mislan holds a BA from Rutgers University and an MA from Johns Hopkins University. He's completing his dissertation in American foreign policy at Rutgers University where he also teaches international relations, defense policy, and causes of war. In addition to teaching courses at Rutgers and for Global PACT, Prof. Mislan teaches an exchange program in Kyoto, Japan. He is among the most popular professors in the Political Science Department. Prof. Mislan led the 2007 Global PACT training in Croatia.