Warren Hoge joined the International Peace Institute (IPI) as Vice President for External Relations in June, 2008.

In more than three decades prior to that as an editor and foreign correspondent at The New York Times, he served as Bureau Chief in Rio de Janeiro, London and the United Nations; Deputy Metropolitan Editor; Foreign Editor; Editor of The New York Times Magazine, and Assistant Managing Editor in charge of the paper's Culture, Book Review, Style, Travel and Sports sections. He was also the chief newsroom manager and directed the recruitment of writers.

As a foreign correspondent, he reported from more than 80 countries -- covering political turmoil and guerrilla warfare in Central America, the passage of countries from dictatorship to elective government in South America, the politics and culture of Great Britain and Scandinavia, the peace process in Northern Ireland and areas high on the peace and security agenda of the United Nations, including Central Africa and the Middle East.

Dr. James Spinazzola is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Instrumental Activities at UIndy, Cornell University, where his duties include the direction of the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Chamber Orchestra, and the instruction of courses in conducting and woodwind techniques. Dr. Spinazzola also serves as Conductor of the New World Youth Philharmonic, and, as a guest conductor, he has worked with numerous regional, all-state, and collegiate bands, orchestras, and jazz ensembles.

Mr. Alhendawi is a youth advocate at the national, regional and international levels. He was a co-founder for Youth for Democracy Network at the Jordanian Commission for Democratic Culture which he headed. Internationally, he is a co-founder of the International Youth Council, based in New York.

He previously worked as a Team Leader for the World Bank funded program to the League of Arab States on Institutional Development to strengthen Arab Policy and Participation. Prior to this, he served as the Youth Policy Advisor in the League of Arab States in Cairo and as an officer in the Technical Secretariat of the Arab Youth and Sports Ministers Council. Past experience also includes serving as a Team Leader for the National Youth Policy Project in Iraq, a Youth Program Associate at the Iraq office of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and as an Emergency Program Officer at the non-governmental organization ‘Save the Children’. As a regional consultant, he has also supported the Danish Youth Council’s projects in the Middle East and North Africa.

Ivan Šimonović, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

A Croatian national, Mr. Šimonović worked as a professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Zagreb, where he served as Head of the Legal Theory Department, Vice-Dean and Vice-Rector for international cooperation. He has experience and has published extensively in the fields of international relations, law, human rights, and development of national institutions. In an expert capacity, he has been a member of the Council of Europe’s Commission for Democracy through Law (i.e. the Venice Commission) and the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), as well as the Agent of the Republic of Croatia before the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Vlad DeBriansky - composer, musician, TV Producer, founder and CEO of American Music Academy. He studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1996. He released his debut US album, Vladosphere in 2004. The album became a commercial and critical success with its single "Little Star" climbing to #4 place on Adult Contemporary radio chart bypassing Phil Collins and John Mayer. This record earned 4 Grammy nominations.

The following second US album Sun In Capricorn released in 2008 aired mostly on classical music radio stations around the US and received a praise from critics earning a Grammy nomination.