Harriet Hentges '63, International Peacemaker

For many people, the word "peacemaking" is either a military term or a vague concept of being nice, putting down arms, and hoping things will work out. Not so with alum Harriet Hentges, who served from 1994 to 2005 as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the U. S. Institute of Peace (USIP). She knows well how creating real, lasting peace and stability requires hard work, perseverance, and cooperative, focused work. Peace is not a "pie-in-the-sky" concept but rather a smorgasbord of on-the-ground efforts.

"It takes a long time to build resources," states Hentges, "and stabilization requires more than just political or military solutions." It includes:

• cultural, religious, and political research for dialog and understanding;
• skills building in conflict resolution;
• facilitating dialog and mediation;
• training local personnel, officials, and citizens in leadership;
• encouraging economic development and entrepreneurs;
• involving women as socially stabilizing members;
• strengthening the rule of law and safety forces for justice;
• supporting or initiating education; nurturing neighborhood and nongovernmental nonprofit efforts;
• engaging religious and cultural groups and values, and so much more.

As the first female president of the U.N. General Assembly, Vijaya Lakishimi Pandit, said: "The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war." Ronald Reagan observed: "Peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means." That means training people to handle conflict and negotiate creative solutions throughout all aspects of conflict-ridden society.

Listening To Many Is Essential "Good listening skills are an obvious necessity, but it's amazing how genuine listening doesn't always happen before, during, or after a conflict," explains Hentges. Listening, like peacemaking, is often assumed by the general public to be a passive attitude rather than an active, training-based skill to be developed and utilized. So the USIP works to build these skills with the U.S. military as well as with a number of others involved in stabilizing a previously violent society. "That is another essential premise of peacemaking and post-conflict stabilization -- that there are essential roles for a variety of players, from the military and government to NGOs [nongovernmental organizations], to businesses and local leaders, to academics. The process is to pull together the diverse group of stakeholders, and engage even those on the fringes of power, such as women, to work toward common goals." As Executive Vice President, Hentges led the way in path-finding new approaches to stability in post-war situations, such as in Iraq, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kosovo. This included drawing women into the economic, social, and leadership fabric of the stabilization process. In 2004, Hentges launched an initiative on Iraq that included projects such as: Professional Training of government officials, and ethnic, religious, and neighborhood leaders in results-oriented dialog to reduce tensions; an Iraqi Center for Dialogue, Reconciliation, and Peace that garnered the participation and support of local religious leaders; the Rule of Law Program that helped design and establish government structures to facilitate justice and representation, the Education Program to teach conflict resolution in higher education, and the Research and Study Program that investigated best practices across stabilization efforts and a grant funding program for peacemaking efforts, with some of the first grants focusing on interethnic and women’s issues. These led to reductions in conflict many areas of conflict. She helped lead the USIP effort to convene the conference that resulted in the Albanian and Serb Airlie Declaration -- "A Pact Against Violence" -- where the parties agreed, through painful but open and respectful dialog, to accept the results of free and fair elections and dedicate themselves to four concrete steps to stabilize Kozovo in 2000. Hentges also co-chaired two Working Groups that developed recommendations on "The Role of Women in Post-Conflict Stabilization" and "The Role of Economical and Entrepreneurial Development in Post-Conflict Stabilization." Entrepreneurs and Economic Development Are Also Key Hentges came to the USIP with a doctorate in International Economics from John Hopkins University and broad, in-depth experience in both business and nonprofits, including being the Chief Operating Officer of the League of Women Voters of the U.S. So it is not surprising that she sought to emphasize economic and entrepreneurial efforts and the promotion of effective nonprofit organizations as part of the peacemaking toolkit in Iraq and other areas of conflict. Financial and economic development tools have been found through research to be key elements necessary for reweaving the societal fabric to encourage healing and growth after conflict. As Chief Operating Officer of the USIP, Hentges also applied her financial acumen to restructuring the Institute’s financial management system to set it up for future growth and greater efficiency and potency. This positioned the Institute to receive and manage a $10 million earmark in the Iraq Supplemental Funding by Congress.

Established and funded by Congress, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an independent, nonpartisan, national institution created to study conflicts and their causes as well as resolutions and peaceful environments to glean the best practices and a varied toolkit: to help prevent and resolve violent international conflicts to promote post-conflict stability and development to increase conflict management capacity, tools, and intellectual capital worldwide. The Institute achieves this by working with researchers, nonprofit organizations, governmental departments and representatives, the military, economic development specialists, religious and cultural experts and leaders, judicial advocates, and other stake-holders to share knowledge, skills, and resources, and directly engage in dialog and other peacemaking and conflict resolution processes around the globe. (For more information, go to: http://www.usip.org/index.html. ) The Board of Directors that governs the activities of the Institute is bipartisan, coming from a wide range of areas of expertise, with members appointed by the President and approved by Congress. The president and executive officers are selected by the Board of Directors. The USIP sponsors a variety of programs, including: Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention Center for Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations Centers of Innovation Rule of Law Programs Education and Training Center Religion and Peacemaking Program Center for Mediation and Conflict Resolution Muslim World Initiative Virtual Diplomacy The USIP helped facilitate the Congressional Iraq Study Group project, which was a bipartisan, independent effort initiated by Congress and supported by the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, the Center for the Strategic and International Studies, and the Center for the Study of the Presidency. History The first congressional inquiry into the concept of a United States institution dedicated to the cause of international peace was first introduced in 1976, when Congress decided to research the value and potential of such a project. After years of study, hearings, deliberation, and the consideration of various proposals, an independent Congressional Commission, called the Matsunaga Commission (chaired by Senator Spark Matsunaga of Hawaii), recommended the creation of a national peace academy in 1981. The United States Institute of Peace Act, after great perseverance by sponsoring citizens (especially Milton C. Mapes) and senators from all political persuasions, was finally passed and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. Some Recent USIP Accomplishments Worked with local leaders to build neighborhood by neighborhood peace in areas of Iraq; Worked with Sudanese tribal chiefs, educators, and civil leaders for stability and citizen safety; Helped establish a rule of law for justice and peace in places such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Liberia, Palestine, and Nepal; Worked with the U.S. Military's own law specialists, the Judge Advocate General's Corps, on spreading participatory justice through the Rule of Law; Worked with the U.S. Military in training on negotiation skills, cultural understanding, and coordinating local peacemaking efforts. Worked with the National Security Council to host and facilitate a series of counter-terrorism strategy sessions; Worked with NGOs on peacemaking projects in 75 countries; Developed strategy to support civil society in Serbia that helped lead to the election defeat of Slobodan Milosevic and his nonviolent departure from power in 2000; Facilitated the Congressionally-mandated task force on reform recommendations for the United Nations. Construction is underway on the new USIP headquarters, on the Washington Capitol Mall. The architectural design is by Moshe Safdie.

Are We Making Progress in Iraq and Afghanistan?

When posed with this question, Hentges offered an honest, complex answer: "It is not an easy yes or no. The military often understands what needs to be done but it has not always had the support necessary to do it. We worked with the military to develop and highlight stabilization efforts that we believed represented the best promise of success and where employing them would result in stabilization for an area. For instance, stabilization that allows the quick release of funds to local communities forces them to develop consensus and work together. But there are many competing priorities and a lack of coordination among the agencies that complicate the progress."

Also, mistakes made in the early days of securing Iraq have made it more difficult to make progress toward peace, dialog, and unity at this stage. "One of the strengths of the Institute has been in bringing some of the NGOs, policymakers, and academics to the table to share their expertise and perspectives. It is very good at bringing together people who would not normally have a chance or the inclination to deliberate issues with each other, and it helps them dig to a deeper level of analysis."

Hentges did not comment on what specifically should be done in Iraq and Afghanistan because she believes that whether troops go or stay, what is needed is a concerted and cooperative plan with all the stakeholders to continue the good that has been accomplished while minimizing the violence. She felt that the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group offered wisdom in mapping out such a plan and specific strategies.

Engage Women and Religious Leaders
Hentges' special interest has been in demonstrating to the world the important role that women, everyday women, have in peacemaking and economically/socially stabilizing a country after conflict. Despite the fact that women and children are always the most vulnerable and damaged in violent conflicts and refugee situations, "Women have unique advantages because they are not part of the normal power structures." They can make efforts using the daily practicalities of life and are not in the spotlight, so the changes they bring can be more subtle and long lasting. When women entrepreneurs make a little profit or receive humanitarian assistance, they tend to invest in the needs of their children and the elderly, and those elements that improve the quality of life for the community. Investing in women has proven to be one very direct route to stabilization.

In 2002, Hentges was part of the Congressionally sponsored conference at the Library of Congress “A World of Women for World Peace.” More recently, as a businesswoman, she co-chaired the Institute of Peace’s study group and helped write its report: “The Role of Women in Stabilization and Reconstruction” released in April 2007. The report presented a wide range of methods for encouraging and systematizing involvement of women in all levels of reconstruction, offering solid data as to why this is so important for improving the quality of life and long-term health of the society as a whole. Afghanistan offered some useful models and case studies. For a summary of the some of the key points, see: http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/srs/srs3.html.

Engaging religious leaders in healing, reconciliation, and in inter-ethnic, inter-religious society building has been an important focus too. It is a process that takes place slowly and often behind the scenes, with progress often difficult to document or map. Consequently, the media has not reported on these efforts as actively as some of the violent religious confrontations.


The College of St. Catherine's Role in Hentges' Life

A Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet from 1958 to 1972, Hentges graduated from the College of St. Catherine with a degree in history and theology in 1963. "St. Kate's stretched me intellectually by the quality of the teaching and formed me ethically by the deep commitment to social justice of the faculty."

A generous donor and consistent booster of the College of St. Catherine, Hentges has been a Trustee of the College from 1984 to 1993 and 2001 to the present, and shared her expertise as a speaker. She and her husband, Wayne Koonce, have an Angus breeding operation on a restored Civil War farm in rural Virginia. The farm was once part of the property of Warner Washington, a cousin and mentor to George Washington, who spent time there.

Harriet Hentges' Commitment to Social Justice and Peace Continues

Since leaving the Institute for Peace, Hentges has not shunned peacemaking or social justice issues. She served for eighteen months as Wal-Mart’s Senior Director of Shareholder Engagement in the Business Strategy and Sustainability Unit, helping the corporation meet the sustainability goals it had set for itself: greater reliance on renewable energy, zero waste and more sustainable products. Some significant interim goals are to make existing stores 20% more energy efficient by 2012 and new stores by 2009, the fleet 25% more efficient by 2008 and double in 2015; to have solid waste from stores reduced by 25% by 2008, etc. She worked to engage an ever wider group of external stakeholders to address a range of social and environmental issues.

Taking On Food Challenges with Ahold USA

Having made great strides at Wal-Mart, she has now accepted the position of Vice President for Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability for Ahold USA -- a subsidiary of Royal Ahold, a Dutch food retailer and Fortune 100 Global Company with revenues of $60 billion plus. The U.S. subsidiary encompasses companies such as Stop & Shop, Giant Food, and Martin’s Food Markets.

Working with the Corporate Vice President of Social Responsibility in Amsterdam, Hentges will shape priorities, objectives, and key initiatives in four major areas of sustainability and corporate social responsibility for the Ahold USA operating company:

• Healthy Living
• Sustainable Trade
• Climate Action
• Community Engagement

Hentges noted: “This is a very exciting time to be working with businesses committed to integrating its interests with those of the broader society to operate in ways that promote social and environmental goals and to make its unique contribution toward these goals. This is a company clear about its responsibilities and its potential as a leader in a critical industry, and I am excited to be part of its journey.”

José Alvarez, CEO and President of Stop&Shop/Giant-Landover and Carl Schlicker, CEO and President of Giant-Carlisle, issued a joint statement welcoming her: “She will play a key strategic and coordination role in the establishment of objectives and progress reporting, and help to ensure effective communication of our objectives and accomplishments. Harriet will also serve as a strategic advisor to senior executives regarding our relationships with external groups such as socially responsible investment groups, NGOs, and advocacy groups. . . . Harriet is well qualified to fulfill this role, with an extraordinary range of corporate, financial, nonprofit, and governmental agency experience.”

“This is a unique opportunity," said Hentges, "to help impact an industry that is so integral to our everyday choices. The current focus on sustainability is a strong recognition and acceptance that we are all part of the same world and that the everyday choices that we make will impact future generations, as well as those living in other parts of the world today.”