Melinda Holmes
The Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL) brings together existing women’s networks, practitioners, and organizations with long-standing experience in addressing extremism and promoting peace, rights and pluralism to improve practices in communities affected by violence, and offer pragmatic policy solutions for the international community. A peacebuilding specialist, writer and strategist focusing on gender and political violence, Melinda Holmes is responsible for facilitating collaboration, analysis, advocacy and outreach on gendered approaches for preventing and responding to violent extremism. Previously, Holmes was a 2016-2017 Visiting Fellow at LSE’s Centre for Women, Peace & Security and worked with The Carter Center, advising on the engagement of religious and traditional beliefs, actors and communities in advancing peace and human rights. Ms. Holmes has a Master’s in international affairs from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.