2025 IGL Colloquium

Risk and Resilience

Director and Convener: Heather Barry

Lecturers and Lectures

2025/26 will mark the 40th Anniversary of the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University. I created this Institute in different stages and phases, first in 1985-86 as an initiative of the Experimental College, and entitled it the Symposium Project. Its theme was International Terrorism. It evolved a few years later into the EPIIC- Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship. Subsequently, as many new initiatives were developed through the eclectic themes I chose each year, it became a complex Institute. I left it in 2016 after 30 years and was named Emeritus Founding Director of the IGL. In the ensuing decade, it ebbed and flowed until it was integrated into Tisch College of Public Citizenship in 2023. While it retained its initials IGL, it was differentiated as the Initiative for Global Leadership. In October 2025, it regained its name, the Institute for Global Leadership.

I have been given the privilege and honor of helping to create the 2025 IGL Colloquium, which bears my name as the endowed “Sherman Teichman EPIIC Colloquium”, which was created by my alumni on the 25th Anniversary of the Institute in 2011. I was offered this opportunity by one of the more remarkable alumni of the Institute and currently the Special Adviser for Global Strategy and Student Initiatives at Tisch College, Heather Barry, who shepherded and invigorated the Institute over the last decade. Heather was my superb student in 1988 and became the highly-respected and valued Associate Director of the Institute until its entry into Tisch. The theme, “Risk and Resilience,” for the 2025 Colloquium was chosen and articulated by Heather and Tufts students under her mentorship.

The Colloquium regularly meets on Fridays at Tufts University under Heather’s direction and mentorship. I was asked to secure the lecturers. I accepted this contracted responsibility as an INSPIRE Fellow, an initiative I created years prior when I was the Institute’s Director. With Heather’s consent, I drew from our highly accomplished alumni cadre, mentors of The Trebuchet, the educational consultancy and its Convisero community, which I created upon my becoming Emeritus at Tufts.

Emerging Global Risks In An Era of Uncertainty - September 26, Friday

Matan Chorev is the associate director of the RAND Global and Emerging Risks division, and a senior policy researcher at RAND. Prior to RAND, he served as the Principal Deputy Director of the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff. In that role, he helped shape and drive strategic planning and coordination, policy development, and public articulation of key Department priorities and initiatives. He previously served as speechwriter and advisor to Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns. He has also served as a Crisis, Governance, and Stabilization Foreign Service Officer at the United States Agency for International Development with assignments in Morocco and Yemen, and as a Rosenthal Fellow at the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy Planning. Chorev has received numerous recognitions for his contributions in government, including two Superior Honor Awards. In addition to his government service, Chorev has served in policy research and management roles, including as Chief of Staff of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and as a researcher at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He is a David Rockefeller Fellow at The Trilateral Commission and a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He holds degrees from New England Conservatory, Tufts University, and The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Matan’s Convisero Profile: https://www.the-trebuchet.org/blog/2024/12/11/matan-chorev

Humanitarian Dilemmas, Friday, October 3rd

Sasha Chanoff is a co-founder of the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative and the founder and executive director of RefugePoint, the host agency of the RSRI.

He is the co-author of From Crisis to Calling: Finding Your Moral Center in the Toughest Decisions, a leadership book about moral decision points that shape our lives. He is a White House Champion of Change, and a recipient of the Schwab Foundation / World Economic Forum Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the Harvard Center for Public Leadership Gleitsman International Activist Award, the Charles Bronfman Humanitarian Prize, and is a Goodwill Ambassador for the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity.

Sasha has received social entrepreneur fellowships from the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, Ashoka, and Echoing Green. He is a board member of the Network of Engaged International Donors (NEID) Global, and was a founder and an advisor to The Good Lie Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Warner Bros. film The Good Lie about the resettlement of the South Sudanese Lost Boys and Girls.

Sasha has a MA in Humanitarian Assistance from the Tufts Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the Friedman School of Nutrition, Science and Policy, and a BA from Wesleyan University.

RefugePoint recently celebrated its 20th Anniversary. 

Sasha’s Convisero Profile: https://www.the-trebuchet.org/blog/2021/2/15/sasha-chanoff

Dan Holmberg - Analyst, Lincoln Labs, MIT, Trebuchet
Dilemmas of Humanitarian Intervention

Daniel Holmberg is an international humanitarian assistance professional with over three decades of experience leading complex operations across Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. Grounded in principled humanitarian action, he specializes in navigating the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus and advancing collaborative, community-driven solutions in crisis and post-conflict contexts.

Currently serving as International Ambassador for the Assembly of Social Mobilization (Sri Lanka) and Senior Humanitarian Advisor at Generation NYX, Daniel also contributes to academia as a Guest Lecturer at Tufts University and Sai University, where he teaches on risk, resilience, and humanitarian response.

Previously, he held senior roles with the World Food Programme, advising on strategic fundraising, climate adaptation partnerships, and peacebuilding transitions in Libya and Iraq. His tenure included close collaboration with USAID and the International Organization for Migration, driving initiatives that addressed the intersection of climate change, migration, and food security.

A long-time Mentor at The Trebuchet, Daniel has also supported interdisciplinary education and youth leadership for social impact.

He holds a Master’s in Humanitarian Assistance from Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and a Bachelor’s in Sociology and Anthropology from the United States International University.

Dan’s Convisero Profile: https://www.the-trebuchet.org/blog/2020/3/12/daniel-holmberg

The Future of AI, Risk and Resilience- Friday, October 10th

I’m an entrepreneur, educator and researcher currently working with a number of teams and projects developing socially beneficial uses of Artificial Intelligence.

My interest in AI was triggered when I attended Marvin Minsky’s MIT class lectures. Minsky was a spellbinding lecturer and I was captivated by his ideas about “machines that can understand stories.”

I received a Master’s from the Media Lab at MIT, where my research focused on the transition from analog to digital media and the ways digital technologies influence how we make and share messages to inform, educate, and entertain.

From MIT I moved to Apple, where I spent 5 years leading a new product team tasked with evolving the Macintosh operating system from support of static text and still images to dynamic streaming of interactive video, audio, and animation. These capabilities enabled new “media rich” applications like interactive learning, video editing, and musical composition and production

I’m now an adjunct faculty member and post-doctoral researcher at New York University, teaching about the impact of AI on communication. I also serve as the CEO of Tickr, a startup building enterprise-focused AI software tools and advising organizations on beneficial uses of AI.

Tyler’s Convisero Profile: https://www.the-trebuchet.org/blog/2023/7/30/tyler-peppel

Our Nuclear Future - Friday, October 17th

Jim Walsh is a Senior Research Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program (SSP). Walsh’s research and writings focus on international security, and in particular, topics involving nuclear weapons. Walsh has testified before the United States Senate and House of Representatives on topics relating to nuclear terrorism, Iran, and North Korea. He is one of the relatively small number of Americans who have travelled to both Iran and North Korea for talks with officials about nuclear issues. His recent writings include,"The Implications of the JCPOA for Future Verification Arrangements (including the DPRK)," "The Digital Communications Revolution: Lessons for the Nuclear Policy Community," and “Laser Enrichment and Proliferation: Assessing Future Risks.” He is the international security contributor to the NPR program “Here and Now,” and his comments and analysis have appeared in the New York Times, the New York Review of Books, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and numerous other national and international media outlets. Before coming to MIT, Walsh was Executive Director of the Managing the Atom project at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a visiting scholar at the Center for Global Security Research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He has taught at both Harvard University and MIT. Dr. Walsh received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Jim’s Convisero Profile - https://www.the-trebuchet.org/blog/2024/3/7/jim-walsh

Assessing Risk through Political Geography- Friday, October 24

Benjamin J. Sacks

Benjamin J. Sacks is a policy researcher and political geographer at RAND and professor of political geography at the RAND School of Public Policy. He leverages his interdisciplinary professional historical and geographical training and expertise to provide novel policy perspectives and solutions across RAND's national security portfolio, ranging from polar, South China Sea, electromagnetic, and other contested spaces to emergency management, Truth Decay, defense acquisition, collective deterrence, and public diplomacy. He is especially interested in advancing political geography's role in shaping national security policy. Sacks often briefs the U.S. Department of Defense on strategic spatial perspectives of contested zones, and has similarly briefed the UK Cabinet Office and the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff J-7 Directorate. Major recent interviews include the BBC World Service and Voice of America.

Outside of RAND, Sacks has published relevant articles or chapters in the History of Cartography, Journal of Cold War Studies, History of Military Cartography, Oxford Handbook on the History of Consumption, Companion to World History, and New England Quarterly. New Global Studies and Tufts Historical Review have published his interviews with leading international affairs figures. Sacks also collaborates with higher education to encourage humanities doctorates to pursue policy careers. 

Sacks completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University’s Joint Center for History and Economics, his Ph.D. and M.A. at Princeton University, and his B.A. at Tufts University. He is a permanent elected fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a fellow of the American Geographical Society, and a 2009 National Beinecke Scholar. 

Risk and Resilience: The Cognitive Impact- Friday, October 31st

Michael Niconchuk- (Tufts’11, BUILD, Oslo Scholars)

Michael Niconchuk is a researcher and practitioner at the intersection of mental health and psychosocial support, peacebuilding, violence prevention. Beginning his career working in community development among former combatants from the armed opposition in Guatemala, he has worked for more than a decade with refugee communities in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Syria, and Germany building trauma-focused community mental health programs. From 2012-2015 he served as the Emergency Response Coordinator for Questscope. In 2015 he was awarded a Fulbright Postgraduate Award to complete his master's degree in social cognition at University College London, where he researched the neurobiology of dehumanization and trauma. In 2017, he joined Beyond Conflict's neuroscience and social conflict innovation lab, spearheading various research projects exploring the neurobiological aspects of intergroup violence and conflict-related stress and trauma.

Michael’s Convisero Profile: https://www.the-trebuchet.org/blog/mike-niconchuk

Global Health and Human Rights - Friday, October 31st

Jehane Sedky, Tufts ‘94, EPIIC ‘92

Jehane Sedky is a seasoned senior executive with an excellent record in leadership roles, providing strategic guidance and support to influential leaders such as former US President Bill Clinton, former UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy and the late Harvard University Professor Dr. Paul Farmer. Her expertise spans a wide spectrum of responsibilities, including leading major initiatives, strategic program development for social impact, fundraising, media, and communications. Renowned for exceptional leadership and people management skills, Ms. Sedky excels in unifying teams toward common goals. Notably, she served as President Clinton’s senior advisor and head of office during his tenure as UN Special Envoy for Haiti and, earlier, as his spokesperson and speechwriter for his role as the UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery. Additionally, she served as head of office for the late Dr. Paul Farmer’s UN team, and later as the Co-Director of the think tank he founded, the Science of Implementation Initiative. With a background in international relations and human rights law, Ms. Sedky values cutting edge research and how to translate scholarship into practice.

Prior to her work with President Clinton and Dr. Paul Farmer, Ms. Sedky played a pivotal role as senior strategic advisor to UN Assistant Secretary-General responsible for countries in crisis. In this chief of staff role, Ms. Sedky was instrumental in shaping the strategic direction and overall program strategy of a 200-person global operation.

Ms. Sedky has authored a book on children and armed conflict and a chapter in Paul Farmer’s book Haiti After the Earthquake. In addition, the primary research she led at the United Nations and later at the Science of Implementation Initiative has been cited in Paul Farmer’s books and various articles. Earlier in her career, Ms. Sedky served a stint at CNN International and later led the UNICEF child protection media strategy and Global Media Relations team responsible for spearheading the organization’s child rights messaging across 150 country offices.

Raised in Egypt, Ms. Sedky speaks four languages and is the proud mother of three. In her free time, she leads a youth group that supports the homeless in Cambridge, Massachusetts and volunteers for Partakers, an organization that provides mentorship to formerly incarcerated individuals.

Jehane’s Convisero Profile: https://www.the-trebuchet.org/blog/2023/12/19/jehane-sedky

Risk and Resilience in the Global Economy - Friday, November 7th

Bhaskar Chakravorti is the Dean of Global Business at The Fletcher School, Tufts University, and the founding Executive Director of its Institute for Business in the Global Context. He also founded and chairs Digital Planet, which studies the global impact of technology.

He launched the Institute in 2011 to connect business with global issues such as geopolitics, technology, environment, and development, and leads the IDEA Council (Imagining a Digital Economy for All). His major initiative, IDEA 2030, examines how data, AI, and digital technologies can drive inclusive growth—including during the COVID-19 pandemic and in addressing inequality. He also launched Fletcher’s first all-digital degree program.

Bhaskar holds several influential roles, including Chairman of Mastercard’s Policy Center Advisory Board, Senior Fellow at Brookings, Senior Advisor at Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, Fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress, and advisory roles with the World Bank, UNDP, and Indian Institute of Public Policy.

Before Fletcher, he was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, Distinguished Scholar at MIT, and taught at Harvard Business School. Over his 30-year career, he has advised Fortune 500 CEOs, global policymakers, and led McKinsey’s Innovation and Global Forces practices.

He authored the bestseller The Slow Pace of Fast Change (Harvard Business Press) and co-edited Defeating Disinformation (Cambridge University Press). He also created the Digital Evolution Index, widely used for tracking digital transformation across 125 countries.

Bhaskar’s research appears in major academic journals and global media such as HBR, NYT, WSJ, FT, Washington Post, BBC, and The Economist. He is a regular columnist for Harvard Business Review, Foreign Policy, WIRED, and The Conversation.

He previously worked with Monitor Group, Bellcore (Bell Labs), and Tata Group (TAS). Bhaskar earned his PhD in Economics from the University of Rochester, and his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Economics from St. Stephen’s College and Delhi School of Economics.

Bhaskar’s Convisero Profile: https://www.the-trebuchet.org/blog/bhaskar-chakravorti

The Omnipresent Risk of Nuclear Disaster - Friday, November 14th

Richard Lanza - MIT (TBC)
Risk Analysis

Richard C. Lanza is a senior research scientist in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT. His interests are primarily in the area of developing novel techniques and instrumentation for nuclear and radiation detection, including for the detection of special nuclear materials. His work has included particle and radiation detectors, image reconstruction, high-speed electronics, neutron radiography, neutron tomography, accelerator based isotope production, neutron phase-contrast imaging, land mine detection, remote sensing, standoff detection for nuclear materials, and nuclear forensics. He served on the 2012 American Physical Society review of the Defense Nuclear Detection Office, as and on review committees for the DOE Domestic Intelligence Division (IN-10), the FAA, and the National Academy of Sciences. He has been an Expert Advisor to the International Atomic Energy Agency and is the past chairman of the IEEE Radiation Instrumentation Steering Committee. He has more than 150 papers published in these areas and has been awarded 18 patents. Lanza co-directs the Laboratory’s activities in advanced detection techniques.

Richard’s Convisero Profile: https://www.the-trebuchet.org/blog/2023/4/22/richard-dick-lanzanbsp

Jay is an internationally recognized journalist and filmmaker whose work has won awards at major film festivals worldwide. The founder of theAnalysis.news, a platform for in-depth journalism and analysis, he previously served as chair of the Documentary Organization of Canada and was the co-executive producer of “Face Off” and “CounterSpin,” groundbreaking prime-time debate programs that aired nightly for a decade on CBC Newsworld. He also founded The Real News Network in Baltimore. 

Based on Daniel Ellsberg’s groundbreaking book “The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner” and narrated by acclaimed actor Emma Thompson, “How to Stop a Nuclear War” unfolds as a political thriller, exposing both the stark present-day dangers of nuclear weapons and the “institutional madness” that has brought the world to the brink.

The documentary emphasizes that nuclear catastrophe is not inevitable. By uncovering hidden history and offering a clear-eyed view of today’s risks, “How to Stop a Nuclear War” seeks to catalyze public dialogue and inspire concrete action to reduce the threat of nuclear conflict.

Paul’s Convisero Profile: https://www.the-trebuchet.org/blog/2025/8/31/paul-jay

Meeting the Moment: International Institutions- Friday, November 21st

Jake Sherman

I currently serve as Acting U.S. Representative for UN Management and Reform at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, with over 20 years of progressive experience in diplomacy, international development, and multilateral negotiations. Colleagues would describe me as grounded, thoughtful, and decisive—which has enabled me to lead peacebuilding policy reform, secure consensus in complex negotiations, and provide trusted counsel to senior U.S. and UN leadership across a range of global priorities. Throughout my career, I’ve moved between field work and high-level strategy—building bridges between governments, agencies, and communities. I’ve shaped U.S. foreign policy, led the negotiation of breakthrough UN resolutions, and advised senior officials through major global forums. Key highlights include: • Drove U.S. strategy and secured $50M annually for UN peacebuilding after years of gridlock. • Conceptualized the Index of Multilateralism, later selected by the Paris Peace Forum as a featured project. • Turned around a significantly under-performing, multi-million dollar stabilization program in Afghanistan. I care about making complex systems work better—and that starts with listening closely, communicating clearly, and staying focused on outcomes. My passion for multilateral negotiations and excellence in strategic policy development fuels my drive to continually push the boundaries of what is possible in this sector and beyond. Connect with me to talk about UN reform, peacebuilding strategy, multilateral engagement, or general industry news or updates.

Jake’s Convisero Profile: https://www.the-trebuchet.org/blog/jakesherman

Food Insecurity, Global Agriculture and Risk of Famine - Monday, November 24th (Open Block - TBD)

Jason Clay

Dr. Jason Clay, Executive Director of the Markets Institute at the World Wildlife Fund, is a globally recognized expert in sustainable agriculture, supply chains, and environmental policy. Author of 15 books and over 300 articles, including World Agriculture and the Environment and Exploring the Links between International Business and Poverty Reduction, he has also served as National Geographic’s first Food and Sustainability Fellow and received a 2012 James Beard Award for his contributions to global food sustainability. At WWF, his work centers on reducing the environmental and social impacts of major industries such as agribusiness and aquaculture. Renowned for his strategic collaborations with Fortune 500 companies, Dr. Clay promotes accountability, measurable corporate responsibility, and innovation in food systems. He describes himself as an “extrapreneur,” building creative partnerships that bridge corporations, governments, and communities to drive sustainable change.

Jason’s Convisero Profile: https://www.the-trebuchet.org/blog/2020/7/30/jason-clay

Global Communities and Systemic Risk - Friday, December 5

Nikos Passas

Professor Nikos Passas specializes in the study of corruption, illicit financial/trade flows, sanctions, informal fund transfers, remittances, terrorism, white-collar crime, financial regulation, organized crime and international crimes. He has published more than 230 articles, book chapters, reports and books in 15 languages. He is the Principal Investigator for a planning grant on Financial Network Disruptions in Illicit and Counterfeit Medicines Trade (FIND-M) funded by the National Science Foundation. In addition to his professorship at Northeastern University, Passas is also Co-Chair of the Steering Committee for the University of Geneva Anti-Corruption Academy (GENACA), distinguished visiting professor at Beijing Normal University, distinguished lecturer in financial integrity at Case Western Reserve Law School, chair of the Academic Council of the Anti-Corruption Academy in India.

Nikos’s Convisero Profile: https://www.the-trebuchet.org/blog/2025/7/12/nikos-passas