As Counterpart International’s Peace and Security Technical Director, Mehreen Farooq plays a leading role in cultivating an innovative community of practice that explores the intersectionality of civil society development, democracy promotion, security governance, and rule of law initiatives, as well as broader peacebuilding, conflict mitigation, terrorism prevention, and post-conflict reconstruction initiatives. Mehreen brings more than 10 years of technical expertise providing governmental and non-governmental actors with needs assessments, community engagement assistance, strategic guidance for project implementation, and training to improve public policy and programming to advance peace and security. Before joining Counterpart, Ms. Farooq served as the Vice President of the World Organization for Resource Development and Education (WORDE) and led policy analysis, research, and programming to enhance the capacity of civil society organizations to promote peace and counter violent extremism. She led field-based research across South and Central Asia to identify drivers of conflict and opportunities for building strong, resilient communities. Applying international best practices, she helped establish the first evidence-based community-led program in the United States to build resilience against radicalization. Ms. Farooq also advised and trained non-governmental organizations and public agencies on developing holistic, multi-disciplinary violence prevention strategies – leading presentations and seminars at the United Nations (Geneva) and in Macedonia, Tunisia, Slovenia, and Germany. Domestic engagements included briefings for the Department of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Defense University, National Counterterrorism Center, Foreign Service Institute, State Department’s Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications / Global Engagement Center, Af-Pak Interagency Task Force, and policymakers in the Congressional Anti-Terror Caucus. Previously, Ms. Farooq worked with the University of Maryland’s Center for Health and Homeland Security and McGill University’s Institute for Health and Social Policy. She holds an M.A. in International Affairs from American University and a B.A. in Political Science from Christopher Newport University.