Women’s Voices in Diplomacy: Shaping International Peace and Security

Dr. Barbara J. Falk is Director of Academics and Professor, Department of Defence Studies at the Canadian Forces College/Royal Military College of Canada and Senior Associate at the Munk School for European and Eurasian Studies at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on trials and the domestic politicization of justice during international conflict, comparative dissent, and national security law and policy. She is the author of The Dilemmas of Dissidence: Citizen Intellectuals and Philosopher Kings, Making Sense of Political Trials: Causes and Categories and numerous book chapters and articles on the philosophy of Václav Havel, comparative dissent, national security, and political trials. Before her career in academia, she worked for 10 years in human resources and labour relations in the public and private sectors.

Maggie Shepherd is the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at the Royal Military College of Canada, holding a cross-appointment between the department of Management and the department of Defence Studies at the Canadian Forces College (Toronto). Moving from the Maritimes to complete her studies, Maggie is a graduate of Laval University, RMC (Kingston), and went on to complete a post-graduate program on Negotiation through Harvard. Her doctoral work is a study from a Canadian context on the impact of social media on small and medium businesses. Understanding influence and complex change are integral to her varied roles as a professor, a consultant, and researcher. As a scholar-practitioner, Maggie focuses her research on practical outcomes and improving real-world application. Her research interests include strategy and leadership; influence and negotiation; and human security and Women, Peace and Security. With a career in the federal government and higher education spanning 27 years, Maggie has held various senior academic administrative roles, including the Chair of the MBA program and positions as Interim Dean of Graduate Studies and Associate Vice-Principal.

Dr. Vanessa Brown is an assistant professor in the Department of Defence Studies at the Canadian Forces College. Dr Brown has held various Department of National Defence research and advisory roles, including as an Assistant Professor with the Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security as well as Gender Adviser to the Commander of the Canadian Defence Academy. Her research interests include militarized masculinities and femininities; equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigeneity; Women, Peace and Security; feminist interventions in international security; international normative frameworks of security; and Canadian Foreign and Defence Policy. She has also published in a number of edited books including Rethinking Military Professionalism, Teaching Culture at Military Academies; Culture and the Soldier: How Identity, Values, and Norms Intersect with Contemporary Military Engagements; and From “Knowing” to “Doing”: International Perspectives on Leading Effectively.

Dr. Shoemaker is passionate about leading and contributing to initiatives that champion human rights and organizational culture change. She holds a PhD from Queen’s University with specializations in International Relations and Gender. She currently facilitates Canada’s participation in international organizations such as the United Nations with regard to gender equality. Previously, Dr. Shoemaker led human rights and inclusion programs and policies for the Canadian Armed Forces, and continues to provide training and education for national militaries, facilitating conversations with members across all ranks on the topics of emotional intelligence, mentorship, and unconscious bias. Dr. Shoemaker is currently a Research Fellow for the Queen’s University Centre for International and Defence Policy (CIDP). Through the CIDP Gender Lab, she has led projects related to veteran transition and employment, military mentorship, and Gender Based Analysis Plus