Our Staff

Dr. Jeffrey Helsing is Executive Director of the Better Evidence Project and Research Associate Professor in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution. Prior to joining the Carter School, he spent over 20 years at the United States Institute of Peace, including as Associate Vice President where he led USIP’s education and training programs as well as curriculum development that included conflict resolution training for civil society organizations, peacebuilding practitioners, youth and religious leaders, humanitarian aid workers, diplomats and military and police. Helsing was instrumental in the expansion of USIP’s education and training efforts in conflict zones around the world, including the development of local training capacity and a large suite of on-line courses in multiple languages. 

Working at the nexus of peacebuilding research, practice, and policy, he has worked to bridge theory and practice. Helsing has almost three decades of work as a trainer in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, including conflict analysis, negotiations, mediation, conflict prevention, cultural competence, facilitation skills and non-violence, particularly in the Middle East and Southeast Asia but also in Africa, Europe, South Asia, and Colombia. He has written about conflict in the Middle East, as well as about the role of education in peace processes, and peace education.

Human Rights and Conflict, which he co-edited with
human rights scholar Julie Mertus, was one of the first scholarly attempts to explore the links between human rights, humanitarian law and peacebuilding.  Helsing also has considerable experience as an educator, including five years in the Department of Political Science at the American University in Cairo as well as teaching courses at American University, George Washington University, Swarthmore College and the University of Pennsylvania. Helsing holds a B.A. in history from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University.

Kamila Elyazgi is the Program Associate at the Better Evidence Project and a Master’s student at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University. She received her B.A. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution with concentrations in Human Rights and Justice and in Global Engagement. Her research and professional focuses include migration and human mobility; Guantanamo and the “war on terror”; international humanitarian and international criminal law; transitional justice; decolonization; and racial justice.

Isabella Cuevas is an international student at George Mason University doing a Bachelor’s/Accelerated Master’s (BAM) in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Her concentrations are Justice & Reconciliation and Political & Social Action. She is minoring in Social Justice and Human Rights as it is one of her central interests. She is from Colombia and is currently absorbed by efforts transforming ongoing conflicts and empowering those affected. She supports bottom-up endeavors fostering dignity and local strength to achieve coexistence and resilience.