MEDIA CONTACTS
Massimiliano Colonna
[email protected] | +1 (202) 768-7539
Director of Communications
Mark Daley
[email protected] | +1 (202) 779-1854
Chief of Development, Marketing & Communications
WASHINGTON, DC, October 18, 2021 — Nealin Parker will lead Common Ground USA (CG USA) as its inaugural Executive Director. Parker brings to the role decades of experience in senior domestic and international positions dealing with conflict, poverty, and healthcare.
“I’m honored and humbled to lead Common Ground USA at a time when the United States is so powerfully divided. People are scared of political violence and questioning if we can come together again. Yet, millions are calling for common ground and healing. Common Ground USA will answer that call,” said Parker. “If we act now, we can halt the country’s slide toward political violence, take on the roots of conflicts that divide us and accelerate national healing.”
Common Ground USA was launched earlier this month by Search for Common Ground (Search), the world’s largest dedicated peacebuilding organization. For almost 40 years, Search has helped deeply divided peoples learn to live with their differences, find common ground and purpose, and build a future together without the threat of violent conflict.
Before joining CG USA, Parker served in a number of senior leadership positions. These include: Founder and Director of the Bridging Divides Initiative at Princeton University, Chief of Staff for the federal US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Deputy/Acting Director of the Office of Transitional Initiatives at USAID, and Chief of Staff for the Center on International Cooperation at New York University. Parker also held policy, program and research roles with Interpeace, The European Commission Elections Programs in Liberia, the Carter Center, IFES, and the Peace and Integration Boards of Aceh. She holds a Master’s degree in Public and International Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia.
“We are delighted to welcome Nealin as the leader of Common Ground USA and we also welcome every single person in the United States to join her and her emerging team on this journey away from the threat of political violence toward a safer, healthier, more just future for all Americans,” said Search CEO Shamil Idriss. “Our experience shows that when divided people find common ground, they can fast-track a better future for all.”
Learn more about CG USA at commongroundusanow.org .
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