Our Senior Team

D. Michael Shafer, Founder and Chair of the Board

Michael has a BA from Yale and a PhD from Harvard, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a 21st Century Trust Fellow. He is widely published and lectures globally. He's an award-winning teacher and a consultant in the U.S. and abroad. For a decade, he directed the Rutgers Citizenship and Service Education (CASE) Program. Today, he directs the Rutgers Center for Global Security and Democracy. He is a founding member of Warm Heart, a community development NGO in Phrao, Thailand. Michael led the first Global PACT team to Mongolia and has overseen the growth of Global PACT since. He was field director for Global PACT’s All-Balkans program in Croatia in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and for the program in Thailand in 2007. He will direct Global PACT's first program in Cambodia in 2008. 

Paul Kuehn, Executive Director

Paul has a BA from Rutgers College and an MPA in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management from New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Paul received the 2001 Rutgers Outstanding Student Leader of the Year Award, and went on to work for Congressman Rush Holt (D. NJ). He has long been involved in the civic sector. Paul established Global PACT as a self-sustaining operation and today manages all business operations. He served as a senior trainer for Global PACT’s 2005 All-Balkans program and was field director for South Africa in 2006 and 2007.

Alexsia Chan, Vice President

Alexsia is a PhD student in political science at the University of California, Berkeley. She received her BA in political science and economics from Rutgers College. Her undergraduate thesis focused on the political participation of American immigrant groups; her current work focuses on Chinese political economy and international relations. She has interned for the Department of Defense, served as a research assistant and teaching assistant for several projects and classes, and worked with nonprofits and NGOs locally and abroad. Alexsia has developed many Global PACT training modules and the training of trainers program. She also manages Global PACT training materials and trainers. She has served as a senior trainer for Global PACT programs in the Balkans, South Africa and Thailand.

Denise 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. Denise 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 taught Global PACT trainings in South Africa and Thailand. She will launch Global PACT's first program in Brazil in 2008.

Johanna holds a BA in sociology from Alma College. She's a Rutgers University graduate student focusing on getting a Master of Social Work degree. Johanna is the marketing and outreach coordinator at Global PACT. She was a participant in the Global PACT program in Thailand in 2007. She's graduating in May and will be looking for a job in policy analysis and program evaluation in the field of refugee assistance and immigration.