Board of Directors
The Peace Operations Training Institute is a 501(c)(3) public charity based in the United States of America. We are an independent nonprofit organization governed by an international Board of Directors.
Mr. Moustapha Soumaré
Chair of the Board of Directors
Mr. Moustapha Soumaré retired from the United Nations with more than 40 years of extensive experience in peacekeeping and peacebuilding, development, and leadership. From 2015 to 2020, he served as the Deputy Special Representative (Political) for the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS). From 2012 to 2015, he was the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), where he also served as UN Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator, and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Prior to that, Mr. Soumaré served as the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Recovery and Governance in the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) from 2009 to 2012. From 2007 to 2009, he was Deputy Assistant Administrator of UNDP and Deputy Regional Director for the Regional Bureau for Africa in New York. He was UN Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative in Rwanda from 2005 to 2007 and Benin from 2000 to 2005. Between April and October 2006, he served as Research Director in the Secretariat of the General High-Level Panel on UN System-wide Coherence in the Areas of Development, Humanitarian Assistance, and the Environment. Mr. Soumaré is a graduate of the University of Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
Mr. Kevin S. Kennedy
Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors
Mr. Kevin S. Kennedy began his service in the United Nations Secretariat in 1977 and completed a variety of assignments on missions and at UN Headquarters in New York (UNHQ). In 2007, he joined the Africa Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, where he led the Great Lakes Integrated Operational Team. In 2011, he became Chief of the Integrated Training Service, and from 2013–2014, he served as Officer-in-Charge of the Division of Policy, Evaluation, and Training. In December 2013, Mr. Kennedy led the Mali Integrated Operational Team at UNHQ, which was responsible for strategic oversight and coordination of support for the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). From 2000–2007, he served in the Executive Office of Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Mr. Kennedy has served in UN field missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Africa, and he served as a member of the start-up team in the UN Mission in Kosovo. He also has contributed to a number of peacekeeping and political missions, including those in Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the former Yugoslavia, Haiti, Mali, Timor-Leste, and Western Sahara.
Mr. Kennedy is a graduate of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and did graduate work in international relations at New York University.
General Awale Abdounasir
General Awale Abdounasir has 21 years of experience in international and national policing. He has worked extensively with the United Nations: He was Police Commissioner for the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) from 2016 to 2020, led the Police Component of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) from 2013 to 2016, and was Acting Police Commissioner with the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) from 2008 to 2013. At the national level, he has served as Director of the Forensic Laboratory, Director of the Police Academy, and Chief of Cabinet of the Ministry of Interior of Djibouti.
He is a graduate of the National Police Academy of Saint Cyr au Mont d’Or in France, and he holds a master's degree in Law and Security Policy from the University of Lyon III.
Currently, he serves as the Senior Advisor for Humanitarian Access with the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office for Yemen, a role he has held since 2021. He received the United Nations Secretary-General Award for Change Agents in 2019.
Brigadier General (Retired) Adrian Foster
Major General (Ret.) Adrian Foster retired in 2018 after almost four decades of military service. He commanded a regiment in Bosnia and Herzegovina and was awarded a Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service for his efforts.
He has worked extensively with the United Nations in Africa, including as the military’s Chief of Staff for the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) and Deputy Force Commander for the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). He spent four years at MONUSCO, eventually becoming the Acting Force Commander of 18,000 multinational military peacekeepers at the start of the “M23” conflict.
Currently, he is involved in consultancy work for the United Nations and various international think tanks.
Mr. Amadu Kamara
Mr. Amadu Kamara has over 25 years of experience in administrative and logistical support of political missions, peace operations, and humanitarian relief with the United Nations. He served as Director of the United Nations Support Office in Somalia from 2012 to 2018, where he collaborated with the African Union, the Federal Government of Somalia, and other stakeholders. He helped deploy, sustain, and operationalize 22,000 African Union troops in Somalia. From 2014 to 2015, he served as Crisis Manager for the United Mission for Ebola Emergency Response in Sierra Leone and Somalia. He took this additional position to fight against the single largest global Ebola crisis. He has also worked with United Nations operations in East Timor, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, and Lebanon.
Mr. Kamara holds a Bachelor’s in Social & Behavioral Sciences and Economics from the University of New York at New Paltz. He also studied social and behavioural science, economics, and political economy at the New School of Architecture and Design.
Ms. Karin Landgren
Ms. Karin Landgren is a Distinguished Fellow at the NYU Center on International Cooperation. She is the former Executive Director of Security Council Report. She previously led three United Nations peacekeeping and political missions in Liberia (UNMIL), Burundi (BNUB), and Nepal (UNMIN). In 2014, she led UNMIL’s support to the Ebola response in Liberia.
Ms. Landgren has over 20 years of experience working with refugees. She was the Country Representative for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Eritrea, and Singapore. She also served with UNHCR in India and the Philippines. As Chief of Standards and Legal Advice, Landgren helped revive UNHCR’s responsibility for the protection of stateless persons. Additionally, she was UNICEF’s first Chief of Child Protection.
Ms Landgren is a founding member of the Nordic Women Mediators’ Network. She previously taught at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Economics and a Master of Laws from the London School of Economics, as well as a Certificate in Public Policy and Governance from the University of Maastricht.
Ambassador Michel Rentenaar
Michel Rentenaar is a member of the Diplomatic Corps of the Netherlands and currently the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Iraq. He previously served as the Netherlands Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO and the Civil-Military Interface Advisor at the NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. He has extensive field experience, co-commanded the Task Force Uruzgan VII in Afghanistan and served at the Netherlands embassies in the DRC, Egypt, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, Uganda, and Yemen. He served two tours of duty in Iraq as the political adviser to the Dutch battalion commander and to Head of the Coalition Provisional Authority in al-Muthanna (southern Iraq). Dutch is his mother tongue, and he speaks Arabic, English, French, German, and Hebrew.
Colonel (Retired) Per Ronning
Colonel (Ret.) Per Ronning served 42 years in the Norwegian Army. His deployments include commanding the Norwegian Contingent in Afghanistan in 2005, as well as positions at the NATO Joint Warfare Centre and NATO Headquarters.
His United Nations experience includes working as Deputy Security Sector Reform Coordinator for the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) from 2009 to 2010. He was Military Advisor at the Norwegian Permanent Mission to the UN from 2011 to 2015. From 2016 to 2021, he was Chief of the Joint Operations Centre (JOC) in South Sudan. He led an integrated JOC section consisting of civilian, military, and police personnel, providing operational coordination and assessments, training, and situational awareness for the mission. He also supported crisis management for mission leadership.
He studied at the French Staff College in Paris and the NATO Defence College.
Ms. Pernilla Rydén
Ms. Pernilla Rydén has extensive experience working with peace and security over the last 20 years. She has served in numerous United Nations peace operations, including large multidimensional missions and special political missions. Most recently, Ms. Rydén was Chief of Staff of the UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) in Yemen. Previously, she served as Head of the Regional and Multilateral Section of the Political Affairs Department in United Nations Stabilisation Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO). She also served in the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes, the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), the Secretary-General’s Panel for the Referenda in Sudan, and the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).
In addition to her work with the UN, she has held positions within the European External Action Services (EEAS) and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Ms. Rydén holds a Master’s in Political Science and Economics from the University of Lund, Sweden. She speaks Swedish, English and French.
Colonel (Retired) Girish Sinha
Colonel (Ret.) Girish Sinha is the former Director of the United Nations Department of Field Support. Since 2016, he has been part of the Transition Team of the Secretary General, where he has been responsible for operational management and support during transitional periods in peace operations. From 2014 to 2015, he served as Director of Mission Support for the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER). He has also served as the Director of Mission Support in several UN peace operations. Additionally, he was a keynote speaker for the Gordon Brown Institute of Management at the World Health and Humanitarian Conference. Currently, he is a management consultant with the Global Dryland Alliance.
Before joining United Nations, Mr. Sinha served in the Indian Army for 20 years. He is a graduate of India’s National Defense Academy and the Defense Services Staff College Wellington. He was also trained in Supply Chain Management at the Sloan Management School of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Brigadier (Retired) Alejandro Gustavo Szejner
Brigadier (Ret.) Alejandro Gustavo Szejner served in the Argentine Air Force for 39 years, specializing in aeronautical logistics. He served as Head of the Argentina Air Force's Peacekeeping Operations Department, responsible for coordinating the enlistment and deployment of Argentine air units and staff to United Nations missions. He was Military Liaison Officer for the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) from 2002 to 2003 and Chief CIMCOORD for the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) from 2004 to 2005.
He has worked as an instructor at Centro Argentino de Entrenamiento Conjunto Para Operaciones de Paz (CAECOPAZ) and the Joint Training Center for Peace Operations Chile (CECOPAC). Since November 2020, he has been a Course Leader for online courses.
He holds a legal degree, a Bachelor's in Air and Space Law, and a Bachelor's in Aeronautical and Aerospace Systems.
Colonel (Retired) Roberto Gil de Vargas
Colonel (Retired) Roberto Gil de Vargas completed 40 years of active military service in the Uruguayan Armed Forces. During his career, he performed command and administration duties, both in Uruguay and abroad, including holding positions as a troop commander, staff officer, academic administrator, and instructor.
Colonel Gil also deployed on several international peace operations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Colonel Gil has more than 35 years of international experience in education and training of military and police officer and civilian personnel.
He has written several publications and articles on peace operations as well as methodology and evaluation of education and training, including “Education & Training of the American Region Personnel to deploy in Peace Operations” (2015), “Methodological Guidance for Peacekeeping Operations Training” (2009), “Liberia crisis, Peacekeeping Operation Lessons Learned” (1994), “Training and Evaluation Schemes” (1992), and “Methodology for Military Instruction and Training” (1985).
Ms. Leila Zerrougui
Ms. Leila Zerrougui has more than 40 years of experience in rule of law and protection of civilians. She served as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic in the Congo (MONUSCO) from 2018 to 2021. She also held the position of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict from 2012 to 2017. Prior to this appointment, she was the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Deputy Head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC/MONUSCO) from 2008 to 2012. Her most recent position was as a member of the Independent High-Level Panel on Security and Development in the Sahel from 2022 to 2024. A legal expert in human rights and the administration of justice, Ms. Zerrougui has sought to strengthen the rule of law and protect vulnerable groups, especially women and children.
At the national level, Ms. Zerrougui has had a longstanding legal career in Algeria, where she was appointed Supreme Court Judge in 2000. She holds a degree from the Ecole Nationale d’Administration in Algiers.
Dr. Harvey Langholtz
Adviser to the Board of Directors
Dr. Harvey Langholtz was the founding director of the Peace Operations Training Institute. He served a full career in the US Coast Guard and retired in 1993 with the rank of Commander. He was seconded from the Coast Guard to the US Department of State, where he served on the US Delegation to the United Nations from 1991–1993 and represented the US in the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C34). In 1993, he joined the faculty at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States, where he teaches Decision Theory and holds the academic rank of Professor. Dr. Langholtz has authored several books and articles, among them The Psychology of Peacekeeping and The Psychology of Diplomacy. He has also served as the editor of the Journal of International Peacekeeping. He holds an M.A. from the New School for Social Research in New York, an M.S. from the US Navy Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma.
Ramona Taheri
Executive Director
Ms. Ramona Taheri is the Executive Director at POTI. She is responsible for managing the Institute in keeping with its mission and has enjoyed 10 years in the peace operations training field. She received a BA in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia and an MA in Political Science from Columbia University.