Consultancy Team
Responding to Conflict is made up of a team of dedicated and experienced professionals. The RTC team consists of core personnel based in Birmingham UK, a core team of Associates, and a network of trained professionals from all over the world. This network enables us to combine international expertise with local knowledge and languages to deliver our services in a sensitive, timely and professional manner, and ensures the quality of our services.
Joan McGregor
Joan has been working in the field of conflict transformation for more than 20 years. Joan has a master's degree in Peace and Reconciliation. Her work with Responding to Conflict as a Peace and Conflict Advisor encompasses designing and delivering consultancy work in the fields of tailor-made training and participatory learning programmes for practitioners of conflict transformation, development and humanitarian assistance from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Joan's expertise covers participatory approaches to conflict analysis, strategic planning, mediation and negotiation, conflict sensitivity tools and methodologies, monitoring and appraisal, lesson learning, training of trainers, and counselling.
Joan has worked in Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Swaziland, Namibia, Lesotho, Zambia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Sweden and the UK.
Anne Dietrich 
Anne works for Responding to Conflict as a Peace and Conflict Advisor based in the UK, and has a master's degree in Political Science and 17 years experience working on peace issues. Anne is an trainer with long standing experience in conflict transformation, mediation, nonviolent communication, and conflict sensitive approaches using the Do No Harm/ Local Capacities for Peace Project. Anne's experience includes the design and delivery of tailor-made training for a range of state, multi-lateral, and non-state humanitarian and development actors in conflict analysis, planning, integrating conflict sensitive approaches and conflict management. Additionally, Anne has experience in developing processes for inter-faith dialogue in situations of conflict, and developing the capacity of state and non-state actors in project management.
Anne has worked in Sudan, Germany , Tchad, Pakistan, and Nepal.
Simon Weatherbed 
Simon Weatherbed holds a degree in Development Studies and master's degree in Post-war Recovery. Simon is currently the Programme Director of Responding to Conflict. He has over 10 years experience in the design of methodologies, strategic planning, project design, proposal writing, and project management in insecure and transitional environments. His project design experience includes the rehabilitation of former child soldiers, the participation of youth in peace and reconstruction, resettlement and community driven reconstruction, and capacity development for local governments. His consultancy experience includes strategic planning, project design, result based management, integrating conflict sensitivity into development methodology, organisational capacity assessment, and conflict mapping.
Simon has worked in Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Norway, and the UK.
Sunday Okello Angoma
Sunday Okello Angoma is from Uganda and is currently studying for a PhD in Post-Conflict Social Reconstruction with a focus on Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan at the University of Birmingham. He attended the Strengthening Policy and Practice course in 2001 and has since tutored on WWC from 2004 – 2006. He has also worked with RTC in Uganda, Cambodia and Serbia. Sunday’s areas of expertise are northern Uganda, Southern Sudan, and the Great Lakes Region.
Paul Clifford
Paul has 25 years experience as a consultant trainer, evaluator and mediator. Paul holds a degree in Russian Studies, a diploma in Counselling, and a master's degree in Public and Social Administration.
Paul has facilitated peace dialogues and mediated in Sierra Leone, the Philippines, and in the UK. His evaluation experience covers the rehabilitation of former child soldiers, peacebuilding by indigenous peace monitors, peace advocacy, organisational impact assessment, and a range of peacebuilding programmes. Paul has also undertaken peace and conflict impact assessments of development projects and facilitated strategic lesson learning for organisations working in conflict. Paul is experienced in the design and delivery of training for organisations working in insecure environments and his expertise includes: mediation and negotiation, conflict analysis, confidence building, conflict sensitive approaches to development, strategic planning for the management of conflicts (including resource based conflicts), integrating conflict transformation into disaster risk reduction programmes, and civilian peacekeeping.
Paul has worked in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan, Nigeria, Kenya, Burundi, Ireland, Croatia, Moldova, Kosovo, Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Philippines, Myanmar, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the UK.
Simon Fisher
Simon Fisher was the founder of RTC and director until 2005. Simon has worked in many countries as adviser, facilitator, trainer and mediator with local and international agencies, with governments and at the UN and has wide, first-hand experience of conflict, development and change. Simon’s priority for many years has been to help develop and sustain active networks of committed peace workers at global and regional levels. His books include: Working with Conflict: skills and strategies for action, and Spirited Living: waging conflict, building peace.
Diana Francis
Diana Francis is a freelance facilitator, trainer and consultant. She specialises in working with groups of people involved in or affected by political (especially inter-ethnic) conflict, facilitating training, dialogue and strategy workshops. She was President of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation for eight years, and is currently Chair of the Committee for Conflict Transformation Support. She has worked extensively in the post-communist world (especially the former Yugoslavia and the Caucasus region of the former Soviet Union), and also in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Mary Lou Leavitt
Mary Lou Leavitt has been active in the field of peace campaigning and non-violence training since the late 1970’s. She was employed by Quaker Peace & Service in the UK from 1980 to 1999, initially as a campaigner/ educator on peace and disarmament issues and later as Peace Secretary and Assistant General Secretary for British Quakers at the national level. Mary Lou is a former Co-Director of RTC. She retired as Co-Director in March 2006 and now works freelance as a trainer, facilitator and programme planner/ evaluator in the field of conflict transformation.
Apondi Nyang'aya
Apondi is a trained teacher who holds additional qualifications in International training, and NGO Management. Apondi has more than 15 years experience as a consultant in social development, strategic planning and conflict transformation. Apondi has extensive experience in designing and delivering training to state and non-state actors in insecure environments. This training experience covers advocacy, strategic planning, conflict sensitive skills and planning, conflict management, communication skills, gender mainstreaming, and training of trainers. Apondi also has experience in evaluating food security projects, surveys, facilitating peace dialogues, designing and conducting gender capacity assessment of governments, and has been a Peace Advisor to leading international NGO's working on resource conflicts.
Apondi has worked in Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Dubai, Italy, and Thailand.
Bridget Walker
Bridget Walker is a former Co-director of RTC. She has an MEd in Adult Education & Community Development and has been working in the development sector for over 20 years. Her background is largely in international development and has extensive experience of working in humanitarian relief and conflict-affected areas. Bridget now works freelance and delivers training and facilitation in the following areas: strategic planning, evaluation, organisational development and gender training.
Nick Lewer
Nick Lewer holds a doctorate in Peace Studies and is the former Director of the Centre for Conflict Resolution at the University of Bradford. He has more than 20 years experience in training, applied research, dialogue facilitation, mediation, and evaluation. Nick's evaluation experience covers conflict early warning mechanisms, local capacities for conflict management, integrated recovery programmes, strengthening local governance, peace audit, and conflict sensitivity of humanitarian and development organisations. He has facilitated peace dialogues and mediated conflicts in the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Croatia and Serbia, and Sierra Leone. In addition, Nick has researched and written extensively on adult peace education, non-lethal weapons and peacekeeping, and the role of public health professionals in peace building.
Nick has worked in Cyprus, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Hungary, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Palestine, and the UK.