Testimonials

“Colette is a natural bridge-builder by identifying the right people to bring into a conversation, and by creatively thinking of additional stakeholders who have not necessarily been brought in ordinarily but whose views are important.  One way in which Colette has done this particularly well is through her spearheading peacebuilders dialogues that are open-to-anyone and provide closed-door safe spaces to discuss current challenges of our times. Colette's ability to create this safe space, facilitate the conversation, and encourage participation from all areas of the organization is testimony to her ability to convene internally - particularly in her unique, reserved, behind-the-scenes and creative sort of impactful way.”

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“Colette is a wonderful advocate and liaison, particularly good at taking time to engage with individuals one-on-one to discuss sensitive topics and to receive feedback and buy-in in a comfortable, appropriate manner.”

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“It is clear to me that Colette has a keen intuition for understanding people and how they work.” 

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“Colette has excelled at ‘leading change.’ Her [experience] has given Colette a wisdom and shared reassurance around institutional changes. As major changes have taken place over the past year, she has made it a point to go around and check individually on everyone, asking quietly and effectively how they are each doing, and reassuring them that we maintain the same vision and mission together, as a source of our resilience, even as there are changes around us.”

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“Colette is results-driven in her creative way! She creates enthusiasm around ideas and goals that fit within the mission, always making new connections between concepts and people, considering innovative approaches, and yet rationally recognizing feasibility and scale. I appreciate her willingness to pilot new ideas. Her soft-spoken energy is contagious, catalyzing her team to think out of the box with mission-oriented drive.”

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“The ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks.” Yes, yes, yes. That's what defines Colette. Good decision maker - based on consensus and someone who can produce programming and writing while leading teams. One of the few who can maintain the balance.”

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“Before [Colette initiated the Justice and Security Dialogue Program] the police were strictly advised not to interact with us (human rights activists). Now, if we go to the police HQ, they welcome us with open arms... Before this, no program had addressed the relationship between the police and civil society. I have been following this since 1990 and this was the only program that was able to bridge this gap.” 

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“The JSD [Justice and Security Dialogue] program helped to mend the broken relationship between the police and communities, enabling them to find collaborative solutions to security problems and to prevent violence that could have unhinged the peace accord. Channels of communication between the police and the public were opened. The public became more willing to report incidents, file complaints or collaborate with the police, and the police became more responsive to community concerns and ultimately more accountable, resulting in fewer abuses. Surveys conducted before and after the project found the impact of the JSD program in the target districts included: A dramatic rise in interaction between the police and the public and improved perceptions of police services.” 

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“Colette’s participation was crucial to the success of our [Law of Armed Conflict and Human Rights] workshop. Her extensive experience in civilian-military relations in Kosovo, Nepal and other countries where major conflicts have occurred, helped the two groups better understand one another. The participants, including three general officers and the leaders of six major human rights NGOs, praised her efforts and skills. We look forward to her scheduled participation in future events. Her professionalism expertise and practical field experience will help ensure the success of these programs. Her understanding of military operations coupled with her extensive background in civil society rule of law issues allow her to effectively bridge the gap between military and civilian interests in the complex and delicate arena of stability operations.”