Shannon Sedgwick Davis is the author of To Stop a Warlord, which details the journey of Bridgeway Foundation’s unprecedented collaboration to stop the atrocities of Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Before joining Bridgeway in 2007, Shannon served as Vice President of Geneva Global, a leading philanthropic consulting firm that advises individuals, foundations, non-profit organizations, and corporations on international development, global health, and poverty solutions. Previously, Shannon was the Director of Public Affairs at the International Justice Mission (IJM), a human rights agency that focuses on ending slavery, forced prostitution, and illegal land seizures in the developing world. She has been featured on NBC’s TODAY, TEDxSanAntonio, PBS NewsHour, and in Forbes.

Shannon is an honors graduate of McMurry University and Baylor Law School, from which she received the institution’s Young Lawyer of the Year Award in 2011. Other recognitions include the Nomi Network’s 2014 Abolitionist Award; a Global Human Rights Hero award from Saving Innocence; the Navy SEAL “Fire in the Gut” Award; and the 2022 International Citizen of the Year Award from the World Affairs Council of San Antonio. Shannon serves on the advisory council of The Elders and is a board member of several organizations including Humanity United, charity: water, Verdant Frontiers, and, formerly, TOMS.

Laren Poole oversees the Foundation’s programmatic and research teams. He has investigated and published research on the expansion of the Islamic State in Central Africa (ISCAP) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Before working on interventions to curb the rise of ISCAP, he managed Bridgeway Foundation’s counter-Lord’s Resistance Army assistance project to the African Union in the Central African Republic. This highly successful program consisted of air and training assistance to the AU-RTF forces, as well as defection messaging that encouraged hundreds of combatants to leave the armed group. Laren is the co-founder of Invisible Children and the recipient of the University of California - Irvine’s Human Security Award, and the University of California - San Diego’s Visionary Leadership Award.

Halim holds a master’s degree in finance and accounting and has over fifteen years of experience working with U.S. Government funds (State Department, USAID), and with organizations such as World Bank, European Union, and private foundations, in areas of finance, accounting, compliance, budgeting, financial reporting, and sub-grant management. Having grown up in a war-torn country, and having served as an administrative and finance intern at the United Nations office in Afghanistan, Halim is committed to Bridgeway's mission to abolish mass atrocities, and to ensuring that every dollar we spend makes a positive impact.

Tara has almost 10 years of experience in developing and evaluating projects in conflict resolution, public health, and gender mainstreaming in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. Before joining Bridgeway, she served as director at Virunga Fund Inc., helping to secure Africa’s oldest national park, and led research teams at Crumpton Group LLC and The World Bank. Her research has appeared in Foreign Policy and the American Journal of Political Science, and she has presented her work at various national and international conferences. She holds a graduate degree from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University and an undergraduate degree in International Relations from Brigham Young University.

For over a decade Bulama has researched violent extremist groups in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on the Lake Chad region and the Sahel. His work focuses on extremist groups’ history, ideology, strategy, and radicalization processes as well as on the deradicalization and reintegration of former fighters. He has written many papers, commentaries, and op-eds stemming from his research, and his works have been published by the Tony Blair Institute, Foreign Policy, The Independent, The Telegraph, CNN, the Council on Foreign Relations, Hudson Institute, The National, The Washington Post, and War on the Rocks. He has facilitated workshops for Western diplomats and organizations working in sub-Saharan Africa; trained local clerics, journalists, youth and women’s groups, and community leaders engaged in preventing and countering violent extremism and rehabilitating former fighters in Africa; conducted private briefings for Western governments, policymakers, and relevant organizations; and been a guest speaker at the University of Oxford, Harvard University, Yale University, George Washington University, and Chatham House. Before joining Bridgeway, Bulama was a Senior Analyst in the Extremism Policy Unit of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, and a dual-qualified lawyer in Nigeria and England/Wales. Bulama is currently completing a PhD in Law at SOAS University of London, and is a regular guest on Hausa- and English-language channels, including Voice of America, the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera, and France 24.

In Ryan’s 15 years as a freelance journalist, he has worked in more than 50 countries, including extensive reporting in the DRC, covering conflict, politics, and humanitarian issues. His still and motion images have been featured in award-winning films and in publications and other media across Europe, Africa, and the United States. His work requires him to coordinate logistics between governments, militaries, and NGOs; translate in the field; and support programs in some of the world’s most challenging environments. His “quick on the feet” mindset allows him to understand and communicate the nuances of each story he documents, and to illuminate these dynamic qualities in compelling messages and narratives. He has spent most of his professional career living in Central and East Africa and in Europe, both fulfilling and furthering his desire to be near the action—to live at the heart of conflict resolution and positive change.

Sekombi Katondolo is the founder and executive director of Mutaani FM, the only independent radio station in the DRC, which promotes uncensored news reporting “by Congolese people, for Congolese people.” Formerly a production manager at Radio Okapi in Beni, Sekombi has more than a decade of experience in international and local media and is an accomplished dancer and choreographer as well as journalist.

Luc Ndyanabo holds a BA in management and economic sciences from CEPROMAD University in Goma, DRC, and has been a consultant and project manager since 2015. Before joining Bridgeway, he consulted in security management for GOPA Infra’s Fund for the Consolidation of Peace program; performed mission assessment for En Avant les Enfants; and served as capacity building and grantee coordinator for Eastern Congo Initiative.

Antoine Kambere has 20 years of professional experience as an internal development and IT manager for Cultural Centre Yole!Africa in Uganda, and as a radio operator, operations records officer, ops planning officer, flight operations manager, and program manager for DAC Aviation International / ECHO FLIGHT in the DRC. He studied math and physics at the Majengo Institute in the DRC; computer system engineering at the Institute of Electrical, Electronics, and Computer Engineering in Kampala; and business at UDEMY, based in San Francisco.

Noah Tumwebaze has almost a decade of experience in consultancy as a researcher, policy adviser, and project manager, working across Uganda and East Africa on complex issues such as peacebuilding, violent extremism, human rights, education, and public health. Before joining Bridgeway, Noah collaborated on a groundbreaking report on violent extremism in eastern Uganda that aimed to make populations in East Africa less vulnerable to the drivers, enablers, and narratives of violent extremism. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Human Rights from Makerere University and is the winner of the Diana Ware Award for dedication and commitment to the values of humanity​​.

Asma Kanagwa is a conflict management practitioner with specialized training and practice in mass atrocities prevention. She has worked with communities to transform lives under the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, and now provides holistic services to people affected by violence and atrocities.

Peace Kyasiimire has ten years of experience as a psychologist and trauma specialist. She has treated ex-combatants and forced migrants from the DRC, and successfully implemented a Covid-19 response project piloted from the West Nile region of Uganda. She holds an MA in Counseling Psychology from Uganda Martyrs University and a BA in Guidance and Counseling from Kyambogo University - Uganda. Her professional interests include health and wellness activities as a way of improving physical and mental health.

Caleb is a clinical psychologist with nearly eight years’ experience as a clinician and consultant working in the mental health and psychosocial support sector in development and humanitarian settings in Uganda. He holds an MSc in clinical psychology from Makerere University and has contributed to the integration of mental health care into general health, livelihood, peacebuilding, and protection services. He has also developed supervision systems, training, and implementation of psychological interventions around depression, anxiety, trauma, and PTSD. He has spent most of his professional life working with communities and individuals affected by war and mass atrocities.

David Ocitti is a specialist in repatriation, reintegration, and resettlement of former combatants and returnees. He has over twenty years’ experience working in resettlement and helping individuals and families rebuild their lives after experiencing violent armed conflict and mass atrocities.

Akim holds a Master of Arts degree in sustainable peace and conflict management from Uganda Martyrs University and his professional experience includes designing and overseeing the implementation of community-facing programs in conflict management, youth employment, refugee protection, public health, gender mainstreaming, and preventing and countering violent extremism. He has presented on transitional justice and conflict resolution at both national and international conferences, monitored peacebuilding projects across East Africa, participated in policy development for regional blocks and governments, led research and publication, and facilitated capacity-building workshops for civil society organizations. A seasoned aid worker with specialized training in areas such as trauma-informed care and accountability in humanitarian assistance, he seeks to relieve the plight of people affected by conflict.

For over seven years, Kiziito Nasiifu has trained imams on countering violent extremism throughout Uganda. He has written and presented papers on the salafi movement and the effects of ideologies and abductions on families and communities; facilitated workshops and trained with peace leaders in Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, and the United States; and presented regularly on Salaam TV. He holds degrees in computer engineering, and in accounting and finance.

​​Caleb, also a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Long War Journal, is a specialist on jihadism in Africa and the Middle East, specifically as it pertains to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State and their respective branches and affiliated movements. He holds a graduate degree from The Fletcher School at Tufts University and a BA from the University of Illinois.

A graduate of the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, Ryan O’Farrell specializes in the study of Islamist movements in east and central Africa. He is co-author of the book The Islamic State in Africa: The Emergence, Evolution, and Future of the Next Jiahadist Battlefront.

Before joining Bridgeway, Esmé served as a writer and editor at Idea Architects, a book and media agency. She has co-authored books in the areas of social justice, science, leadership, and personal growth. One of her projects became a New York Times and international bestseller and received a Christopher Award in recognition of creative works that affirm the highest values of the human spirit.

Jennifer Tallon has twenty-five years of experience in non-profit administration and community leadership. She studied psychology and sociology at Southwest Texas State University and sits on the board of Mission City Renewal.