Riva Kantowitz

July 1, 2019–Present

Riva Kantowitz’s work focuses on supporting resilient and thriving communities in conflict-affected countries. For more than 20 years, she has worked to promote human rights, prevent violence, and provide support to civil society and grassroots efforts in fragile and developing environments. She now focuses on strengthening the effectiveness of donors and other international actors through partnerships and innovative approaches to funding. In addition to independent consulting with funders on these topics, she is currently a Senior Advisor at the Dag Hammarskjold Foundation and a member of the UN Expert Advisory Board on Children on Armed Conflict. Previously, she founded and led a team at the US Department of State that provides strategic direction and oversight to a global investment portfolio to promote human rights in conflict-affected countries. She co-directed Sabanci University’s Program in Conflict Analysis and has been a faculty member at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University and the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies at the American University in Cairo. Dr. Kantowitz earned a PhD from Columbia University in Social-Organizational Psychology (2006).

Fellowship Project

Dr. Riva Kantowitz co-authored a report, “[How] Do External Actors Support Civilian-Led Atrocity Prevention?” (PDF) which examines how foreign assistance donor organizations can best support civilian-led actions to prevent and mitigate mass atrocities. Her research contributed to the Center's larger research project on the role of civilians in preventing and mitigating mass atrocities.