Staff

Ana Patel, Executive Director

Ana has been training for this job for over 20 years – starting with her teenage experiences hiking with Outward Bound on her home territory in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia; and sailing and diving with the School for Field Studies on St. John’s in the Virgin Islands. After college, her service as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in a rural agricultural community in the Dominican Republic shaped her interest in international peace, human rights, and development, as well as her excellent merengue dancing skills. In her 20′s, Ana lived for four years in Venezuela and traveled extensively throughout the Andean region of South America working for the Andean Development Corporation.

In 1996, Ana returned to the United States to obtain her graduate degree in international affairs at Columbia University. After graduate school, she held a series of international policy focused jobs in New York and Washington – highlights included a 6-week tour of the former Yugoslavia countries with the United Nations Development Programme, writing a report on government conflict prevention efforts while 6-weeks pregnant. Prior to joining Outward Bound Peacebuilding, Ana advocated for human rights and justice issues at the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ).

Ana is also an Adjunct Lecturer and Fellow at the Center for International Conflict Resolution at The School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. Her co-edited volume, Disarming the Past: Transitional lustice and Ex-combatants was published in January 2010 by ICTJ and the Social Science Research Council. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, son and beloved mutt Pluto.

Nettie Pardue, Director of Programs

Raised in the southwestern part of the United States in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Nettie has a strong connection to wide open landscapes, mountains and the desert. As a small child, she forged a deep relationship to the land and drawing metaphors and lessons from being in a classroom without walls.

Nettie brings over 15 years of experience as a facilitator, mediator, instructor, guide, trainer and coach. She has worked in adventure based experiential education programs for Outward Bound, Outward Bound Center for Peacebuilding, the United World College and Adventure Associates using action learning to develop leadership skills while improving individual, team and organizational performance. Nettie is also certified somatic leadership coach.

In addition to the field of experiential education, Nettie has worked in the field of conflict resolution for over 7 years. She worked for SEEDS Community Resolution Center in the San Francisco Bay area where she instructed, trained and coached communication, conflict resolution, mediation, and cultural competency courses. Nettie continues to serve at SEEDS as a volunteer trainer and a Board Member.

Nettie has an MA in Applied Behavioral Science from Bastyr University/Leadership Institute of Seattle where she focused on leadership and organizational development.

Eight years ago she made her way to the Pacific Ocean to live in the San Francisco Bay Area where she lives with her husband. She maintains her strong connection to NM and the land around her through her outdoor pursuits of sea kayaking, climbing, trail running, mountaineering, skiing and whitewater kayaking. Nettie has traveled and worked throughout the US (Alaska too), Mexico, Turkey, the Middle East, South America, New Zealand, Africa, Europe and SE Asia.

Kristine Hizon, Program Assistant

Born and raised in New York, Kristine is a recent college graduate of Barnard College where she majored in Political Science with a concentration in Middle East politics. In May of 2011, Kristine traveled to Israel and the West Bank where she fell in love with the culture, rich history, and culinary experience of the region. Her interest in Israeli & Palestinian culture and politics and peacebuilding is what makes her passionate about working for the Outward Bound Center for Peacebuilding.

As a self-proclaimed technology enthusiast and social media addict, Kristine also possesses a technical background. She works as a freelance web developer, a passion she has had ever since she was eleven. In college, she worked as a Computing Fellow for Educational Technology and as a Web Development Assistant at Well Woman. Her interest in both technology and conflict resolution led to a summer internship at Soliya, an organization that aims to improve relations between Western and predominantly Muslim societies through facilitated dialogues via videoconferencing.

Kristine also has a deep love for traveling and exploring. In college, she spent a semester abroad in London, England, which has became her favorite city. After graduating from college, she moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina where she worked as an English teacher and developed a deep love for steak and Malbec. She has also traveled to Asia, Canada, Europe, Mexico, the Middle East, Turkey, and South America.

She enjoys exploring different cuisines, travelling, photography, reading, and watching football/soccer games.

Global Facilitators

Outward Bound Peacebuilding programs are delivered by the experienced cadre of Outward Bound instructors around the globe. For more information and bios see the page dedicated to our amazing facilitators.